CKNX-TV
Encyclopedia
CKNX-TV was a television station
Television station
A television station is a business, organisation or other such as an amateur television operator that transmits content over terrestrial television. A television transmission can be by analog television signals or, more recently, by digital television. Broadcast television systems standards are...

 owned by CTVglobemedia
CTVglobemedia
CTVglobemedia , was one of Canada's largest private media companies. Its operations include newspaper publishing , television broadcasting and production , radio broadcasting , and their respective Internet properties.Originally established by BCE and the Thomson family in 2001 combining CTV Inc.,...

  which served mid-western Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....

, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

. It was part of the A television network. The station was broadcast from Wingham
Wingham, Ontario
Wingham is a community located in the municipality of North Huron, Ontario, Canada, which is located in Huron County...

 and had offices in Wingham. A bureau in Owen Sound closed down in late 2004.

In February 2009, CTV announced it would not reconsider its decision to renew the station's broadcast licence for the 2009-2010 television season effectively putting CKNX up for sale, in April 2009, CTV announced a deal to sell the station along with two other sister stations in Windsor and Brandon to Shaw Communications for a dollar, however the deal was rejected in June 2009, and as a result, CKNX closed down and became a full time repeater of CFPL-TV
CFPL-TV
CFPL-DT is a television station based in London, Ontario, Canada, owned by Bell Media. Part of the CTV Two television system, the station serves London, Sarnia and much of southwestern Ontario north of London, including Wingham since its former sister station, CKNX-TV which ceased operations and...

 in August 2009.

History

CKNX was built by W. T. "Doc" Cruickshank. It signed on as a CBC Television
CBC Television
CBC Television is a Canadian television network owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the national public broadcaster.Although the CBC is supported by public funding, the television network supplements this funding with commercial advertising revenue, in contrast to CBC Radio which are...

 affiliate on November 18, 1955 and was located in a former high school along with its sister AM radio station CKNX
CKNX (AM)
CKNX is a Canadian radio station, which broadcasts at 920 AM in Wingham, Ontario. The station broadcasts a country music & News/Talk format.- Launch :...

. After going to air, one of their early identification cards displayed the station's mascot, which was a smiling television camera wearing a large cowboy hat.
On March 8, 1962, the building which accommodated the CKNX radio and television stations caught fire. Although nothing could be salvaged, CKNX-TV was on the air again later that night with the help of nearby stations in London
London, Ontario
London is a city in Southwestern Ontario, Canada, situated along the Quebec City – Windsor Corridor. The city has a population of 352,395, and the metropolitan area has a population of 457,720, according to the 2006 Canadian census; the metro population in 2009 was estimated at 489,274. The city...

, Barrie
Barrie
Barrie may refer to:* Barrie, city in Ontario, Canada* Barrie , Canadian federal electoral district* Barrie , provincial electoral district* Barrie—Simcoe—Bradford, former Canadian electoral district...

, Kitchener
Kitchener, Ontario
The City of Kitchener is a city in Southern Ontario, Canada. It was the Town of Berlin from 1854 until 1912 and the City of Berlin from 1912 until 1916. The city had a population of 204,668 in the Canada 2006 Census...

, and Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...

. CKNX operations continued as such (with various temporary offices set up in Wingham) until they purchased new equipment and moved into a new building in 1963.
In 1964, the station expanded its coverage to Kitchener in response to CKCO
CKCO-TV
CKCO-DT is a television station broadcasting on channel 13 in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada. Owned and operated by Bell Media, it is a part of the CTV Television Network and has been branded CTV Southwestern Ontario since 2005.-History:...

's affiliation with CTV
CTV television network
CTV Television Network is a Canadian English language television network and is owned by Bell Media. It is Canada's largest privately-owned network, and has consistently placed as Canada's top-rated network in total viewers and in key demographics since 2002, after several years trailing the rival...

