CFQC-DT

CFQC-TV received permission to increase effective radiated power from 35,800 watts video and 17,900 watts audio to 100,000 watts video and 60,000 watts audio. The station would use RCA equipment, including a 12-slot Wavestack antenna. The transmitter would be located just off Highway 5, twelve miles east and three miles north of Saskatoon. Antenna height would be 650 feet above ground, 866′ above average terrain or 2,585′ above sea level.

TV studios and offices were being built in the Murphy Building. A complete assortment of RCA equipment would be used, including RCA studio 3-lens camera, slide projector, 2 Eastman 16 mm film projectors with RCA Vidcon camera chain, two turntables. There would be one large 50x28x24 foot studio.

Blair Nelson was TV manager. AM manager Vern Dallin would be assistant TV manager. Lyn Hoskins was chief engineer for AM and TV. Walter Romanow was production director. Wilf Gilbey was film editor (also an AM staff announcer). Nick Semenoff was art editor. John Lumby was photographer. Donna Knight was continuity editor and handled art work. Margaret Morrison was promotion manager for AM and TV. Godfrey Hudson was news editor for both radio and TV. Ed Whelan was sport editor. The rest of the staff was recruited from radio and the community at large. Margaret Dallin (Vern’s wife) was a program host.

CFQC-TV began broadcasting on December 5 on channel 8. The station grew out of broadcasting pioneer, A. A. “Pappy” Murphy’s CFQC Radio station and a wholesale electrical supply firm known as A.A. Murphy and Sons Limited. The radio station, a fixture since 1923, the wholesale and television operations were all housed in the same building. Vern Dallin was manager and Lyn Hoskins was chief engineer.

In its first months, CFQC-TV began its telecast day in the mid-afternoon with an hour of test pattern and music, followed by the national anthem, as part of the sign-on. Then several late afternoon live local shows such as the cooking show, “Menu Magic”, which was followed by several children’s programs including “Roy Rogers” and “Howdy-Doody”.

As a lead-in to the News at 6 PM a live local variety show was aired. 20 minutes of local news, weather and sports was followed by an evening of network shows such as “Dinah Shore”, “Liberace”, “Wayne & Shuster”, “Dragnet”, “Sid Caesar”, “Milton Berle”, “Burns & Allen”, and “Ed Sullivan’s Toast of the Town”.

For the first 3 years, the photography department had only a 16 mm film camera without sound.

Local programming was a strong feature of the station from the start. Shows such as “Town and Country”, “Ted and Corny at Large” (a suppertime magazine program), Helen Lumby’s Kindergarten Show, Margaret Dee’s Menu Magic, and a daily community magazine show with Sally Merchant. Other early on-camera staff were Stan Thomas, Mel Mills and Greg Barnsley known for his many years as the weatherman and host of a daily noontime show “Barnsley and Company”. Don Wittman, Paul Hack, and Lloyd Saunders were some of the earliest in sports, with Ian Bickle and Les Edwards in News.

Walter J. Blackburn (CFPL-TV) announced the formation of a co-operative organized to exchange TV news film among CBC and private stations. Founding members of the Canadian Television News Film Co-operative were CFPL-TV, CFQC-TV, CKCW-TV and the CBC. Membership was open to all stations.

Ad: Proud as the proverbial peacock

Sound on film came to CFQC-TV in 1958, revolutionizing news coverage and program production away from the studio. During the 1950’s, there was only a single studio camera – and it produced only a black and white picture. 

Larry Langley was a staff announcer. Auntie Helen (Helen Hase) hosted a kindergarten kids show which was described by Prime Minister John Diefenbaker as a “remarkable program”. Helen’s husband, John Lumby, worked in the station’s photography department. Geff Jamieson was promotion manager. Colin MacLean was a producer.

CFQC-TV was authorized to increase effective radiated power from 100,000 watts video / 60,000 watts audio to 180,000 watts video / 100,000 watts audio.

Ad slogans: CFQC-TV – Serving 40,000 captivated TV homes. / Today, 45,000 Saskatchewan families await CFQC-TV’s cue to buy your product. / Something new has been added – to get you on target in more than 45,000 captivated central Saskatchewan homes: Triple Power. Now 325,000 watts! CFQC-TV. / Saskatchewan’s “First Performer” is CFQC-TV – the 325,000 watt station.

