CKWS-DT

CKWS-DT is a television station serving Kingston, Ontario, and nearby communities in eastern Ontario. It operates as part of the Global Television Network, which is owned by Corus Entertainment. The station broadcasts on virtual channel 11 from a transmitter on Wolfe Island south of Kingston and maintains its current offices at 574 Princess Street. It formerly operated from studios at 170 Queen Street in downtown Kingston. The station began broadcasting on December 18, 1954, as a private affiliate of CBC Television. Its original ownership combined Roy Thomson with the Davies family, whose connection to The Kingston Whig-Standard influenced the station's CKWS call letters. The station was subsequently sold to Kanatec Corporation, acquired by Power Corporation in 1977, and transferred to Corus Entertainment in 1999. During its long CBC-affiliate period, CKWS carried the minimum amount of CBC programming required for a private affiliate, approximately 40 hours per week, while developing locally produced programming and news. CKWS became known in the late 1970s and 1980s for Harrigan, an inexpensive children's program centered on a leprechaun character and hosted by Barry Dale. The station also provided an early broadcasting platform for several notable Canadian television and radio personalities. Bill Luxton served as its first program director and news anchor, Wayne Rostad hosted programming, Bill Welychka worked as an anchor and producer, and Shelagh Rogers began her broadcasting career presenting weather on CKWS newscasts. A major strategic change occurred in 2015, when Corus announced that CKWS and its other CBC affiliates would stop carrying CBC programming and instead enter a program supply arrangement with Bell Media for CTV content. The change took effect on August 31, 2015, after approval by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission. The arrangement was structured as a program supply agreement rather than a formal CTV affiliation, leaving Corus responsible for editorial control and local advertising. CBC programming remained available in much of the region through CBOT-DT in Ottawa and other distribution arrangements. The station gradually adopted Global News branding before becoming a full Global owned-and-operated station. In September 2016, it began airing Global National and introduced a local morning program, The Morning Show, on October 17 of that year. The station also shortened its noon newscast, dropped CTV National News, and changed the branding of its local newscasts from Newswatch to CKWS News. On August 14, 2018, Corus announced that the CTV program agreement would end; after its expiry on August 27, CKWS became Global Kingston. CKWS has historically combined local news, weather, community coverage, syndicated or network programming, and national news. Until 2024, it produced approximately 28 hours of local news each week, including weekday, weekend, and morning programming. In July 2024, Corus reduced staffing across several stations, including CKWS, resulting in widespread layoffs and a temporary suspension of local newscasts. Programming later returned in a more regionalized format, with local reporters contributing to supper-hour and late-night news coverage shared across Kingston, Peterborough, and Kelowna. The station therefore remains active, but its current news operation is more centralized and regionally organized than its earlier locally staffed model.

CKWS-DT began broadcasting in Kingston on December 18, 1954. Its original ownership was a joint venture involving Roy Thomson and the Davies family, publishers of The Kingston Whig-Standard. The station's call letters were associated with the newspaper ownership behind the venture. It joined CBC Television as a private affiliate and operated in that role for more than six decades. During its CBC years, CKWS carried the minimum level of CBC network programming required of a private affiliate, approximately 40 hours each week. The station supplemented network content with local news, weather, advertising, and locally produced programs. Its most remembered local production was Harrigan, a low-budget children's show featuring Barry Dale as a leprechaun character. CKWS also served as an early employer or training ground for broadcasters including Bill Luxton, Wayne Rostad, Bill Welychka, and Shelagh Rogers. Ownership changed several times. The station was sold to Kanatec Corporation, later acquired by Power Corporation in 1977, and ultimately became part of Corus Entertainment in 1999. Under Corus, CKWS remained a CBC affiliate until the mid-2010s, when the company pursued a different network-programming strategy for its privately owned stations. On May 20, 2015, Corus and Bell Media announced that CKWS and other Corus CBC affiliates would stop carrying CBC programming and instead use CTV programming supplied by Bell. The change was implemented on August 31, 2015, after the CRTC rejected objections from Rogers Media and a viewer who argued that the change would reduce access to CBC Television over the air. The arrangement was described legally as a program supply agreement rather than a formal affiliation. Corus retained editorial control over CKWS, sold its local advertising, and remained responsible for the station's operation. The station's programming identity began moving toward Global News in 2016. CKWS added Global National in September and launched The Morning Show on October 17, replacing CTV's Your Morning. It shortened the noon newscast, dropped CTV National News, and changed its local-news name from Newswatch to CKWS News. In 2018, Bell's program agreement ended. Corus announced the transition in August, and after August 27 CKWS operated as a Global owned-and-operated station under the Global Kingston name. CKWS historically maintained a substantial local-news schedule. Before the 2024 reductions, it produced about 28 hours of local news each week, including weekday and weekend broadcasts. Corus announced major staffing cuts in July 2024, affecting most of the station's staff and much of its news department. CKWS and CHEX in Peterborough temporarily suspended newscasts before resuming with a more regional model based on local reporter contributions and shared supper-hour and late-night programming. Technically, CKWS transitioned to digital broadcasting in stages. Its Brighton translator moved to digital in 2011, while the main Kingston transmitter at Wolfe Island completed a digital flash cut on July 5, 2013. Corus later sought permission to close certain rebroadcasters. The Brighton transmitter was ultimately shut down on August 31, 2022, and its service became available through a subchannel arrangement associated with CHEX-DT in Peterborough. The main station continues to serve the Kingston market through its digital terrestrial signal and other distribution platforms.

1. 2024News operation is regionalized

   Corus cuts staffing and reorganizes CKWS news production around regionalized supper-hour and late-night coverage.

