CKKC-FM

The Nelson Daily News was licenced to operate a 100 watt AM station and CKLN signed on the air July 15, operating on 1420 kHz. Francis Freeman Payne was manager and owner of the Daily News and a director of the Trail Daily Times. He was responsible for the establishment of CKLN.

The first network program broadcast on CKLN brought the voice of King George addressing the world following Britain’s declaration of war. CKLN manager Hume Lethbridge was notified 20 minutes before the address that his station would be included in the CBC network if lines could be set up in time. The line was ready in 15 minutes and adjustments were completed just 20 seconds before the station’s first network broadcast.

Under the Havana Treaty, CKLN moved from 1420 to 1450 kHz (Class IV) on March 29. Power was 100 watts.

Power increased to 250 watts. 

Hume A. Lethbridge was CKLN’s manager. He left later in the year for CKOV in Kelowna.

On July 4, CBC national radio sportscaster Bill Good Sr. spread the news across the Trans-Canada network of the highly successful Midsummer Curling Bonspiel held in Nelson on July 1.  According to local news reports, this was the first time a national program had originated at CKLN. 

CBC Trans-Canada Supplementary stations: CKCV, CKOC, CKLW, CJIC, CKCK, CFAR, CFGP, CKLN Nelson.

John B. Stark was manager.

CKLN 1240 was noted as being owned by News Publishing Co. Ltd., and was a CBC Trans-Canada affiliate. Studios and transmitter were on Radio Avenue. 

Henry LeMoigne was appointed manager, replacing Joan Orr who left for CHUM Toronto. 

W.E. Bracken was manager. Mrs. K. Haryett was named manager later in the year.

Joan Orr left CKLN to become manager of the new CHUB in Nanaimo (she had earlier returned from CHUM). Mrs. K. Haryett became manager.
 

A.R. Ramsden was now manager.
 

The CBC approved the transfer of 1,283 common shares in News Publishing Co. Ltd. (CKLN).

CKLN became a member of the C.A.B.

Approval was given for the transfer of 28 common shares.
 

Regulatory approval was given for the recapitalization of News Publishing Co. Ltd. – from 5,000 common shares to 5,000 common and 50,000 preferred shares, and for the transfer of 20 common shares and the issuance of 39,500 preferred shares.
 

The largest shareholders of News Publishing Co. Ltd. were listed as the Estate of R.F. Green 43.0% and R.H. Green 33.6%. 
 

According to Elliott-Haynes CKLN reached a total of 4,134 adult listeners every day. 
 

CKLN moved from 1240 to 1390 kHz and increased power from 250 to 1,000 watts, from a new transmitter site. 
 

In September, CKLN faced the loss of its licence because the Board of Broadcast Governors criticized the station’s lack of development over its 29 years of operation. As a result, CKLN would be sold by the newspaper (the two would now compete against each other) and the call letters would be changed. 
 

BBG approval was given for the transfer of assets of CKLN from the News Publishing Co. Ltd. to Kokanee Broadcasting Ltd. CKLN 1390 became CKKC.

In April, Douglas H. Glover became managing director.

In the summer, the station increased local programming from 56 to 110 hours per week.

Kokanee Broadcasting Ltd. applied for transmitters at Creston (1240 kHz with 250 watts non-directional) and Castlegar (1240 kHz with 250 watts non-directional). In addition to local studios, each would make use of facilities at Nelson. The BBG approved the Creston application on condition that it operate as an affiliate of the CBC. The application for Castlegar was denied because T.N. Tuck and associates had a similar application for the town. The Tuck proposal would offer full-time local service in contrast to Kokanee’s offering of only part-time local service.

Approval was given for CKKC to move studios and offices from 266 to 533 Baker Street. The move took place in April. New equipment included: two McCrudy dual channel monaural consoles and Ampex tape recorders. Transmitter improvements increased the station’s broadcast range.

Kokanee Broadcasting opened CFKC Reston on September 21. The new station would carry about nine hours of programming a day from its own studios with the remainder originating from CKKC.

Gordon Green was president of Kokanee Broadcasting and J.P. Haines was KBL’s program director. Tom Jamieson was news editor.

The Nelson station’s format at this time was uptempo Middle of the Road with periods for POP and Country. CKKC now had 19 live newscasts per day. 

The purchase of CKKC and CFKC (Creston) by J. David Schmidt was approved. The new owner planned to live in Nelson and add local studios at Creston. The seller was Kokanee Broadcasting. (CKLN was now CKKC-AM.

By this time, the owner was K.C. Broadcasting Ltd. 

On August 30, Four Seasons Radio Ltd. (owner of CJAT Trail) was given approval to acquire CKKC and  CFKC Creston from K.C. Broadcasting Ltd. Most programming for CKKC and CFKC would now originate from CJAT and the group would be known as the Kootenay Broadcasting System.

