| Broadcast area | Chilliwack, BC |
|---|---|
| Frequency | 98.3 MHz (FM) |
| Branding | 98.3 Star FM |
| Programming | |
| Format | Adult contemporary |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | Rogers Communications |
| History | |
First air date | June 27, 1927 |
Former call signs | CHWK (1927-2000) |
Call sign meaning | C K StaR |
| Technical information | |
| ERP | 5 kW |
| Links | |
| Website | 98.3 Star FM |
CKSR (known on-air as Star FM) is a Canadian radio station located in Chilliwack, British Columbia. The station, operating at 98.3 FM with 5000 watts of power, is owned by Rogers Communications.
CKSR began broadcasting on June 27, 1927asCHWK, airing for two hours a day (noon-1 PM and 6-7 PM) at its original frequency of 1210 AM with transmission power of 5 watts. The station had been started up by original owners, radio set salesmen Casey Wells and Jack Menzies, as a response to the problems Chilliwack residents had with picking up radio signals from Vancouver due to the area's mountainous terrain and the less-sophisticated radio receivers of the time. During CHWK's early years, there were some days when the station would not go on the air if Wells and Menzies were busy selling radios; this was eventually remedied in 1929 when Jack Pilling was hired on to help run station operations.
CHWK moved to 665 AM and increased power to 100 watts in 1930, and Wells bought Menzies' ownership stake in the station in 1933, with programming geared toward the Chilliwack area's farmers. CHWK switched frequencies again to 780 AM in 1937 and increased power to 250 watts the following year. In 1940, Pilling acquired half-ownership of the station, which changed over to 1340 AM in 1941 and became an affiliate of CBC Radio's new Dominion NetworkonJanuary 2, 1944.
CHWK would make further frequency switches over time, to 1230 AM on April 14, 1951, then to 1270 AM (with a power increase to 1000 watts) in 1952. In 1957, Fraser Valley Broadcasters Ltd. was established as the owner of CHWK, with Jack Pilling as the new company's largest shareholder. The station's power was increased to 10,000 watts in 1960.
OnAugust 20, 1962, Fraser Valley Broadcasters established CFVRinAbbotsford as a semi-satellite of CHWK, operating on 1240 AM with 250 watts of power; CFVR had its own morning show, while the balance of its programming came from Chilliwack. In 1965, CHWK and CFVR parent Fraser Valley Broadcasters was purchased by Dennis Barkman, and on May 8, 1972, CHWK got a second rebroadcaster when CKGO went on the air in Hope at 1490 AM with 250 watts, airing two hours of local programming a day with the rest from CHWK.