139 microwave units across Canada went into operation on July 1, carrying TV signals 3,900 miles over the longest microwave network in the world. The CBC’s Dominion Day program “Memo to Champlain” inaugurated the system. The network linked together Canada’s 40 privately owned TV stations and 8 CBC stations, providing live TV to 80% of the Canadian population between Victoria, B.C. and Sydney, N.S. Newfoundland was expected to be on the network in 1959. The CBC, in cooperation with CFRN-TV Edmonton, CKCK-TV Regina, CKLW-TV Windsor and CHSJ-TV Saint John, used the inaugural program as an electronic travelogue to visit 15 Canadian cities. The microwave network was called the Trans-Canada Skyway.

Walater Romanow was appointed station manger. He joined the station in 1954 as production manager and was later promoted to operations manager. Jim Smith was a switcher. Colin MacLean was an announcer for CFQC-TV. Hugh Edmunds was named CFCN-TV Calgary’s first program manager. He had been assistant operations manager of CFQC-TV.

CKBI-TV got the go ahead for a transmitter at North Battleford. CJNB Radio had planned for a satellite there to rebroadcast CFQC-TV Saskatoon. CKSA Lloydminster had asked for time so that it could submit an application as well. However, the BBG went with CKBI. Harry S. Hay, president of CJNB said if his application had been approved, revenue would have come from one or two hours a day of locally produced programs. E.A. Rawlinson, president of CKBI-TV, proposed a low-power satellite which would be fed from Prince Albert through an intermediate relay station. Art Shortell, president of CKSA, accused Hay of breaking a “gentlemen’s agreement” under which the three stations were to divide the market between them, and sought to delay things until he had time to submit an application for a satellite. Shortell said he opposed CJNB’s application because of the broken agreement but that Rawlinson had not broken it and he would not oppose that application. If Rawlinson’s application were approved, Shortell said he would still apply for his own satellite station.

CFQC opened its first re-broadcaster at Stranraer.

First videotape machine went into service

Will Klein left CFQC-TV where he had been sales manager.

After 13 years at CFRN-TV and Radio in Edmonton, Don Brinton joined CFQC-TV as Station Manager, while Ted Eadinger followed him to the station in the same year to become the first Promotion Manager.

CFQC-TV offered the first colour broadcasting of network programs.

Local colour programs were first broadcast.

Garnet Behnke was named chief accountant. Herb Ashley was appointed production manager for TV. Alec Bridge was named promotion director. Behnke had worked outside the business. Ashley was production manager at CFQC-TV. Bridge had been with the Montreal Star.

Lloyd Saunders had been doing CFQC-AM-TV sports for the past 12 years.

Les Edwards was news director.

CFQC-TV identified itself as “CFQC tv8”.

On June 9, A. A Murphy & Sons Ltd. was granted approval to sell CFQC-TV, CFQC-TV-1 Stranraer, CFQC-TV-2 North Battleford and CFQC-TV-3 Richmond Lake to CFTO-TV Ltd. (Baton Broadcasting) of Toronto. Blair Nelson, Manager of CFQC-TV since its inception would stay on through a five year contract.

CFQC-TV had its application for a rebroadcast transmitter at Melfort turned down. A further application later in the year was approved, this one calling for the transmission of CFQC programming in addition to some programs from CKBI-TV in Prince Albert. The transmitter would operate on channel 2 with a power of 11,500 watts (directional).

Later in the year, Baton subsidiary Russwood Broadcasting took ownership of CFQC Radio and Television.

CFQC-TV became the first prairies TV station to deliver full 30-minute news packages 7 days-a-week, and a daily “Open Line Show”. CFQC-TV has been a consistent award winning station in such program and promotion award competitions as Can-Pro, RTNDA in news competition and the CAB’s former “Station of the Year” award.

Ted Eadinger became Station Manager in 1974, when Don Brinton left to join CKND-TV Winnipeg.

CFQC began broadcasting 24 hours a day.

