CBKF-FM

The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation was granted a licence for a new French-language FM station at Regina on July 11. The new station would broadcast on a frequency of 97.7 MHz with effective radiated power of 8,500 watts. The signal would be omnidirectional.

CBKF-FM signed on the air April 24. Studios and offices were in the CBC building at 1840 McIntyre Street.

CFNS-AM Saskatoon and CFRG-AM/CFGR-AM Gravelbourg (acquired by the CBC in 1973) became rebroadcast stations of CBKF-FM. Both operations had been on the air since 1952. Eventually CFRG-CFGR would be renamed CBKF-1 while CFNS would become CBKF-2.

On March 30, CBKF-FM was given approval to increase effective radiated power from 8,500 watts to 13,700 watts and to increase antenna height from 383 feet to 501 feet.

French language television came to Regina when Radio-Canada opened CBKFT.

On March 15, CBKF-FM-4 opened at Bellegarde.

The North Battleford transmitter – CBKF-FM-5 –  went on the air on July 1.

In October, the CBC Regina studios and offices moved from 1840 McIntyre Street to 2440 Broad Street. The facility was to have opened in 1979-80. The new building accommodated both English and French radio and television studios. The CBC Saskatchewan broadcast centre included TV studios of 3,500 and 1,800 square feet, a packaging studio, two automated on-air booths and central equipment room. There were also seven remote electronic field production units, three electronic editing suites, six quad VTR’s, three telecine chains, character generators and electronic slide store units. The radio facilities included nine studios, multi-track mixing consoles, 16 listening/editing rooms and automated switching systems.

On August 24, approval came for the relocation of the transmitter site for CBKF-FM and CBK-FM to Belle Plaine, as well as an increase in effective radiated power from 13,700 watts to 100,000 watts for CBKF. This proposal was part of the CBC’s transmitter consolidation plan which involved the relocation of these stations from their existing sites to a single transmitter site located in Belle Plaine, approximately 40 kilometers west of Regina and 32 kilometers northeast of Moose Jaw. 

On September 1, the CRTC approved the relocation of the transmitter site for CBKF and CBK-FM from Belle Plaine to Regina and a decrease in effective radiated power for CBKF from 100,000 watts to 13,700 watts.

CBC cut 20 jobs at its Saskatchewan operations – 17 in English radio and TV and three in SRC’s French language operations.

The Radio-Canada network was renamed “Première Chaîne” and the FM stereo network became “Chaîne culturelle” on September 1.

As of 2001, CBKF operated the following rebroadcast transmitters: CBKF-1 Gravelbourg, CBKF-2 Saskatoon, CBKF-FM-3 Zenon Park, CBKF-FM-4 Bellegarde, and CBKF-FM-5 North Battleford. CBKF-FM broadcasts approximately 40 hours and 40 minutes of local programming each week from Regina.

On May 5, CBKF-FM was authorized to increase effective radiated power for its North Battleford transmitter (CBKF-FM-5) from 4,300 watts to 9,600 watts and to increase antenna height. The changes reflected CBKF-FM-5’s technical parameters following the installation of a new antenna with elliptical polarization. 

On May 12 the CRTC renewed the licence for CBKF-FM. The renewal included the following rebroadcast transmitters: CBKF-1 Gravelbourg, CBKF-2 Saskatoon, CBKF-FM-3 Zenon Park, CBKF-FM-4 Bellgarde and CBKF-FM-5 North Battleford.

On August 9, the CRTC administratively renewed the licence of CBKF-FM (and its transmitters) to August 31, 2011.

On August 25, the CRTC administratively renewed the licence for CBKF-FM and its transmitters to March 1, 2013.

On February 22, the CRTC administratively renewed the licences for CBKF-FM Regina and its transmitters to August 31, 2013.

On May 28, the CRTC renewed the licence of CBKF-FM Regina and its transmitters CBKF-FM-3 Zenon Park, CBKF-FM-4 Bellegarde, CBKF-FM-5 North Battleford, CBKF-1 Gravelbourg and CBKF-2 Saskatoon, for a five year term, to August 31, 2018.

On May 30, the CRTC approved the CBC’s application to change the authorized contours of CBKF-FM by increasing the average effective radiated power from 13,700 to 22,300 watts (non-directional antenna with a decrease in the effective height of antenna above average terrain from 153 to 146.2 metres). The CBC indicated that its application aimed to enhance the contours of La Première Chaîne in the Regina area.

In September, CBKF received approval to increase the power of CBKF-FM-6 North Battleford (96.9 MHz) from 4,120 to 11,631 watts (9,600 11,631 watts Max.).