CKDY-AM

On October 18, Evangeline Broadcasting Co. Ltd. was given approval to operate a new AM station at Digby.

CKDY (DY for Digby) signed on the air on February 2. In addition to CKDY, Evangeline Broadcasting also owned CKAD Middleton, CFAB Windsor and CKEN-AM and FM in Kentville.

Dave Rawding left the CKDY on-air team to work in the tourism business. He was replaced by Ron Harrison from CKEN Kentville.

Approval was granted for the transfer of 66% of Evangeline Broadcasting Co. from the estate of A. M. Bishop to W. A. Bishop.

On May 22, the sale of Evangeline Broadcasting Co. Ltd. (CKEN, CKWM-FM, CKAD, CKDY, CFAB) by W. A. Bishop, Scotian Gold Co-op Ltd., F. Hugh Burns, May & Paul Davidson, Bella Burns, George C. Baker, David J. Waterbury, E. J. MacMillan, D. MacDonald, K.L. Crowell, H.L. Dean and Frances B. Lindsay to Neil H. MacMullen, on behalf of a company to be incorporated (would be known as Annapolis Valley Radio Ltd.) was approved. Annapolis took ownership on June 26. It should be noted that CFAB Windsor, CKDY Digby and CKAD Middleton rebroadcast much of the programming of CKEN. CFAB began broadcasting in 1945. CKAD launched in 1962. CKDY signed on in 1970. By this time, CKDY was operating on 1420 kHz with a power of 1,000 watts.

On July 9, CKDY was given approval to add a transmitter at Weymouth, operating on 103.3 MHz with an effective radiated power of 3,000 watts. When the transmitter signed on it was known as CKDY-FM-1.

The CRTC approved the sale of Kentville-based Annapolis Valley Radio Ltd to Halifax-based Maritime Broadcasting System Limited. AVR operated CFAB Windsor, CKEN and CKWM-FM Kentville, CKAD Middleton, CKDY Digby and CKDY-FM-1 Weymouth. Maritime Broadcasting President Merv Russell said the deal for AVR would close April 30. Diane Best-Redden would be general manager at AVR. Maritime Broadcasting closed its deal for the purchase of Neil MacMullen’s Annapolis Valley Radio on April 30, then did the same thing all over again on May 1 for the purchase of Fundy Broadcasting’s CJCB/CKPE-FM Sydney and CFBC/C98-FM Saint John.

The corporate name changed from Annapolis Valley Radio Ltd. to Maritime Broadcaasting System Ltd.

On November 15, the CRTC approved the application by Maritime Broadcasting System Limited for a broadcasting licence to operate an English-language commercial AM radio programming undertaking in Digby. MBS was operating a radiocommunication distribution undertaking in Digby, with a retransmitter in Weymouth. MBS proposed to convert its Digby RDU to a radio programming undertaking to provide local service to Digby. MBS would continue to use the existing transmitter facilities of its Digby RDU, as approved by the Department of Industry. The broadcasting certificate was valid until August 31, 2018. The station’s transmitter would continue to operate at 1,420 kHz (class C) with a transmitter power of 1,000 watts, daytime and night time. Additionally, MBS would continue to operate its Weymouth rebroadcasting transmitter at 103.3 MHz (channel 277A) to rebroadcast the signal of the new station, using the existing technical parameters as approved by the Department. The station would offer 116.5 hours of local programming each broadcast week. Local programming comprised of spoken word would include news, sports, weather, public service announcements, local lifestyle information and fundraising initiatives. With respect to the music format, the station would offer music largely from subcategory 22 (Country and country oriented), but would also offer a variety of popular music drawn from subcategory 21 (Pop, rock and dance) and subcategory 24 (Easy listening).