CBDQ began as a CBC Low Power Relay Transmitter (LPRT) on the AM band rebroadcasting CFGB 1340 Goose Bay. By the 1980s it was operating on 1490kHz with 1000 watts day/250 watts night. In 1994, CBDQ was granted a separate licence to originate programming. In 1995, the station switched to the FM band on 96.3MHz and the call sign was then changed to CBDQ-FM.