CKWD
CKWD-FM is a Canadian radio station broadcasting at 95.3 FM in Calgary, Alberta owned by Jim Pattison Group. The station broadcasts a country music format branded as Wild 95.3. CKWD's studios & offices are located on 58th Avenue Southwest in Calgary, while its transmitter is located on Old Banff Coach Road. The station is owned & operated by Jim Pattison Group who also owns sister station CKCE-FM.
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City | Calgary, Alberta |
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Broadcast area | Calgary Metropolitan Region |
Frequency | 95.3 MHz (FM) |
Branding | Wild 95.3 |
Slogan | Calgary's New Country |
Programming | |
Format | Country |
Ownership | |
Owner | Jim Pattison Group (Jim Pattison Broadcast Group Ltd.) |
Sister stations | CKCE-FM |
History | |
First air date | April 25, 2014 |
Former call signs | CHPK-FM (2014-2016) |
Call sign meaning | CK WilD (branding) |
Technical information | |
Class | C1 |
ERP | 100,000 watts |
HAAT | 272.9 meters |
Links | |
Webcast | Listen Live |
Website | wild953.com |
History
CKWD-FM's license was granted by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission on May 24, 2012.[1] On May 16, 2013, the Jim Pattison Group acquired CKCE-FM from Bell Media, as part of divestments from its purchase of Astral Media. The newly acquired station was consolidated into the facilities of 95.3.[2] The station officially launched as CHPK-FM on April 25, 2014 with an adult album alternative format as 95.3 The Peak.[3][4]
At 10:15 a.m. on February 29, 2016, CHPK flipped to country branded as Wild 95.3; the station's general manager Eric Stafford cited low interest and ratings for the station's AAA format as an impetus for the switch. He believed that The Peak was unable to fully distinguish itself from its main competitor, CFEX-FM, in order to remain competitive. The new Wild format competes mainly against the historically dominant CKRY-FM; Stafford stated that Wild would have a younger-skewing format with a focus on newer material and fewer "throwback" songs.[5] In addition, the station changed call letters to CKWD-FM.[6]
References
- Broadcasting Decision CRTC 2012-308, Licensing of new radio stations to serve Calgary, Alberta, CRTC, May 24, 2012
- "Pattison group looks to buy castoffs from Bell Astral deal". The Vancouver Sun. Retrieved 22 May 2013.
- "95.3 The Peak Calgary Debuts". Radio Insight. Retrieved 5 May 2014.
- 95.3 The Peak Debuts
- "Calgary's new Wild 95.3 replaces Peak radio, because 'there just wasn't enough interest'". Calgary Herald. Postmedia. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 2 March 2016.
- http://airchecker.ca/2016/03/06/canadian-radio-news-recap-february-2016/
External links
- Official website
- CKWD AM history – Canadian Communications Foundation
- CHPK-FM in the REC Canadian station database