CBKFT-DT

CBKFT went on the air on September 27. It was a rebroadcaster of CBWFT in Winnipeg.

CBKFT-1 Saskatoon commenced operations on January 23. It was followed on February 24 by CBKFT-2 Prince Albert

CBKFT-3 Debden signed on February 12. On December 10, CBKFT-10 Moose Jaw was opened. The St. Brieux transmitter – CBKFT-4 was launched on December 17.

The following rebroadcast transmitters signed on: CBKFT-6 Gravellbourg (March 13), CBKFT-7 Ponteix (March 11), CBKFT-8 Willow Bunch (March 14), and CBKFT-9 Bellegarde (March 15).

In October, the CBC Regina studios and offices moved from 1840 McIntyre Street to 2440 Broad Street. The facility was to have opened in 1979-80. The new building accommodated both English and French radio and television studios. The CBC Saskatchewan broadcast centre included TV studios of 3,500 and 1,800 square feet, a packaging studio, two automated on-air booths and central equipment room. There were also seven remote electronic field production units, three electronic editing suites, six quad VTR’s, three telecine chains, character generators and electronic slide store units. The radio facilities included nine studios, multi-track mixing consoles, 16 listening/editing rooms and automated switching systems.

CBKFT-11 Leoville and CBKFT-12 North Battleford opened on March 13.

On November 21, CBKFT was granted a reduction in effective radiated power from 140,000 watts to 103,000 watts.

On August 30, CBKFT was given aproval to add CBKFT-9 Bellegarde to its licence. The transmitter had been a rebroadcaster of CBWFT Winnipeg.

On December 7, approval was granted for the reduction in effective radiated power for CBKFT-2 Prince Albert, from 13,000 watts to 6,500 watts.

CBC cut 20 jobs at its Saskatchewan operations – 17 in English radio and TV and three in SRC’s French language operations.

By this time, CBKFT Regina operated the following transmitters: CBKFT-1 Saskatoon, CBKFT-2 Prince Albert, CBKFT-3 Debden, CBKFT-4 St. Brieux, CBKFT-5 Zenon Park, CBKFT-6 Gravelbourg, CBKFT-7 Ponteix, CBKFT-8 Willow Bunch, CBKFT-9 Bellegarde, CBKFT-10 Moose Jaw, CBKFT-11 Leoville, and CBKFT-12 North Battleford.

On August 9, the CRTC administratively renewed the licence of CBKFT and its transmitters to March 31, 2011.

On March 29, the CRTC administratively renewed the licence for CBKFT-TV until August 31, 2012. The Commission noted that it did not intend to renew authorizations for full-power analog transmitters operating in the mandatory markets or on channels 52 to 69 outside the mandatory markets beyond August 31, 2011. By that time, the Commission expected licensees to have the necessary authority to broadcast in digital. In addition, the Commission imposed the following condition of licence on stations that operated in mandatory markets or on channels 52 to 69 outside the mandatory markets: Unless otherwise authorized by the Commission, the licensee shall not transmit analog television signals after 31 August 2011 in mandatory markets designated as such by the Commission in Broadcasting Regulatory Policy 2011-184 or transmit television signals on channels 52 to 69. The CRTC also noted that pursuant to Broadcasting Regulatory Policy 2010-69, it did not intend to renew authorizations to operate transitional digital transmitters included in these licences, beyond August 31, 2011.

The CRTC approved the amendment to the licence of CBKFT-TV to add a post-transition digital television transmitter, operating on channel 13 with a maximum effective radiated power of 27,100 watts (11,800 watts average). A directional antenna with effective height of 183.7 metres would be used at the existing CBC site.

On August 16, the CRTC approved applications by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation to continue to operate 22 analog television rebroadcasting transmitters until August 31, 2012 in markets that the Commission identified as mandatory for conversion to digital transmission, and to make associated technical changes. This approval included CBKFT-1 Saskatoon. Approval of the CBC’s proposal, and related technical amendments, would provide additional time for affected households that rely on over-the-air service in mandatory markets to find other means to access the CBC’s television services. Approval of the proposal would also provide an opportunity for the Commission to discuss the CBC’s plans for its over-the-air transmitter system at the time of the CBC’s licence renewal hearing, now scheduled for June 2012.

August 31 was the deadline for the conversion of analog to digital for television stations in mandatory markets. CBKFT made the switch on this date, using channel 13 for digital (virtual 13.1) – the same channel it had used for analog broadcasting.

On July 17, the CRTC approved the request to amend the licences for 23 English- and French-language television stations operated by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation in order that reference to all analog transmitters be deleted. The CBC planned to cease operation of all these transmitters on 31 July 2012. The licences for the following transmitters were removed from the CBKFT-DT licence: CBKFT-9 Bellegarde, CBKFT-3 Debden, CBKFT-6 Gravelbourg, CBKFT-11 Leoville, CBKFT-10 Moose Jaw, CBKFT-12 North Battleford, CBKFT-7 Ponteix, CBKFT-2 Prince Albert, CBKFT-1 Saskatoon, CBKFT-4 St. Brieux, CBKFT-8 Willow Bunch, and CBKFT-5 Zenon Park.

On August 9, the CRTC administratively renewed the licence of CBKFT-DT until August 31, 2013.

On May 28, the CRTC renewed CBKFT-DT’s licence for a five year term, to August 31, 2018