CKAL-DT explained

CKAL-DT should not be confused with KCAL-TV.

Callsign:CKAL-DT
Digital:20 (UHF)
Virtual:5
Repeater:CKAL-DT-1 Lethbridge (See below)
Affiliations:Citytv (2005–present)
Location:Calgary, Alberta
Country:Canada
Former Callsigns:CKAL-TV (1997–2011)
Owner:Rogers Sports & Media
Licensee:Rogers Media Inc.[1]
Former Affiliations:A-Channel (1997–2005)
Erp:112 kW
Haat:369.50NaN0
Coordinates:51.0725°N -114.2606°W
Licensing Authority:CRTC

CKAL-DT (channel 5) is a television station in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, part of the Citytv network. It is owned and operated by Rogers Sports & Media alongside Omni Television station CJCO-DT (channel 38). The two stations share studios at 7 Avenue and 5 Street Southwest in Downtown Calgary; CKAL-DT's transmitter is located near Old Banff Coach Road/Highway 563.

CKAL was built as part of A-Channel, the regional television service constructed by Craig Broadcast Systems in 1997. Broadcasting from studios downtown, it was the first new commercial TV station in Calgary since 1975; its style of news and programming was young and aggressive. Ratings settled into third place, above the CBC but behind the established stations in town, CFCN and CICT.

Craig, overextended by its launch of Toronto 1 in 2003, sold itself to CHUM Limited, then-owner of Citytv, in 2004. In 2005, the A-Channel stations took on the Citytv brand. Due to poor ratings and as part of a wave of layoffs, CHUM reduced the size of its local operation in Calgary in 2006, cancelling the station's evening newscast. CHUM sold most of its assets to Bell Globemedia that same year; as Bell owned the CTV Television Network, the Citytv stations were spun off to Rogers. The station reinstated evening local news programs in 2018 but cancelled its version of Breakfast Television in 2020.

A-Channel

See main article: A-Channel.

Construction and early years

With the licence awards approved, Craig began construction on the Calgary station. It built studios downtown at 7th Avenue and 5th Street SW, adjacent to the LRT system;[2] this made A-Channel the only major media outlet in the city to be built in the downtown area.[3] As in Edmonton, much of the on-air talent came from elsewhere in Canada.[4]

A-Channel launched in Edmonton on September 18, 1997. Two days later, CKAL-TV launched on channel 5, cable 8.[5] Both stations relied on prime-time movies, a formula Craig had used with some success at MTN in Manitoba.[6] For local programming, the station featured a two-hour morning show, The Big Breakfast; 6 and 10 p.m. newscasts; and the local programs Live @ Five and Wired, among others.[7] The station's early weeks on air were riddled with technical issues, some of which also befell the Edmonton station.[8] Many of the issues came down to the tapeless playback and editing system used for segments: over five days, the Calgary control room was rewired to bypass it in favor of older, but more reliable, video tape equipment, which led to far fewer on-air errors.[9] A-Channel had a Hummer as a news vehicle; when the city experienced heavy snowfall in March 1998, it used the Hummer to deliver Meals on Wheels and to ferry snowed-in doctors to the hospital.

Craig agreed in building A-Channel to provide some protection to rural broadcasters by delaying the launch of rebroadcasters for one year.[10] As a result, A-Channel did not open its repeater in Lethbridge, authorized with the rest of the network, until September 1998.[11]

BBM figures for spring 1998 showed A-Channel Calgary in third place in prime time, though its dinner-hour news lagged the CBC.[12] Over the next two years, the stations became more competitive with ratings rises for their local morning and evening programming.[13] In local news, the stations built identities as aggressive outlets. In an assessment of the Calgary station in 1999, Gary Davies noted, "It's very rare to attend a media event in this city and not see a representative from A-Channel."

Acquisition by CHUM

On April 12, 2004, CHUM Limited announced a deal to purchase Craig Media for $265 million.[14] The move came more than a month after the CRTC denied CHUM's applications for new Calgary and Edmonton stations because the market did not have sufficient advertising revenue to support a new entrant.[15] With the sale pending, Craig cut costs; in May 2004, the company laid off nine employees at A-Channel Calgary and another twenty-eight at Toronto 1.[16] The sale was approved by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission on November 19, 2004. CHUM had to sell off Toronto 1 because it already owned stations in Toronto (CITY) and nearby Barrie (CKVR); Toronto 1 was sold to Quebecor Media, owners of the media units TVA and Sun Media.[17]

