CKPR-DT

Studios and offices for CFPA-TV would be located in a brand new building at 87 North Hill Street. CFPA radio was now operating from this location.

CFPA-TV Port Arthur signed on October 4. The station was a basic CBC affiliate and the “PA” in the call sign represented Port Arthur.

Canadian Professional Football games, including the Grey Cup final, would be seen live from Vancouver on inter-connected Eastern stations. Delayed telecasts would be seen on all other stations on either the Sunday or Monday following the game. The 10 connected stations in the East were: CBLT, CBOT, CBMT, CHCH, CFPL, CKCO, CKLW, CKWS, CHEX, and CKVR. These stations would carry 20-26 games. Fourteen games would be seen on CKSO, CJIC and CFPA…stations not connected to the microwave. In the West, seven stations would carry kinescopes of the games to be played in Western Interprovincial Football: CBWT, CKX, CKCK, CFQC, CHCT, CFRN and CBUT.

CFPA-TV applied for an increase in effective radiated power – from 5,100 watts video and 2,550 watts audio, to 28,000 watts video and 15,000 watts audio. Ralph H. Parker Ltd. also sought approval for the transfer of the station’s ownership to Thunder Bay Electronics Ltd.

Fraser Dougall joined his father’s company.

Hector Fraser Dougall died in October at the age of 62. He started CKPR-AM in 1930 and not long ago brought television to the Lakehead, with CFCJ-TV. He had been a decorated First World War vet. Hector’s son Fraser took over as head of the company.

The call sign was changed again – this time to CKPR-TV. The “PR” in the calls: Port Arthur. The station was now owned by Thunder Bay Electronics (H. F. Dougall) and co-owned with CKPR Radio.

At age 21, Fraser Dougall became president of CKPR Radio and Television (1962 or 63).

CKPR-TV had an effective radiated power of 55,400 watts video and 30,200 watts audio. Fraser Dougall was president of Thunder Bay Electronics Ltd.

CKPR-TV was now operating with 100,000 watts video and 54,500 watts audio.

C.N. Conger was station manager.

On March 9, the transfer of 380 common shares of Thunder Bay Electronics Ltd. from W. C. Dougall to H. F. Dougall was approved.

On July 28, Thunder Bay Electronics Ltd. (owner of CKPR-AM-FM-TV) was given approval to operate a new TV station in the city to provide CTV network service.

CHFD-TV Channel 4 signed on the air October 14. With the launch of this station, the CKPR-TV/CHFD-TV combination became the first “twin-stick” TV facility in Canada.

CKPR-TV and CHFD-TV, both owned by Thunder Bay Electronics, were given approval to combine their news resources. The stations were to acquire ENG equipment and provide complete colour and mobile capability.

CKPR-TV introduced a once-weekly early evening local news program.

Chief engineer Willie Christianson reported CKPR-TV was putting in to service two new Hitachi FP60 cameras and a new routing switcher.

On January 11, the CRTC renewed CKPR-TV’s licence until September 30, 1985.

CKPR-TV’s once weekly early evening local news program was expanded to an hour, airing at 6:00 p.m.

Robin Smyth left CKPR-TV the the newsroom at the all new MITV in Halifax

When CKPR-TV and CHFD-TV had their licences renewed, it was noted that Thunder Bay Electronics Limited owned in addition to the TV stations, radio stations CKPR and CJSD-FM in Thunder Bay. The company was 100% owned and controlled by local resident, H.F. Dougall through H.F. Dougall Company Limited.

Ethnic programming was scheduled on both stations on Sundays. CKPR-TV broadcast programs to the Finnish and Ukranian communities while CHFD-TV’s three programs, including the partly locally-produced program “Panorama”, were directed to persons of Italian heritage. CKPR-TV would broadcast a minimum of 9 hours and 9 minutes per week of original local programs including a minimum of 7 hours and 59 minutes of news and 36 minutes of information programming.

The CRTC approved the application for authority to effect a change in the effective control of Thunder Bay Electronics Limited, through the transfer of all the issued and outstanding shares from H. F. Dougall Co. Ltd. to Thunder Bay Television Inc. Thunder Bay Electronics would continue to be ultimately controlled by Hector Fraser Dougall, a Canadian citizen and resident. The Commission noted that the share transfer occurred without its prior approval.

It should be noted that CKPR-TV’s programming was rebroadcast over CBC-owned CBLK-TV Channel 16 at Nipigon.

Fraser Dougall was presented with an Order of Ontario. Dougall, the owner of Dougall Media, was the first Canadian to create a TV operation that held two licences in the same market. Thunder Bay Television carried CTV on one station and CBC on the other. The media owner and philanthropist actively promoted community interests and supported local projects through his radio stations’ and TV programming

On April 29, the CRTC approved the application by Thunder Bay Electronics Limited to amend the broadcasting licence for CKPR-TV Thunder Bay in order to delete the condition of licence requiring the station to be operated as an affiliate of the English-language television network operated by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. The licensee has indicated that it has been unable to negotiate a new program supply agreement with the CBC. It stated that CKPR-TV would operate as an independent local station and that it intended to source its non-local programming. The licensee proposed to maintain the current level of local reflection programming. Specifically, it will broadcast a minimum weekly average of 7 hours and 40 minutes of original local news on CKPR-TV and a minimum weekly average of 3 hours and 7 minutes of original local news on CHFD-TV for a total of 10 hours and 47 minutes of original local news.

The CRTC approved a Change to the ownership structure of Thunder Bay Electronics Limited for estate planning purposes, through the transfer of the Class A Voting Preferred shares held by Mr. H.F. Dougall in Thunder Bay Television Inc., the parent corporation of the licensee, to a joint ownership of these shares by Mr. Dougall and Ms. E.C. Dougall. The transaction would not affect the effective control of the broadcasting undertakings as it continued to be exercised by Mr. H.F. Dougall. Thunder Bay Electronics Limited was the licensee of CKPR-TV and CHFD-TV Thunder Bay.

On February 21, the CRTC approved the applications by Thunder Bay Electronics Limited to amend the licences for CKPR-TV and CHFD-TV to add post-transition digital transmitters to serve the population of Thunder Bay. The transmitter associated with CKPR-TV would operate on channel 2 with an effective radiated power of 1,200 watts (effective height of antenna above average terrain of 366.2 metres).

On July 12, the CRTC administratively renewed the licence of CKPR-DT until August 31, 2013.

The deadline for conversion from analog to digital in mandatory markets was August 31. CKPR-TV made the transition to digital on August 1. The digital channel was 2 (virtual 2.2), the same channel used by the analog operation (now discontinued).

On June 11, the CRTC approved CKPR-DT’s disaffiliation from the CBC network.

In August, Fraser Dougall passed away at age 73. He was president of Dougall Media and joined the company in 1958.

Tony (Antoine) Seuret died at age 74. He spent 25 years as VP/GM at twin-stick Thunder Bay Television and later, Rock 94.3/CKPR 91.5.