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1928 Radio

Station History:

CJRW was put on the air by the James Richardson Company in 1928/29 in Fleming, Saskatchewan, just across the Manitoba border. The Winnipeg based Richardsons wanted to broadcast market and grain prices to the farm community and could not transmit from Manitoba due to the Manitoba Telephone Systems agreement with the Federal Government giving the Telephone System complete authority over radio licencing in the Province.

CJRW had studios in the Royal Alexander Hotel with a direct wire to its transmitter at Fleming, and thence to CJRM, Moosejaw/Regina.

With the formation of the CRBC in 1932, the Manitoba Telephone System lost its authority, and in 1933, the Richardsons installed a 100-watt transmitter in Winnipeg with the call letters to CJRC. While in the Royal Alex Hotel, they operated out of a corridor and several regular hotel rooms converted into studios. In 1935, the frequency was changed to 630 kcs and the power increased to 1,000 watts and later to 10,000 watts.  CJRW Flemming was closed.

In 1940, the Sifton family bought the James Richardson Company stations in Winnipeg (CJRC) and in Regina (CJRM) changing the call letters of both stations to CKRC and CKRM respectively. CKRCs studios were moved from the hotel to the Sifton-owned Winnipeg Free Press building where sumptuous state-of-the-art quarters were set-up, complete with a large audience participation studio theatre with seating for 150 people. Indeed, the station served as a network production centre for many years before CBC studios were built in Winnipeg.

The Sifton family (Armadale Communications) sold CKRC and its FM counterpart, CKZZ-FM to Western World Broadcasting (Clint Forster) in 1990. Western World later sold CKZZ-FM to the Craig family of Brandon and CKRC to Celtic Communications (Bill Gorrie and partners). Late in 1995, Celtic obtained permission from the CRTC to close down CKRC on the AM band and move the service to FM.

Source: Bob Macdonald - former Manager of CKRC

updated to April, 1996

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