circa 1968 ad in newspaper

Mike Dixon Collection

1968
Conditional approval was given to T. N. Tuch on December 24 for a new AM station at Castlegar. A competing application from Kokanee Broadcasting Ltd. was denied.

1969
CKQR signed on the air on September 22.

1979
By this time, CKQR was operating on 1230 kHz with 1,000 watts day and 250 watts night.

1984
On December 5, Valley Broadcasters Ltd. was given approval to change CKQR’s frequency from 1230 to 760 kHz, increase day power from 1,000 to 20,000 watts and increase night power from 250 to 5,000 watts.

1991
Gordon A. Brady and Serge Plotnikoff sold Valley Broadcasters Ltd. to J.W. Gillespie Equity Corp. (70%) and Wilfred R. Warner (30%)

1993
CKQR began to simulcast programming (116 hours per week) on CKGF Grand Forks.

On December 16, CKQR was given approval to add an FM transmitter at Nelson, operating on 103.5 MHz, with an effective radiated power of 84 watts.

1994
CHNV-FM (to rebroadcast CKQR) signed on in Nelson.

1996
Boundary Broadcasting Ltd. (CKGF) and Valley Broadcasters Ltd. (CKQR Castlegar) became fully owned by J.W. Gillespie Equities Corp. 

1998
On March 10, approval was given to convert CKQR to the FM band using 99.3 MHz with an effective radiated power of 333 watts, with a transmitter at Trail on 104.1 MHz with ERP of 19.9 watts.

2005
In early August it was announced that Boundary Broadcasting Ltd., owner of CKGF-2-FM Greenwood and its two transmitters at Christina Lake & Rock Creek, and Valley Broadcasters Ltd., owner of CKQR-FM Castlegar and its transmitters CHRT-FM Trail and CHNV-FM Nelson had been purchased by a Calgary group, headed by Margot Micallef.  On September 1, The CRTC announced approval of the sale to 1126144 Alberta Ltd., a company affiliated with Vista Broadcast Group Inc. 

2006
In April, reflecting the new ownership, the station and its transmitters, which for years had identified as “BK Radio” (for Boundary Kootenay) changed its identification to “Mountain FM”.  The format was billed as “Adult Rock” with hits from the seventies to current.

CKQR Page

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