In 1954, a fire in another part of CKNW's Swanrite Building caused extensive water damage to their New Westminster studios and equipment. Staff and operations moved to owner Bill Rea's Danceland in Vancouver until the situation could be resolved. Insufficient insurance to cover the fire, failures to acquire a television broadcasting license and huge losses selling television sets led to Rea's collapse from exhaustion and hospitalization. Within weeks of the fire, Bill Rea relinquished control of the station. And, in 1956, he sold the station and moved to California.
A Canadian DJ named Bill Ray was a charter member of San Diego's The Mighty 690's Top 40 debut in April 1957, but it wasn't CKNW's Bill Rea. In 1958, Tijuana's XEAK-690 boosted power to 50,000 watts, but not before all of The Mighty 690 DJs began using their real names on the air, a little known Mexican broadcast regulation of the time. Bill Ray was suddenly Frank Thompson, eventually returning to his native White Rock (B.C.) where he resides today.
In 1991, the CRTC approved the purchase of Maclean-Hunter's CJCA-AM and CIRK-FM by Western World Communications Corp. Because both stations were licensed to Edmonton, Western was given six months to sell its CHMG-1200, which was licensed to the Edmonton surburb of St. Albert. Balsa Broadcasting bought MG Radio, moved it to FM, as CFMG-FM, and sold it to Telemedia in 1996. Today, CFMG is owned by Bell Media under the Virgin branding. CIRK is Classic Rock K-97 and owned by Newcap. CJCA is owned by Charles Allard, Jr. and runs a combination of spoken religious talk and Southern Gospel music. But, in 1965, CJCA was Top 40 with a promising young talent named Harold Weaver. Harold became Hal Weaver, best known for his work at CHUM Toronto and CKVN Vancouver, where cancer took him off the air, eventually killing him on December 31, 1971, at the age of 28.
In 2006, OK Radio Group announced the sale of Victoria's CKKQ-FM and CJZN-FM to Jim Pattison for $15.75 million. CRTC approval came six months later.
Also in 2006, CBC Toronto's French language CJBC received Industry Canada approval for a Windsor rebroadcast transmitter on 103.9 MHz with 1450 watts. Original CRTC approval was received four years earlier, but the proposed frequency and power were not acceptable.
