1980
Harry Steele, President and CEO and controlling shareholder of Eastern Provincial Airways, formed the Newfoundland Capital Corporation Limited (NCCL). In addition to EPA, the company's interests included Clarke Transport Canada Inc. and Atlantic Inns Ltd. NCCL would later form a wholly-owned subsidiary, Newcap, which by 2008 would own over 70 radio stations.

1986
NCCL received CRTC approval to acquire its first radio station, CHTN-AM in Charlottetown, PEI, from Northumberland Broadcasting Ltd.

1987
On June 10th, the CRTC approved the application by Newfoundland Capital Corporation Limited for licences to acquire CFDR-AM and CFRQ-FM Dartmouth from Patterson Broadcasters Limited. Six days later, the CRTC approved the direct transfer of ownership in these stations to Newcap Ltd., a newly formed subsidiary of NCCL, rather than to the parent company. In September, the CRTC approved the renewal of Newcap's licences for CFDR and CFRQ.

1988
Newcap made its first Ontario station acquisition in April, when it received approval to buy CJLB-AM Thunder Bay from Leader Broadcasting Corporation.

1989
While parent company NCCL maintained its highly successful activity in the fields of printing, transportation and hotel management, its subsidiary Newcap was slowly but effectively building the company's broadcast holdings. In June 1989, Newcap added properties in Alberta and British Columbia to its acquisitions, with the purchase of two Alberta radio stations, CKRA-FM, Edmonton and CFCW-AM Camrose, and Kamloops B.C.'s CHRK-FM, from Harold J. Yerxa's CFCW Ltd.

In July, CHUM Limited agreed to sell to Newcap its group of Newfoundland stations: CFYQ-AM Gander, CKYQ-AM (later CKXJ-AM) Grand Bank, CIYQ-AM (shortly to become CKXG-AM) Grand Falls, CFIQ-AM Harbour Grace, CHYQ-AM Musgravetown, and CKIX-FM and CJYQ-AM St. John's. In 1982, Newcap had lost out to CHUM in a bid to buy this group of stations.

In August, Newcap completed its multiple acquisitions for the year with the purchase of a majority shareholding in CKXX-AM Corner Brook.

1992
In an unusual move, Newcap made and the CRTC acceded to a request that Newcap's licences for CKXJ Grand Bank and CFIQ Harbour Grace be revoked. Newcap felt it could not meet the Commission's requirements for minimum hours of local programming and still keep the stations economically viable.

In December, Newcap broadened its involvement in Canada's radio world by acquiring a five-year AM Network licence to broadcast Edmonton Oilers' hockey games.

1993
On June 10, the CRTC approved the transfer of CHRK-FM Kamloops from Newcap to local broadcaster NL Broadcasting Ltd., owner of CHNL AM Kamloops.

1994
Problems with Newcap's signal for its Thunder Bay AM station CJLB were finally solved with the CRTC's approval of the station's move to the FM band.

1995
At Newcap's request, the CRTC revoked the licence granted to them in 1992 for a Network licence for carriage of Edmonton Oilers' games.

1997
After maintaining a low profile in the broadcasting acquisitions field for a few years, Newcap was back before the CRTC in September 1997, along with Maritime Broadcasting System Ltd (MBS), to make a joint application for MBS to acquire CJCB-AM and CKPE-FM Sydney, N.S. from Celtic Broadcasting Ltd., as well as CFBC-AM and CJYC-FM Saint John from Fundy Broadcasting. Fundy had in 1990 acquired control of Celtic. As part of the deal, MBS would subsequently assign ownership of the Saint John stations to Newcap. In the same year, Newcap purchased control of Atlantic Stereo Ltd., and with it ownership of CJMO-FM Moncton.

1998
Newcap subsequently elected not to finalize the transaction with MBS to acquire the Saint John stations. In February, Newcap, Sun Radio and CHUM Limited entered into a Local Marketing Arrangement (LMA), whereby Newcap would manage CHUM's CJCH-AM, and CIOO-FM and CFRQ-FM Halifax, plus Sun's CIEZ-FM.

1999
In September, Newcap received CRTC approval to move CKXD-AM Gander, Newfoundland, to the FM band, while retaining the same call letters.

On December 6th, Newcap was back again before the Commission, this time to apply to acquire VCOM-AM and several other radio stations in Newfoundland, on behalf of a wholly-owned numbered company.

