A Proud Heritage

Acadia Broadcasting, since 1928

A Proud Heritage

Acadia Broadcasting, since 1928
1928
1933
1934
1936
1940
1944
1947
1954
1958
1959
1961
1967
1969
1970
1974
1976
1980
1985
1988
1989
1994
1995
2001
2002
2003
2005
2007
2009
2010
2010
2012
2014
2016
2019
2021
2022

1928

CFBO, the first commercial radio station in Saint John, NB, is established by C.A. Monro Ltd. owned by Charles Monro. While its licence may have been given in late 1927 the first public broadcast by CFBO was a hockey game between teams from Saint John and Truro, NS from the Nova Scotia rink by telephone in March 1928. CFBO’s studios were in Imperial Theatre on King’s Square.

1933

The Canadian Broadcasting Commission comes into existence on January 18, 1933, with the mandate to set up a national broadcasting network.

1934

Saint John Publishing Company Ltd. (Telegraph-Journal and Evening Times-Globe) purchases CFBO from C.A. Monro on February 1, 1934. Two months later the station call letters are changed to CHSJ and the station moves into new premises in the Admiral Beatty Hotel. Principal shareholder was Howard P. Robinson. Other shareholders were J.D. McKenna, T.F. Drummie and L.W. Bewick, all four of whom become directors of the renamed station.

1936

CHSJ radio’s most enduring program, the Empty Stocking Fund is established in partnership with the Evening Times-Globe.

1940

CHSJ radio moves into new studios at 14 Church Street, connected to the premises of the Telegraph-Journal and Evening Times-Globe. A more powerful 1000-watt transmitter tower is built for CHSJ outside the city centre at Coldbrook Marsh. In the same year CHSJ, on the leading edge of technology, invests in a recording machine so portable that two men can lift it into the back of a taxi.

1944

K.C. Irving purchases Saint John Publishing, including the company it controlled, New Brunswick Broadcasting, from its principal shareholder, Howard P. Robinson, and incorporates them under the name New Brunswick Publishing Company later that year.

1947

Acadia Broadcasting (CKBW), a voice for Nova Scotia’s South Shore, is founded in Bridgewater by Lester Rogers, Donald Hill and John Hirtle. In the same year, CHSJ in Saint John installs a new 5,000-watt transmitter and building at Coldbrook Marsh. The first FM transmitter in eastern Canada is installed by CHSJ on the roof of the Admiral Beatty Hotel.

1954

CHSJ-TV owned by New Brunswick Broadcasting begins broadcasting the first television in the Maritimes on March 22, 1954. Its transmitter tower has been built on Mount Champlain, the highest peak overlooking the Bay of Fundy just 15 miles from the centre of Saint John, in 11 months.

1958

CHSJ-TV connects to the continent-wide microwave broadcasting network with the rights to rebroadcast both Canadian and American network shows.

1959

CHSJ-TV installs magnetic videotape equipment in its studios, a technology that changes the entire television operation. Because the TV station needs all the space at the Church Street studios for production, CHSJ radio moves to new premises at 89 Germain Street on August 1, 1959.

1961

CHSJ-TV begins operating a second transmitter at Bon Accord in Victoria County to provide service to north-western New Brunswick.

1967

CHSJ-TV moves into the biggest broadcasting studio east of Montreal with the completion of the new Broadcast Centre at the corner of Union and Crown Streets in Saint John. It is the first all-transistorized television operation in Canada. CHSJ radio moves into new studios there later in the year. In Nova Scotia, CKBW moves into new studios in the Bridgewater Shopping Plaza.

1969

CRTC authorizes New Brunswick Broadcasting to add a third transmitter in Riverside to rebroadcast CHSJ-TV to the Moncton area with CBC programming.

1970

Special Senate Committee on the Mass Media criticizes Irving print media ownership in New Brunswick, which in 1971 leads to charges under the Combines Investigation Act.

1974

Forest Fire wipes out CKBW’s transmitter site at Hebbville but the station gets back on the air within 36 hours with the help of borrowed equipment.

1976

Supreme Court of Canada rejects as unfounded the Combines Investigation Act charges against Irving print media ownership in New Brunswick. In the same year CHSJ-TV begins broadcasting to north-eastern New Brunswick from its transmitter on Mount St. Joseph in Carleton, Quebec.

1980

CRTC grants CKBW permission to rebroadcast its programming to Liverpool and Shelburne on the FM network.

1985

CHSJ radio switches its studios to stereo broadcasting, which at the time was seen as the future of AM radio.

1988

CIHF-TV, the new television station in Halifax, NS, known as MITV, goes on the air September 5, 1988, broadcasting to the Halifax area, and also, through the CHSJ-TV network, to Saint John, Fredericton and Moncton, NB. MITV was built and owned by New Brunswick Broadcasting.

