CKCK-DT

CKCK first signed on the air on July 28, 1954, as the first privately owned television station in Western Canada. It was originally owned by the Sifton family, which also owned the Regina Leader-Post and CKCK radio. It was originally a CBC Television affiliate. Shortly after signing on, it took a secondary affiliation with U.S. broadcast network CBS.[1] In 1962, as part of a deal that allowed CTV to come to Saskatchewan, CKCK opened a rebroadcaster in Moose Jaw. In return, Moose Jaw's original station, CHAB-TV, switched to CTV and opened a semi-satellite in Regina, CHRE-TV.[2]

The station swapped affiliations with CHAB/CHRE and joined CTV when the latter stations were purchased by the CBC. As a result of this deal, CHRE changed its call letters to CBKRT and became the main station; it is now CBKT.[2]

CKCK-TV's logo in the 1980s, as "CKTV".

In 1977, CKCK was sold to Harvard Developments, owned by Regina's Hill family. In 1985, Baton Broadcasting acquired a 90 percent stake in the station (the remaining 10 percent would soon follow), bringing it under common ownership with CTV's other Saskatchewan affiliates—CFQC in Saskatoon, CICC in Yorkton, and CIPA in Prince Albert. In 1987, these stations and Baton's two privately owned CBC affiliates in Saskatchewan, CKOS in Yorkton and CKBI in Prince Albert, began branding as the "Saskatchewan Television Network," which linked up with Baton's Ontario stations as the Baton Broadcast System in 1994.[2]

Following Baton's acquisition of CTV in 1997, CKCK became a CTV owned-and-operated station. Local programming today is limited primarily to the station's popular newscasts.[2]

CKCK-TV's logo as a CTV affiliate (1997–2001)

From the 1970s through the late 1980s, CKCK branded itself as "CKTV", but its official call letters remained CKCK-TV. During this period, though, the station did acquire the CKTV calls for its Fort Qu'Appelle retransmitter. That station is now CKCK-TV-7; "CKTV" is currently used the call sign for a Radio-Canada affiliate in Saguenay, Quebec. Nevertheless, while the station identifies itself only as CTV, many people in southern Saskatchewan still call the station "CKTV" or "CK".[2]

In December 2008, CTVglobemedia applied to the CRTC to operate an HD feed of CKCK-TV, which would be delivered as a "satellite-to-cable" feed. The move would allow CKCK to operate an HD signal which could be substituted in place of American HD signals on local cable services, without actually operating an over-the-air digital television transmitter.[2]

As with its Saskatoon sister station, CKCK's programming is aired in pattern with that of Winnipeg sister station CKY-DT, with prime time programming running from 7:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. simultaneously with East Coast stations, and CTV's 7:00 p.m. ET programming bumped to 10:00 p.m. However, as Saskatchewan does not observe daylight saving time and remains on Central Standard Time year-round, programming is delayed by an hour in comparison to CKY when DST is in effect.[2] In March, the station also broadcasts the annual Telemiracle telethon (which alternates between Regina and Saskatoon on a yearly cycle), supporting the Kinsmen and Kinettes of Saskatchewan. The event is simulcast by all CTV stations in Saskatchewan.[3][4]

^* The Fort Qu'Appelle transmitter was among a long list of CTV rebroadcasters nationwide to have shut down on or before August 31, 2009, as part of a political dispute with Canadian authorities on paid fee-for-carriage requirements for cable television operators.[7] A subsequent change in ownership assigned full control of CTVglobemedia to Bell Canada Enterprises; as of 2011, these transmitters remain in normal licensed broadcast operation.[8]

On February 11, 2016, Bell Media applied for its regular license renewals, which included applications to delete a long list of transmitters, including CKCK-TV-1, CKCK-TV-2, CKCK-TV-7 and CKMC-TV-1. Bell Media's rationale for deleting these analog repeaters is below:

"We are electing to delete these analog transmitters from the main licence with which they are associated. These analog transmitters generate no incremental revenue, attract little to no viewership given the growth of BDU or DTH subscriptions and are costly to maintain, repair or replace. In addition, none of the highlighted transmitters offer any programming that differs from the main channels. The Commission has determined that broadcasters may elect to shut down transmitters but will lose certain regulatory privileges (distribution on the basic service, the ability to request simultaneous substitution) as noted in Broadcasting Regulatory Policy CRTC 2015–24, Over-the-air transmission of television signals and local programming. We are fully aware of the loss of these regulatory privileges as a result of any transmitter shutdown."

At the same time, Bell Media applied to convert the licenses of CTV Two Atlantic (formerly ASN) and CTV Two Alberta (formerly ACCESS) from satellite-to-cable undertakings into television stations without transmitters (similar to cable-only network affiliates in the United States), and to reduce the level of educational content on CTV Two Alberta.[9][10] With the shutdown of CJFB-TV several years ago, Bell also asked for the change to the condition of license for its repeater in Swift Current, CKMC-TV that prevents it from soliciting advertising in that community, and that CJFB-TV may substitute commercials on it (which is irrelevant since the station is no longer in operation).

On July 30, 2019, Bell Media was granted permission to close down the transmitters for CKMC-TV and CKMJ-TV as part of Broadcasting Decision CRTC 2019-268. Both transmitters will be shut down by February 26, 2021.[11]

CKCK-DT presently broadcasts 34½ hours of locally produced newscasts each week (with 6½ hours each weekday and one hour each on Saturdays and Sundays).

On October 31, 2011, CKCK debuted a three-hour morning newscast under the title CTV Morning Live, which airs on weekdays 6–9 a.m.; other morning newscasts under the CTV Morning Live banner were launched on other CTV owned-and-operated stations across western and central Canada as part of a benefits package that was included as a condition of the sale of the CTV network to Bell Canada.[12]

On July 28, 2014, CKCK began producing newscasts in high definition, and introduced a new studio as part of the migration.[13]

CKCK's newscasts are also broadcast by CICC-TV in Yorkton, since that station does not broadcast a local 6:00 or 11:30 p.m. newscast. As a result, CKCK's program regularly includes reports from Yorkton.

• Official website
• CKCK-TV history – Canadian Communication Foundation
• Query the REC Canadian station database for CKCK-TV
• Query TV Fool's coverage map for CKCK
• CTVglobemedia application to CRTC for direct-feed HD versions of selected stations, including CKCK Regina