The Southern Ontario/WNY Radio-TV Forum / OLD CJBK 1290 AM towers still standing

**Posted by darcyh** April 15, 2025 3:52 pm

I meant to post this a few weeks ago. As of around the end of February I was in south London Ontario in the vicinity of the former CJBK AM transmitter site. The station has been silent since around August 2023?

I expected the rather impressive 8 tower array, tuning houses, and cinder block transmitter building with open three phase electrical feed would have been dismantled. I was quite surprised to see everything still standing and appear in tact. I did not take Bell very long to dismantle the old CKSL site once they silenced the station. Hence my surprise that this site still stands.

I would like to think that the station could be resurrected by a broadcaster with deep pockets but that will not happen. Still wondering why the site is still standing?

**Posted by andysradio** April 15, 2025 8:46 pm

Interesting! The only other ex AM sites I can think that is still standing in the area are CJTN Trenton and CHML. Others?

**Posted by RadioAaron** April 15, 2025 8:53 pm

andysradio wrote:
Interesting! The only other ex AM sites I can think that is still standing in the area are CJTN Trenton and CHML. Others?

One of the CKLC towers on Wolfe Island stayed up to host CKLC-FM.

**Posted by Paul Jeffries** April 15, 2025 10:48 pm

andysradio wrote:
Interesting! The only other ex AM sites I can think that is still standing in the area are CJTN Trenton and CHML. Others?

I believe CHML's towers were taken down about a couple of months ago. I seem to remember someone posting the pictures here a little while back.

PJ

**Posted by Ida Spencer** April 16, 2025 6:25 pm

Paul Jeffries wrote:
andysradio wrote:
Interesting! The only other ex AM sites I can think that is still standing in the area are CJTN Trenton and CHML. Others?
I believe CHML's towers were taken down about a couple of months ago. I seem to remember someone posting the pictures here a little while back.
PJ

They were! I made a return visit today. There's now a for sale sign ($3.9M asking), posted on the section of property that's the right-of-way for Enbridge Line 9. (Wonder what engineering issues that led to!)

The other tuning & tx shacks are still there, along with a cook stove. There seem to be fresh tracks.

The letters are still up at Main & Longwood. Wondering if Corus will spend a couple of thou out of the site sale to take them down. There's a for lease sign there but it's for main floor space, not the second floor where radio is. Broadcast Technology did a photo spread in their Sept-Oct 1986 issue when CHML had just moved in. Scroll down to page 14 of the PDF.

**Posted by mace** April 17, 2025 5:57 am

Ida Spencer wrote:
Paul Jeffries wrote:
andysradio wrote:
Interesting! The only other ex AM sites I can think that is still standing in the area are CJTN Trenton and CHML. Others?
I believe CHML's towers were taken down about a couple of months ago. I seem to remember someone posting the pictures here a little while back.
PJ

They were! I made a return visit today. There's now a for sale sign ($3.9M asking), posted on the section of property that's the right-of-way for Enbridge Line 9. (Wonder what engineering issues that led to!)

The other tuning & tx shacks are still there, along with a cook stove. There seem to be fresh tracks.

The letters are still up at Main & Longwood. Wondering if Corus will spend a couple of thou out of the site sale to take them down. There's a for lease sign there but it's for main floor space, not the second floor where radio is. Broadcast Technology did a photo spread in their Sept-Oct 1986 issue when CHML had just moved in. Scroll down to page 14 of the PDF.

Nice to see the article mentions the CHML site was the former home of Paddy Green's Tavern aka the Westdale Hotel. After Friday night pickup hockey a few of us would go there to consume several adult beverages. Even in the early 1980's, the establishment still had the separate "Gentlemen's" and "Ladies & Escort's" entrances.