CHBX-TV

CHBX-TV is a Canadian television station serving Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, and surrounding communities. It operates under the CTV brand and forms part of CTV Northern Ontario, a regional station group whose principal programming source is CICI-TV in Sudbury. The station’s studios and transmitter facilities are located on 6 Line East, just east of Peoples Road, in Sault Ste. Marie. The station began broadcasting on November 5, 1977, under the call sign CKCY-TV. It was established by Huron Broadcasting, which also owned CBC affiliate CJIC-TV and an AM radio station using the CKCY call sign. Before CKCY-TV launched, viewers in Sault Ste. Marie generally received CTV programming through cable distribution of CKSO-TV from Sudbury, the station now known as CICI-TV. The new station therefore provided a local over-the-air outlet for CTV programming in the area. The current CHBX-TV call sign was adopted in 1985 after the related radio operation was sold to Mid-Canada Radio. In 1990, Huron Broadcasting sold CHBX-TV and its CBC-affiliated sister station CJIC-TV to Baton Broadcasting. Baton incorporated the stations into the MCTV system. During this period, CHBX-TV and CICI-TV were not yet operating as the closely aligned outlets they are today, and their schedules could differ substantially even though CICI-TV had also been available to Sault Ste. Marie viewers by cable during part of the 1980s. Baton became the sole corporate owner of CTV in 1997. The station subsequently became part of the corporate structure that led to Bell Media’s ownership of CTV. Today, CHBX-TV functions essentially as a semi-satellite of CICI-TV: it carries the same core programming, while local distinctions are primarily reflected in advertising and regional news inserts. Its service area also extends beyond Ontario. The station’s over-the-air signal can reach portions of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula and has been reported as receivable as far south as Gaylord, Michigan. It has also been distributed by Charter Spectrum in St. Ignace, Michigan, although it is not carried by Spectrum in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan. CHBX-TV has also operated a rebroadcast transmitter, CHBX-TV-1, on channel 7 in Wawa. The transmitter was included in broader regulatory and ownership discussions concerning the continued operation of analog television repeaters in Canada. Bell Media later applied to delete the repeater from the station’s licence, citing limited incremental revenue and viewership, the growth of cable and direct-to-home distribution, and the maintenance costs of analog transmission. The station’s present role is therefore primarily that of a local CTV outlet within a regional Northern Ontario broadcasting system, rather than an independently programmed full-service station.

CHBX-TV was established to provide a local over-the-air CTV service to Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. It signed on November 5, 1977, as CKCY-TV. Huron Broadcasting owned the station alongside CBC affiliate CJIC-TV and a sister AM radio station that used the same CKCY call letters. Before the television station launched, CTV programming was available locally through cable carriage of CKSO-TV in Sudbury, now known as CICI-TV. In 1985, the station adopted the CHBX-TV call sign. The change followed the sale of the associated radio operation to Mid-Canada Radio and distinguished the television station from its former radio counterpart. In 1990, Huron Broadcasting sold CHBX-TV and CJIC-TV to Baton Broadcasting. Baton placed the two Sault Ste. Marie stations within its MCTV system. The relationship between CHBX-TV and CICI-TV was more complicated at that time: CICI-TV had been available on Sault Ste. Marie cable systems during part of the 1980s, but the two services carried substantially different schedules. Baton became CTV’s sole corporate owner in 1997. Following subsequent corporate changes, CHBX-TV became part of Bell Media’s CTV operations. The station is now integrated into CTV Northern Ontario and operates largely as a semi-satellite of CICI-TV in Sudbury. Its schedule generally mirrors CICI-TV’s programming, with differences mainly involving commercial inserts and regional news segments. This structure allows CTV to maintain a Northern Ontario service while tailoring limited content and advertising to the Sault Ste. Marie market. CHBX-TV’s primary facilities are in Sault Ste. Marie on 6 Line East, east of Peoples Road. The station’s signal also reaches parts of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula and can be received over the air at considerable distances under suitable conditions. Distribution information has included carriage on Charter Spectrum in St. Ignace, Michigan, although the station is not carried by Spectrum in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan. The station historically operated CHBX-TV-1, a channel 7 rebroadcaster serving Wawa. The repeater became part of wider Canadian debates over analog transmitters, cable fee-for-carriage arrangements, and the regulatory consequences of shutting down facilities. In its 2016 licence-renewal applications, Bell Media proposed deleting the repeater. The company argued that the transmitter produced no incremental revenue, attracted little viewership because of the expansion of cable and direct-to-home services, and imposed maintenance and replacement costs. Bell Media also acknowledged that transmitter closures could affect certain regulatory privileges, including basic-service distribution and simultaneous-substitution rights. CHBX-TV remains a local CTV-branded station rather than an independently programmed network. Its identity is based on serving Sault Ste. Marie within a larger regional operation, combining CTV’s national and network schedule with selected Northern Ontario news content and locally targeted advertising.

