Thomson River University radio station celebrates two decades of broadcasting

Thompson Rivers University’s campus radio station, CFBX or The X, hit the airways on at 8 a.m. on April 2, 2001.

Twenty years later, the station is stronger than ever, according to station manager, Brant Zwicker.

“So ups and downs, mostly good stuff, and here we are, bigger and better and stronger than ever — two decades later,” Zwicker told Castanet Kamloops.

Zwicker has been with the station from the beginning, building it from the ground up.

“Hired in 1998 to get this thing rolling and I’m still here, two decades later,” he laughed.

The Kamloops community has supported CFBX through the years, ensuring the survival and growth of the station.

“Back in 2005, there was a situation where an outside company wanted to come in and buy our frequency,” Zwicker explained.

“The city just went absolutely nuts. We had over a thousand emails from the city to the CRTC complaining about this company coming in to take over the campus radio station.”

Even throughout the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the station has survived and thrived, pushing them towards the future.

“We went automated, and then volunteers really stepped up and started producing at home and shipping the shows into us,” Zwicker said.

Zwicker said that the station, a student initiative, is still a strong draw to those who attend TRU and gives the school a wider reach.

“In its own small way the station gives the school a larger presence,” he said.

Zwicker, who is nearing retirement, believes the station has a very bright future.

"Hopefully, but not with me," he joked.