View source for CKPR-DT

{{short description|CTV affiliate in Thunder Bay, Ontario}}
{{more citations needed|date=June 2020}}
{{Infobox television station
| callsign               = CKPR-DT
| city                   =
| logo                   = CKPR Thunder Bay 2012.png
| logo_size              = 220px
| branding               = CKPR Thunder Bay
| digital                = 2 ([[very high frequency|VHF]])
| virtual                = 2
| translators            = 
| affiliations           = [[CTV Television Network|CTV]]
| airdate                = {{start date and age|1954|10|4|p=y}}
| location               = [[Thunder Bay]], Ontario
| country                = Canada
| callsign_meaning       = [[Port Arthur, Ontario|Port Arthur]]
| former_callsigns       = CFPA-TV (1954–1957)<br>CFCJ-TV (1957–1962)<br>CKPR-TV (1962–2011)
| former_channel_numbers = '''Analogue:'''<br>2 (VHF, 1954–2011)
| owner                  = [[Dougall Media]]
| licensee               = Thunder Bay Electronics Ltd.
| sister_stations        = [[CHFD-DT]], [[CKPR-FM]], [[CFNO-FM]], [[CJSD-FM]]
| former_affiliations    = [[CBC Television]] (1954–2014)
| erp                    = 1.2 [[kilowatt|kW]]
| haat                   = {{convert|366.2|m|ft|0|abbr=on}}
| coordinates            = {{coord|48|31|25|N|89|6|55|W|type:landmark}}
| licensing_authority    = [[Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission|CRTC]]
| website                = {{url|http://www.ckprthunderbay.com/|ckprthunderbay.com}} 
}}

'''CKPR-DT''' (channel 2) is a [[television station]] in [[Thunder Bay]], Ontario, Canada, affiliated with [[CTV Television Network|CTV]]. It is owned by locally based [[Dougall Media]] alongside [[Global Television Network|Global]] affiliate [[CHFD-DT]] (channel 4). Both stations share studios on Hill and Van Norman Streets in central Thunder Bay, while CKPR-DT's transmitter is located in [[Shuniah, Ontario]].

In June 2014, Dougall Media announced that the station would disaffiliate from [[CBC Television]] (with which it was affiliated since its 1954 sign-on) in September to become a CTV affiliate,<ref name=ctv2014>[http://www.tbnewswatch.com/news/345418/CTV-set-to-return-to-CKPR-TV "CTV set to return to CKPR-TV"]. [[Dougall Media|tbnewswatch.com]], June 18, 2014.</ref> bringing CTV back to the Thunder Bay market for the first time since sister station CHFD switched its affiliation from CTV to Global in 2010.

== History ==
CKPR-DT began broadcasting on October 4, 1954 as '''CFPA-TV'''. The "PA" stood for [[Port Arthur, Ontario|Port Arthur]], where the station was licensed until it merged with [[Fort William, Ontario|Fort William]] to form Thunder Bay in 1970. The station was then owned by Ralph H. Parker Ltd. along with CFPA radio (AM 1230, now [[CKTG-FM]]). Three years later on July 20, 1957, Thunder Bay Electronics, owned by the Dougall family, bought CFPA-TV and changed its callsign letters to '''CFCJ-TV'''. They changed again ten years later in 1967, to '''CKPR-TV'''.

In 1972, Thunder Bay Electronics launched the CTV affiliate CHFD-TV (which switched to Global in 2010) and thus CKPR-TV and CHFD-TV became one of the first private [[twinstick]] stations in Canada.

[[File:Tbtelevision.svg|thumb|left|130px|Logo used  until May 2012, when the station rebranded to CKPR Thunder Bay. This logo was also used at sister station [[CHFD-DT|CHFD]] until it became a Global affiliate in 2010.]]
In March 2010, CKPR announced it was unable to come to an agreement with CBC to continue to operate as an affiliate.<ref>[http://www.tbnewswatch.com/news/83646/CKPR-TV-seeks-licence-adjustment "CKPR-TV seeks licence adjustment"]. [[Dougall Media|tbnewswatch.com]], March 5, 2010.</ref> CKPR filed an application with the [[Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission]] (CRTC) seeking to remove its condition of licence which mandates affiliation with CBC Television. The affiliation agreement would expire on August 31, 2011 and, according to the station would not be renewed by the CBC after that date. CKPR said that it was tentatively planning to disaffiliate as of September 1, 2010, but that it had yet to find a new programming source, and that it would be reserving the right to remain a CBC affiliate through the end of the 2010–2011 season, even if the relevant condition of licence was removed.<ref>[http://www.crtc.gc.ca/eng/archive/2010/2010-128.htm Broadcasting Notice of Consultation CRTC 2010-128], 4 March 2010</ref>