• 2016

  Application to delete Wawa analog transmitter

  [1]CHBX-TVen.wikipedia.org

  Bell Media applied to remove CHBX-TV-1 from the station’s licence as part of a broader review of analog repeaters.

• 1997

  Baton becomes sole corporate owner of CTV

  [1]CHBX-TVen.wikipedia.org

  Baton became the sole corporate owner of CTV, placing CHBX-TV within the ownership chain that later led to Bell Media.

• 1990

  Acquisition by Baton Broadcasting

  [1]CHBX-TVen.wikipedia.org

  Huron Broadcasting sold CHBX-TV and CJIC-TV to Baton Broadcasting, which brought the stations into the MCTV system.

• 1985

  Call sign changes to CHBX-TV

  [1]CHBX-TVen.wikipedia.org

  The television station adopted the CHBX-TV call sign after the related CKCY radio station was sold to Mid-Canada Radio.

• 1977

  Launch as CKCY-TV

  [1]CHBX-TVen.wikipedia.org

  The station began broadcasting in Sault Ste. Marie on November 5, 1977, as CKCY-TV under Huron Broadcasting ownership.

A local CTV outlet serving Sault Ste. Marie within Bell Media’s CTV Northern Ontario regional network, combining national network programming with regional news inserts and locally sold advertising.

• Television programming · 1977

  CTV network programming

  CHBX-TV carries the CTV schedule for the Sault Ste. Marie market. Because it operates as part of CTV Northern Ontario, its core schedule is aligned with CICI-TV in Sudbury rather than being assembled independently at the local station.

• Local and regional news

  CTV Northern Ontario regional news

  Regional news inserts provide Northern Ontario coverage within the station’s otherwise shared CTV schedule. Local distinctions can also appear through market-specific commercial and regional broadcast elements.

• Broadcast transmission · 1977

  CHBX-TV over-the-air service

  The station’s terrestrial signal serves Sault Ste. Marie and nearby areas, with reach extending into portions of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula under favorable reception conditions.

• Broadcast transmission

  CHBX-TV-1 Wawa repeater

  CHBX-TV-1 was an analog channel 7 rebroadcast facility serving Wawa. Bell Media later sought to delete it from the station licence, citing low viewership and the cost of maintaining analog transmission.

• 2016

  Seek deletion of CHBX-TV-1 from the licenceStrategy

  Background

  Bell Media included the Wawa analog repeater in a broad licence-renewal application covering numerous CTV transmitters. The company cited the expansion of cable and direct-to-home distribution, limited incremental revenue and viewership, and ongoing maintenance costs.

  Action taken

  Bell Media applied to delete CHBX-TV-1 from the CHBX-TV licence and acknowledged that transmitter closures could result in the loss of certain regulatory privileges.

  Aftermath

  The reference material does not establish the final regulatory disposition of the application or the repeater’s current operating status.

  Source

1. 1CHBX-TVen.wikipedia.org
2. 2CTV Northern Ontario — Sault Ste. Marienorthernontario.ctvnews.ca