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2. 2022Brighton transmitter closes

   The CKWS-DT-1 Brighton transmitter shuts down on August 31.

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3. 2018Station becomes Global Kingston

   Following the end of its CTV programming agreement, CKWS becomes a Global owned-and-operated station.

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4. 2016Global News branding expands

   CKWS adds Global National and launches The Morning Show while adopting CKWS News branding.

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5. 2015CBC programming is replaced by CTV programming

   A CRTC-approved program supply agreement changes CKWS's network programming after August 31.

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6. 2013Main transmitter converts to digital

   The Wolfe Island/Kingston transmitter completes a digital flash cut on VHF channel 11.

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7. 2011Brighton translator converts to digital

   The Brighton rebroadcaster moves from its former analog allocation to digital operation.

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8. 1999Corus ownership begins

   CKWS becomes part of Corus Entertainment.

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9. 1977Power Corporation acquires the station

   Power Corporation acquires CKWS from Kanatec Corporation.

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10. 1954CKWS signs on

    The station begins broadcasting in Kingston on December 18 as a private CBC Television affiliate.

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A regional broadcast and local-news outlet serving Kingston and eastern Ontario under the Global News brand, combining national network programming with market-specific reporting and advertising.

• Global KingstonLocal television station2018

  The station's current broadcast identity and local-market service. Global Kingston combines local reporting from Kingston and surrounding communities with programming supplied by the national Global Television Network, including national news and entertainment content. Its terrestrial signal originates near Kingston on Wolfe Island, while cable, satellite, and digital distribution extend its reach across eastern Ontario.

• CKWS NewsLocal news programming2016

  CKWS News was the station's local-news identity after it moved away from the Newswatch name and aligned more closely with Global News. The service has covered Kingston-area politics, public affairs, weather, community events, and regional breaking news. Following 2024 staffing reductions, local contributions continued within a more regionalized production model.

• The Morning ShowMorning television program2016

  CKWS introduced The Morning Show on October 17, 2016, as a local morning program patterned after the Global News Morning format used in other Canadian markets. It replaced CTV's Your Morning and was designed to combine local news, weather, interviews, traffic, and community features with the broader Global programming identity.

• HarriganChildren's television program

  Harrigan was a locally produced children's program remembered for its late-1970s and 1980s national exposure. Hosted by Barry Dale and built around a leprechaun character, the program used a deliberately modest production style and became one of CKWS's most recognizable historical local productions.

• Global NationalNational television news2016

  CKWS began carrying Global National in September 2016 as part of its gradual shift toward Global News programming. The national newscast complemented the station's local coverage and helped establish the programming framework used after CKWS became a Global owned-and-operated station.

• 2016Global News programming alignment

  Kingston, Ontario

  CKWS introduced Global National, launched The Morning Show, and renamed its local newscasts CKWS News as Corus moved the station's identity toward Global News.

  Outcome. The programming realignment prepared the station for its later transition from CTV-supplied programming to the Global Kingston identity.

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• 2024Regionalize local-news productionStrategy

  Corus implemented staffing reductions affecting CKWS and other television stations.

  What changed. Most CKWS staff were laid off in July, and the station's news output was temporarily suspended before returning in a regionalized format using local reporter contributions.

  Aftermath. The station focused on regional supper-hour and late-night news programming rather than maintaining its previous locally staffed schedule.

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• 2018Transition to Global KingstonStrategy

  The CTV program supply agreement was scheduled to expire in August 2018.

  What changed. Corus ended the CTV arrangement and converted CKWS into a Global owned-and-operated station after August 27.

  Aftermath. CKWS adopted the Global Kingston identity and became more directly integrated with the Global Television Network.

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• 2015Replace CBC programming with CTV-supplied programmingStrategy

  Corus sought to change the network programming carried by CKWS and its other privately owned CBC affiliates.

  What changed. Corus and Bell Media implemented a program supply agreement on August 31, 2015. Corus retained editorial control and local advertising responsibility.

  Aftermath. The CRTC approved the arrangement after dismissing objections, and CKWS remained outside the CBC network while carrying CTV programming.

  • Rogers Media — Rogers objected to the change, arguing that it functioned as an affiliation requiring regulatory consent and could create duplicate CTV programming sources.
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• 2024Corus reduces staffing and regionalizes CKWS news production

  Most CKWS staff, including much of the news department, were laid off in July 2024. Local newscasts were temporarily suspended before returning in a regionalized format.

  Leadership changeOther
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• 2022Brighton rebroadcaster is shut down

  Following a CRTC decision, the CKWS-DT-1 Brighton transmitter ceased operation on August 31, 2022.

  RegulationOther
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• 2018CKWS becomes Global Kingston

  After the CTV program agreement expired on August 27, CKWS became a Global owned-and-operated station and adopted the Global Kingston identity.

  Product generation
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• 2016CKWS aligns local programming with Global News

  The station added Global National, launched The Morning Show, and changed its local-news branding from Newswatch to CKWS News.

  CampaignProduct launch
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• 2015Corus and Bell announce a program supply arrangement

  Corus announced that CKWS and other CBC affiliates would stop carrying CBC programming and begin carrying CTV programming under a program supply agreement.

  Other
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• 2015CRTC approves the programming change

  The CRTC dismissed objections and approved the change, which took effect on August 31, 2015.

  Regulation
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• 2013CKWS converts its main transmitter to digital broadcasting

  The Wolfe Island/Kingston transmitter completed a digital flash cut on July 5, 2013, continuing to use VHF channel 11.

  Other
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• 1954CKWS-DT begins broadcasting as a CBC affiliate

  CKWS signed on December 18, 1954, serving Kingston as a privately owned CBC Television affiliate.

  Other
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1. CKWS-DT
2. Global Kingston