CBU (AM)

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CBU

Broadcast area	Vancouver, British Columbia
Branding	CBC Radio One
First air date	1925
Frequency	690 KHz (AM)
Format	public broadcasting
Owner	Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
Website	CBC British Columbia

CBU is a Canadian radio station, which broadcasts the programming of the CBC Radio One network in Vancouver, British Columbia. The station broadcasts at 690 AM.

1 History
2 Transmission facilities in British Columbia
- 2.1 Shortwave relays of CBU via CKZU
3 Former CBU personalities

[edit] History

The station was originally launched in 1925 as AM 1100 CNRV, owned by the Canadian National Railway.

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, later CBU.

The station moved to AM 1130 in 1941 (see Canadian allocations changes under NARBA), and to 690 in 1952. 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.

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, which is 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.

[edit] Transmission facilities in British Columbia

The station also has AM and FM rebroadcast transmitters in

Proposed CBC British Columbia shortwave relay site at http://CBC.am/cbc-src.htm

[edit] Shortwave relays of CBU via CKZU

Two CBC Radio One stations operate shortwave relay transmitters:

CBN in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, with call sign CKZN
CBU in Vancouver, British Columbia, with call sign CKZU

Both transmitters broadcast 1 kW ERP signals on a fixed frequency of 6160 kHz.

In order to cover British Columbia or western Canada effectively, general shortwave broadcast broadcasting practice demands at least 20 kw (daytime) and 10 kw (night) to cope with hourly and seasonal changes in signal strength.

CKZU can be quite difficult to receive in its intended target areas, due to increased terrestrial noise from modern electrical and electronic systems.
CKZU's transmitter is known to be 'homebrew' as CBC British Columbia has refused to buy a modern SW transmitter to serve the province.
Covering British Columbia via shortwave requires a different transmission site than Vancouver, BC. Vancouver is becoming too populace to be placed near a higher power SW transmission site.

Some have suggested that CBC/Radio-Canada create a new high power shortwave digital radio service for more effective coverage of isolated areas.

Shortwave coverage plans have been slowed by CBC/SRC's conversion to ATSC HDTV and digital AM radio transmitters.