2000
In May, and after long deliberation, the CRTC announced that it would approve Newcap gaining control of the group of Newfoundland stations. In doing so, it relaxed its own regulations governing the number of stations one owner could have in a given market, having been given specific assurances by Newcap regarding its programming plans for CJYQ-AM St. John's, which it already owned. Accordingly, Newcap gained control of VOCM-AM and VOCM-FM St. John's, CKVO-AM Clarenville, CKCM-AM Grand Falls and CKIM-AM Baie Verte, CHVO-AM Carbonear, CHCM-AM Marystown and CKGA-AM Gander.

In August, through its subsidiary Atlantic Stereo Ltd. in Moncton, Newcap acquired a majority shareholding in a new FM station, CJXL-FM, which operated out of the same building as Newcap's CJMO-FM Moncton.

During the year, Newcap was unsuccessful in applications for new radio station licences for Toronto and Hamilton.

2001
In March, Harry Steele's son Robert became President and Chief Operating Officer of Newfoundland Capital Corporation, owner of Newcap. Harry Steele remained as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer.

Newcap's radio holdings in Newfoundland and Labrador grew even further when, in April, the CRTC approved the sale of Humber Valley Broadcasting to Newcap. This gave Newcap ownership in radio stations CFCB-AM Corner Brook (with retransmitters CFDL-FM in Deer Lake, CFNW-AM in Port-aux –Choix and CFNN-FM in St. Anthony), CFSX Stephenville, CFGN-AM Channel Port-aux-Basques and its transmitter CFCV-FM in St, Andrew's, as well as CFLN-AM Goose Bay, Labrador and its transmitters CFLW-AM Wabush and CFLC-FM Churchill Falls, Labrador.

In October, Newcap was given approval to move into the Ottawa market for the first time, with the CRTC granting the company a licence for a new dance music station, CIHT-FM. In November, Newcap acquired CHNO-FM Sudbury from Haliburton Broadcasting Group Inc, and in December, Newcap and CHUM Limited jointly acquired ownership of CIEZ-FM Halifax, from Sun Radio Limited.

2002
In April, Telemedia Radio sold off its broadcasting assets in Ontario, Alberta and British Columbia to Standard Radio. In turn, Standard sold 15 of those stations in Alberta to Newcap, who thereby acquired stations in Athabasca, Blairmore (where CJPR-AM had a rebroadcaster in Elkford B.C.) , Brooks, Calgary, Cold Lake/Grand Centre, Drumheller, Edson, High Prairie, Hinton, Saint Paul, Slave Lake, Stettler, Wainwright, Westlock and Wetaskiwin (see details below). Standard retained a 24% interest in the stations.

On May 1st, Robert Steele became President and Chief Executive Officer, while his father Harry remained as Chairman.

By this time, Newcap owned 57 broadcasting licences across six provinces, for 42 stations plus 15 repeaters.

On July 25th, in a key move away from print, in order to concentrate on broadcasting, Newcap's parent company Newfoundland Capital Corporation Limited (NCCL) sold its Publishing and Printing Division to Optipress Ltd, retaining only a 20% interest.

2003
While Newcap made no new acquisitions during the early part of the year, it successfully renewed several of its existing broadcast licences. In addition, it received approval to shut down its transmitter in Musgravetown, Newfoundland, CKXB-AM, due to frequent transmitter breakdowns. The CRTC was persuaded that it would be prohibitively costly to replace the transmitter, and noted that the area was already served by three other Newcap stations.

In December, Newcap received approval to launch a new FM radio station in Brooks, Alberta. However, the new station did not go on the air until 2005.

2004
Newcap moved into Lloydminster, Alberta, and into television for the first time, in December, when it received approval to acquire CILR-FM and CKSA-AM radio from Sask-Alta Broadcasters Ltd, and CITL-TV and CKSA-TV, from MidWest Television Ltd. The TV stations were a twin-stick operation, with CITL affiliated with CTV and CKSA with the CBC. In November, Newcap was licensed to open a new radio station, CFRK-FM, in Fredericton, N.B. The station went on the air in July 2005. CIEF-FM Halifax became CKUL-FM.

2005
In May, Newcap acquired the broadcasting assets of Big Pond Communications, which included ownership of CJUK-FM Thunder Bay.

In June, Newcap was licensed by the CRTC to open a second FM station in Ottawa, CILV-FM, which went on the air in December.

