CBU (AM)

CBU is a Canadian radio station, which broadcasts the programming of the CBC Radio One network in Vancouver, British Columbia. The station broadcasts from Steveston on 690 AM and from Mount Seymour on 88.1 FM.

The station broadcasts from the CBC Regional Broadcast Centre on Hamilton Street in Downtown Vancouver.

History

The station was launched in 1925 as CNRV "The Voice of the Pacific" on AM 1100, owned by the Canadian National Railway radio network.^[1]

CNRV was acquired by the Canadian Radio Broadcasting Commission in 1933, becoming CRCV. In 1936, the CBC was created, taking over the CRBC's operations, and CRCV became CBR.

The station moved to AM 1130 in 1941 (see Canadian allocations changes under NARBA), and to 690 in 1952 when the call sign was changed to its current CBU. Power was increased from 10,000 watts to its present 50,000 watts in 1967 with a transmitter site move to the Steveston shoreline.

In 1947, an FM simulcast was launched on CBU-FM. Distinct programming on the FM station was aired for the first time in 1964.

In early 2008, the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission approved CBU's application for a simulcast of its programming on the FM band.^[2] On October 10, 2008, CBU began testing its FM simulcast on 88.1 FM as CBU-2-FM with an ERP of 19.5 kW and officially signed on soon after. Around the same time, the CBC also applied to broadcast on separate transmitters into Nanaimo, as well as the Sunshine Coast. with the intent to shut down the AM transmitter on 690 kHz if approved. The CRTC denied these other two transmitters due to the lack of available frequencies in the region.

It is also the largest CBC Radio One station on the AM dial ever since CBM-AM in Montreal became CBME-FM 88.5 in 1998, followed by CBL-AM Toronto's move to the FM dial back in 1999 as CBLA-FM on 99.1 FM.

In 2011, CBC applied to the CRTC to increase the coverage area of its CBU-2-FM Vancouver, FM transmitter. CBC has proposed to increase the height of the antenna and to increase the ERP to 97.6 kW. The possibility of increasing the signal coverage area is made possible by the fact that CHEK-DT moved from channel 6 to channel 49, as part of the over-the-air digital television transition.

On November 4, 2011, CRTC posted an application by CBC to convert its Pemberton AM transmitter (CBXK 1240 AM) to an FM transmitter. If approved, the new FM transmitter at Pemberton will operate at 91.5 MHz. ^[3]

Shortwave relay

By 1946, CBR operated a shortwave relay for remote areas of British Columbia using the call sign CBRX and operating on a frequency of 6160 kHz (in the 49m band). The call sign changed to CBUX in 1952 when the AM station became CBU.

In 1965, the call sign changed to CKZU, recognizing that the ITU prefix CB was not assigned to Canada, but to Chile.

Local programming

CBU's local programs are Early Edition in the mornings and On the Coast in the afternoons. It also originates the lunch-hour program BC Almanac, broadcast provincewide to Radio One's stations in Victoria (CBCV-FM), Kelowna (CBTK-FM), Prince Rupert (CFPR) and Prince George (CBYG-FM) and their rebroadcasters.

Transmitters

Shortwave relay

CBU retransmits its programming over CKZU on 6160 kHz, servicing remote areas of British Columbia from its Steveston transmitter site. Signal power is 1 kW.

Former CBU personalities

• Anne Petrie, former host of CBU radio program 3's Company.

References

External links

• CBC British Columbia
• CBU (AM) history at Canadian Communications Foundation
• Query the REC's Canadian station database for CBU