Picture it: 1958.
Hula hoops were all the rage, drive-ins were the go-to hangout, TV dinners were a novelty, poodle skirts were in fashion, everyone was watching “I Love Lucy”, 2 litres of milk cost you about 21 cents, AANNDDD… CKDQ started broadcasting on 910 AM.
Fast forward to 2024, a lot has changed, but our listeners are still as amazing as ever. Thank you for staying with us decade after decade! We’ve made a big move to the FM dial. Join us as we are now New Country 92.5! Let’s start a new chapter together.
We understand there are a LOT of questions. So we've answered some for you!
GREAT question! Over the years, CKDQ has built such a reputation, it seems almost unfathomable to do something like this.
There are a few reasons:
- FM can provide a crystal clear sound. It broadcasts in stereo and sounds amazing. Many stations before us have done this flip specifically for this reason. (Did you know that CKDQ technically transmitted in AM Stereo? There was just never an AM receiver created that was reasonably priced.)
- Our primary market has been, and always will be, Drumheller and area. While we appreciate our listeners in other communities (dating back to when CKDQ had a powerhouse signal that almost reached the US border), we will maintain our focus here at home.
- AM has become very expensive to maintain. Our current transmitter site near Strathmore has some very outdated and expensive equipment that would require replacement, should this flip not happen.
Not at all! Same great station, same amazing team, just a new home!
In 2023, we applied to flip CKDQ to 92.5 on the FM dial.
We were approved by the CRTC on February 9th, 2024.
As of July 11th, 2024 we began testing on low power on 92.5 FM, simulcasting with 910 AM.
July 15th, at 3pm we went live at full power.
Sometime July 19th, it is expected that we will no longer operate on 910 AM, should testing not present any issues.
Our new transmitter site is located right outside the town of Drumheller. We have been approved to broadcast with an average power of 24,745 watts, and a maximum power of 36,600 watts. While we are currently unsure of the extent of our new coverage area, we expect to, at the very least, serve the town of Drumheller, Munson, Kirkpatrick, Millerfield, Rowley, Morrin, Delia, Michichi, Rainbow, Dorothy, Dalum, Beynon and Rosebud.
We understand this may very well be the case, and you may still want to listen to us. Hopefully you can make the flip to 92.5FM with us, and if not… we thank you for your years of listening and support.
We’d LOVE if you could still listen. We will be available via streaming for you. You can click “listen live” on this website, or find us on the Stingray Music, RadioPlayer Canada, and iHeartRadio apps. Data rates may apply.
Fortunately, streaming has gotten to the point where it doesn’t impact data usage as much as it used to. Cell service in some of our coverage area has also drastically improved in recent years.
Yes! Stingray operates numerous stations in the province. Namely, our country stations in the current 910 broadcast area are:
- New Country 95.5 Red Deer
- New Country 93.3 Stettler
- New Country 105.7 Brooks
- New Country 98.1 Camrose
In that case, we once again hope you can stream. We truly appreciate your years of listenership and dedication and hope that you’ll continue to be a part in whatever way you can! We apologize for any incovenience this may cause.
We thought you might! Please use the below form to contact a member of our team regarding this change.
