1957
Southern Manitoba Broadcasting (SMB) launched its first radio station CFAM-AM in Altona, Manitoba, on March 13th 1957, with eleven employees. One of those employees was a young copy chief, Elmer Hildebrand, who later would own the station and guide the company to being one of Canada’s most respected chains of small market stations.

Abe Thiessen was CFAM’s first President, Manager and principal shareholder. It was known as Manitoba’s “Farm and Good Music Station”. Thiessen soon left, and after D.K. Friesen had served briefly as interim Manager, Dennis Barkman was appointed Manager.

1958
CFAM increased power to 5000 watts. A significant audience began to develop in Winnipeg, 65 miles to the north.

1962
SMB made its first venture into FM radio, opening CFMW in St. Norbert, Manitoba on December 1st. The station served Winnipeg and Southern Manitoba, and the call letters stood for Fine Music Winnipeg.

1964
While the CFAM signal could be heard in Steinbach, Man, 75 miles to the northeast of Altona, and SMB had had a sales office there since 1959, signal quality began to deteriorate, and in 1964 SMB opened CHSM-AM, in Steinbach on March 13. It simulcast the programming of CFAM-AM in Altona.

1965
CFMW-FM had been losing money in the Winnipeg market, and in 1965 the station was sold to the CBC. W. E. Kroeker, president of Southern Manitoba Broadcasting Co. Ltd., appointed Elmer Hildebrand station manager of CFAM and CHSM. He succeeded Dennis Barkman, who had acquired an interest in some British Columbia radio stations.

SMB began a policy of recruiting staff locally, rather than importing talent from other markets – who never stayed long anyway.

1973
Continuing its policy of applying to provide broadcast services to serve smaller communities, SMB acquired a licence for a new AM station in Boissevan, Man. The new station, CJRB, would carry CFAM’s service, with local commercials, via a microwave system built by SMB to avoid the high costs associated with leasing Manitoba Telephones’ links. This resulted in SMB and later GWB developing a major business building microwave systems for other broadcasters in Canada, the Caribbean and South America.

1974
CHSM Steinbach was authorized to originate its own programming, after having simulcast the CFAM service since its 1964 launch.

On December 20, Southern Manitoba Broadcasting acquired control of Frontier City Broadcasting Co. Ltd., and with it their stations in Swift Current (CKSW) and Shaunavon (CJSN). This was the beginning of the company’s expansion from Manitoba into Saskatchewan and Alberta, while staying with its policy of concentrating on ownership of small market stations. The company’s expansion beyond Manitoba prompted a name-change decision, and Southern Manitoba Broadcasting became Golden West Broadcasting (GWB)

1977
Lyndon Friesen, who would later become Golden West’s Executive Vice-President and COO, joined CHSM Steinbach as a salesman. GWB acquired CHOO-AM in Ajax, Ontario, from Community Communications Ltd. On December 5th Palliser Broadcasting, which Elmer Hildebrand owned in partnership with former CFAM employee Reuben Hamm, launched CHRB-AM in High River Alberta. CHRB would later become part of GWB.

1978
For the first but not the last time, Golden West was named by the Western Association of Broadcasters as Broadcaster of the Year.

1981
Menno Friesen, a hockey-playing friend of Elmer Hildebrand’s, joined GWB as its Sales Manager, and later became Vice-President of Sales and Marketing for the entire enterprise, with a staff of 90.

1987
In a unique move, the CRTC granted GWB permission to acquire financially-troubled CISV-AM in Winkler-Morden, Manitoba, despite the fact that the company’s CFAM was already serving this area from Altona. Golden West undertook to maintain a totally separate schedule, and the CRTC willingly endorsed the sale and acquisition. CISV was rebranded as CKMW (“MW” for Winkler-Morden).

1992
When Moffat Broadcasting were seeking to sell off their radio stations, Golden West acquired CHAB-AM in Moose Jaw, along with CHAM-AM Hamilton and CFXL-AM Calgary. While the Hamilton and Calgary stations were sold a few years later, CHAB remained a part of the Golden West family.