1989

New Brunswick Broadcasting buys radio station Acadia Broadcasting Company Ltd. (CKBW) of Bridgewater, NS, which also operates repeater station in Liverpool and Shelburne, NS. Former shareholder Robert A. MacLaren remains as station manager. In the same year MITV adds several transmitters in Nova Scotia, which provide the station with coverage of 90 per cent of the province.

1994

New Brunswick Broadcasting sells MITV to CanWest Global Communications Corp. on August 29. At the same time, during parallel negotiations, CHSJ-TV, a CBC affiliate since MITV went on-air in 1988, is sold to the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. The CBC affiliate operations move to Fredericton, and the station is renamed CBAT-TV.

1995

CHSJ radio moves out of the now-empty Broadcast Centre to new premises at 58 King Street in Saint John.

2001

New Brunswick Broadcasting and Acadia Broadcasting Co. Ltd. merge operations. In the same year the company launches two new stations in New Brunswick, CHWV-FM the WAVE in Saint John, and CHTD-FM the Tide in St. Stephen.

2002

CKBW in Shelburne converts to FM.

2003

New Brunswick Broadcasting Co Ltd. and Acadia Broadcasting Co Ltd. merge under the simpler name Acadia Broadcasting.

2005

John E. Irving becomes sole owner of Acadia Broadcasting

2007

In May 2007 Acadia Broadcasting acquired Fawcett Broadcasting limited consisting of three radio stations in northern Ontario: CKDR-FM in Dryden, CJRL-FM in Kenora and CFOB-FM in Fort Frances. Through a series of repeaters, CKDR-FM in Dryden also served 6 other northern communities: Sioux Lookout, Hudson, Ear Falls, Red Lake, Atikokan and Ignace.

2009

Acadia Broadcasting begins a major renovation of its flagship stations CHWV and CHSJ in Saint John. The first two floors of their heritage location on King Street undergo extensive renovations and modernization in a project led by FCC Engineering and Commercial Properties Limited.

2010

In January 2010 Acadia acquired CJUK-FM and CKTG-FM in Thunder Bay, Ontario from Newcap Broadcasting.

2010

On July 22, 2010 Acadia Broadcasting launched CJHK-FM, also known as HANK-FM, that was added to sister station CKBW-FM in Bridgewater, NS.

2012

In 2012 the Dryden repeater in Atikokan was changed to carry the signal from CKDR to CFOB-FM in Fort Frances.

2014

On March 14, 2014 Acadia acquired CKNI-FM, Moncton, NB from Rogers Broadcasting.

2016

Acadia Broadcasting acquires CJLS June 1st, 2016, and the CKDR-4 AM Ear Falls transmitter is converted to 97.5FM.

2019

CIGO, in Port Hawkesbury CRTC approves change in ownership and effective control on March 8, 2019

2021

On April 26, 2021 the CRTC approved an application by Acadia Broadcasting for authority to acquire the assets of the English-language commercial radio stations CKHY-FM and CKHZ-FM Halifax and to obtain new broadcasting licences to continue the operation of the stations.

2022

On December 2, 2022 the CRTC approved an application by Acadia Broadcasting for authority to acquire the assets of the English-language commercial radio station of Q104 in Kenora, Ontario and obtain a new broadcast license to continue to operate this station. This brings Acadia to two broadcast licenses in Kenora.

Join our Team

Hear from your future colleagues.

At Acadia, I love working with a diverse, positive, talented, and supportive team. The level of service and care the company empowers us to extend to clients, to make a positive difference in the lives of the people in our communities, and to help local entrepreneurs and businesses grow, really makes this a fulfilling career and a great place to work!

The Acadia family has welcomed me with open arms ever since I started. It’s a company that’s full of youthful exuberance but also embraces those who have experience in their field. This has been the renaissance that I’ve been looking for in my career and I’m forever grateful for finding Acadia when I did.

 

It is a great place to work because of the people we work with. One thing Acadia does great is hire the right culture fit.

I love working for Acadia Broadcasting because I am surrounded by people with drive and passion, people who genuinely care about each other and the communities in which they live and work.

Working in a place that cares about growing the success of our community, our clients as much as our team members is second to none.

Acadia means working in an environment of creativity, passion, respect, and where everyone is treated like family.

Join our Team

Find out why you should join our team

At Acadia, I love working with a diverse, positive, talented, and supportive team. The level of service and care the company empowers us to extend to clients, to make a positive difference in the lives of the people in our communities, and to help local entrepreneurs and businesses grow, really makes this a fulfilling career and a great place to work!

The Acadia family has welcomed me with open arms ever since I started. It’s a company that’s full of youthful exuberance but also embraces those who have experience in their field. This has been the renaissance that I’ve been looking for in my career and I’m forever grateful for finding Acadia when I did.

 

It is a great place to work because of the people we work with. One thing Acadia does great is hire the right culture fit.

