CKEE-FM

On March 2, the CRTC approved an application by Four Senses Entertainment Inc. for a licence to operate an English-language FM radio station in Whistler. Four Senses was a corporation owned by Barry Duggan, Donovan Tildesley, Hugh Tildesley and Robert Wilson, with 45%, 22.5%, 22.5% and 10% respectively of all the issued and outstanding voting shares of Four Senses. The new station would offer a Hot Adult Contemporary music format featuring songs from the late 80s and 90s. The new station would also provide 49 hours of local programming, including 11 hours per broadcast week of local spoken word programming relating to news, weather, sports, road conditions, and local community events. The licence would expire August 31, 2015. The station would operate at 101.5 MHz (channel 268A) with an average effective radiated power of 881 watts.
 

Program Director Jason Jaski was considering block programming for CKEE. He was looking at such blocks as hip-hop, punk rock and talk programming. The station was now airing only its afternoon show. Jaski described that move as easing into programming to reflect the community, developing it organically. In the near future, he and Kristen Robinson would begin doing the morning show.

CKEE-FM began on-air testing February 25. It was calling itself 101.5 Whistler FM. The format was Hot Adult Contemporary featuring music from the ‘80s and ‘90s.

On August 7, the CRTC denied the application by Four Senses Entertainment Inc. to amend the broadcasting licence for CKEE-FM by adding a new rebroadcasting transmitter in North Vancouver. It would have operated on 99.9 MHz (channel 260A) with an average effective radiated power of 102 watts (maximum ERP of 450 watts with an effective height of antenna above average terrain of 57 metres).

The Commission considered that the proposed transmitter in Vancouver was not necessary for the applicant to provide the service that it originally proposed for Whistler. Further, rebroadcasting CKEE-FM in North Vancouver did not constitute the best use of the proposed frequency, given that it could be used for an originating station to serve the market.

On April 4, the CRTC denied an application by Four Senses Entertainment to launch a rebroadcaster in Squamish to simulcast the programming of CKEE. The new station would have operated on 99.5 with 5,000 watts. The CRTC said the applicant did not demonstrate a compelling technical need for the rebroadcaster. However, they did feel that there was an economic need and invited Four Senses to file a new application for a stand-alone station in Squamish.