. Staffers were required to be more versatile than ever to better compete, giving them well-rounded knowledge for moving up in the industry. For example, the zany host of the noon cartoon program would often become the serious anchor for the 12:30 newscast.

As an independent and The New NX

CKNX disaffiliated from the CBC in 1988 and remained an independent station for another ten years until CHUM Limited purchased the station from Baton Broadcasting. Under the ownership of CHUM, the station joined the NewNet system and was accordingly rebranded The New NX.

The New NX's news program, NewsNow, drew the lowest viewership of all NewNet stations (82,000) which is not surprising, since it was in the smallest NewNet market. News programming aired on CKNX is simulcast from CFPL in London, however CKNX viewers still receive a separate 11 p.m. news feed (Monday - Friday) which originates from the CFPL studios.

As A-Channel Wingham

On August 2, 2005, CKNX was rebranded "A-Channel", along with all of the NewNet Stations. NewsNow at Noon was discontinued a month before the rebrand.

On July 12, 2006, CTV
CTV television network
CTV Television Network is a Canadian English language television network and is owned by Bell Media. It is Canada's largest privately-owned network, and has consistently placed as Canada's top-rated network in total viewers and in key demographics since 2002, after several years trailing the rival...

 owner CTVglobemedia
CTVglobemedia
CTVglobemedia , was one of Canada's largest private media companies. Its operations include newspaper publishing , television broadcasting and production , radio broadcasting , and their respective Internet properties.Originally established by BCE and the Thomson family in 2001 combining CTV Inc.,...

 announced plans to purchase A-Channel owner CHUM Ltd. for $C
Canadian dollar
The Canadian dollar is the currency of Canada. As of 2007, the Canadian dollar is the 7th most traded currency in the world. It is abbreviated with the dollar sign $, or C$ to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies...

1.7 billion, with plans to divest itself of the A-Channel and Access Alberta stations.
On April 9, 2007, it was announced that Rogers Communications
Rogers Communications
Rogers Communications Inc. is one of Canada's largest communications companies, particularly in the field of wireless communications, cable television, home phone and internet with additional telecommunications and mass media assets...

 filed with the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) to purchase all of the A-Channel stations, including CKNX, CKX-TV
CKX-TV
CKX-TV was a television station in Brandon, Manitoba, Canada, formerly affiliated with CBC Television. Owned and operated by CTVglobemedia, it was the first privately owned television station in Manitoba...

, Access Alberta and several cable channels being put up for sale in the wake of CTVglobemedia's pending acquisition of the CHUM group.

On June 8, 2007, the CRTC announced its approval of CTVglobemedia's purchase of CHUM Limited, but added a condition that CTVglobemedia must sell off CHUM's Citytv stations to another buyer while keeping the A-Channel stations (including CKNX), in effect cancelling the planned sale of A-Channel to Rogers Media.

All of the CHUM Limited channels (with the exception of Citytv
Citytv
Citytv is a Canadian English language television system owned and operated by Rogers Communications under its Rogers Broadcasting Ltd. division...

) were taken over by CTVglobemedia on June 22, 2007. On July 26, 2007, CTVglobemedia named Richard Gray the head of news for the A-Channel stations and CKX-TV
CKX-TV
CKX-TV was a television station in Brandon, Manitoba, Canada, formerly affiliated with CBC Television. Owned and operated by CTVglobemedia, it was the first privately owned television station in Manitoba...

 will report to the CTVgm corporate group, not CTV News, to preserve independent news presentation and management. Gray will oversee the news departments for CKVR
CKVR-TV
CKVR-DT, is a television station in Barrie, Ontario, Canada, owned by Bell Media, it serves as the flagship station of Bell Media's secondary television service, CTV Two, with facilities located at 33 Beacon Road in Barrie...

, CHRO
CHRO-TV
CHRO-TV is a television station serving the National Capital and Ottawa Valley regions of Ontario, Canada. Owned by Bell Media, it is part of the CTV Two television system....

