CKOC is a 50,000-watt, Class B station operating on a regional (not clear-channel) broadcast frequency, with transmitters located near Empire Corners in Haldimand County, about 25 kilometers (15 miles) south of Hamilton.

Station CHAB, in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, began broadcasting a week earlier, on April 23, 1922, and is still on the air today, but was shut down for a period of time in 1933 before re-opening.

Originally, CKOC's station was based in the Lower City at the corner of King William and John Streets, and was an offshoot of the Wentworth Radio and Supply Company.

Other broadcast locations over the years for CKOC include, the 11th floor of the Royal Connaught Hotel in the downtown core, the Lister Block building on James & King Williams Streets, and a studio on Garfield Avenue near King & Sherman Avenue North in a building that once housed the Garfield exchange switching equipment of the Bell Telephone Company.

[4][5][6] In mid-June 2013, after CING-FM switched formats from Classic Hits to hot AC, CKOC added more 1970s' and 1980s' music to its playlist.

Initial ratings for TSN Radio in Hamilton were extremely poor, as CKOC's market share dropped from 2.9% to 0.3%.

On February 9, 2021, Bell Media ended the TSN Radio formats at CKOC, CFRW in Winnipeg and CKST in Vancouver.

[16] On June 14, 2023, as part of a mass corporate restructuring at Bell Media, the company shut down six of their AM radio stations nationwide, and announced their intention to sell three others, including CKOC and CHAM.

[17] In November 2023, Neeti P. Ray filed an application with the CRTC to acquire CKOC, CHAM, and Bell's Windsor AM station CKWW, for $445,000.

Ray's applications stated he intended to continue operating the stations under the same terms and conditions as the existing licences.

[19] On August 19, 2024, CKOC was relaunched by the new ownership, reviving its previous classic hits format with a focus on music from the 1970s and 1980s.