CKWV first signed on-air on May 24, 1949 as CHUB, on its original frequency of 1570 AM with a 250-watt transmitter, with its studio in the Malaspina Hotel on Front Street in downtown Nanaimo; its first program was a broadcast of the annual Empire Day Parade.

To expand its coverage to surrounding areas, CHUB increased its power to 1000 watts in 1951, with Sun employees Chuck Rudd and Sheila Hassel arriving to manage the station; among the later staff at the station were evening DJ Larry Thomas (who joined that year), morning host Lyall Feltham (in 1956), news director Pat O'Neill and sports announcer Jim Robson (who arrived from Port Alberni's CJAV).

By 1966, Joe Lawlor's brother George came from Moose Jaw to become station manager, with Ted Kelly becoming program director and Duane Bodeker taking over as morning show host.

In 1994, Benchmark Ventures merged with Central Island Broadcasting Ltd. (now Island Radio), the owner of then-rival station CKEG, with the CRTC approving the newly merged company's application to move CHUB from 1570 AM to 102.3 FM and recall it as CKWV, and to put a rebroadcaster of CKWV in Parksville at 99.9 FM (as CKWV-FM-1).

As part of the merger, CKWV relocated from downtown to share CKEG's studios and offices at 4550 Wellington Road in north Nanaimo, and adopted a Hot AC format.