CKOO-FM
CKOO-FM (103.9 FM, "Soft 103.9") was a radio station in Kelowna, British Columbia. Owned by Castanet Media, it broadcasts a soft adult contemporary format.
| City | Kelowna, British Columbia |
|---|---|
| Frequency | 103.9 MHz (FM) |
| Branding | Soft 103.9 |
| Slogan | Familiar Favourites |
| Programming | |
| Format | Soft adult contemporary |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | Castanet Media Ltd. (Avenue Radio, Ltd.) |
| History | |
| First air date | September 29, 2008 |
| Last air date | April 3, 2020 |
| Former call signs | CJUI-FM (2008-2018) |
| Call sign meaning | C Kelowna Okanagan Oldies (former branding) |
| Technical information | |
| Class | C |
| ERP | 17,300 watts |
| HAAT | −90 meters (−300 ft) |
History
On March 14, 2008 the CRTC approved in part an application by Vista Broadcast Group for a new FM station to serve Kelowna with an adult hits format.[1] However, the applied for frequency of 96.1 MHz, with an average effective radiated power of 19,900 watts was rejected by the Commission as unacceptable, due to approval of another FM station application by Sun Country Cablevision to use 96.3 MHz. Vista subsequently re-filed its application for a new frequency and on August 7 of the same year, the Commission approved the use of 103.9 MHz with an average ERP of 5,200 watts. The station officially launched on September 9, 2008 as 103.9 The Juice.
On January 31, 2013, the CRTC approved Vista's application to increase CJUI-FM's effective radiated power (ERP) from 5,200 to 17,300 watts (maximum ERP from 10,000 to 36,800 watts), by decreasing the effective height of antenna above average terrain from 506 to -90 metres, by relocating the transmitter site and by changing the class from C1 to C.[2]
In October 2017, the CRTC approved a deal for Vista to sell CJUI-FM to Avenue Radio Ltd., a company owned by J. Nicholas Frost - founder of the Okanagan news website Castanet. Avenue planned to move the station to a new facility shared with the website on Lawrence Avenue in Kelowna, and planned to increase the station's coverage of local news in the Okanagan region.[3][4]
On November 1, 2017, CJUI flipped to an oldies format branded as Okanagan Oldies 103.9. In January 2019, its call letters were changed to CKOO-FM to reflect the new branding.[5] On January 2, 2019, CKOO flipped to soft adult contemporary as Soft 103.9.[6]
In April 2019, Castanet announced its sale to Glacier Media, including CKOO subject to CRTC approval.[7][8] The sale failed to be completed.
In March 2020, Avenue Radio Ltd declared bankruptcy, with the station going off air soon after.[9][10][11]
References
- Broadcasting Decision CRTC 2008-164, Use of frequency 103.9 MHz by the new station in Kelowna, CRTC, August 7, 2008
- Broadcasting Decision CRTC 2013-34, CJUI-FM Kelowna – Technical changes, CRTC, January 31, 2013
- "CJUI-FM Kelowna – Acquisition of assets". CRTC. Retrieved 2017-10-18.
- "Castanet buys Juice FM". Castanet. Retrieved 2017-10-18.
- "Oldies goes SOFT". Castanet.net. Retrieved 2019-06-21.
- "Castanet sold to Canadian media group". KelownaNow. Retrieved 2019-06-21.
- Thiessen, Connie (2019-04-05). "Glacier Media sells interest in Fundata, acquires Kelowna's Castanet". Broadcast Dialogue. Retrieved 2019-06-21.
- "Kelowna radio station to go dark Friday". InfoNews.ca. Retrieved 2020-04-11.
External links
- CJUI-FM history – Canadian Communications Foundation
- CKOO-FM history – Canadian Communications Foundation
- CKOO-FM in the REC Canadian station database