But only the smallest for about a month and a half.  CKNX in Wingham signed on November 18, 1955.  Even today Wingham only has a population of about 3,000.  The town has long called itself the Radio and Television Town of Canada.  Today Wingham has 3 radio stations and CKNX TV which is no longer a functioning station but a repeater of CFPL.  The CKNX facility, built in 1963 is still used for the radio stations and some of the TV studio space has been leased out to neighbouring F.E. Madill highschool.

The other three are Sharon Burkhart (12:30 and 6:00 anchor, and CKNX alum), Bob McIntyre (long-time weatherman), and sports reporter Kevin Marks, who often co-anchored the 12:30 report.

Last edited by Forward Power (May 28, 2023 4:17 pm)

paterson1 wrote:

But only the smallest for about a month and a half.  CKNX in Wingham signed on November 18, 1955.  Even today Wingham only has a population of about 3,000.  The town has long called itself the Radio and Television Town of Canada.  Today Wingham has 3 radio stations and CKNX TV which is no longer a functioning station but a repeater of CFPL.  The CKNX facility, built in 1963 is still used for the radio stations and some of the TV studio space has been leased out to neighbouring F.E. Madill highschool.

Is the Channel 8 repeater of CFPL still even on the air? I know CTV had applied to the CRTC to shut down a bunch of analog repeaters in 2016, and I know in the process they did shut down the CJOH channel 6 repeater at Deseronto, but I wasn’t sure if Wingham’s transmitter got shut down at the same time.

I believe it is gone. People living in rural areas up there must now need to have satellite to get any TV

Global operates the Owen Sound transmitter on Virtual Channel 4 (UHF 23 post repack).


 

turkeytop wrote:

MJ Vancouver wrote:

paterson1 wrote:

But only the smallest for about a month and a half.  CKNX in Wingham signed on November 18, 1955.  Even today Wingham only has a population of about 3,000.  The town has long called itself the Radio and Television Town of Canada.  Today Wingham has 3 radio stations and CKNX TV which is no longer a functioning station but a repeater of CFPL.  The CKNX facility, built in 1963 is still used for the radio stations and some of the TV studio space has been leased out to neighbouring F.E. Madill highschool.

Is the Channel 8 repeater of CFPL still even on the air? I know CTV had applied to the CRTC to shut down a bunch of analog repeaters in 2016, and I know in the process they did shut down the CJOH channel 6 repeater at Deseronto, but I wasn’t sure if Wingham’s transmitter got shut down at the same time.

I believe it is gone. People living in rural areas up there must now need to have satellite to get any TV

Most people in Grey/Bruce always had cable or satellite.  There has never been much to receive off air for TV.  Cable was also available in many rural areas and everyone also had cable for FM which carried stations from London, Kitchener, Toronto, Barrie and Buffalo.  Channel 8 still shows up on the local cable in Owen Sound as CTV2 and  a repeater of CFPL.  I think you are right MJ I believe the CKNX transmitter was closed in 2016, but I am not 100% sure.  They still have the tower near Formosa and this carried channel 8, CKNX FM and since 2005 94.5 FM.  

In 1971 CKCO put a high powered rebroadcaster on the air from Tobermory on channel 2 to bring CTV programming to the area. It was shut down in 2014.

Last edited by zed (May 29, 2023 7:51 am)

Growing up in the 60's, the only thing I knew about CKVR was the listings in TV Guide. Everyone had chimney antennas pointed to Buffalo. Towers with rotors would come much later.

CKVR Close Up: The Barrie Tornado

Nearly 25 years ago, when I was still in high school, my folks in Alliston gave me a videotape containing multiple news reports covering the various May 31st tornadoes. Sadly I lost the tape in a move at some point in the 2000s, but there was some gold in there from CKVR, Global, and the CTV National News.

The day after the tornado, CKVR put together a special edition of Total News, titled "The Eye Of The Storm", anchored by Sharon Burkhart... this program was on the tape I was given. One of the first reporter packages in this edition was a very memorable one by Kevin Frankish and photog Steve Miller, shot just moments after the twister fizzled out on Lake Simcoe. The package included an interview with a group of boys who were playing somewhere in the city's south end when the tornado hit, and aside from maybe some bumps and bruises, were unscathed. Later on, reporter Greg Lubianetzky presented some aerial footage of the destruction, and weatherman Bob McIntyre gave viewers a general explanation of how a tornado forms and how it causes homes and other buildings to pretty much explode.

At the time of the tornado, I was not even two years old, and we were living in Stayner at the time.

RadioActive wrote:

CKVR Close Up: The Barrie Tornado

Video wouldn't play for me.

My relationship with CKVR.  When I was a boy visiting my Grandparents in Perkinsfield Ontario, the only TV station they could receive was CKVR.  I seem to remember Milt Conway being on camera most of the time.

I worked with Bob McIntyre at CKFH; where he did the news.  He later left and stayed at CKVR. as a weatherman.

This was in one of the previous posts, but it's easy to miss. They did it in 1969, when it was very unusual for a station to be on all night long.