CKPR did not disaffiliate and continued negotiations with CBC. In March 2011, CKPR announced they had come to a programming agreement, under which the station would continue to provide CBC programming in Thunder Bay, which at the time was described as having a five-year term.<ref>[http://www.tbnewswatch.com/news/136400/CKPR-Television,-CBC-ink-programming-deal "CKPR-Television, CBC ink programming deal"]. [[Dougall Media|tbnewswatch.com]], March 11, 2011.</ref>

In early 2014, the station filed a new application to disaffiliate, indicating that it had the ability under its current agreement to opt out in September 2014.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://services.crtc.gc.ca/pub/instances-proceedings/Default-Defaut.aspx?Lang=eng&YA=2014&S=C&PA=b&PT=pt1&PST=a#201401877|title=CRTC Application 2014-0187-7|author=Thunder Bay Electronics Ltd.|accessdate=2014-07-12}}</ref> In June 2014, the CRTC approved CKPR's request to disaffiliate from CBC while suggesting to both CKPR and CBC to "consider alternate solutions" in order to "ensure the availability of the CBC's service over-the-air" in the Thunder Bay area.<ref>[http://www.crtc.gc.ca/eng/archive/2014/2014-316.htm Broadcasting Decision CRTC 2014-316], 11 June 2014</ref>

On September 1, 2014, CKPR-DT disaffiliated from the CBC to become an affiliate of the CTV Television Network, which returned to local terrestrial television after sister station CHFD-TV disaffiliated from that network in 2010.<ref name=ctv2014 />

Despite the affiliation change, all TV service providers serving Thunder Bay, like all service providers across Canada, will continue to be required to include a [[CBC Television]] signal as part of their basic services.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/regulations/sor-97-555/FullText.html#s-17.|title=Broadcast Distribution Regulations (ss. 17(d) and 17(f))|work=Justice Laws Website|publisher=[[Department of Justice (Canada)]]|date=2014-02-28|accessdate=2014-07-12}}</ref> Shortly before the affiliation change, CBC confirmed that [[CBLT-DT|CBLT]] [[Toronto]] would be added to the basic packages of [[Shaw Communications]] cable systems in the area (channel 2 in Thunder Bay), and [[Tbaytel]] TV (channels 210 [SD] and 802 [HD]).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/thunder-bay/cbc-tv-changes-for-thunder-bay-area-1.2748277|title=CBC TV changes for Thunder Bay area|work=CBCNews.ca|publisher=[[Canadian Broadcasting Corporation]]|date=2014-08-27|accessdate=2014-08-29}}</ref>

On January 27, 2016, Dougall Media officials revealed that CKPR and CHFD are both being sustained by the payouts from life insurance policies on former owner Fraser Dougall and a former general manager who both died in 2015, and said that the stations were likely to sign off for good by September 1, barring a favourable change in CRTC policies.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://globalnews.ca/news/2481036/thunder-bay-tv-stations-surviving-on-life-insurance-cash-shutdowns-looming/|title=Thunder Bay TV stations surviving on life insurance cash, shutdowns looming|first=Tania|last=Kohut|work=[[Global News|GlobalNews.ca]]|date=January 27, 2016|accessdate=January 27, 2016}}</ref> Both stations, however, are still in operation.

== Distribution ==
As part of the CBC's budget cuts, the operation of CBLK-TV and the other CBC-owned analogue rebroadcasters of private affiliates was discontinued on July 31, 2012.<ref>[http://www.cbc.radio-canada.ca/speeches/20120404.shtml CBC/Radio-Canada Speech Transcript: "Speaking notes for Hubert T. Lacroix, President and CEO, CBC/Radio-Canada, regarding measures announced in the context of the Deficit Reduction Action Plan (DRAP)", April 4, 2012.] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120407221422/http://www.cbc.radio-canada.ca/speeches/20120404.shtml |date=April 7, 2012 }}</ref>

== Programming ==
CKPR carries the majority of its programming in pattern with CTV's Eastern Time schedule. The station broadcasts local newscasts at 6 p.m. and 11:00 p.m. under the ''TBT News'' branding; in lieu of local newscasts in these timeslots, CKPR simulcasts ''CTV News Ottawa'' from [[CJOH-DT]] at noon and 5 p.m. In the past, the station sometimes opted out of selected daytime and overnight programming for locally-sold [[infomercial|paid programming]].