In August, Newcap received CRTC approval to make a deal with Corus Radio Company to acquire its Red Deer stations CIZZ-FM and CKGY-FM. Through its acquisition of ownership of CKVN Radiolink System Inc. in November, Newcap became owners of CHNR-FM Winnipeg. This was Newcap's first broadcast licence in Manitoba. A month later, CKJS-AM Winnipeg was added to Newcap's line-up of radio stations.

2006
One of the CRTC's first decisions of 2006 was the awarding of a new licence to Newcap for a new FM station, CJEG-FM, in Lac La Biche, Alberta. In March, Newcap was permitted to change its radio station CHTN Charlottetown, PEI, from AM to FM, and given a licence to launch a new FM station, CKQK-FM. Then in August, Newcap was awarded a licence for a second FM station in Calgary. CFUL-FM would sign on in March 2007.

Newcap's radio licence holdings increased to 75 in November, when the CRTC gave the company a licence for a new station in Fort McMurray, CHFT-FM.

2007
In May, Newcap announced that it had acquired 100% ownership of the 15 Alberta stations it had bought from Standard Radio in 2002, by picking up the remaining 24% that Standard had originally retained.

In June, on the sale of CHUM Limited to CTVglobemedia, CKUL-FM Halifax became jointly owned by Newcap and CTV.

In July, increasing its already strong Maritime broadcast holdings, Newcap acquired two new licences in Nova Scotia, for CHRK-FM Sydney and CIJK-FM Kentville, as well as being authorized to convert its AM station in Carbonear, Newfoundland, to FM. In addition, Newcap's CFXE Edson, Alberta, moved from AM to the FM band.

In October, Newcap completed the purchase of the 38% minority interest in Atlantic Stereo Limited, operator of Moncton FM stations CJKL and CJMO.

2008
On May 29th, CTV Limited received approval to sell its 50% ownership in CKUL-FM Halifax to Newcap. Earlier in the month, the company learned it had been one of the unsuccessful applications for a new FM licence for Chilliwack, B.C., but remained interested in acquiring a licence for Vancouver.

In August, Newcap announced that, subject to approval by the CRTC, an agreement had been signed with Haliburton Broadcasting Group Inc. whereby Newcap would acquire 12 FM licences for stations in Bancroft, Bracebridge, Cochrane, Elliot Lake, Haliburton, Huntsville, Hearts, Iroquois Falls, Kapuskasing, North Bay, Parry Sound and Timmins, Ontario. This acquisition would place Newcap as second only to Astral in terms of station ownerships.

The company's application to acquire the Haliburton stations was announced by the CRTC on November 13, 2008, but the appication was subsequently withdrawn in January 2009. At the time, Newcap Inc. CEO Rob Steele indicated that in light of the credit market crisis, the company did not feel that it was the right time to increase its debt load.

At a hearing held on October 20th 2008, Newcap and Rogers Broadcasting Limited applied to the CRTC for approval to exchange Newcap's CFDR-AM Halifax for Rogers' CIGM-AM Sudbury, and for permission to convert each station's signal to FM. On November 24, the CRTC approved the applications by Newcap Inc. and Rogers Broadcasting Limited for authority to exchange the assets of CIGM Sudbury and CFDR Dartmouth. Newcap, a corporation controlled by Harold R. Steele, was the licensee of CFDR Dartmouth. Rogers, a corporation controlled by Edward S. Rogers, was the licensee of CIGM Sudbury. The Commission also approved the applications by Newcap and Rogers to convert both stations to the FM band. CIGM would operate at 93.5 MHz with an effective radiated power of 100,000 watts.

2009
On August 24, at midnight AM 790 CIGM finished its last song. Later that morning, simulcasting of the new 93.5 FM began on AM 790. Transfer of ownership of CIGM changed from Rogers to Newcap.

On August 25, Hot 93.5 - Sudbury's Hit Music Station debuted at 12:00 p.m.

2011
On October 24th, the CRTC approved an application by Dufferin Communications Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Evanov Communications, for authority to acquire from Newcap Inc. the assets of the English-language commercial radio stations CHNK-FM and CKJS Winnipeg, and for new broadcasting licences to continue the operation of these stations.

Written by Pip Wedge – October, 2008
Updated by Pip Wedge - October, 2011

Owned stations (and potential sales/acquisitions) as of October 25, 2011
(click on call letters for individual station histories)