pinto wrote:

Remember when 'BK moved there... was in the middle of nowhere at the time!

The History of Canadian Broadcasting says that CJBK moved to their new studios on Wellington Road in March 1977. And you are right pinto, the property had previously been a section of a small farm.

The building was big for a stand alone radio station with 8,700 sq ft. and was over twice as large as their old facility on Dundas S.  When CJBK made the move they had 42 employees and the new property had 1.1 acres.

Three years later in 1980 marked an addition to the CJBK building and a new station signed on with CJBX FM and a country music format.  The two stations were run totally separate with different entrances, reception areas, offices and staff.  The only thing they shared was technical, accounting and ownership. 

In the spring ratings of 1983, CJBK was the #2 radio station in London with a cume of 164,000 listeners, only trailing behind sister station CJBX FM.  However by the fall of 1983 CFPL AM 980 roared back to take the crown away from CJBX, and CJBK had slid to 4th spot in London.

Last edited by paterson1 (April 11, 2024 3:27 pm)

darcyh wrote:

I believe that building was built from scratch for CJBK. In its day it was quite a modern looking structure. I went there a couple of times to pick up an album I had won. It had a beautiful reception area.

As Bell acquired more London radio stations, former fierce competitor CKSL AM 1410 and CIQM 97.5 were moved into the building for a total of 4 stations broadcasting from this facility.

The building has been up for sale for a while. The FM stations now operate from the CFPL TV building on Communications Rd. Both AM stations were shut down are are now silent. 

Yes the building was constructed for CJBK and you are right, it was a very modern and attractive structure for it's day.  I think they were asking $1.9 million for the building and property. 

CFPL TV was doubled in size and had a major renovation in 1985.  This was back in the days when they were making money and still a CBC affiliate.   At this time the station had about 200 employees.  CFPL TV is a nice looking building and would have lots of room for the radio stations.  Wonder how many people work in that facility now? 

paterson1 wrote:

darcyh wrote:

I believe that building was built from scratch for CJBK. In its day it was quite a modern looking structure. I went there a couple of times to pick up an album I had won. It had a beautiful reception area.

As Bell acquired more London radio stations, former fierce competitor CKSL AM 1410 and CIQM 97.5 were moved into the building for a total of 4 stations broadcasting from this facility.

The building has been up for sale for a while. The FM stations now operate from the CFPL TV building on Communications Rd. Both AM stations were shut down are are now silent. 

Yes the building was constructed for CJBK and you are right, it was a very modern and attractive structure for it's day.  I think they were asking $1.9 million for the building and property. 

CFPL TV was doubled in size and had a major renovation in 1985.  This was back in the days when they were making money and still a CBC affiliate.   At this time the station had about 200 employees.  CFPL TV is a nice looking building and would have lots of room for the radio stations.  Wonder how many people work in that facility now? 

Last June I took my 6 year old grandson for a tour of some of the tower facilities around London. I tried to explain as simply as possible how radio signals were emanating from the towers. Maybe radio would interest him as it did me. We drove up to the CFPL TV studio and tower. You are right it is a nice looking facility with plenty of parking and no trespassing signs too. I did not think anyone would mind a little boy getting out of the vehicle and looking at the very tall tower adjacent to the studio. What struck me is how much land the facility occupies with its tower. This is in the very desirable Westmount area of London. The land must be worth a fortune. More the the TV station is worth?

Here's the Google Earth link if you want to see for yourself.
https://www.google.ca/maps/place/Communications+Rd,+London,+ON/@42.9509802,-81.2677083,410m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m6!3m5!1s0x882ef1712f316157:0x7a0e3efa78cadbba!8m2!3d42.9523544!4d-81.2660922!16s%2Fg%2F1tf60y8g?entry=ttu