CJDC-AM

CJDC-AM, Pure Country 890, Dawson Creek

Bell Media Inc.

StationYearFreq.PowerOwner/Info
CJDC-AM201389010,000Bell Media
CJDC-AM200789010,000Astral Media Inc.
CJDC-AM200289010,000Standard Radio Inc.
CJDC-AM199989010,000Telemedia Radio (West) Inc.
CJDC-AM19478901,000Mega Communications Ltd.

1946

Helen Billingsley and Wilna Moore received a licence for a 1,000 watt station on a frequency of 1350 kHz at Dawson Creek. 

1947

Alaska Highway Broadcasters Ltd. planned to sell shares in CJDC. Properties had been purchased in the Dawson Creek area for studios and transmitter. An Old Timers’ Association cabin was converted into the studio building. Officers of the company: Miss W. Moore, Don Rosebourne, H. Giles, Wm. C. Bowie and C.S. Kitchen. Equipment for the new station was to be delivered in September and an opening date was set for November 15. Gordon Cummings, formerly of CFGP Grande Prairie, was appointed station manager.

CJDC was now scheduled to open on December 15, and it did. The station was designed to serve Canada’s New Northern Empire – Northeaster B.C., and also provide additional radio facilities for the Alberta section of the Peace River Country. It was located at the junctions of the Alaska and Hart Highways. CJDC operated on 1350 kHz with a power of 1,000 watts, and was owned by Radio Station CJDC (Dawson Creek, B.C.) Ltd. (largest shareholders were B.M. Michaud 45 and W.B. Michaud 27.2%), and was a CBC Trans-Canada affiliate. 

1948

CJDC applied for a public commercial licence – one granted under specific conditions to certain stations serving outlying territories which permitted them to broadcast person to person messages in emergencies where no land line facilities existed. The application was recommended for approval by the CBC Board.

Wilna Moore was manager.

CJDC’s board of directors filed a complaint with the CBC regarding Wilna Moore. The CBC said it found there had been a continued breach of regulations and recommended the station’s licence, issued to Wilna Moore, be cancelled at the earliest possible moment.

Lew Roskin was named to run the newly re-organized CJCD. He had been with CFRN Edmonton. Roskin began his radio career in 1936 at CJOC Lethbridge and was there until 1942. After service in the Canadian Army, he returned to CJOC in 1944 but then left in ’45 to become production manager at CJOB Winnipeg. In 1946, Lew was associated with a production company and then joined CFRN in January of 1947.

Radio Station CJDC (Dawson Creek) Ltd. applied for a re-issuing of the station’s licence to them, following the withdrawal of the licence to Wilna Moore in October. The CBC board approved the application. The new licensee was owned by W.B. Michaud. 

1949

CJDC was off the air for a short time between owners. 

CJDC was now carrying CBC Trans-Canada network programming.

Lew Roskin joined CJDC from CFRN Edmonton.

Engineer Bill Forst built CJDC when he was only 21. While at CJDC, Forst toyed with remote control ideas for transmitter operation. He would use those ideas more extensively when he moved to CKRD Red Deer to help put that station on the air in 1949.

1950

Slogan: It’s impossible to cover the rich Peace River Country without CJDC. 

1954

Slogan: No daily newspapers, no TV. Captive listening to CJDC.

1954-55

Lew Roskin left CJDC as manager to become assistant manager of CFCN Calgary.

1957

Henry L. Michaud was appointed president and operator of CJDC by the board of directors of Radio Station CJDC Ltd. He succeeded his father, the late W.B. Michaud, owner of the company.

1958

Ad slogan: The only B.C. station serving the B.C.-Alberta Peace River Block. 

The CBC Board of Governors recommended for approval, a television licence for CJDC. It was expected channel 5 would launch in early December. Construction was underway in August to house the TV facilities at the rear of the existing radio building.

1959

CJDC-TV signed on the air. The corporate name changed to CJDC Ltd. 

1960

Ad: The one-two punch…in the Peace River Country – for sight and sound – CJDC Radio & Television.

Undated

The corporate name changed to Mega Communications Ltd. 

1969

Mike La Vern Michaud was general manager. 

1980

CJDC was authorized to add an AM rebroadcast transmitter at Chetwynd.

1986

CJDC was given approval to move from 1350 to 890 kHz and to increase in power from 1,000 to 10,000 watts. 