1994
Golden West sold CHOO Ajax, to Durham Radio Inc. They had decided to concentrate on the Prairie Provinces.

At around this time, Golden West made a major policy decision to shelve the wire services and to concentrate on having their news staffs spend 100% of their time and budgets on local news stories, yet another example of the unique nature of the Golden West organization.

It was also in this year that the Western Association of Broadcasters named Golden West as Broadcaster of the Decade.

1995
Soo Line Broadcasting, a Saskatchewan company owned by Tom Lang, an old friend of Elmer Hildebrand, decided to sell their radio stations in Estevan and Weyburn, and CJSL-AM and CFSL-AM became the newest additions to GWB’s expanding station line-up.

1997
Golden West sold its last remaining Ontario radio station, CHAM Hamilton, to Affinity Radio Group Inc. At around the same time, GWB made its first FM station acquisition in thirty years, buying CIMG Swift Current. The company then concluded that FM was now a viable option, and over the next few years would apply successfully for FM licenses in Steinbach, Winkler, Estevan, Moose Jaw, Kindersley, High River/Okotoks, Portage La Prairie and Weyburn.

Later in the year, Elmer Hildebrand was inducted into the Canadian Association of Broadcasters’ Hall of Fame.

1998
Golden West Broadcasting Ltd. launched the first of its new FM stations, CILT-FM in Steinbach. The remainder would follow over the next seven years.

A policy evolved whereby, in markets where they owned both an AM and an FM station, Golden West would have the AM station concentrate on local affairs and farming, while the FM station would feature mostly country music. AM stations were much more costly to run, and perhaps might even lose money, but they would gain stature in the area, while the FM stations would be the money makers, and each market would be well-served as a result.

2000
Dace Broadcasting, formerly Goose Lake Broadcasting, sold its stations in Rosetown (CJYM-AM) and Kindersley (CFYM-AM) to Golden West Broadcasting. With them came their Manager, Dennis Dyck, who had formerly worked with GWB’s CFAM in the 1960s.

Also in 2000, Elmer Hildebrand’s longtime friend Richard “Red” Hughes, of Delta Broadcasting, decided to retire, and sold CFRY-AM and CFRY-FM Portage La Prairie to GWB on September 1st.

2004
Christian Contemporary Music was added to the Golden West programming mix on June 1st with the acquisition of a controlling interest in CHVN-FM Winnipeg from Wade Kehler and Willard Thiessen’s Christian Radio Manitoba Ltd. The under-capitalized station had been struggling, and was happy to be folded into the comfort of the Golden West family. CJPG-FM Portage La Prairie, which had been licensed by the CRTC the previous year, was launched by GW on May 4th.

2005
Golden West was recognized by Deloitte, The National Post, CIBC and Queens University as one of Canada’s Fifty Best Managed Companies, a recognition that was repeated in the following year. Not coincidentally, this was the year in which President Elmer Hildebrand could announce with justifiable pride that 100% of Golden West shares were owned by his family and senior staff of the company.

2006
The Golden West family tree extended its branches into Lethbridge, Alberta, for the first time, when the company acquired a second Christian music station, CJTS-FM, from Spirit Broadcasting, and changed its call-sign to CKVN. Also during this year, GW was successful with its competitive bid for a second FM licence for Moose Jaw, to be designated as CJAW-FM, and received approval for a new FM station in Weyburn, Saskatchewan. On September 19th CKRC-FM Weyburn signed on.

2007
Golden West marked its fiftieth year in the Canadian broadcasting business.

2008
CJAW Moose Jaw began transmitting test signals in April. Golden West continued to demonstrate its plans for further growth, with applications for radio licences for Humboldt, Saskatchewan and Drumheller, Alberta being heard by the CRTC in May and June. In the spring, after two years filling the role, Lyndon Friesen was confirmed as President of Golden West. Elmer Hildebrand remained as Chairman.

By 2008, fifty-one years after the launch of founder station CFAM Altona, Golden West Broadcasting owned twenty-eight radio stations, and had over 350 employees.

Written by Pip Wedge – April, 2008

Golden West Radio Stations
(click on call letters for individual station histories)