, CFPL
CFPL-TV
CFPL-DT is a television station based in London, Ontario, Canada, owned by Bell Media. Part of the CTV Two television system, the station serves London, Sarnia and much of southwestern Ontario north of London, including Wingham since its former sister station, CKNX-TV which ceased operations and...

, CKNX, CHWI
CHWI-TV
CHWI-DT is a Canadian television station owned by Bell Media. It is part of the CTV Two system. The station is licensed to Wheatley, Ontario, but operates out of Windsor. CHWI also has offices in Chatham....

, CIVI-TV
CIVI-TV
CIVI-DT, also known as CTV Two Vancouver Island, is a television station based in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. Currently owned by Bell Media, the station serves the Vancouver Island area, and operates as part of the CTV Two system...

 and CKX-TV
CKX-TV
CKX-TV was a television station in Brandon, Manitoba, Canada, formerly affiliated with CBC Television. Owned and operated by CTVglobemedia, it was the first privately owned television station in Manitoba...

.

As A Wingham

On August 11, 2008, CKNX was rebranded A along with all of the A-Channel stations. The A soft launch began in June 2008 in A-Channel's press releases and on the station's local newscasts known as A News
A News (TV series)
A News was the name of local newscasts on the A television system in Canada. A News programming was produced in markets which were not directly served by a local CTV News service....

.

On February 25, 2009, CTV announced that, given the ongoing structural problems facing the conventional television sector in Canada and the current global economic crisis, it will not be applying to the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) for renewal of the licences of CKNX-TV and its sister station CHWI-TV
CHWI-TV
CHWI-DT is a Canadian television station owned by Bell Media. It is part of the CTV Two system. The station is licensed to Wheatley, Ontario, but operates out of Windsor. CHWI also has offices in Chatham....

 in Wheatley
Wheatley, Ontario
Wheatley is a community in Southwestern Ontario, Canada, within the municipality of Chatham-Kent. It lies about east of Leamington. Nearby parks include Two Creeks Conservation Area, which has 15 km of hiking and bicycling paths, Kopegaron Woods Conservation Area, Hillman Marsh Conservation...

/Windsor
Windsor, Ontario
Windsor is the southernmost city in Canada and is located in Southwestern Ontario at the western end of the heavily populated Quebec City – Windsor Corridor. It is within Essex County, Ontario, although administratively separated from the county government. Separated by the Detroit River, Windsor...

. CTV said that with the CRTC's decision not to allow stations to bill cable systems for carrying them (similar to retransmission consent
Retransmission consent
Retransmission consent is an option granted to US television stations as part of the law that granted such stations the option to elect must-carry rights. Under retransmission consent, a full-power US television station may elect to negotiate with a cable system operator for carriage of its...

 regulations in the United States), CKNX-TV and CHWI-TV—the two smallest stations in the A system—were no longer viable.

The stations' transmitters were slated to be shut down entirely instead of becoming rebroadcasters of London's A station, CFPL
CFPL-TV
CFPL-DT is a television station based in London, Ontario, Canada, owned by Bell Media. Part of the CTV Two television system, the station serves London, Sarnia and much of southwestern Ontario north of London, including Wingham since its former sister station, CKNX-TV which ceased operations and...

. CFPL is expected to be available on cable, and remain available on satellite, in the affected areas following the shutdown. CTV says it would continue news coverage of the Southwestern Ontario region through CFPL and CTV network station CKCO
CKCO-TV
CKCO-DT is a television station broadcasting on channel 13 in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada. Owned and operated by Bell Media, it is a part of the CTV Television Network and has been branded CTV Southwestern Ontario since 2005.-History:...

.

