CKMO-AM

CAMO (short for Camosun College) Radio began closed circuit broadcasting at Camosun College in Victoria, BC.
 

CJVI and Rogers Broadcasting presented a $50,000 grant to the Camosun College Foundation. The grant was to be used to help in the start-up of a low power FM station at the college. The cheque was presented to Camosun president Dan Cornish by Gary Miles, executive vice president of Rogers, and Kim Hesketh, vice president of CJVI.

The CAMO Radio Society was formed on March 1st and registered in British Columbia as a non-profit society with the intent of applying for a low powered FM Radio license.

On April 20, the application was presented to the CRTC at a public hearing in Ottawa. It was approved by the CRTC on June 23, and CKMO became the third licensed Campus/Instructional radio station in Canada. The initial broadcast week was 30 hours, noon to 6 p.m. Monday to Friday.

In September, the first of the “Education on the Air” programs, English 160 debuted. Students taking these radio courses received University transfer credits from Camosun College.

In June, CKMO Radio and “Education on the Air” was awarded the Standard Radio Award of Excellence in Community Broadcasting from the National Campus/Community Radio Association.

In September, CKMO increased on-air hours to 50 hours per week.

On May 11, “Portuguese Mosaic”, the first weekly community volunteer-produced program, began. On September 13, CKMO increased on-air hours to 77 and commenced weekend broadcasting. “Education on the Air” radio credit courses accounted for 31 hours a week of programming. On October 14, CAMO Radio Society changed its name to the CKMO Radio Society to avoid confusion and match the call letters.

From 1928 to 1955, the call Letters CKMO identified a pioneer radio station in Vancouver, which was licensed to the Sprott-Shaw School of Commerce. With new owners beginning in 1955 the call sign changed once more, On Feb. 1, 1992,CKOC Hamilton dropped its veritable call letters and adopted CKMO. However, after a few months the Hamilton station changed owners, and the CKO call sign was restored. Thus, CKMO became available for assignment to CAMO RADIO.

On January 18, The CKMO Radio Society formally approved a motion to exchange frequencies with Rogers Broadcasting’s 10,000-watt Victoria station CJVI on AM 900. On April 25th, the joint CRTC application to swap frequencies by the CKMO Radio Society and Rogers Broadcasting was heard by the CRTC at a public hearing in Vancouver. On June 1, CKMO adopted a Global Roots music format focusing on worldbeat, folk and roots music. On June 30th, The CRTC approved the frequency swap between the CKMO Radio Society and Rogers. CKMO surrendered the 50-watt low power FM license at 103.1 and was granted a 10,000-watt AM license at 900. On August 1, CKMO began broadcasting 24 hours a day 7 days a week. On September 5, the new 10,000-watt CKMO went on the air at 900 AM. On September 15, Victoria Salsa Junior Hockey debuted on 900 CKMO.

In February CKMO adopted the on-air name “Village 900 A World of Music, A Community of Ideas”. 

On June 13 the CRTC renewed the licence for CKMO (CKMO Radio Society). 

CKMO 900 left the air on March 4 as no funding was available to maintain and upgrade transmitting equipment. CKMO Radio Society requested the revocation of its broadcasting licence for the AM radio programming undertaking CKMO Victoria, and on March 5, the Commission granted that request.