CKOB-AM

On December 21, Martin Burns (on behalf of a company to be incorporated) was granted a licence for a new AM station at Renfrew.

CKOB began broadcasting on September 12, on 1400 kHz with 250 watts of power, non- directional. One 135 foot tower was used. The station was owned by Opeongo Broadcasting Co. Ltd.

A fire broke out in the CKOB studios at 1:00 a.m. on December 21. The station was engulfed by the time the fire was noticed. CKOB was broadcasting again 15 hours later thanks to help from a lot of people, including stations CFRA Ottawa and CHOV Pembroke.

CKOB purchased a new CCA 1,000 watt transmitter. 

On October 10, CKOB was authorized to increase daytime power from 250 watts to 1,000 watts. Night-time power would remain 250 watts. The increase took effect on October 12.

The CRTC approved the application by Jamie B. Pole to acquire CKOB. Facilities were to be upgraded and a daily open-line talk show was to be added. An interim daytime power increase to 1,000 watts was now confirmed by the Department of Communications. 

CKOB was authorized to move to a new transmitter site.

On February 13, the CRTC approved the application by Telemedia Communications Inc. for a licence for an English-language radio network that included CKOB, for the purpose of broadcasting the hockey games of the Toronto Maple Leafs during the 1983-84 season of the National Hockey League. 

On December 13, approval was given for Opeongo to increase CKOB’s night-time power from 250 watts to 1,000 watts. 

Peter Wright was named sales manager at CKOB.

On February 14, Opeongo Broadcasting Co. Ltd. received approval for a new AM station at Arnprior. It would broadcast on 1490 kHz with a power of 250 watts. It would simulcast the programming of CKOB, except from 9 a.m. to noon weekdays when programming would originate from the Arnprior studio. The Arnprior licence was sought because of the poor ground conductivity in the area, CKOB’s signal was weak and subject to electrical interference during the day; and non-existant at night.

CKOA Arnprior signed on the air later in the year.

On September 22, the transfer of effective control of Opeongo Broadcasting Company Limited through the transfer of 9,000 common shares and 90 preferred shares from Jamie B. Pole to Neil MacMullen, on behalf of a company to be incorporated was approved. MacMullen would acquire effective control of the licensee through the ownership of 100% of the common voting shares. Pole would remain as a Director and continue to act as assistant engineer. MacMullen ows six radio stations in Nova Scotia (Annapolis Valley Radio), and has more than 20 years of broadcasting experience.

Stan Cameron became CKOB’s general manager. Rick Wyman was news director.

On September 26, CKOB and CKOA had their licences renewed. At the time, the Commission noted that due to financial difficulties, the licensee proposed to eliminate 16 hours weekly of local programming on CKOA. It would rebroadcast CKOB full-time.

On October 11, the CRTC approved the sale of Ottawa Valley Radio Ltd. (CKOB and CKOA) by Neil McMullen through his company Annapolis Valley Radio Ltd. to Pelmorex Broadcasting Inc. (controlled by Pierre Morissette). The Commission took into consideration the precarious financial situation of CKOB and CKOA and the fact that this transaction would provide the stations with the resources necessary to ensure continuation of local radio service. The Commission also approved the request to reduce locally-produced programming on CKOB from 126 hours per week to 21 hours 15 minutes weekly as well as to increase the locally-produced programming on CKOA to 21 hours 15 minutes per week. CKOB and CKOA would become part-time rebroadcasting stations of CHRO Pembroke. 

CKOB Renfrew became known as CHVR-1 and CKOA Arnprior became CHVR-2

In the Summer, CHVR, CKOB and CKOA combined into a new FM station – CHVR-FM at 96.7 MHz, “Star 96”. The CBC had occupied the 96.7 frequency in Pembroke, so moved its station to 92.5 MHz. CHVR-FM operated with 100,000 watts of effective radiated power from the CBC-FM site approximately 16 km south of Pembroke. The three AM stations left the air.