Rahul Sharma (Editor)

CKWD

Updated on
Edit
Like
Comment
Share on FacebookTweet on TwitterShare on LinkedInShare on Reddit
City
  
Calgary, Alberta

Branding
  
Wild 95.3

Frequency
  
95.3 MHz (FM)

Broadcast area
  
Calgary Region

Slogan
  
Calgary's New Country

First air date
  
April 25, 2014

CKWD

CKWD-FM is a Canadian radio station broadcasting at 95.3 FM in Calgary, Alberta owned by Jim Pattison Group. The station broadcasts a country music format branded as WILD 95.3. CKWD's studios & offices are located on 58th Avenue Southwest in Calgary, while its transmitter is located on Old Banff Coach Road. The station is owned & operated by Jim Pattison Group who also owns sister station CKCE-FM.

CKWD-FM's license was granted by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission on May 24, 2012. On May 16, 2013, the Jim Pattison Group acquired CKCE-FM from Bell Media, as part of divestments from its purchase of Astral Media. The newly acquired station was consolidated into the facilities of 95.3. The station officially launched as CHPK-FM on April 25, 2014 with an adult album alternative format as 95.3 The Peak.

At 10:15 a.m. on February 29, 2016, CHPK flipped to country branded as Wild 95.3; the station's general manager Eric Stafford cited low interest and ratings for the station's AAA format as an impetus for the switch. He believed that The Peak was unable to fully distinguish itself from its main competitor, CFEX-FM, in order to remain competitive. The new Wild format competes mainly against the historically dominant CKRY-FM; Stafford stated that Wild would have a younger-skewing format with a focus on newer material and fewer "throwback" songs. In addition, the station changed call letters to CKWD-FM.

References

CKWD Wikipedia