Nearly a year after its tower above Cache Creek was vandalized, CFMA Radio — operated by the Ash-Creek TV Society — is back on the air with permanent equipment, after running with loaner equipment for the past several months.
On or around Nov. 13, 2021, someone broke into the tower and smashed much of the equipment inside, taking the station off the air. When its plight became known, cash and in-kind donations poured in, and the society set about trying to replace the equipment, which had been damaged past the point of being able to repair it.
“What we had before was older and beyond repair,” says Ash-Creek TV Society president Heidi Roy. “We tried to pursue the repair option, but every component was too badly smashed.”
READ MORE: Vandals take Cache Creek’s local radio station off the air
Permanent equipment was ordered from a company in Nova Scotia, which expected to have it ready in June 2022, but they were impacted by supply chain shortages in the electronics industry, and couldn’t get the parts to complete the assembly until last month.
However, Jim Pattison Media and Stingray Radio in Kamloops stepped in with loaner equipment that got the station back on the air in early 2022. They also promised technical help when the new equipment arrived.
“During the 2017 fire they lost equipment on Elephant Hill and had to use our tower,” Roy explains. “That’s why they were helpful with technicians and very supportive.”
The station was able to keep broadcasting on 105.9 FM in Cache Creek with the loaner equipment and some spare equipment the society had at its Ashcroft site. However, the Ashcroft signal on 89.1 FM went down in August, and since all the spare equipment was in use at the Cache Creek site it was silent until the new equipment was installed on Oct. 31.
“The loaner equipment was always just a temporary fix,” says Roy. “People are saying that the signal is much clearer now.” She adds that Quality Glass in Ashcroft donated a steel door, to replace the wooden one which was smashed open: “We’re hoping the new one is vandal-proof.” Associated Electric in Ashcroft donated repairs to get the new equipment up and running, and volunteers carried out a work bee to take down a rotten pole and some obsolete equipment at the Cache Creek site.
“Everyone was very supportive, and we received a lot of donations,” says Roy. “People missed the station while it was off the air.”
Roy describes CFMA’s music playlist as an eclectic mix you don’t often hear on other radio stations. During the Graffiti Days weekend in June the station switches to a mix of 1950s and 1960s music, and those golden oldies play throughout the year along with country music, classic rock, pop music, and more.
The station would like to add more talk segments, and potentially work with the local schools, but those plans are on hold for the time being.
editorial@accjournal.ca
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