CIGV-FM

CIGV 100.7 was started by Ralph & Jean Robinson’s Great Valleys Radio Ltd. on October 18. Ralph Robinson had applied for a new station in Penticton ten years earlier. At that time, he wanted to add a second AM station to the market. CIGV-FM operated out of a building that once housed CKOK-AM. The transmitter site was atop Okanagan Mountain – north of Summerland – 5,400 feet above sea level. When CIGV signed on the air, it also had two rebroadcast transmitters: CIGV-FM-1 at Keremos and CIGV-FM-2 at Princeton. Ralph J. Robinson was president and general manager. The “GV” in the call sign represented Great Valleys.

On January 11, the CRTC renewed CIGV-FM’s licence until September 30, 1985.
The renewal included rebroadcasters CIGV-FM-1 Keremeos and CIGV-FM-2 Princeton. 

Ralph Robinson was president. Rolly Gillis was morning man.

Great Valleys Radio president and general manager Ralph Robinson retired August 1, after 50 years in the business. His son, James Robinson, assumed the General Manager duties at CIGV-FM while Ralph continued to hold the president’s title.

On March 18, Great Valleys Radio Ltd. was given approval to change the authorized contours of CIGV, as a result of a decrease in the effective radiated power, from 10,600 to 6,300 watts, and an increase in antenna height from 756 to 758 metres.

On February 25, following public hearings held four months earlier in Kelowna, the CRTC denied application by the Jim Pattison Broadcast Group to purchase the assets of GIGV-FM. The Commission stated that the acquisition would give Pattison more than three stations in the Kelowna market, where CIGV-FM delivers a strong signal, and that all the stations in the Okanagan broadcast area would be owned by only two companies, Pattison and Astral Media.

The Jim Pattison Broadcast Group subsequently re-applied with a proposal to reduce the average effective radiated power of CIGV-FM from 6,300 watts to 3,100 watts to eliminate the overlap between the 3mV/m contours with the company’s stations in Kelowna. On November 21, the Commission again denied the application, stating that the proposed modification to the authorized contour would eliminate the overlap with the 3mV/m contours of Pattison’s stations in Kelowna, but the substantial decrease would not constitute effective use of the frequency. It added that the ERP reduction would result in an unacceptably large reduction in the number of households and individuals served by CIGV-FM. 

On August 31, the CRTC administratively renewed the licence for CIGV-FM and its transmitters CIGV-FM-1 Keremos and CIGV-FM-2 Princeton until March 31, 2012.

Newcap purchased two Okanagan Valley stations: K96.3 (CKKO FM) Kelowna and Giant FM (CIGV FM) Penticton (along with CIGV’s two repeaters). Giant FM was launched October 18, 1981 by Ralph and Jean Robinson’s Great Valleys Radio Ltd. K96.3 won its licence in March, 2008 when the CRTC approved an application by Walter Gray’s Sun Country Cablevision. It signed on the air November 4 of that year. Dallas Gray would remain as general manager/general sales manager under the new ownership.

On February 15, the CRTC approved the application by Newcap Inc. for authority to acquire from Great Valley Ltd. the assets of CIGV-FM Penticton and its transmitters CIGV-FM-1 Keremeos and CIGV-FM-2 Princeton. The Commission also renewed the broadcasting licence for CIGV-FM and the above-mentioned transmitters for five years, to August 31, 2016. 

Rolly Gillis passed away. The former Giant FM program director and morning personality had been in declining health. Gillis began at the station in 1981, the same time it was launched. Before that, he had radio stops in Cranbrook, Castlegar and Parksville, among others.

In late February, Newcap Radio completed the purchase of two radio stations in the Okanagan Valley; K963 Kelowna’s Classic Rock and Penticton’s CIGV, Great Valley radio.

On March 20, the CRTC administratively renewed the licence for CIGV-FM Penticton and its transmitters CIGV-FM-1 Keremos and CIGV-FM-2 Princeton to August 31, 2012.

Newcap Radio conducted extensive research in Penticton, Kelowna and the throughout the Valley and found a big, vocal demand for a new, contemporary sounding country music station. On April 27, Newcap launched the all new Country 100.7, starting with 5,000 great country songs in a row, uninterrupted. Program director David Larsen said country music fans are loyal and passionate about their music. Dallas Gray was general manager.

The all new Country 100.7, the Okanagan’s Country station welcomed ‘Okanagan Mornings with Troy (Scott) and Roo (Phelps)’, the newest addition to Valley radio. Troy and Roo did their first show May 14, starting at 5:30 a.m. 

CMT’s Casey Clarke joined the Country 100.7 on air line up. Country 100.7’s program director and Okanagan Mornings co-host Troy Scott commented, “Having Casey on our team is a major deal for us, he’s one of Country Music’s best friends, he knows the entire Valley and wherever Casey is, CMT usually follows! The Casey Clarke Show aired weekdays on 100.7 right after Okanagan Mornings with Troy Scott & Roo Phelps.

Ernie Blumke became Station Manager of Newcap’s Giant FM. He had been with Astral Radio Nelson/Trail.

Troy Scott left Country 100.7 as morning co-host to become program director at CJSU-FM Duncan. He had joined CIGV earlier this year from Q103 Kelowna where he had been co-hosting mornings.

Casey Clarke, known for his work on CMT, joined Country 100.7 as morning host early in the year, pairing with Roo Phelps. Clarke continued his work with developing/hosting shows for CMT and his nationally syndicated radio programs through Casey Clarke Productions from his new base in the Okanagan.

Early in the year, CIGV changed branding from Country 100.7 to New Country 100.7.

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.