CFQC-TV’s service to the community extended beyond its on-air activities with the “Citizen of the Year” award, started in the late 60s and continued annually, honouring someone who has been outstanding in helping to better the community. Another project is the “Louis Riel Day”, a day of music, food and fun in the park, built around a relay race of teams which use “Louis Riel Era” modes of transport such as canoe and horseback.

Blair Nelson was Managing Director from 1954 until 1972 when he became the President of Russwood Broadcasting – the new operating company of CFQC-TV, a post held until retirement in 1989.

Ted Eadinger became Vice President and Station Manager.

CFQC-TV planned to replace its 24 year old transmitter with a system that included an RCA OPTO switcher and two individual transmitting units (TT-35FH) combined to provide 35,000 watts (video) with full redundancy.

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

Five western CTV affiliates announced they would join forces for the production of quality TV dramas. Initially, resources of up to $2 million would be pooled by CFQC Saskatoon, CKCK Regina, CFCN Calgary, CFRN Edmonton, and CKY Winnipeg. The stations hoped to obtain additional funds from Telefilm Canada for ongoing drama production in the prairie region.

Baton Broadcasting Inc. of Toronto announced plans to make two major purchases in Saskatchewan that would give it domination of the province with only one exception – CJFB-TV Swift Current. Baton already owned CFQC-TV Saskatoon and had now agreed to buy (90%) CKCK-TV Regina from Harvard Developments Ltd. Harvard in turn would purchase 10% of CFQC-TV and would participate in the management of both stations. Baton had owned CFQC-TV (and AM) for 14 years. The deal came only two weeks after Baton agreed to buy Yorkton Television (CKOS-TV/CBC and CICC-TV/CTV Yorkton and CKBI-TV/CBC Prince Albert). Joe Garwood, vice president and managing director of Baton, said the purchases would create a large unit capable of taking on new challenges, such as the recent approval for CanWest Broadcasting to operate new TV stations at Regina and Saskatoon (SaskWest Television Inc.). The CRTC had described CKCK-TV and CFQC-TV as being among the most profitable TV stations in Canada.

A CRTC hearing in April was to hear proposals by Baton to acquire Yorkton Television Co. Ltd. and Prince Albert TV Inc. Prince Albert TV had also applied for a new CTV station at Prince Albert (channel 9 with 27,000 watts video ERP), which if licensed, would be part of the Baton purchase. Included in the deal were some 14 rebroadcast transmitters of the three existing stations. The CKCK-CFQC deal was also to be heard. If approved (Baton 90%, Harvard 10%), both stations would be owned by limited partnerships in each city. The Baton subsidiaries involved in the deals were CFTO-TV Ltd. and Russwood Broadcasting Ltd.

The Baton Saskatchewan deals were approved by the CRTC. This included the application for the new CTV affiliate at Prince Albert. The resulting new twin-stick operation in Prince Albert would employ 15 additional staff. Baton planned to spend $5.6 million to upgrade studio and production facilities, $2.8 million for transmitting facilities, $2.3 million for a 2-way microwave system, and over $1 million for drama production. 44 new jobs were expected to be created. There would be increased regional programming, including a major provincial Mon-Fri 6:30 p.m. newscast, and expanded availability of the CBC network. Baton also undertook provisions to ensure the continued viability of CJFB-TV Swift Current, the only independent TV station left in Saskatchewan.

The Baton-Harvard partnership took ownership of CFQC-TV and CKCK-TV on August 29. It should be noted that Baton continued to hold the licence for CFQC-AM in Saskatoon.

CFQC-TV-2 North Battleford was authorized to increase effective radiated power from 5,600 watts to 16,800 watts.

News director Leon Brin moved to CKBI-TV / CIPA-TV in Prince Albert, where he became general manager of those stations. Howard Cooper was named president and general manager of CFQC-TV. He had been general manager of CKBI-TV / CIPA-TV.

James Rusnak was appointed executive vice president and general manager of Russwood Broadcasting, the company which managed a number of Saskatchewan television stations owned by Baton Broadcasting. In a related move, Ronald Skinner, president of Shamrock Television of Yorkton, was promoted to executive vice president of Russwood.

