CKGF-FM

Okanagan Radio Ltd. was granted a licence March 18 for a new AM station at Grand Forks, operating on 1340 kHz with a power of 1,000 watts day and 250 watts at night. It would receive programming from CKOK Penticton and CKOO Osoyoos.

CKGF began broadcasting in June. The “GF” in the call letters: Grand Forks.

On April 14, approval was granted for the sale of Okanagan Radio Ltd. (CKOK-AM-FM, CKOO, CKGF and the proposed CKSP) by M.P. Finnerty, L.M. Finnerty, P.C. Finnerty and L.C. Wells to Fraser Valley Bcrs. Ltd. and D.C. Barkman.

On August 10, the CRTC gave the nod for Boundary Broadcasting Ltd. to acquire CKGF.

By this time, CKGF was operating on 1340 kHz with a power of 1,000 watt day and 250 watts at night.

On July 10, Boundary Broadcasting Ltd. was given permission to add transmitters for CKGF at Christina Lake (93.3 MHz with an effective radiated power of 88 watts), Greenwood (96.7 MHz with an ERP of 40 watts) and Rock Creek (103.7 MHz with ERP of 130 watts). 

Davis Communications Ltd. (60% controlled by Kenneth L. Davis) sold Boundary Broadcasting Ltd. to the other existing shareholder, Wilfred R. Warner (who owned 40%). As a result, Wilfred Warner would effectively control Boundary (60%). The new minority shareholder, J.W. Gillespie, a resident of Christina Lake, also owned County Cablevision Ltd. in Grand Forks.

By 1989, the rebroadcast transmitters at Christina Lake and Greenwood were on the air. Due a decline in financial performance, CKGF had not yet launched the Rock Creek transmitter.

At this time, CKGF was also operating as a semi-sattelite of CJAT Trail. The station broadcast CJAT programming for 92 hours and 45 minutes per week.

By this time, CKGF 1340 operated at a full-time power of 1,000 watts.

CKGF began simulcasting CKQR Castlegar for 116 hours per week. 

Boundary Broadcasting Ltd. (CKGF Grand Forks) and Valley Broadcasters Ltd. (CKQR Castlegar) became fully owned by J.W. Gillespie Equities Corp. 

On August 18, Boundary Broadcasting was authorized to delete the CKGF Grand Forks transmitter (already off the air). Programming for CKGF-1-FM Christina Lake, and CKGF-3-FM Rock Creek would now originate from CKGF-2-FM Greenwood.

In early August it was announced that Boundary Broadcasting Ltd., owner of CKGF-2-FM Greenwood and its two transmitters at Christina Lake & Rock Creek, and Valley Broadcasters Ltd., owner of CKQR-FM Castlegar and its transmitters CHRT-FM Trail and CHNV-FM Nelson had been purchased by a Calgary group, headed by Margot Micallef.  On September 1, The CRTC announced approval of the sale to 1126144 Alberta Ltd., a company affiliated with Vista Broadcast Group Inc. 

In April, reflecting the new ownership, the station and its transmitters, which for years had identified as “BK Radio” (for Boundary Kootenay) changed its identification to “Mountain FM”.  The format was billed as “Adult Rock” with hits from the seventies to current.

On March 3, the CRTC approved the application by Vista Radio Ltd. for a licence to operate an FM station in Grand Forks, with rebroadcasting transmitters in Greenwood, Rock Creek and Christina Lake. Vista now operated CKGF-FM Greenwood with FM rebroadcasters in Rock Creek and Christina Lake. Vista indicated that CKGF-FM Greenwood could not provide adequate service to Grand Forks due to its impeded signal. Grand Forks was the main business and tourist centre of the East Kootenay Region. Vista would therefore originate programming in Grand Forks that would be rebroadcast on the licensee’s existing transmitters in Greenwood, Rock Creek and Christina Lake. At the request of the applicant, the Commission would revoke the licence for CKGF-FM Greenwood upon implementation of the new station in Grand Forks and the transmitter will be used to rebroadcast the programming of the new station. The new station would operate at 102.3 MHz with an average ERP of 589 watts (max. of 1,043 watts).

On March 10 at 1:00 p.m., The Goat FM simulcast from CKQR Castlegar ended on CKGF. The Grand Forks station launched a Variety Hits format as JUICE, with a local emphasis on the Grand Forks and Boundary Country region.