| Defunct | |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area | Greater Vancouver |
| Frequency | 980kHz |
| Programming | |
| Format | Silent |
| Ownership | |
| Owner |
|
| CKNW,CFOX-FM,CFMI-FM,CHAN-DT,Global News: BC 1 | |
| History | |
First air date | February 3,1955 |
Former call signs | CKLG (1955–2001) CJNW (2001–2002) CHMJ (2002–2022) |
Former frequencies | 1070 kHz (1955–1958) 730 kHz (1958–2025) |
Call sign meaning | "Go" (in regards to its previous traffic format) |
| Technical information | |
| Class | B |
| Power | 50,000watts |
Transmitter coordinates | 49°08′01″N123°00′17″W / 49.1335°N 123.004587°W /49.1335; -123.004587 (CHMJ Tower) |
CKGO (980AM) was a radio station inVancouver,British Columbia. Owned byCorus Entertainment, the station served as a rebroadcaster of sister stationCKNW from 2024 to 2025. CKGO transmits with a power output of 50,000watts, the maximum for Canadian AM stations. It uses adirectional antenna at all times to protect other stations on 980 AM from interference. Itstransmitter is situated offBritish Columbia Highway 17 inDelta.[1]
The station was originally established in 1955 asCKLG, under which it broadcast a popularcontemporary hit radio format. Its popularity waned in the 1990s due to competition from FM stations; after its sale toShaw Communications (who later spun off its media properties as Corus), the station briefly flipped toall-news radio in 2001 as a brand extension of newly-acquired sister stationCKNW. In May 2002, the station flipped tohot talk asMojo 730; in 2004,Mojo segued to asports talk format. In June 2006, Corus droppedMojo in favour of a format concentrating primarily ontraffic reports, although it continued to carry sports play-by-play rights.
In June 2024, CKGO was closed by Corus Entertainment as part of company-wide cuts, and began to simulcast CKNW for a transitional period. In January 2025, it was announced that CKNW's programming andcall letters would permanently move to CKGO's signal on February 24, 2025, with Corus citing 730's better signal coverage indowntown Vancouver and theLower Mainland.
From November 2006 until June 2024, the station had an all-day, every day "all traffic" format, becoming the first station in North America to do so. In addition to traffic reports, the station also aired news briefs, weather reports and commercials.
It also carriedVancouver WhitecapsMLS soccer games and pre-game shows.[2]
On February 3, 1955, CKLG, owned by Lions Gate Broadcasting Ltd., began transmitting at 1070 kHz on the AM band with a 1,000-watt transmitter. Originally, studios and transmitter were both located inNorth Vancouver. The radio station was controlled by theGordon Gibson Sr. and his family, who were involved in the logging business. (Gordon Gibson, Sr, was known as "The Bull of the Woods").
In 1958, the station changed frequencies from 1070 kHz to 730 kHz and increased power to 10,000 watts. The transmitter site was moved from North Vancouver to Delta. The station was sold to Moffat Broadcasting Ltd. in 1961, and in 1964, launched an FM sister station, the original CKLG-FM (nowCFOX-FM), at 99.3MHz. Throughout the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s, CKLG (also known asLG73) played a variety ofcontemporary music, at times ranking as one of the most popular radio stations in the Vancouverradio market. In 1975, the station once again increased power, raising it to the current 50,000 watts. In 1984, CKLG began broadcasting inAM stereo using theKahn-HazeltineC-QUAM system. Later it switched to theMotorola system.[3]
The station's popularity declined in the early 1990s, as listeners switched to FM radio for music listening. In 1992, Shaw Radio (nowCorus Entertainment) purchased Moffat's Vancouver radio properties. Shaw tried a brief and unsuccessful attempt at atalk radio format from September 1993 until February 23, 1994.[4][5][6] The station flipped to ahot adult contemporary format, which lasted for the next seven years, despite new competition from stationCKZZ-FM. CKZZ originally began as arhythmic contemporary station in 1991 before moving towards a more mainstreamcontemporary hit radio format in 1996.
On February 1, 2001, CJNW flipped toall-news radio, and the station stopped broadcasting in AM stereo. Carrying the new call letters CJNW and the on-air branding "NW2", Corus marketed the station as abrand extension of its new sister station, news/talkCKNW (which Corus had acquired fromWestern International Communications in 2000). However, the new format was unsuccessful in the ratings, and abandoned after approximately 14 months.[7][8]
On May 28, 2002, at 5 a.m., CJNW discontinued the all-news format and began a nearly2+1⁄2-month-longstunt ofmodern rock music, which also included a month of downtime for a transmitter site upgrade. On August 6, at 6 a.m., the station changed call letters once again to CHMJ, and flipped to ahot talk format branded asMOJO 730, Talk Radio for Guys, which was based on sister stationCFMJ in Toronto.[9][10]
When that format failed to attract a large enough audience, the station changed to ansports radio format in February 2004, branded asMOJO Sports Radio, AM 730. The station would compete primarily withCHUM'sCKSTTeam 1040.[11] It was the radio home of theVancouver Giantsjunior hockey team, theVancouver Whitecapssoccer team and other local sports events includingUBC Thunderbirds andSFU Clansmen football and basketball games. It also carriedSeattle Seahawks games from Seattle'sKIRO. It was anESPN Radionetwork affiliate and also shared some sports content with CKNW.
On May 30, 2006, CHMJ terminated its sports radio format, switching to a stunt of a series of promotional content. The station re-launched at 7:30 a.m. on June 5, with a new format described as "continuous drive-timetraffic and the best of talk". Programming consisted of continuous traffic reports during the morning and afternoondrive times and rebroadcasts of talk radio programming from CKNW. CHMJ also continued to provide play-by-play coverage ofVancouver Giants WHL hockey,Vancouver Whitecaps, andSeattle Seahawks NFL football.[12] On November 26, 2006, CHMJ dropped the CKNW encores and began carrying traffic programming at all times, along with brief news and weather segments.
On July 3, 2016, CHMJ was knocked off the air temporarily by a fire that broke out inBurns Bog, where the station's transmitter site is located.[13] The station was broadcast temporarily on theHD3 digital signal of sister station 101.1CFMI-FM.[14]
On April 8, 2021, Corus Entertainment announced it had acquired the radio broadcasting rights of theBC Lions of theCanadian Football League, andVancouver Whitecaps FC ofMajor League Soccer, following Bell Media's decision to reformatCKST from sports to comedy. CHMJ will air games while sister station CKNW will air weekly programming related to the Whitecaps and BC Lions, in addition to an exclusive coaches' show.[15]
On April 1, 2022, the station's call letters were changed to CKGO.
On June 26, 2024, amid ongoing cuts by Corus Entertainment, CKGO ended its all-traffic format and flipped to a simulcast of CKNW. Corus stated that the simulcast was an interim measure, and that it would ultimately only operate one news-talk AM station in Vancouver.[16][17] On January 21, 2025, Corus announced that CKGO would close, and that the branding, programming, and call letters of CKNW would move to 730 beginning February 24, 2025. Corus stated that the move would improve CKNW's coverage inDowntown Vancouver and theLower Mainland. The move echoes a frequency swap performed by Edmonton sister stationCHED in 2024,[18] whose sister stationCHQT had been closed down in a similar manner to CKGO the same day.[16] After the move to 980, the station was to temporarily remains on the air to broadcast a looping promo advising listeners of the change, after which it will gosilent.[19]