1987

Denis Sabourin was news director.

Dan McLennan became CJDC’s news director. 

1988

Approval came for CJDC to add a rebroadcast transmitter (CJDC-1-FM) at Tumbler Ridge, operating on 92.7 MHz with an effective radiated power of 95 watts.  

1997

Brothers Mike and Henry Michaud planned to retire after selling Mega Communications (CJDC-AM-TV) to Okanagan Skeena Broadcasters. Their father purchased CJDC radio in January of 1948, from Wilma Moore. CJDC-TV was licensed in January of 1958. Henry ran it while Mike looked after radio, but they later got together to operate both stations. 

1999

Okanagan Skeena Group Ltd. was purchased by Telemedia Radio Inc. 

2001

Brian Stephenson joined CJDC as operations manager. He had held the same position at CKVH in High Prairie. He would also be responsible for CHRX-FM/CKNL Fort St. John and CKRX-FM Fort Nelson. 

2002

Standard Radio Inc. purchased Telemedia’s stations in Ontario, Alberta and British Columbia. Some stations were sold off to other companies but CJDC-AM  was among those that Standard kept.

2007

On September 27, Astral Media Radio G.P. received CRTC approval to acquire the assets of the radio and TV undertakings owned by Standard Radio Ltd., subject to certain conditions.  The purchase included CJDC-AM.

Former general manager Mike Michaud died August 25 at age 78

2008

In April, it was announced that seven-year station employee and five-year morning host Cory “Griz” Michaels had been named Dawson Creek’s “Citizen of the Year”. He continued to be the voice behind CJDC’s annual “Have a Heart Radiothon”, which raised over $50,000 when he put his own hair on the line to be shaved and waxed. When receiving his award, Michaels said, “Dawson Creek? How about Awesome Creek!” 

2009

Lewis Roskin passed away December 26. He started his radio career as an announcer (at age 17) at CJOC in Lethbridge. That was in 1937. He went on to work at CFRN Edmonton, CJDC Dawson Creek, CFCN Calgary, CHED Edmonton and CKLG Vancouver. He then went on to co-found CHQT Edmonton where he was president and general manager until he sold the station years later

2010

Darren James became CJDC’s morning man. 

2011

30-year veteran morning host Darren James left 890 CJDC on June 24. Roy McKenzie, the regional sales manager for Astral’s B.C. Interior stations, was no longer with the company. His position was eliminated.

On August 31, the CRTC administratively renewed the licence for CJDC and its transmitter CJDC-1-FM Tumbler Ridge until March 31, 2012.

2012

On March 20, the CRTC administratively renewed the licence for CJDC and its transmitter CJDC-1-FM Tumbler Ridge to August 31, 2012. On July 10, the licence was administratively renewed to March 31, 2013.

Janine Kraft, Brand Director at Astral Radio BC North, worked her last day there October 4. Kraft had been with the operation for the past 11 years, the last two as BD. She left for opportunities outside broadcasting.

2013

On February 6, the CRTC administratively renewed the licence of CJDC Dawson Creek and its transmitter CJDC-1-FM Tumbler Ridge to August 31, 2013.

On June 27, 2013, after a previous such application had been denied in 2012, the CRTC approved an application by Astral Media Inc. to sell its pay and specialty television channels, conventional television stations and radio stations to BCE Inc., including CJDC.

2016

It was announced in April that effective June 3, Louise Perdue would retire after 36 years in traffic at CJDC Radio & Television.

2017

Don Lindsay (68) died on January 6. He started in radio as a DJ in the late 1960s at CFGP Grande Prairie. He later moved into sales at CJDC-AM-TV where he worked for nearly 20 years until his retirement in 2015.

2019

In May, Bell Media rolled out a rebrand (Pure Country) of 12 of its country stations. The stations offered local morning and afternoon drive shows with evening and weekend programming being syndicated. No jobs were lost as part of the changes, as former evening and weekend announcers were assigned new duties. CJDC changed from CJDC to Pure Country 890.

The story continues elsewhere…
Effective September 1st 2019, we will only be adding new material to these station histories in exceptional circumstances. Our intent to chronicle the early days of these radio and television stations has been achieved, and many new sources and technologies, from the CRTC website to Wikipedia, and others, are now regularly providing new information in these areas.

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