 | |
| |
|---|---|
| Channels | |
| Branding |
|
| Programming | |
| Affiliations | CTV |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | Bell Media Inc. |
| CFWM-FM,CKMM-FM | |
| History | |
First air date | November 12, 1960 (65 years ago) (1960-11-12) |
Former call signs |
|
Former channel numbers | Analog: 7 (VHF, 1960–2011) |
| Independent (1960–1961) | |
Call sign meaning | taken from its formersister radio station |
| Technical information | |
Licensing authority | CRTC |
| ERP | 24kW |
| HAAT | 280.8 m (921 ft) |
| Transmitter coordinates | 49°34′48″N97°10′3″W / 49.58000°N 97.16750°W /49.58000; -97.16750 |
| Links | |
| Website | CTV Winnipeg |
CKY-DT (channel 7) is atelevision station inWinnipeg, Manitoba, Canada,owned and operated by theCTV Television Network, a division ofBell Media. The station's studios are located on Graham Avenue (adjacent to theCanada Life Centre) inDowntown Winnipeg, with transmitter near Lord Selkirk Highway/Highway 75 inRitchot.
Beginning in 1954, Winnipeg had one television station, government-ownedCBWT (channel 3). In January 1960, the CanadianBoard of Broadcast Governors (BBG) held public hearings in Winnipeg in response to three applications which had been submitted to operate a commercial television station on channel 7. These applications were presented byR. S. Misener and Associates, a group associated with radio stationsCKY–Winnipeg, CFAM–Altona andCKSB–St. Boniface; Perimeter Television Broadcasters Ltd., a group associated with Winnipeg radio stationCJOB; and the Red River Television Association, a group associated with theWinnipeg Free Press newspaper and radio stationCKRC.[1][2]
The Misener application was subsequently approved by the BBG, and the TV station was founded asindependent station CJAY-TV on November 12, 1960. It joined theCTV Television Network when it launched on October 1, 1961.
On June 1, 1973, after Moffat bought controlling interest in the station, itscall sign was changed to CKY-TV to match Moffat's AM and FM stations, making it one of the only two Canadian television stations, the other being the now-defunctCKX-TV, with a three-letter call sign. (From 2007 to 2009, CKY-TV and CKX-TV weresister stations following CTVglobemedia's buyout ofCHUM Limited.)
The CJAY call letters are now used on aCalgaryrock station now owned by CTV's ownerBell Media. In 1992, Moffat sold CKY (AM) and CKY-FM (subsequentlyCITI-FM) toRogers Media while maintaining ownership of the television station.
In August 1992, general manager Vaughn Tozer hired Jim Wicks, a Canadian-American broadcaster, to be the main news anchor and managing editor. Tozer and Wicks reorganized the newsroom and the on-air team to help accomplish their goal. Within three ratings periods, the newscast had climbed from third place to first place, replacing CBWT's24 Hours as the highest-rated newscast in Winnipeg. At one point, the newscast was advertised on billboards throughout the city as "Wicks at 6". The on-air chemistry between Wicks and sports director Steve Vogelsang added to the popularity of the program.
Although the personalities have since changed on several occasions, the station's newscast has remained Manitoba's highest-rated newscast. As of today, CKY-TV is the oldest private television station in Manitoba since CKX-TV's demise.
In 2001, Moffat Broadcasting was purchased byShaw Cablesystems, which was not interested in CKY-TV or its co-owned cable channel, WTN. CKY-TV was purchased by Bell Globemedia, while WTN was purchased byCorus Entertainment, moving to Toronto, and becoming theW Network. Now a CTVowned-and-operated station, promos on CKY-TV became similar to the other CTV owned-and-operated stations. However, Shaw returned to the television station business five years later, acquiringCJBN-TV, a now defunctGlobal Television Networkaffiliate, in nearbyKenora, Ontario.
On May 15, 2006, the station's studios moved to a new facility near Winnipeg'sBell MTS Place. This move was prompted by economic development in the area, including thePolo Park Shopping Centre, and the likelihood that CKY-TV's studios would be bought off by developers to use the property for additional retail space. The demolition ofWinnipeg Arena and the possible development of a new football stadium to replaceCanad Inns Stadium would have likely placed the broadcasting facility in a position of being surrounded by retail developments.