CKKC added a transmitter at Crawford Bay. CKKC-1-FM operated on 101.9 MHz with an effective radiated power of 140 watts.

By this time, CKKC was producing 37 hours 30 minutes per week of local programming. All other programs originated with CJAT.

CKKC began simulcasting its programming over High Sierra Broadcasting Limited’s  CICF-2-FM New Denver and CICF-3-FM Kaslo. Their programming had originated with CICF Vernon. The call letters changed to CKZX-FM and CKZX-FM-1.

On April 25, CKKC was given approval to change frequency from 1390 to 880 kHz, to decrease night power from 1,000 to 700 watts and to relocate the transmitter to a new site located one half kilometre away from the existing site. 

Dennis Gerein, General Manager of the KBS stations at Trail, Nelson and Creston left to take up the GM job at CKIQ/The Bullet in Kelowna.

CKKC added a transmitter at Nakusp (CKBS-FM), operating on 97.7 MHz with an effective radiated power of 44 watts. 

73.2% of West Global Broadcast Holding Ltd. was sold by Walter Gray (19.91%), Doreen Gray (2.17%), 479229 B.C. Ltd. (4.86%), C.W. Gray (3.18%), Robert J. Hall (18.10%), Hall-Gray Broadcasting Co. Ltd. (13.88%), Jeanne Hall (3.66%), Phyllis Tostenson (4.24%) and Roger Cottle (3.2%) to Okanagan Skeena Group Limited. OSGL already owned 26.8% of West Global. West Global in turn owned 100% of Four Seasons
Radio Ltd.

CICF Vernon’s transmitter CICF-FM-1 Nakusp was deleted. As a result, CKKC changed the frequency of  its Nakusp transmitter (CKBS-FM) from 97.7 to 103.1 MHz (CICF-FM-1’s old frequency). 

Telemedia Radio Inc. purchased Okanagan Skeena Group Ltd. 

Alex White, program director at CJAT/CKKC left March 16 to become PD at the new CFGW-FM Yorkton, SK.

Standard Radio Inc. purchased Telemedia’s Alberta, Ontario and British Columbia stations. Some of these stations were sold to other companies but Standard chose to retain the Okanagan Skeena Group.

On February 3, the CRTC approved the application by Standard Radio Inc. for a licence to carry on a new FM radio station in Nelson to replace its AM station CKKC. The new station would operate at 106.9 MHz (channel 295B) with an effective radiated power of 920 watts. The applicant indicated that the proposed station would continue to offer the same musical format consisting of adult contemporary hit musical selections already provided by CKKC. The applicant made a commitment to hire an additional local announcer, and to increase the local programming to a minimum of one-third of the broadcast day. Standard also committed that it would maintain its current spoken word programming offering.

On August 4, the station moved to 106.9 FM, continuing to identify as “All Hit KBS, the Best of the 80’s, 90’s and Now”.

On September 27,, Astral Media Radio G.P. received CRTC approval to acquire the assets of the radio and TV undertakings owned by Standard Radio Ltd., subject to certain conditions.  The purchase included CKKC-FM.    

Carissa Donaldson, general manager/general sales manager at CJAT-FM/ CKKC/CFKC left in February to take a sales job with Rawlco Radio Saskatoon as of March 1. Succeeding her in Trail was Ernie Blumke, who had been with the Jim Pattison Broadcast Group.

On August 31, the CRTC administratively renewed the licence for CKKC-FM and its transmitters CKKC-1-FM Crawford Bay, CKZX-FM New Denver, CKZX-FM-1 Kaslo and CKBS-FM Nakusp until March 31, 2012.

CKKC (including CKKC-FM-1 Crawford Bay, CKZX-FM-1 Kaslo, CKBS-FM Nakusp and CKZX-FM New Denver) changed its branding from All Hit KBS to EZ Rock.

Roy McKenzie, the regional sales manager for Astral’s B.C. Interior stations, was no longer with the company. His position was eliminated.

On March 20, the CRTC administratively renewed the licence for CKKC-FM Nelson, and its transmitters CKKC-1-FM Crawford Bay to August 31, 2012.

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

On July 10, the CRTC administratively renewed the licence for CKKC-FM Nelson and its transmitters CKZX-FM New Denver, CKZX-FM-1 Kaslo, CKKC-1-FM Crawford Bay and CKBS-FM Nakusp to March 31, 2013.

On February 6, the CRTC administratively renewed the licence of CKKC-FM Nelson and its transmitters CKZX-FM New Denver, CKZX-FM-1 Kaslo, CKKC-1-FM Crawford Bay and CKBS-FM Nakusp to August 31, 2013.

On June 27, 2013, after a previous such application had been denied in 2012, the CRTC approved an application by Astral Media Inc. to sell its pay and specialty television channels, conventional television stations and radio stations to BCE Inc., including CKKC-FM.