CKSA-FM

CKSA first went on the air in March with the official launch on April 3. The station broadcast on a frequency of 1150 kHz with a power of 1,000 watts (different directional patterns for day and night operation – although one listing says the station was daytime only). CKSA was an independent station with no network affiliation. The “SA” in the call sign: Saskatchewan-Alberta.

Sask-Alta Broadcasters Limited was owned by Arthur F. Shortell (52.4%), T. A. Shandro (9.5%) and sixteen other shareholders (38.1%). Mr. Shortell was president of the company and Tom Shandro was CKSA’s manager. He had worked at CJCA in Edmonton and was the original manager at CFCW in Camrose. Dan Taylor joined from CFGP Grande Prairie as production manager. Bill Dowson (formerly of CFCW and CHEK-TV) was commercial production manager. Howard Simmonds was chief engineer. He had been at CBK Watrous for 14 years.

Sask-Alta Broadcasters Ltd. (CKSA) announced plans to apply for a television licence. President A.F. Shortell said the proposed station would serve an area within 75 air miles of Loydminster, into both Alberta and Saskatchewan. He said this was the largest remaining populated area in western Canada not presently receiving television service. Plans for television were actually started when CKSA opened in April of 1957. Studies favoured the need for live telecasting opposed to a satellite service. Shortell expected to use a 500 foot antenna with effective radiated power of around 67,000 watts (video).

Fire caused extensive damage to the executive offices, record library, one recording studio and one broadcast control room. The station was able to sign on a

Arthur Shortell opened CHSA Television.

Power increased from 1,000 watts to 10,000 watts.

Arthur Shortell opened a second television station in Lloydminster – CITL-TV.

Art Shortell died Aug. 29th and his wife, Mary took over the opperation of both radio and the TV stations.

Peter L. Senchuk left CKSA-AM-TV as vice president and general manager to become president of Access Alberta. He had been with CKSA since 1969.

Glen Kirby was new news director at CKSA.

On March 3, CKSA was granted a daytime power increase from 10,000 watts to 50,000 watts. The change would increase CKSA’s coverage area to include the communities of Wainwright and Mannville, AB and St. Wallburg, SK.

Keith Snelgrove was a sportscaster at CKSA.

On December 18, Sask-Alta Broadcasters Ltd. was given approval to convert CKSA to the FM band, operating with an effective radiated power of 100,000 watts on a frequency of 95.9 MHz. Antenna height would be 164.2 metres on the co-owned CKSA-TV / CITL-TV tower. The station would also operate a transmitter at Bonnyville on 101.3 MHz with ERP of 25,000 watts and antenna height of 115.3 metres. The existing country format would be carried over to the new FM operation. The new station will adopt CKSA’s existing country music format.

For the record, CKSA’s studios and offices at this time were located at 5026 – 50th Street, and the station (along with CKSA-TV, CITL-TV and tourist station CILR-FM) was owned by the late Arthur Shortell’s daughters and sons-in-law, Jane and Ken Ruptash, and Joan and Graham Brown. 

On August 29, CKSA made the flip from AM to FM.

On December 22, Newcap Inc. was given approval to purchase Lloydminster stations CILR-FM, CKSA-FM, CITL-TV, and CKSA-TV from Sask-Alta Broadcasters Ltd. (radio) and Mid West Television Ltd. (TV).

At 9:59 a.m. on February 14, CKSA-FM was rebranded as “Lloyd @ 95 dot 9 FM”, playing everything country, including today’s best new Country and yesterday’s favorites.

On March 10, Newcap was given approval to open a new FM station at Bonnyville. When CKSA was authorized to move to the FM dial in 2002, it was also granted a rebroadcast transmitter at Bonnyville. With the approval of a totally new station, Newcap  promised to cancel the CKSA rebroadcaster plan for Bonnyville. 

The new General Manager/General Sales Manager at Newcap Lloydminster was Tim Weinberger, formerly of Global Edmonton. Former GM Wayne Frolick, who had been away on sick leave, fully recovered but decided to move his vocation in another direction. As well, Brian Labrie’s Regional Retail Sales Manager position was eliminated.

On May 28, the CRTC renewed the licence of CKSA-FM until August 31, 2016.

Chad Tabish who had been Lloyd FM general sales manager was now general manager of Lloydminster/Alberta East Radio & TV for Newcap. He succeeded Tim Weinberger who became GM of CHFT-FM Fort McMurray. Succeeding Tabish as GSM of Alberta East Radio was Carla Beaupre, station manager of K-Rock Cold Lake. Brad Asselstine was now sales supervisor at Lloyd FM. He had been a sales representative.

Travis Kuschminder succeeded Nicki Sampson as 100.7FM The River Red Deer’s Marketing & Promotions Manager. Previously, Kuschminder was Afternoon Drive Host/Music Director at Newcap Radio Lloydminster.

New Program Director at ZED98.9 was Jeff Murray, promoted from PD at Newcap’s seven station network (95.9 Lloyd FM, 93.7 Wayne FM, KEY 83 Wainwright, 101.1 KOOL FM Bonnyville, 97.7 The Spur St Paul, 103.5 Big Dog Lac La Biche and 95.3 FM K-Rock Cold Lake) in northeast Alberta. He began in Red Deer the first week of April.

Kurt Price, who’d been doing mornings at Lloyd FM for 13 years, was promoted to program director for Newcap’s seven Alberta East stations.

Newcap rebranded eight of its Alberta country music stations to the Real Country Network. CKGY Red Deer was the flagship. CKSA Lloydminster rebranded from Lloyd FM to Real Country 95.9. All stations would still air local programming but off-peak shows would be centralized from Red Deer. Seven on-air jobs were lost as a result of the change.

On October 23, the CRTC approved an application by Newfoundland Capital Corporation Limited, on behalf of Newcap Inc. and its licensed broadcasting subsidiaries, for authorization to effect a change in the ownership and effective control of various radio and television broadcasting undertakings in British Columbia, Alberta, Ontario, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, and Newfoundland and Labrador, so that effective control of the undertakings would be exercised by Eric Boyko (Stingray Digital Group Inc.). Stingray took ownership of the stations just a few days later.

On October 28, Don S. Williams (80) passed away at the age of 80. He joined CKSA Lloydminster in 1957, moved on to CKRM Regina and CKX-TV in Brandon. Williams then spent 15 years at CBC Winnipeg as a director and producer.