On April 30, 2009, Shaw Communications
Shaw Communications
Shaw Communications is Canada's largest telecommunications company that provides telephone, Canada's fastest Internet and television services as well as broadcasting and soon Wifi. Shaw is headquartered in Calgary, Alberta...

 announced it will purchase CKNX, CHWI
CHWI-TV
CHWI-DT is a Canadian television station owned by Bell Media. It is part of the CTV Two system. The station is licensed to Wheatley, Ontario, but operates out of Windsor. CHWI also has offices in Chatham....

 and CKX
CKX-TV
CKX-TV was a television station in Brandon, Manitoba, Canada, formerly affiliated with CBC Television. Owned and operated by CTVglobemedia, it was the first privately owned television station in Manitoba...

 in Brandon, Manitoba
Brandon, Manitoba
Brandon is the second largest city in Manitoba, Canada, and is located in the southwestern area of the province. Brandon is the largest city in the Westman region of Manitoba. The city is located along the Assiniboine River. Spruce Woods Provincial Park and CFB Shilo are a relatively short distance...

 for a dollar each from CTVgm, pending CRTC approval. However, it was reported on June 30, 2009 that Shaw has backed out of the deal and is declining to complete the purchase, putting the stations' futures in serious doubt.

On July 8, 2009, CTV said it would not reconsider its decision to end separate local programming on CKNX. However, it has decided to maintain the Wingham transmitter as a rebroadcaster of CFPL, pending CRTC approval. The same date when CTV announced it would retain its sister station, CHWI in Windsor until at least 2010, based on temporary increases to the Local Programming Improvement Fund. In addition, the CRTC renewed the licences for CKNX, CHWI and CKX, even though CTV had not filed renewals for these stations. As a result, CTV closed down CKNX-TV and became a full time rebroadcaster of London's CFPL-TV
CFPL-TV
CFPL-DT is a television station based in London, Ontario, Canada, owned by Bell Media. Part of the CTV Two television system, the station serves London, Sarnia and much of southwestern Ontario north of London, including Wingham since its former sister station, CKNX-TV which ceased operations and...

 on August 31, becoming the eighth and final television station in Canada of the 2000s to become a rebroadcaster since the CTV-owned CBC stations in Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan is a prairie province in Canada, which has an area of . Saskatchewan is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, and on the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North Dakota....

 and Northern Ontario
Northern Ontario
Northern Ontario is a region of the Canadian province of Ontario which lies north of Lake Huron , the French River and Lake Nipissing. The region has a land area of 802,000 km2 and constitutes 87% of the land area of Ontario, although it contains only about 6% of the population...

 became rebroadcasters of CBKT
CBKT
CBKT-DT is the CBC's television station in Regina, Saskatchewan. It is located in the CBC Regina Broadcast Centre at 2440 Broad Street in downtown Regina, alongside CBK-AM-FM....

 Regina
Regina, Saskatchewan
Regina is the capital city of the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. The city is the second-largest in the province and a cultural and commercial centre for southern Saskatchewan. It is governed by Regina City Council. Regina is the cathedral city of the Roman Catholic and Romanian Orthodox...

 and CBLT Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...

 in October 2002
2002 in television
The year 2002 in television involved some significant events.Below is a list of television-related events in 2002.For the American TV schedule, see: 2002–03 United States network television schedule.-Events:-Debuts:-1940s:...

. In addition, Canwest-owned CHCA-TV
CHCA-TV
CHCA-TV was a television station in Red Deer, Alberta, Canada. It was owned by Canwest, and was part of the E! television system. The station was seen on VHF channel 6 and cable channel 11 in Red Deer...

, an E! station in Red Deer, Alberta
Red Deer, Alberta
Red Deer is a city in Central Alberta, Canada. It is located near the midpoint of the Calgary-Edmonton Corridor and is surrounded by Red Deer County. It is Alberta's third-most-populous city – after Calgary and Edmonton. The city is located in aspen parkland, a region of rolling hills...

