Corus Entertainment has confirmed plans to move its Vancouver news/talk powerhouse 980 CKNW down the dial, where it will be rebranded as 730 CKNW.
730 (CKGO-AM), which had carried an all-traffic format since 2006, has been rebroadcasting CKNW programming since late June, when Corus announced it would only operate one AM station going forward in both Vancouver and Edmonton. The company’s Edmonton news/talk heritage station 630 CHED took over the dial position formerly held by sister station 880 News (CHQT-AM) in October.
While both signals operate at 50,000 watts, a Corus spokesperson told Broadcast Dialogue that 730’s transmitter is newer and can offer expanded reach in Downtown Vancouver and the Lower Mainland, better servicing listeners to a fuller potential than the current 980 signal.
The move is set to take effect on Feb. 24.
The stations programming lineup remains unchanged with its staple roster including Mornings with Simi, weekdays 5:30a.m. – 9 a.m. PT; The Mike Smyth Show, weekdays 9 a.m. – 12 p.m.; The Jill Bennett Show, weekdays 12 p.m. – 3 p.m.; The Jas Johal Show, weekdays 3 p.m. – 6 p.m.; and the The Ben Mulroney Show, weekdays 6 p.m. – 8 p.m.
In the December PPM ratings, CKNW held the #1 spot, A12+, in Vancouver with a 12.1% share of hours tuned.
