The station began broadcasting a test signal on December 15, 2003 and officially launched on April 27, 2004. Initially, the station followed a
Triple-A format. At the time, this was the first of its kind in
Canada. Kick-FM used the tag line 'A Rock 'n' Soul Adventure' for the first year of its existence. With the arrival of short-lived
CKFE-FM, Kick-FM migrated to a unique
Modern Rock format. The selections featured songs popular in the UK and at
College radio in the U.S. In addition, Kick-FM played more Winnipeg-based musicians than any other station in the city (22% of its play list). The majority of music on Kick-FM's play list was unique to this station, with little overlap from other stations. After several years as "Winnipeg's New Sound," Kick-FM began to identify itself as "Winnipeg's Indie Station - Independent Rock, Independent Talk." The musical emphasis swung away from the more established alternative artists (now being played locally by CURVE 94.3, see
CHIQ-FM) and now concentrates on music by unsigned, independent artists. For four years, the station also hosted a weekday talk program by citizen journalist, blogger, community activist and government critic, Marty Gold. This program was abruptly taken off the air by the board running the station, soon after a new President took office at Red River College. In March 2007, the regular morning show host Al McClean stepped down after a long successful run to go on to greater opportunities. That wasn’t the end of the morning show. At the time 92.9 KICK-FM was named the number 3 favorite Winnipeg radio station (behind #2 Hot 103 and #1 Power 97) in a poll by readers of Uptown Magazine; Gavin Trevan and Chelsea Miller took over and in May 2008, 92.9 KICK-FM was named the number 2 favorite Winnipeg radio station (behind #1 Hot 103) in a poll by readers of the same magazine. On January 23, 2012, the
CRTC ruled that
campus radio stations in Canada must allow for community access similar to a
community radio station. This move meant that CKIC chose to relinquish their licence due to this decision. On July 4, 2012, at 4 PM, the station indeed shut down its operation as an over-the-air broadcaster and turned in the corresponding license to the CRTC. There was a considerable reaction to this abandonment of the license, notably from former community members of the station and citizen journalists. However, CKIC expected to return as an internet-streaming station for the start of the Fall 2012 semester. ==Notes==