, closed down that same day without becoming a rebroadcaster, but however, CTV-owned CKX-TV
CKX-TV
CKX-TV was a television station in Brandon, Manitoba, Canada, formerly affiliated with CBC Television. Owned and operated by CTVglobemedia, it was the first privately owned television station in Manitoba...

, a CBC Television
CBC Television
CBC Television is a Canadian television network owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the national public broadcaster.Although the CBC is supported by public funding, the television network supplements this funding with commercial advertising revenue, in contrast to CBC Radio which are...

 affiliate in Brandon, Manitoba
Brandon, Manitoba
Brandon is the second largest city in Manitoba, Canada, and is located in the southwestern area of the province. Brandon is the largest city in the Westman region of Manitoba. The city is located along the Assiniboine River. Spruce Woods Provincial Park and CFB Shilo are a relatively short distance...

 would follow, entirely closing down operations approximately one month later on October 2 after Bluepoint Investment Corporation reneged on the sale of CKX. Both CTVglobemedia stations (CKX and CKNX) were on-air from 1955
1955 in television
The year 1955 in television involved some significant events.Below is a list of television-related events in 1955.-Events:*March 5 – Elvis Presley appears on television for the first time...

-2009
2009 in Canadian television
- Events :- Debuts :- Ending this year :- Television shows :-1950s:*Hockey Night in Canada *The National -1960s:...

.

Presenters

Notable CKNX presenters include:
  • Marty Adler (host, Uptight/Marty's Place)
  • Brian Allen (anchor, Insight News)
  • Johnny Brent (host/cohost, M'Lady/Circle 8 Ranch/Focus sports)
  • Marg Brophy (hostess, M'Lady)
  • Fred Burton (Insight sports)
  • Jerry Chomyn (anchor, Insight News)
  • Dave Curzon
    Dave Curzon
    Dave Curzon was a Canadian local radio/television broadcaster at CKNX-AM and CKNX-TV in Wingham, Ontario. Curzon was best known as the 1960s host of the noon TV program Cartoon House. He also hosted the 1970s primetime TV variety show Goodtime Country, as well as reading news, weather, sports and...

     (host, Cartoon House)
  • Crawford Douglas
    Crawford Douglas
    Crawford Douglas was a Liberal party member of the Canadian House of Commons. He was a broadcaster by career, particularly for CKNX-TV in Wingham, Ontario....

     (Focus news/sports)
  • Brian Elmslie (Insight news/weather)
  • Don Fraser (Insight weather)
  • Murray Gaunt (host, Agri-News)
  • Ernie King (host, Circle 8 Ranch
    Circle 8 Ranch
    From 1955 until 1978, Circle 8 Ranch was a popular weekly country and western television program broadcast each Tuesday night on Wingham, Ontario's CKNX, Channel 8. It began as a radio program called the CKNX Barn Dance on CKNX's AM sister station....

    /The Great Outdoors)
  • Jim Moore (host, Reach For The Top/Western Roundup)
  • Anna Meyer (hostess, M'Lady/M'Lady's Matinee/The Anna Meyer Show)
  • Kevin Stewart (host, Agri-News/This Business of Farming)
  • John Strong (anchor, Focus News/The John Strong Report)
  • Jim Swan (host, East Of The Sun).


Successful political careers were launched by former presenters:
  • Murray Gaunt, elected Liberal Member of Provincial Parliament for Huron-Bruce (1962–81)
  • Crawford Douglas
    Crawford Douglas
    Crawford Douglas was a Liberal party member of the Canadian House of Commons. He was a broadcaster by career, particularly for CKNX-TV in Wingham, Ontario....

    , elected Liberal Member of Parliament
    Member of Parliament
    A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...

    for Bruce-Grey-Owen Sound (1974–79)


One of the founding members of Doc's CKNX team was John Strong who headed the news department for 35 years. For many years his show The John Strong Report brought the only daily TV news show to area homes. Strong also co-hosted the Barn dance in its early days.

External links

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