CHUM acquired all outstanding shares in Learning and Skills Television of Alberta (also known as Access Media Group)—which operated Access, the provincial educational broadcaster—in February 2005.[18] CHUM then consolidated Access Media Group's Edmonton operations with its own; traffic and master control were moved to Calgary and Toronto, resulting in 17 layoffs in Edmonton while creating four jobs in Calgary.[19] The Calgary facility was already handling master control functions for A-Channel Edmonton.[20]

Citytv

Rebrand and news cuts

In addition to launching The Bounce and becoming the sole owner of Access Media Group in February 2005, CHUM announced that it would rebrand the three A-Channel stations—in Calgary, Edmonton, and Winnipeg—as Citytv, aligning with the stations it already owned in Toronto and Vancouver. No other significant changes were made, since the A-Channel stations' on-air look had always been very similar to that of Citytv; they initially retained their local programs, relaunched under Citytv's Breakfast Television morning brand and CityNews news brand.[21] [22] CHUM hoped to lift the stations' ratings with the new moniker.[23] The change took effect on August 2 of the same year, when the A-Channel name was transferred to CHUM's NewNet stations.[24] [25]

On June 13, 2006, CHUM announced that it would dramatically reduce its newsgathering operations in Edmonton, Calgary, and Winnipeg, as well as in several other cities. It laid off 195 part- and full-time employees. The evening newscasts were cancelled, while the noon newscast and Breakfast Television remained on the air.[26] In a coincidental development, that same day, BCE Inc., the parent company of CTV, announced it would buy CHUM Limited.[27] [28]

Under Rogers ownership

The CRTC announced its approval of CTVglobemedia's purchase of CHUM Limited on June 8, 2007, but the commission added a condition that CTVglobemedia sell off CHUM's Citytv stations to another buyer while allowing it to retain the A-Channel stations.[29] The following Monday, Rogers Communications agreed to buy the five Citytv stations.[30] The sale was approved by the CRTC on September 28, 2007.[31] In 2008, Rogers launched Omni Calgary, part of its Omni Television multicultural station group.[32]

On January 19, 2010, CityNews at Noon, Your City, and CityNews International were cancelled as part of Citytv's corporate restructuring and concurrent layoffs; Breakfast Television was trimmed from four hours to three.[33] [34] The CRTC approved the installation of digital transmission facilities for CKAL-TV on channel 49 that same year,[35] ahead of the August 31, 2011, digital television switchover date.[36] In 2011, Rogers also converted the Lethbridge transmitter to digital operation.[37]

Another eight years would pass before the station resumed offering evening news programming; as part of a larger expansion of local news programming across the Citytv stations, Citytv Calgary debuted hour-long 6 and 11 p.m. newscasts on September 3, 2018.[38] [39] Rogers laid off 11 employees in Calgary on September 5, 2019, and placed Breakfast Television on hiatus until September 23. At that time, the program was relaunched with a new hybrid format, consisting of a mixture of local content with national entertainment and lifestyle segments produced from Toronto.[40] [41] The program continued for another 14 months until it was cancelled as part of a round of cuts conducted by Rogers Sports & Media across the country.[42]

Notable former on–air staff

Rebroadcaster

Call sign! scope = "col"
LocationChannelERPHAATTransmitter coordinates
CKAL-DT-1Lethbridge79kW
58.5kW (CP)		2000NaN0
191.10NaN0 (CP)		49.6825°N -112.9272°W

