Starting Feb. 24, 980 CKNW will become 730 CKNW
Vancouver’s top news talk radio station is moving down the dial to a new frequency.
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Starting Feb. 24, 980 CKNW will be switching to AM 730, which has a stronger broadcast signal than the sometimes-spotty 980.
CKNW host Simi Sara shared the news on her show Monday.
“If there is one complaint that I hear from people … it’s about the quality of the CKNW 980 signal,” she said. “It is not great.”
Some parts of Metro Vancouver and downtown Vancouver are notorious for not getting clear reception, with commuters listening to the station having to put up with static or lost signals.
Kathryn Stewart, director of talk and talent for the station, said the change will give listeners a better experience.
“We would love to make sure that all of our listeners can hear us wherever they are, how ever they’re listening,” she told Sara on the show. “For our listeners on the AM signal, we’re making this change so that they can hear you a little more clearly.”
CKNW has been simulcast on both 980 and 730 for months. After Feb. 24, 980 will go off air.
The switch will mean a rebranding for the station, which celebrated 80 years on the air last summer. CKNW began broadcasting on Aug. 15, 1944 and eight decades later is the top rated news and talk radio station in the city.
Its new frequency, AM 730, also had its own storied history. Originally CKLG, it was one of the most popular music radio stations in Vancouver in the 80s with shows hosted by celebrity DJs.
After it was sold off, the station tried a variety of formats, including all-news and sports, before switching over to all-traffic radio as CKGO. It also broadcast Vancouver Whitecaps games.
Media giant Corus Entertainment shut down the CKGO last year as part of AM radio programming cutbacks.