Urban Exploring - Abandoned Radio Station

Urban Exploration is discovering, or re-discovering new places in what would normally be a domestic environment but is now abandoned. Places and things that are seemingly left behind, doomed to be stuck in time. You can find abandoned homes with dishes still in the sink, or in this case, a - at one time - popular radio station.

This is CFNB - the first radio station for the province of New Brunswick, Canada. In 1923 it went live to the airwaves under the experimental callsign of 10AD, at 1210 kHz. Three years later it was granted a full broadcast license as CFNB. It changed frequencies to 1030 in 1933, and then to its final established frequency of 550 in 1934. The station was affiliated to the CBC's (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation) Trans-Canada Network.

The station's broadcasting power was increased to 50,000 watts in 1959 - giving it the ability to broadcast to most of the Maritime Provinces.

In 1964 the CBC affiliation was dropped and the programming was shifted to play Adult Contemporary - and ultimately switching to "Oldies" in the early 90's.

In the mid 90's the parent company of CFNB 550 was granted permission to transfer its broadcast signal to FM at 106.9 with the new callsign CIBX - and effectively eliminated its AM transmitter.

With the frequency, band, and callsign change - and a brief stint broadcasting simulcast- this facility signed off June 11th 1996.

The "new CFNB" - CIBX 106.9 FM - played soft rock, and still exists today as Fredericton New Brunswick's Top 40 and flagship radio station.

Local residents today still fondly recall CFNB as THE station to listen to growing up,

and even though it seems it has been vandalized and disrespected -

it still stands nobly atop a rural York County hill looking across a vast landscape.

It has not seen attention in years - and it doesn't seem like it may any day soon,

but that does not seem to stop curious minds and explorers - it has now become a popular geo-caching location that can be seen from the roadside to any travellers on the NB-3 roadway in Smithfield NB (https://goo.gl/cSQtLe)

Needless to say - seeing a room still stocked with equipment and operation supplies, is hauntingly beautiful. A place stuck in time, though carrying on its legacy vicariously through its predecessor. CFNB paved the way for music lovers in the region - and gave them a voice, and a community, for decades.