CKAL-DT

Not to be confused with KCAL-TV.
CKAL-DT
Calgary, Alberta
Canada
City Calgary, Alberta
Branding City Calgary
Slogan Everywhere!
Channels Digital: 49 (UHF)
Virtual: 5.1 (PSIP)
Translators 46 CKAL-DT-1 Lethbridge
Affiliations City
Owner Rogers Media, a division of Rogers Communications
(Rogers Broadcasting Limited)
First air date September 20, 1997
Call letters' meaning C K(C)ALgary
-or-
CK ALberta
Sister station(s) TV: CJCO-DT
Radio: CFAC, CFFR, CHFM-FM, CJAQ-FM
Former callsigns CKAL-TV (1997–2011)
Former channel number(s) Analog:
5 (VHF, 1997–2011)
Former affiliations A-Channel (1997–2005)
Transmitter power CKAL-DT: 100 kW
CKAL-DT-1: 79 kW
Height CKAL-DT: 378 m
CKAL-DT-1: 200.0 m
Transmitter coordinates CKAL-DT:
51°3′53″N 114°12′51″W / 51.06472°N 114.21417°W / 51.06472; -114.21417
CKAL-DT-1:
49°40′57″N 112°55′38″W / 49.68250°N 112.92722°W / 49.68250; -112.92722 (CKAL-TV-1)
Website www.citytv.com/calgary

CKAL-DT, virtual channel 5 (UHF digital channel 49), is a City owned-and-operated television station located in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The station is owned by Rogers Media, a division of Rogers Communications (through its Rogers Broadcasting Limited division), as part of a twinstick with Omni Television outlet CJCO-DT (channel 38). The two stations share studios located on 7 Avenue and 5 Street Southwest in Downtown Calgary, and its transmitter is located near Old Banff Coach Road/Highway 563.

CKAL also operates a rebroadcast transmitter in Lethbridge, broadcasting on UHF channel 46 (or virtual channel 42.1). This station can also be seen on Rogers Cable (corporate sister through parent company Rogers Communications) channel 140; and Shaw Cable channel 8 and in high definition on digital channel 213. On Shaw Direct, the channel is available on 328 (Classic) or 018 (Advanced), and in high definition on channel 017 (Classic) or 517 (Advanced).This station is also available on Bell TV channel 246 and in high definition on channel 1133.

History

As an A-Channel O&O

Logo used as A-Channel, used from 1997-2005.

The station launched on VHF channel 5 on September 20, 1997 under the ownership Craig Media, two days after its A-Channel sister station CKEM-TV in Edmonton went on the air for the first time. It billed itself as a station with a very deep connection to Calgary, and whose schedule was not determined by interests in Toronto. Its slogan was "Very independent, very Calgary!" CKAL's opening was marked with a street party and its main studio was easily visible from passersby on 7th Avenue; during the station's first year it even operated a small cafe near its main entrance.

CKEM's master control operations were moved to CKAL's facility in Calgary in 2003. Nine employees working at CKAL were laid off on May 19, 2004 in addition to a 28-employee layoff at Craig Media's CKXT-TV in Toronto. Craig Media said the cuts were made to "further rationalize its operations and control costs".[1]

As a City O&O

City's studios and offices, located in the heart of Downtown Calgary.

In 2004, Craig Media announced a deal to sell its conventional television assets, including the A-Channel stations, to CHUM Limited. The sale was approved by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission on November 19, 2004, and was finalized on December 1. On February 3, 2005, CHUM announced that the A-Channel stations would be relaunched as part of the Citytv television system. The changes took effect August 2.

On July 12, 2006, it was announced that CTVglobemedia would acquire CHUM Limited and its assets, including the Citytv system. As a result of this merger, CKAL added CHMI-TV to its master control duties. The following year, the CRTC announced its approval of CTVglobemedia's purchase of CHUM, but added a condition that CTVglobemedia must sell off CHUM's Citytv stations (including CKAL) to another buyer, although the company was allowed to keep the A-Channel stations since they have CFCN-TV in the same area. On June 12, Rogers Media announced that it would acquire the five Citytv stations (including CKAL) from CTVglobemedia. As a result, effective August 29, the station took over master control duties for sister Citytv station CKVU-TV in Vancouver. The Rogers transaction was approved by the CRTC on September 28 and was officially completed October 31.

News operation

Jill Belland covering the 2007 Calgary International Film Festival for Citytv

CKAL-DT presently broadcasts 15 hours of locally produced newscasts each week, all consisting of three hours each weekday of a local version of City's local morning news program franchise Breakfast Television.

On July 12, 2006 as a result of the CTVglobemedia/CHUM Limited merger, CKAL's local newscasts (with the exception of the noon newscast) were immediately discontinued; the local newscasts were replaced by a half-hour news magazine program called Your City at 6 and 11 p.m., along with CityNews International (produced at the CityNews studios in Toronto, Ontario).[2]

On January 19, 2010, Citytv laid off many additional news personalites as part of restructuring operations. This resulted in Your City, The City Show and Citytv's national and international newscast, CityNews International being cancelled. Since then, the only remaining local program produced by CKAL is the morning show, Breakfast Television.[3]

Notable on–air staff

Current

Former

Digital television

Digital channel

Channel Video Aspect PSIP Short Name Programming[4]
5.1 1080i 16:9 Citytv Main CKAL-DT programming / City

Analogue-to-digital conversion

CKAL began testing its digital signal on August 31, 2010, on UHF channel 49. On August 31, 2011, when Canadian television stations in CRTC-designated mandatory markets transitioned from analogue to digital broadcasts,[5] the station's digital signal remained on UHF channel 49. Through the use of PSIP, digital television receivers display CKAL-TV's virtual channel as 5.1. On August 13, 2011, the Lethbridge retransmitter started broadcasting CKAL-DT on channel 46 (virtual channel 2.1).

References

  1. ↑
  2. ↑
  3. ↑ Citytv Restructures Television Operations To Improve Business and Better Serve Audiences Rogers Media press release via CNW Group, published January 19, 2010.
  4. ↑ RabbitEars TV Query for CKAL-DT
  5. ↑ Digital Television - Office of Consumer Affairs (OCA)

External links

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