CKAY-FM debut

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Postby johnsykes » Tue May 02, 2006 7:48 pm

I have, in my hot little hands, a personal invitation to the launch of CKAY-FM in Sechelt set for 11am, Saturday May 20th. The launch party will be held at the Seaside Centre, 5790 Teredo Street.

Along with the invitation came an email from owner Bob Morris. Bob is very enthused about the new station.....I quote "We're going to do everything we can, given our limited financial resources, to provide an opportunity for young broadcasters to develop and to offer Sunshine Coast residents, the type of community service and programming that the "big guys" are simply not interested in providing." Bob closed with a very piositive comment "It'll probably be a real challenge to be the only independent station in the area, but we're determined to make this work."

I hope to be able to attend and follow this up with a full report later this month. Good luck and best wishes to all concerned.

John Sykes
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Postby tuned » Wed May 03, 2006 9:20 am

I wish this "old school" station the very best of luck but Bob Morris better realize that the big boys play dirty. They aren't going to allow a real radio station to jeopardize their ten buck an hour, automated corporate utopia even in the lil ole sunshine coast because it might spread. They will gang up on CKAY by offering cute rate deals on their stations that penetrate the Sunshine Coast for starters. The war is not about listeners because they know they can't compete on that front but where they can crush an independent is by strangling off revenue. Think CJJC in Langley, CFVR in Abbotsford. If I were Bob I'd be running as lean as humanly possible and pay as much attention to sales as programming because in the long run its the former that will determine whether you stay in business or are forced to sell.
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Postby Mike Cleaver » Wed May 03, 2006 12:07 pm

All the best to CKAY and what they are trying to do.
I wish my good friend Jim Fraser great success with his morning show.
I had the pleasure of working with Jim, a true gentleman, Saturdays at CKNW for a few years recently.
I hope to be able to be there when the officially sign on.
You can beat the "big guys" by being innovative and creative and provide something real people want to hear.
Be live and local and be a winner!
Mike Cleaver Broadcast Services
Engineering, News, Voice work and Consulting
Vancouver, BC, Canada

54 years experience at some of Canada's Premier Broadcasting Stations
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Postby johnsykes » Sat May 13, 2006 7:23 pm

Tuned, splain yourself when you say the big boys will play dirty.....let me tell you something....if CFVR had tried to remain local, they probably would have succeeded. Trouble was, timing. The boys who owned CFVR and CHWK in the 'Wak wanted out...collect their money and run. Had it not been for that, Rogers wouldn't have been jumping in. Dammit, I wished I had the money myself. This Valley deserves something other than what we're being fed. I do congratulate 107.1 on what they have done though...Rogers, agreed. But an AM station like CFVR could have succeeded too. Sadly, timing was the essence....the boys wanted out. And I hasn't won the 6/49 yet in order to buy them out.

Bob Morris, Brian Disterheft et al will make it. They aren't going into this with their eyes closed and wallets open. I've known Brian for a lot of years.....watch out people.....these guys are good.

J.S.
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Postby Glen Livingstone » Sat May 13, 2006 7:54 pm

johnsykes wrote:Tuned, splain yourself when you say the big boys will play dirty.

I think that everyone hopes for the best for the new FM station John.

Realistically though, the corporate boys can't allow them to be successful and gain a foothold in that market or any other market. If they did - holy crap! - they might be forced to compete.

And the last thing corporate radio wants is competition.

Corporate radio is not about real competition; it's about circling the wagons and working in cahoots to keep expenses low and profits high and making it very tough on people like Bob Morris and others like him.

That's why they'll make it a priority to try to stamp them out; and they've got very deep pockets.

If it looks like CKAY might become a problem for them, then look out.

A cynical view?

Yes, but one that, like tuned, I feel is realistic.
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Postby Jack Bennest » Mon May 15, 2006 7:31 am

Just getting ready to meet the staff this morning.

No staff changes...we haven't lost anyone yet!

We're bringing everyone in about two weeks before we actually begin regular programming to allow staff time to learn our systems, equipment and each other.

Next Saturday we "officially" go on air with commercial free programming.

Hopefully by the 29th. when things get down.to normal we'll all be comfortable with the station.

Speaking of helecopters......the man we lease our building from owns one. We told him if he wants to be a "radio star" he can go up....see if he can find any traffic on the Sunshine Coast...if he finds any we'll put him on the air. It's not a Shaw deal but....it's all we have.

Just another advantage of living on the "Coast".

Bob Morris
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Postby tuned » Mon May 15, 2006 9:51 pm

I wish Bob Morris and CKAY the best of luck. I hope he has a crackerjack sales force and some good reps in Toronto. If he still owns the station in two years I will eat an aristocart.
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Postby Donovan » Mon May 15, 2006 11:04 pm

With Jim Fraser in the morning and ray Collins in the afternoon, any idea as to the remainder of the airstaff? How audible is CKAY in Vancouver? I'm definitely looking forward to seeing what the folks at Westwave Broadcasting have in store.
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Postby radiofan » Thu May 18, 2006 11:55 am

CKAY puts a decent signal into North and West Vancouver.

I assume the signal is also,decent on the west side.

It is listenable from the east end thru Burnaby and New Westminster.

Anything east of New West is pretty much killed by the CBC repeater in Chilliwack and also by a pirate station rebroadcasting some Contemporary Christian station from Indiana.

How un-christian of someone to break the law to get the word out! :angry:
Those who danced were thought to be quite insane by those who couldn't hear the music.
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Postby Jack Bennest » Thu May 18, 2006 1:59 pm

Praise the Lord Brother and pass me a Kokanee

its 85 degrees here

oops wrong thread
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Postby Jack Bennest » Fri May 19, 2006 7:08 am

Bob advises streaming of the CKAY feed should be up and running by later
today

keep your fingers crossed!!
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Postby Donovan » Fri May 19, 2006 4:44 pm

The stream is up and running. While they can't link it from the site for some reason, you can listen online at mms://wm9.spacialnet.com/ckay-fm
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Postby Donovan » Sat May 20, 2006 12:17 pm

At 11:00, CKAY-FM went dark (or at least the stream did). When I checked again at 12:06, "Making Our dreams Come True" (the shirley and Laverne TV theme) was playing, and soon all staff introduced themselves. First song played in the "commercial-free preview" was Michael McDonald's "Aint No Mountain High enough", followed by "At The beginning with You" from Richard Marx and Donna Lewis, and "My Sweet Lord" from George Harrison. Also heard some decent jingles. So far so good, although the levels on the web stream cause some distortion. Hopefully someone captured the entire launch, and can post here.
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Postby radiofan » Sat May 20, 2006 1:31 pm

Thanks to Gord Lansdell at Northwest Broadcasters for sharing a copy of the CKAY sign on recorded off the air in North Vancouver. The first half hour of CKAY [scoped] is in the RadioWest Airchecks section.

Congratulations to Bob Morris and the entire CKAY staff. Best of luck in the months and years ahead.

Cyndi Greco's "Making Our Dreams Come True" [Laverne & Shirley theme] was a great first song! :D
Those who danced were thought to be quite insane by those who couldn't hear the music.
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Postby tuned » Sat May 20, 2006 6:50 pm

The Laverne and Shirley theme was the first song played on the new station?
Make that one year.
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