CIXK-FM

Bayshore Broadcasting Corp., owner of CFOS-AM, filed an application with the CRTC for a new FM station at Owen Sound. The proposed station would operate with a group 1 music format on a frequency of 106.5 MHz and effective radiated power of 100,000 watts. The application was approved on October 26. An application by Wingham’s CKNX Broadcasting Ltd. to operate rebroadcast transmitters at Owen Sound and Meaford was denied.

Bayshore Broadcasting received approval to relocate the transmitter of its new FM station from approximately 15 km south-east of Owen Sound to a site about 15 km north-west of the city. The transmitter would be co-sited with the CBC’s CBCB-FM Owen Sound.

CIXK-FM began testing late in the year. Temporary power was 10,000 watts.

CIXK-FM – K106.5 – signed on the air on January 3.

Authorized full power of 100,000 watts was operational in February.

CIXK-FM was the first station with the technical capacity to serve the entire Georgian Bay region. The station covered the Grey Bruce and Simcoe area, and around the east side of the bay including much of Muskoka and Parry Sound. It was the region with no name so the station had to do something about that. It came up with the phrase – Canada’s Natural Wonderland.

On September 16, approval came for the relocation of CIXK’s transmitter site from the authorized location approximately 15 km southeast of Owen Sound to a site approximately 15 km to the northeast of the city, on the CBCB-FM tower. 

Acoustic Rock was the new country crossover format being used at CIXK-FM. (“The Mix That Kicks”) 

Dave Middleton moved from K106.5 to the morning show at CFOS on June 5. Former morning host Andy Rogers left the station.

Ross Kentner was General Manager at CIXK / CFOS.

Andrea Howell left CIXK/CFOS where she had been news director.

Danny Kingsbury joined Mix 106/CFOS on a 6-month contract – temporarily filling the hole left by former operations manager Madelyn Hamilton. Kingsbury had been with CISS-FM Toronto.

Janet Trecarten became Operations Manager at Mix 106/CFOS-AM. She had been music director at Toronto’s CISS-FM.

Tim Blackwell became music director and swing announcer at Mix 106. He had been with CFCP-FM in Courtenay, BC.

On July 18 the CRTC renewed CIXK-FM’s licence until August 31, 2010.

CIXK-FM changed its format from Adult Contemporary as Mix 106 to Adult Contemporary Hits as Mix 106.5.

Former CHCH-TV Hamilton News Anchor Dan McLean was now a radio morning man. McLean, the 37-year CHCH stalwart (28 years as the Senior Anchor) was now co-hosting Mix 106.5 alongside Barb Jelly (formerly with Astral’s Boom-FM and EZ-Rock Toronto). McLean had worked in radio in the Regina, Saskatoon and Kitchener-Waterloo markets before moving to television. The former Mix 106.5 morning show moved across the street to the new Larche Communications station, 92.3 The Dock. 

On August 31, the CRTC renewed the licence for CIXK-FM Owen Sound from 1 September 2010 to 31 August 2014. This short-term licence renewal would enable the Commission to review, at an earlier date, the licensee’s compliance with the Radio Regulations, 1986 and its conditions of licence. The Commission directed the licensee to fulfill the shortfall of its basic Canadian content development contributions for the 2009 broadcast year by no later than 60 days from the date of this decision.

On September 30, the CRTC approved applications by Bayshore Broadcasting Corporation to change the authorized contours of radio stations CIXK-FM and CKYC-FM Owen Sound. The licensee proposed to decrease the effective radiated power from 100,000 to 28,000 watts (non-directional antenna) for CIXK-FM and from 31,600 to 22,000 watts (non-directional antenna) for CKYC-FM, by increasing CIXK-FM’s effective height of antenna above average terrain (EHAAT) from 171.7 to 189.6 metres and that of CKYC-FM from 114.1 to 214 metres, and by moving the antennas to a common site. Bayshore submitted that the relocation of its FM antennas to a new and common tower in Owen Sound would significantly reduce yearly operating costs associated with the maintenance of transmitter sites. The Commission noted that the population served by CIXK-FM and CKYC-FM within each station’s 3 mV/m and 0.5 mV/m contours would increase slightly.