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Ownership Chart 27B – ROGERS – Radio, TV & Satellite-to-Cable . . April 19, 2020 . January 21, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210121145409/https://crtc.gc.ca/ownership/eng/cht027b.pdf . live .
  2. News: Innovative station marks first anniversary. September 20, 1998. F1. Bob. Blakey. Calgary Herald. Calgary, Alberta. Newspapers.com. November 22, 2023. November 22, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20231122072022/https://www.newspapers.com/article/calgary-herald-innovative-station-marks/135583218/. live.
  3. News: A-Channel: Rarin' to go with movies in prime time. June 25, 1997. C8. Bob. Blakey. Calgary Herald. Calgary, Alberta. Newspapers.com. November 21, 2023. November 21, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20231121073152/https://www.newspapers.com/article/calgary-herald-a-channel-rarin-to-go-w/135533140/. live.
  4. News: A-Channel is thriving despite a rocky beginning. June 4, 1999. F8. Gary. Davies. Calgary Herald. Calgary, Alberta. Newspapers.com. November 22, 2023.
  5. News: A-Channel goes on air with party. September 20, 1997. K2. Bob. Blakey. Calgary Herald. Calgary, Alberta. Newspapers.com. November 22, 2023. November 22, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20231122072030/https://www.newspapers.com/article/calgary-herald-a-channel-goes-on-air-wit/135583489/. live.
  6. News: 'A' stands for 'about to appear on Channel 7'. September 10, 1997. C1. Richard. Helm. Edmonton Journal. Edmonton, Alberta. Newspapers.com. November 21, 2023. November 21, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20231121073842/https://www.newspapers.com/article/edmonton-journal-a-stands-for-about-t/135522515/. live.
  7. News: A Channel Calgary & Edmonton '97/'98 Program Schedule. September 18, 1997. AC7. Special advertising section. Edmonton Journal. Edmonton, Alberta. Newspapers.com. November 22, 2023. November 23, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20231123204944/https://www.newspapers.com/article/edmonton-journal-a-channel-calgary-edm/135523060/. live.
  8. News: A-Channel is a bumpy ride. September 23, 1997. D12. Bob. Blakey. Calgary Herald. Calgary, Alberta. Newspapers.com. November 22, 2023. November 22, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20231122072035/https://www.newspapers.com/article/calgary-herald-a-channel-is-a-bumpy-ride/135583516/. live.
  9. News: A-Channel rebounds: City's newest TV station has learned a few lessons. October 22, 1997. E2. Bob. Blakey. Calgary Herald. Calgary, Alberta. Newspapers.com. November 22, 2023. November 22, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20231122072106/https://www.newspapers.com/article/calgary-herald-a-channel-rebounds-city/135583573/. live.
  10. News: Oilers fans shut out, despite new TV service. September 17, 1997. A1, A2. Red Deer Advocate. Red Deer, Alberta, Canada. Newspapers.com. November 23, 2023. November 23, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20231123204248/https://www.newspapers.com/article/red-deer-advocate-oilers-fans-shut-out/135522637/. live.
  11. News: A-Channel begins test of city tower. B6. Lethbridge Herald. Dave. Mabell. September 2, 1998. November 22, 2023. November 23, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20231123015316/https://newspaperarchive.com/other-articles-clipping-sep-02-1998-4166104/. live.
  12. News: A-Channel wins Calgary viewers. May 7, 1998. A1, A2. Bob. Blakey. Calgary Herald. Calgary, Alberta. Newspapers.com. November 22, 2023. November 22, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20231122072030/https://www.newspapers.com/article/calgary-herald-a-channel-wins-calgary-vi/135583375/. live.
  13. News: Friends is Calgary's No. 1 show. January 5, 1999. B9, B10. Bob. Blakey. Calgary Herald. Calgary, Alberta. Newspapers.com. November 22, 2023. November 22, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20231122072033/https://www.newspapers.com/article/calgary-herald-friends-is-calgarys-no/135584197/. live.
  14. News: CHUM buys Prairie empire: $265 million deal for Craig Media includes Toronto1. April 13, 2004. D1, D7. Rick. Westhead. The Toronto Star. Toronto, Ontario. Newspapers.com. November 22, 2023. November 23, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20231123020915/https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-toronto-star-chum-buys-prairie-empir/135618639/. live.
  15. News: CRTC denies broadcaster's bid for new Alberta TV stations. February 27, 2004. B3. Larry. Johnsrude. Edmonton Journal. Edmonton, Alberta. Newspapers.com. November 22, 2023. November 23, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20231123020914/https://www.newspapers.com/article/edmonton-journal-crtc-denies-broadcaster/135611733/. live.
  16. News: 28 lose their jobs at troubled Toronto 1. May 19, 2004. F4. Murray. Whyte. The Toronto Star. Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Newspapers.com. November 23, 2023. November 23, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20231123204943/https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-toronto-star-28-lose-their-jobs-at-t/135649979/. live.
  17. News: CRTC allows Quebecor to buy Toronto 1 TV. November 20, 2004. G11. Nicolas. van Praet. The Vancouver Sun. Vancouver, British Columbia. Newspapers.com. November 22, 2023. November 23, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20231123020915/https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-vancouver-sun-crtc-allows-quebecor-t/135618744/. live.
