The History of CJKL

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CJKL hit the airwaves on March 30, 1934 at 6:30 pm. The station was owned by Lord Roy H. Thomson of Fleet. CJKL broadcast on a frequency of 1310 kHz with 100 watts of power. The original studios were in the R & A Trussler Building at Duncan Avenue and Government Road.

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In 1939, CJKL moved to 560 kHz and increased its power to 1,000 watts. Future billionaire Jack Kent Cooke became general manager.

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In the summer of 1967, CJKL's sister station, CJTT in New Liskeard, went on the air. Initially, CJTT was a repeater of CJKL's broadcast before gradually adding its own live programming.

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In 1972, The Thomson family sold Northern Broadcasting including CJKL & CJTT to J. Irving Zucker and Jack Schoone of Eastern Broadcasting. In 1979, veteran broadcaster Bob Ancell purchased the stations.

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The Connelly Family became partners with Ancell in 1983 before purchasing the stations outright in 1985 and moving the studios from Hudson Bay Avenue to their current location at 5 Kirkland Street.

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In the 1980's, CJKL introduced several longtime community programs including:

CJKL Christmas Wish (1986)

CJKL Citizen of the Year & Lifetime Achievement Awards (1988)

CJKL Carnival Queen Pageant (1989)

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In the summer of 1999, CJKL moved from 560 AM to 101.5 FM with an effective radiated power of 23,000 watts.

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CJKL FM's format features a mix of current hits and classic songs. In addition to providing local news & sports, the station offers national updates from the Canadian Press.

 

The syndicated programs American Top 40 Countdown with Ryan Seacrest & Country Top 40 Countdown with Bob Kingsley are part of the station's weekend programming.

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CJKL FM in Kirkland Lake & CJTT FM in Temiskaming Shores are owned by Connelly Communications and are two of few remaining family-owned radio stations in Northern Ontario.

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