Its first transmission was on 17 November 1969 at 6:00 a.m.; it began simulcasting on AM and FM in 2004 at 610 kHz and 96.1 MHz. The FM station was considered the primary signal by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission, although unlike most AM to FM conversions the station retained its AM transmitter in order to serve listeners who were unable to receive the FM signal due to the Whitehorse area's mountainous terrain. However, as of 2017 the AM transmitter is off the air, and with a defective transmitter and a previously damaged and unrepairable radio tower at hand, it is unlikely that CKRW will restore the AM service. CKRW's programming is also transmitted into other Yukon communities, including Watson Lake, Haines Junction, Faro, Mayo and Teslin. CKRW is also rebroadcast on CFYT in Dawson City when that station is not originating its own programming. From 1982 to 1989, CKRW affiliated with CKO, carrying correspondent reports from that all-news network as part of its local newscasts. The affiliation ended when CKO left the air. The Shaw Directdirect broadcast satellite service carries CKRW on channel 856, and the NorthWesTel television service in Whitehorse carries CKRW on channel 8.
Transmitters
Some CKRW programming can also be heard on CFYT-FM in Dawson City which repeats CKRW during hours that local programming is not broadcast. On April 5, 2017, the CRTC approved the application by Klondike Broadcasting Company Limited to amend the broadcasting licence for the English-language commercial AM radio programming undertaking CKRW Whitehorse, Yukon Territory, in order to authorize the station to originate programming from its rebroadcasting transmitter CKRW-FM Whitehorse under its existing technical parameters until 5 April 2018. On June 29, 2017, Klondike Broadcasting Company Limited submitted an application to operate an English-language commercial FM radio station in Whitehorse to replace its commercial AM radio station CKRW Whitehorse. The station would operate at 96.1 MHz with an effective radiated power of 4,400 watts. The CRTC approved Klondike Broadcasting Company Limited application to convert CKRW from the AM band to the FM band on January 4, 2018.