  18. News: CHUM gobbles up Access group's shares. February 8, 2005. C5. Todd. Babiak. Edmonton Journal. Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Newspapers.com. November 23, 2023. November 23, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20231123204250/https://www.newspapers.com/article/edmonton-journal-chum-gobbles-up-access/135620053/. live.
  19. News: CHUM fills black hole: Four channels, 120 workers will move to troubled Bay building. February 17, 2005. C1. Todd. Babiak. Edmonton Journal. Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Newspapers.com. November 23, 2023. November 23, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20231123204250/https://www.newspapers.com/article/edmonton-journal-chum-ills-black-hole-f/135620100/. live.
  20. News: CANA Construction passes courthouse milestone. February 22, 2005. D2. David. Parker. Calgary Herald. Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Newspapers.com. November 23, 2023. November 23, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20231123201340/https://www.newspapers.com/article/calgary-herald-cana-construction-passes/135631389/. live.
  21. News: A-Channel fitted for fall makeover. February 4, 2005. D1, D6. Calgary Herald. Calgary, Alberta. Newspapers.com. November 23, 2023. November 23, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20231123021416/https://www.newspapers.com/article/calgary-herald-a-channel-fitted-for-fall/135619958/. live.
  22. News: A-Channel will be rebranded as Citytv. February 4, 2005. E6. Archie. McLean. Edmonton Journal. Edmonton, Alberta. Newspapers.com. November 23, 2023. November 23, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20231123021441/https://www.newspapers.com/article/edmonton-journal-a-channel-will-be-rebra/135619970/. live.
  23. News: Big A falls to new City. July 28, 2005. C1, C2. Alexandra. Burroughs. Calgary Herald. Calgary, Alberta. Newspapers.com. November 23, 2023. November 23, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20231123021525/https://www.newspapers.com/article/calgary-herald-big-a-falls-to-new-city/135585332/. live.
  24. News: Citytv rebrands in bid to boost audience. August 3, 2005. C1, C2. Rick. McConnell. Edmonton Journal. Edmonton, Alberta. Newspapers.com. November 23, 2023. November 23, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20231123021417/https://www.newspapers.com/article/edmonton-journal-citytv-rebrands-in-bid/135612884/. live.
  25. News: CHUM to rebrand New RO, five other TV channels. March 16, 2005. D7. Canadian Press. The Ottawa Citizen. Ottawa, Ontario. Newspapers.com. November 23, 2023. November 23, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20231123021418/https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-ottawa-citizen-chum-to-rebrand-new-r/135620182/. live.
  26. News: Citytv slashes news team: Layoffs come after takeover bid announced. July 13, 2006. C1, C2. Nick. Lewis. Calgary Herald. Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Newspapers.com. November 23, 2023. November 23, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20231123204953/https://www.newspapers.com/article/calgary-herald-citytv-slashes-news-team/135585410/. live.
  27. News: Dozens of workers fired as Citytv pulls newscasts. July 13, 2006. A1, A14. Jim. Farrell. Edmonton Journal. Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Newspapers.com. November 23, 2023. November 23, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20231123042017/https://www.newspapers.com/article/edmonton-journal-dozens-of-workers-fired/135585370/. live.
  28. CHUM Television announces new approach to local information programming . CHUM Television . CNW Group . July 13, 2006 . July 12, 2006 . https://web.archive.org/web/20060820053636/http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/July2006/12/c9578.html# . August 20, 2006 . dead .
  29. News: City up for grabs as CTV loses out: Must sell five stations. June 9, 2007. FP1, FP2. Paul. Vieira. National Post. Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Newspapers.com. November 23, 2023. November 23, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20231123201343/https://www.newspapers.com/article/national-post-city-up-for-grabs-as-ctv-l/135633245/. live.
  30. News: Rogers buys Citytv stations: Telecom giant pays $375 million in surprise all-cash deal. June 12, 2007. D4. Ryan. Flinn. The Ottawa Citizen. Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Newspapers.com. November 23, 2023. November 23, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20231123201341/https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-ottawa-citizen-rogers-buys-citytv-st/135633314/. live.
  31. News: CRTC gives Rogers okay to acquire five-station Citytv chain. September 29, 2007. D2. Derrick. Penner. The Vancouver Sun. Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Newspapers.com. November 23, 2023. November 23, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20231123201341/https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-vancouver-sun-crtc-gives-rogers-okay/135633381/. live.
  32. News: New TV station tunes in diversity. September 13, 2008. C1. Nick. Lewis. Calgary Herald. Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Newspapers.com. November 23, 2023. November 23, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20231123204943/https://www.newspapers.com/article/calgary-herald-new-tv-station-tunes-in-d/135651336/. live.