CKY-TV's new studios use state-of-the-art technology, and little was moved from the old studios to the new facility. The existing news set was moved toCFQC, the CTV owned-and-operated station inSaskatoon, and some technical equipment was sent to CTV'sQuebec City bureau. In addition, the master control of the station was moved to9 Channel Nine Court, home offlagship CTV stationCFTO-TV inToronto.
Another likely reason for the move is that CKY-TV had more space than it needed. With WTN, CITI-FM and CKY-FM moving to new studios in recent years, plus the reduction of local, in-studio programming on CKY-TV since 1991, a new, although smaller, facility suited CKY-TV's needs. In recent years, CKY-TV has allowed studio space to be rented for third-party productions, including the locally produced filmBlue State.
CKY-TV marked its 50th anniversary in 2010.[3]
As Manitoba is in theCentral Time Zone, CKY-TV generally abides by the U.S. practice of airing prime time programming simultaneously with its counterparts in theEastern Time Zone, meaning one hour "earlier" in terms of local time than Eastern Time stations (e.g. "8 p.m., 7 Central"). This is primarily to maintainsimultaneous substitution rights with the American network affiliates aired on cable in Winnipeg. However, the station's daytime and late night schedule is otherwise generally the same as other CTV stations in terms of local airtimes, such as local news from 6 to 7 p.m., andCTV National News at 11 p.m. (whereas U.S. stations in the Central Time Zone typically air late news at 10 p.m.). To accommodate both practices, programs that air in the 7 p.m. hour on most CTV stations, such asetalk and repeats ofThe Big Bang Theory, are generally moved to the 10 p.m. hour on CKY-TV.
Prior to CTV's purchase of the station in 2001, this shifting of prime time programming normally extended to the 7 ET/6 CT hour on Sundays, in line with the practice of American broadcast networks. This meant a local newscast would air at 5:30, followed by prime time, then an extra local newscast at 10 p.m. From 2001 to 2024, CKY-TV has usually aired local news at 6 p.m. seven nights a week, including Sundays, regardless of the station's ability to simsub at that hour, with programming rescheduled as needed to air within the 7–11 p.m. CT block.
CKY-DT presently broadcasts 25 hours of locally produced newscasts each week (with five hours each weekday). When CKY-TV launched as CJAY, its broadcast day ran from 5:30 p.m. until around midnight daily. Its local newscasts were originally broadcast from 7:15 to 7:30, and 10:30 to 10:55 p.m. each weeknight. The early newscast was part of a longer program known asPanorama 7, which ran from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. and consisted of cartoons and other children's features, a weather report and news. As of October 3, 2005, the newscasts on CKY-TV are branded asCTV News.
On June 6, 2011, it was announced the longtime CKY-TV personality Sylvia Kuzyk would step down in the fall of 2011, and Colleen Bready was named her replacement. On July 26, 2011, it was announced that CKY-DT would debut a new three-hour weekday morning newscast calledCTV Morning Live starting September 26, 2011, and would air from 6 to 9 a.m. from CKY-DT's studios, with the newscast anchored by Kris Laudien (formerly of Vancouver'sCKVU-DT and Edmonton'sCKEM-DT) and current CKY-DT reporter Eleanor Coopsammy.[4]
| Channel | Res. | Aspect | Short name | Programming |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7.1 | 1080i | 16:9 | CKY | CTV |
At midnight on September 1, 2011, the day after Canadian television stations in CRTC-designated mandatorymarkets transitioned from analog todigital broadcasts, CKY-TVflash cut its digital signal into operation onVHF channel 7.[6] The station's high definition feed is now offered onBell Satellite TV via channel 1091 as of September 12, 2011.
These transmitters are no longer operating as of January 29, 2025.
On February 11, 2016, Bell Media applied for its regular license renewals, which included applications to delete a long list of transmitters, including CKYB-TV-1 and CKYS-TV. 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 ofCTV Two Atlantic (formerly ASN) andCTV 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]
On July 30, 2019, Bell Media was granted permission to shut down four analog retransmitters by July 16, 2021, in the following locales: CKYA (Fisher Branch), CKYD (Dauphin), CKYF (Flin Flon), CKYP (The Pas).[11]
On April 27, 2021, analog transmitter CKYT inThompson was shut down, leaving the town with no access to over-the-air TV.[12]
On January 29, 2025, Bell Media was granted permission to shut downanalog transmitter CKYB inBrandon. The transmitter had already been off the air since 2024.[13][14]