Since March 2020, the station has broadcast ''HAGI TV Bingo'' —a weekly charity [[Bingo (American version)|bingo]] event in support of Handicapped Action Group Incorporated (HAGI)—on Saturday nights throughout much of the year. The transition to televised games was originally prompted by the [[COVID-19 pandemic in Ontario|COVID-19 pandemic]] (with Gary Cooper, who had hosted the in-person event, hosting the televised games until his death in 2024), but has remained on the station since.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-07-12 |title=HAGI TV Bingo host Gary Cooper passed away at 79 |url=https://www.tbnewswatch.com/local-news/gary-cooper-passed-away-at-79-9213740 |access-date=2025-02-11 |website=TBNewsWatch.com |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2020-09-06 |title=HAGI TV Bingo returns on Sept.12 |url=https://www.tbnewswatch.com/local-news/hagi-tv-bingo-returns-on-sept12-2689833 |access-date=2025-02-11 |website=TBNewsWatch.com |language=en}}</ref>

In many cases during its CBC affiliation (as of fall 2008, up to five times per day) CBC network shows broadcast during daytime or late-night on CKPR were preempted by paid programming. For example, with the ''[[Kids' CBC]]'' block having expanded to five hours on August 31, 2009, CKPR did not air the final hour of the expanded block, just like Corus-owned CBC affiliates (at the time) in Peterborough ([[CHEX-DT]]), Oshawa ([[CHEX-DT-2|CHEX-TV-2]]) and Kingston ([[CKWS-DT]]), opting for an hour of paid programming instead. Also, as of February 2010, CKPR also preempted a half-hour of ''Kids' CBC'' at 7 a.m. for a local morning newscast (which has since been cancelled with the affiliation switch in favor of ''[[Canada AM]]''). Furthermore, in September 2011, as more programming toward adults, CKPR began preempting the 9-11 a.m. and the Saturday 11:30&nbsp;a.m. block of ''Kids' CBC'' and a few months later in 2012, CKPR also began to preempt the 7:30&nbsp;a.m. portion of ''Kids' CBC'' for more local and paid programming. The 9–11 a.m. block of ''Kids' CBC'' eventually returned in February 2012 but CKPR continued to decline the 7:30–8 a.m., 11 a.m.–noon and the Saturday 11:30&nbsp;a.m.–noon blocks of ''Kids' CBC''. CKPR also signs off most nights after the late-night talk show ''[[Conan (talk show)|Conan]]'' on Monday to Thursday and the late network movie on weekends.

When CHFD was primarily a CTV affiliate, Global programs that could not be cleared by CHFD-DT, such as ''[[Survivor (American TV series)|Survivor]]'', would occasionally air on CKPR-DT instead.<ref>[https://archive.today/20130209231034/http://tvlistings.zap2it.com/tvlistings/ZCSGrid.do?stnNum=15463 CKPR Schedule at zap2it.com]</ref> In the past, some CTV programming not cleared by CHFD may have also aired on CKPR.

==Technical information==
===Subchannels===
{| class="wikitable"
! [[Digital subchannel#Canada|Channel]]
! [[Display resolution|Video]]
! [[Aspect ratio (image)|Aspect]]
! Short name
! Programming<ref>[https://www.rabbitears.info/market.php?request=station_search&callsign=CKPR#station RabbitEars TV Query for CKPR]</ref> 
|-
| 2.2<ref name="ematicdvrreview">{{cite web | url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VHtZQncpRcs&t | title=Ematic AT103B digital converter box PVR DVR Recorder &#124; Free over the air antenna TV recording | website=[[YouTube]] }}</ref> || [[1080i]] || [[16:9]] || CKPR-DT || Main CKPR-DT programming / [[CTV Television Network|CTV]] 
|}

===Analogue-to-digital conversion===
CKPR-DT [[flash cut]] to digital in early August 2011 alongside sister station CHFD.

Through the use of [[Program and System Information Protocol|PSIP]], digital television receivers display CKPR-DT's [[virtual channel]] as 2.1.<ref>[http://www.ic.gc.ca/eic/site/smt-gst.nsf/vwapj/DTV_PLAN_Dec08-e.pdf/$file/DTV_PLAN_Dec08-e.pdf Industry Canada: "DTV Post-Transition Allotment Plan", December 2008]</ref>

In January 2011, Dougall Media applied with the CRTC to broadcast its digital signal instead on channel 2, following the digital conversion date.<ref>[http://www.crtc.gc.ca/eng/archive/2011/2011-23.htm Broadcasting Notice of Consultation CRTC 2011–23]</ref>

== See also ==
*[[CKPR-FM]]
*[[CHFD-DT]]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
*{{official|http://www.ckprthunderbay.com/}}
* [https://broadcasting-history.ca/television/television-stations/ontario/ontario-northern/CKPR-DT CKPR-DT] at The History of Canadian Broadcasting by the [[Canadian Communications Foundation]]
*{{RecnetCanada|CKPR-TV}}

{{Ontario TV}}
{{CTV Stations}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ckpr}}
[[Category:Television stations in Northwestern Ontario|KPR-DT]]
[[Category:Mass media in Thunder Bay]]
[[Category:Television channels and stations established in 1954]]
[[Category:CTV Television Network stations|KPR-DT]]
[[Category:1954 establishments in Ontario]]