I love working for Acadia Broadcasting because I am surrounded by people with drive and passion, people who genuinely care about each other and the communities in which they live and work.

Working in a place that cares about growing the success of our community, our clients as much as our team members is second to none.

Acadia means working in an environment of creativity, passion, respect, and where everyone is treated like family.

Careers at Acadia Broadcasting

Let’s work together!

Acadia Broadcasting is a privately owned radio broadcaster with radio stations in Ontario and the Maritimes. Acadia prides itself on being the community’s local voice for entertainment, news, and events. We believe that through the creative force and integrity of our people, being relevant, and engaging communities - we truly lead the way!

We are always interested in hearing from great people! If you would like to see a current listing of our career opportunities click the link below.

Careers at Acadia Broadcasting

Let’s work together!

Acadia Broadcasting is a privately owned radio broadcaster with radio stations in Ontario and the Maritimes. Acadia prides itself on being the community’s local voice for entertainment, news, and events. We believe that through the creative force and integrity of our people, being relevant, and engaging communities - we truly lead the way!

We are always interested in hearing from great people! If you would like to see a current listing of our career opportunities click the link below.

News Releases

ABL receives approval to purchase CIGO-Port Hawkesbury

Saint John, NB (March 11, 2019) – Canada’s broadcast regulator has approved the purchase agreement between Acadia Broadcasting Limited, (ABL) and MacEachern Broadcasting Limited, (MacEachern). Acadia filed an application with the Canadian Radio-television Telecommunications Commission in January to acquire CIGO, (operating as “101.5 The Hawk”) in Port Hawkesbury, Nova Scotia. The commission granted ABL the authority […]

ABL Corporate COVID Update

Tuesday, March 17, 2020. We have been presented with an unprecedented challenge from the Covid-19 virus pandemic that has affected many countries across the world, including Canada and all the communities in which we live and work. Our thoughts are with those who have been affected by the virus. This will be a difficult time for […]

CKDR Completes Ear Falls Transmitter Upgrade to FM

Acadia Broadcasting Limited has replaced the AM signal in Ear Falls, Ontario with a new FM transmitter. The Canadian Radio-television Telecommunications Commission approved Acadia’s application to convert the company’s existing AM transmitter to the FM band on March 9th, 2016. It means CKDR-FM listeners in the Ear Falls area will experience a higher quality and […]

News Releases

ABL receives approval to purchase CIGO-Port Hawkesbury

Saint John, NB (March 11, 2019) – Canada’s broadcast regulator has approved the purchase agreement between Acadia Broadcasting Limited, (ABL) and MacEachern Broadcasting Limited, (MacEachern). Acadia filed an application with the Canadian Radio-television Telecommunications Commission in January to acquire CIGO, (operating as “101.5 The Hawk”) in Port Hawkesbury, Nova Scotia. The commission granted ABL the authority […]

ABL Corporate COVID Update

Tuesday, March 17, 2020. We have been presented with an unprecedented challenge from the Covid-19 virus pandemic that has affected many countries across the world, including Canada and all the communities in which we live and work. Our thoughts are with those who have been affected by the virus. This will be a difficult time for […]

CKDR Completes Ear Falls Transmitter Upgrade to FM

Acadia Broadcasting Limited has replaced the AM signal in Ear Falls, Ontario with a new FM transmitter. The Canadian Radio-television Telecommunications Commission approved Acadia’s application to convert the company’s existing AM transmitter to the FM band on March 9th, 2016. It means CKDR-FM listeners in the Ear Falls area will experience a higher quality and […]

CRTC Applications and Broadcast Notices

CRTC seeks views on the establishment of a three-digit number for mental health crisis and suicide prevention services

The CRTC is inviting all interested persons to comment on whether there is a need for a three-digit number, such as the 9-8-8 three digit code in the United States, for a national mental health crisis and suicide prevention service. The CRTC is examining the advantages, challenges and costs associated with the deployment of this […]

CRTC sets final wholesale rates for broadband services

Today, the CRTC set the final rates to access the large companies’ high-speed broadband networks and resolved a long-standing dispute with respect to the existing wholesale model. This will enable the industry to move towards a new wholesale model that will increase competition and investments. This new model is intended to provide Canadians with more […]

Acadia Broadcasting Limited acquires Hot Country 103.5 and Jewel 105 in Halifax

Halifax, NS (May 13, 2021) – Acadia Broadcasting Limited will officially bring its strong community focus for local radio to Halifax this Friday, following an agreement to acquire Hot Country 103.5 and Jewel 105 from HFX Broadcasting Inc., a subsidiary of Evanov Communications Inc. The Canadian Radio-television Telecommunications Commission, (CRTC) approved the purchase agreement on April […]

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Free E-book!

Download the free on-air: History of Acadia Broadcasting e-book.

Free E-book!

Download the free on-air: History of Acadia Broadcasting e-book.