CHRB-AM

Palliser Broadcasting was licenced to operate an AM station at High River. It was to provide local, rural service with some 14 hours of religious programming every week. The requested frequency of 1280 kHz (power of 10,000 watts) was mutually exclusive with CJSL Estevan, Saskatchewan’s request for a power increase on the same frequency. The CRTC gave the CJSL power increase approval in principle, but deferred a final decision pending agreement between that station and Regina’s CJME (1300 kHz). Future changes at CJME may require such an agreement.

CHRB 1280 began broadcasting on December 5. It had a fulltime power of 10,000 watts with different directional patterns for day and night operation. The station was owned and operated by Elmer Hildebrand’s Palliser Broadcasting Ltd. The “HRB” in the calls: High River Broadcasting.

The corporate name for CHRB was changed to Golden West Broadcasting Ltd.

Veteran broadcaster and CHRB news director Jim Butler died November 27 at the age of 67. He had worked with CFAC-TV Calgary and CITV-TV Edmonton, and was one of CHRB’s original staff members in 1977.

Keith Leask became CHRB’s news director, replacing Wilt Shaw who returned to CFAC Calgary.

Keith Leask became CHRB’s station manager. He had been in the station’s news and sport department.

Bob Linn left CHRB to become mid-day announcer at CKEG Nanaimo.

Golden West named Lyndon Friesen to the post of general manager for CHRB and CFXL Calgary.

On October 21, Golden West Broadcasting Ltd. was licenced to change CHRB’s frequency from 1280 kHz to 1140 kHz and to increase power from 10,000 watts day and night to 50,000 watts day and 46,000 watts night. The station would use the Calgary-area transmitter site recently used by CFXL 1140 which converted to the FM band. The CRTC did have concerns that CHRB might change its orientation to serve Calgary considering how close the new transmitter site was to that city.  Golden West told the Commission, “We  are licensed to serve southern Alberta, not Calgary, and it is not our intention to provide service to Calgary”.
 
The Commission further noted that, while CHRB’s existing night-time interference-free contour covered High River and area including Black Diamond, the proposed night-time interference-free contour would not reach HighRiver and also fell short of Black Diamond. CHRB was told to make sure its night-time service in these communities remained comparable to that of the existing 1280 kHz service.

The move from 1280 kHz to 1140 kHz took place before the year was out.

Golden West Broadcasting was granted a licence for an FM station in High River/Okotoks. 

CFXL-FM signed on as a sister station to CHRB “AM 1140”.

Golden West launched its third station in the High River/Okotoks market – CFXO-FM.

The new Station/Sales Manager at The Eagle 100.9 (CKUV)/AM 1140 (CHRB) and CFXO Okotoks was Tara DeWitt. She’d been with Golden West Broadcasting for five and a half years, starting as a junior sales consultant. From there, DeWitt moved up, progressing to her last job as Sales and Operations Manager for all three stations.

On November 30, the CRTC renewed CHRB’s licence until August 31, 2017.

Paul O’Neil, former Assistant Program Director/Music Director at BIG DOG Regina, was now at SUN COUNTRY 99.7 /AM 1140 High River as Program Director.

Kristen Gilchrist moved from Golden West Broadcasting High River to join CHAT 94.5/MY96 Medicine Hat as producer.