Cochrane will welcome its premiere radio station sometime in early 2019. Air 91.5 FM, which has been operating under the umbrella and sharing the same radio signal with Discover Airdrie 106.1 FM, has been given the green light by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications commission (CRTC) to receive official radio station status. This will allow country radio station 91.5 FM to broadcast to Cochrane and surrounding areas, including Bragg Creek, Redwood Meadows, Springbank, Bearspaw and Water Valley. The radio station is bolstered by its online platform Cochrane NOW – which was launched three years ago – just as Discover Airdrie is the online platform to 106.1 FM. "It's been a big wait," laughed Lyndon Friesen, president of parent company Golden West Broadcasting. "We're just delighted they finally decided Cochrane was a city of its own and not in the shadow of the bigger city (Calgary)." Marni Fedeyko, also a town councillor, has worked for the company as a reporter since early 2015. "We are a small passionate group – only three – and we are not only looking forward to expanding in staff but also offering the community a different resource for news and entertainment. Golden West is very community-focused and we look forward to telling the stories that impact us over the air." Friesen said it took longer than anticipated to get the radio station on its own legs – as they had to successfully make the case to the CRTC that Cochrane not only needs its own radio station, but that the radio would not use the foothills town as a "back door" to get into the Calgary market. Throughout its more than 60 years of operations, Golden West has steered away from major cities and maintains focused on smaller municipalities. He stressed that with more than 40 radio stations across the prairies, including four stations in northwest Ontario, the recipe is the same: local staff, local stories, local content. All local, all the time. In nearby Airdrie, Friesen said they launched there when the population was around 10,000. The nearby city is nearing 70,000 now. "We launched in communities across the prairies in the last decade ... the support from Cochrane really has been incredible," said Friesen, noting Cochrane as an "important community." As Golden West readies for its Cochrane launch in the coming months, Friesen said they will be adding more talent to their roster, to beef up their team to at least a dozen. They will also continue with their online platforms to ensure they are engaging their audience through all channels – a must in the digital age.
