Broadcast History - February 14

[jon]

In 1935 at 8:00 p.m., CRCW Windsor was launched by the Canadian Radio Broadcasting Commission (CRBC) on 600 KHz with 1000 watts day and 500 watts night. The station was partially owned by competitor CKLW! The CBC replaced the CRBC in 1936, and CRCW became CBW on October 3, 1937, at 4:00 p.m. But left the air a few months later on February 5, 1938, at 6:00 p.m. The CBC signed on CBE on July 1, 1950, because the CBW call letters were by now assigned to Winnipeg. CBE had 10,000 watts on 1550 KHz, and was the easiest Ontario station for DX'ers to hear in Vancouver during the 1960s.

In 1944, the Board of Broadcast Measurement (BBM) was born with the presentation of a committee proposal by Jack Kent Cooke at the annual meeting of the Canadian Association of Broadcasters (CAB). The committee had been formed in 1942 to get more reliable information on listeners of sponsored radio programs. The BBM was actually formed on May 11, 1944. Cooke meantime was negotiating to buy CKEY Toronto for Roy Thompson's Northern Broadcasting. CJOR owner George Chandler was one of the early members of the BBM.



In 1955 at 6:00 p.m., the C-FUN call letters arrived in Vancouver with the sale of CKMO by Sprott-Shaw to a large group of owners, many of them employed by the station. But the station was re-sold shortly afterwards to another group. The CFUN call letters have long been associated with Rock & Roll, but the call letters came first, even if they did arrive on Valentines Day.

In 1980, CKWG-FM Winnipeg signed on with 100,000 watts on 103.1 MHz. CKRC had obtained a license for the new FM station 11 months earlier. In 1989, the call letters changed to CHZZ, and then CKMM in 1991. The station is currently branded as Virgin Radio 103.1 and is owned by Bell Media.



In 2002, multicultural CHNM-TV Vancouver was licensed to local owners Multivan on Channel 42 with 40,000 watts, but was increased to 76,000 watts before signon. The transmitter also moved about 200 metres to the CBC site, still on Mount Seymour. A Victoria (repeater) transmitter was added in March 2006.

In 2006, CKSA-FM Lloydminster became "Lloyd at 95 dot 9 FM", using a Jack-FM approach to Country music. CKSA had done an AM to FM flip on August 29, 2003, to 95.9 MHz with 100,000 watts. And Newcap was approved to purchase all of Lloydminster's radio and television stations on December 22, 2004. Rather than run a previously-approved Bonnyville repeater for CKSA-FM, Newcap was approved to build a new station in Bonnyville, in a March 10, 2006, CRTC decision.