  33. Citytv Restructures Television Operations To Improve Business and Better Serve Audiences. https://web.archive.org/web/20100123140125/http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/January2010/19/c2082.html . January 23, 2010 . Rogers Media. January 19, 2010.
  34. News: Eric. Volmers. Citytv job cuts, cancellations 'devastating': Breakfast Television only Calgary show to survive. January 20, 2010. E1. Calgary Herald. Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Newspapers.com. November 23, 2023. November 23, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20231123204944/https://www.newspapers.com/article/calgary-herald-citytv-job-cuts-cancella/135653811/. live.
  35. Web site: Broadcasting Decision CRTC 2010-605. August 20, 2010. Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission. November 23, 2023. September 19, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220919044252/https://crtc.gc.ca/eng/archive/2010/2010-605.htm. live.
  36. Web site: Digital Television. Office of Consumer Affairs. https://web.archive.org/web/20131120000609/http://digitaltv.gc.ca/eng/1298735988428/1298735988465 . November 20, 2013 .
  37. Web site: CKAL-DT. Broadcasting History. Canadian Communications Foundation. November 23, 2023. June 6, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230606053041/https://broadcasting-history.ca/television/television-stations/alberta/ckal-dt/. live.
  38. News: New English-language TV newscast to launch in Montreal this fall. July 12, 2018. Montreal Gazette. September 8, 2018. en-US. September 8, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180908092911/https://montrealgazette.com/news/local-news/new-english-language-tv-newscast-to-launch-in-montreal-this-fall. live.
  39. News: Local news gets a facelift: developments at City, CTV, other stations. September 1, 2017. Montreal Gazette. September 6, 2017. en-US. September 6, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170906020429/http://montrealgazette.com/entertainment/television/local-news-gets-a-facelift-developments-at-city-ctv-other-stations. live.
  40. Web site: Breakfast Television shows in Vancouver, Calgary being 'reimagined'. Thiessen. Connie. September 5, 2019. Broadcast Dialogue. en-US. October 9, 2019. October 9, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20191009041657/https://broadcastdialogue.com/breakfast-television-shows-in-vancouver-calgary-being-reimagined/. live.
  41. Web site: CityTV's Breakfast Television suspended in Calgary, 11 employees laid off. September 5, 2019. CBC News. October 8, 2019. October 7, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20231007210000/https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/citytv-breakfast-television-layoffs-calgary-1.5272334. live.
  42. Web site: Rogers Sports & Media cuts hit Vancouver, Calgary hard. Broadcast Dialogue. Thiessen. Connie. November 17, 2020. en. November 27, 2020. November 17, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20201117232113/https://broadcastdialogue.com/rogers-sports-media-cuts-hit-west-coast/. live.
  43. News: A-Channel co-host grandstands as Stampede comic. July 10, 1999. AA5. Alison. Mayes. Calgary Herald. Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Newspapers.com. November 23, 2023. November 23, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20231123204946/https://www.newspapers.com/article/calgary-herald-a-channel-co-host-grandst/135612832/. live.
  44. News: Meals on Wheels delivers with fleet of four-wheel drives. March 18, 1998. A8. Brock. Ketcham. Calgary Herald. Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Newspapers.com. November 23, 2023. November 23, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20231123204944/https://www.newspapers.com/article/calgary-herald-meals-on-wheels-delivers/135653582/. live.
  45. News: Special advertising section. The on-air force. AC4, AC5. September 18, 1997. Edmonton Journal. Newspapers.com. Edmonton, Alberta. November 23, 2023. November 23, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20231123021527/https://www.newspapers.com/article/edmonton-journal-the-on-air-force/135523006/. live.
  46. News: The 'Girl' in the Glasses: Former Calgary TV news anchor makes waves in the U.S.. April 8, 2001. D1, D2. Calgary Herald. Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Newspapers.com. November 23, 2023. November 23, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20231123204949/https://www.newspapers.com/article/calgary-herald-the-girl-in-the-glasses/135653729/. live.
  47. News: Junk on TV: Calgarians go to war on TLC show. May 27, 2001. C4. Bob. Blakey. Calgary Herald. Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Newspapers.com. November 23, 2023.
  48. Web site: Global News. Ross Hull. November 23, 2023. August 9, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230809230605/https://globalnews.ca/author/ross-hull/. live.
  49. News: Dave Kelly saying goodbye to morning TV. December 28, 2009. C20. Mike. Bell. Calgary Herald. Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Newspapers.com. November 23, 2023.
  50. News: Citytv gang ringing in 2012. December 30, 2011. D1, D6. Mike. Bell. Calgary Herald. Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Newspapers.com. November 23, 2023.

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