E.W. (Ted) Eadinger left for CFPL-TV London to become vice-president and general manager. He had been president of CFQC-TV.

Howard Cooper was the new president and general manager of CFQC-TV.

Jim Mattern was news director at CFQC-TV / CFQC Radio.

Changes at Baton Saskatchewan’s Russwood Broadcasting: James Rusnak, executive vice president and general manager; Ronald Skinner, executive VP; Mel Friesen, general manager of CKCK-TV; Howard Cooper, president and general manager of CFQC-TV; Leon Brin, VP and GM of CKBI-TV and CFQC-TV.

Gerald MacLeod was appointed vice president of operations.

Jim Zaiachkowski was named general sales manager for CFQC-TV’s marketing department.

Baton Broadcasting’s CKCK-TV Regina, CFQC-TV Saskatoon, CKBI-TV and CIPA-TV Prince Albert and CKOS-TV and CICC-TV Yorkton all had their licenses renewed to June 30, 1996. The stations were owned or controlled by Baton’s Russwood Broadcasting, which had spent a total of $16.1 million on the stations, including construction of a microwave system linking the four broadcast centres.

BBS Saskatchewan: Shirley Stus became sales manager. She had been regional sales rep. Bruce Acton became director of communications while keeping his position as CFQC-TV promotion manager. David Fisher became creative director and CFQC-TV creative services manager. Michael Fulmes became executive producer, working out of CKCK-TV.

CFQC-TV General Manager Howard Cooper and Vice President of Programming Bill Stevenson were given early retirement packages. 34 other BBS Saskatchewan employees were laid off – 12 at CKCK-TV, 12 at CICC/CKOS and 10 at CIPA/CKBI. One change would see the jobs of reporters and camera operators combined into photo journalists.

Deryl Ring was no longer President of Baton Saskatchewan. Operations in the province now reported to Fred Filthaut at CFRN-TV Edmonton.

BBS Saskatchewan General Sales Manager Shirley Stus died in February at age 41. She started her 20 year broadcast career at CFQC-TV as sales secretary.

Saskatoon newsman Easten Wayman died at age 59. Over the years he had worked at CFQC-AM-TV, CKOM and CJWW.

After purchasing the CTV Television Network, Baton Broadcasting Inc. changed its name to CTV Inc. The name change was effective December 21.

General Managers through the years were: 1954 Walter “Spike” Romanow; 1964 Don Brinton; 1975 Ted Eadinger; 1988 Howard Cooper; and 1995 Jerry MacLeod.

Rumours had many of the big media companies eyeing CTV.

In a surprise move, late in February, BCE (Canada telephone giant) through its subsidiary BCE Media, proposed to purchase CTV Inc. for $ 2.3 billion, the largest transaction in Canadian broadcasting.

Later in March the CTV board approved the deal, which required CRTC approval.

In June BCE submitted their brief to the CRTC with the largest “benefits package” ever presented to the regulative body. The benefits, money allocated over the proposed seven year licence term, were almost entirely to be spent on new Canadian programming. Ivan Fecan agreed to stay with the network under BCE ownership.

The CRTC hearing was held in September and was approved on December 7th.

On September 1st, CFQC-TV was rebranded as CTV Saskatoon

On July 21, the CRTC approved an application for ownership restructuring by Bell Globemedia (BGM), parent company of CTV, stemming from a deal in December 2005 that saw two new investors added to the company. Thomson family’s Woodbridge Co. Ltd. increased its stake in BGM to 40 per cent from 31.5 per cent, while BCE Inc. reduced its holding to 20 per cent from 68.5 per cent. Two other investors were added to the deal, including Torstar Corp. and Ontario Teachers Pension Plan, each with 20 per cent.

On December 14th, it was announced that effective January 2007, Bell Globemedia would be renamed CTVglobemedia Inc.

On May 15th, the CRTC announced a one-year licence renewal, effective September 1st 2009, for all of CTVglobemedia’s Over-The-Air stations, including CFQC-TV, “….to give these broadcasters some flexibility during the current period of economic uncertainty.” Group-based licence renewals would then be addressed in the spring of 2010. The Commission also stated that it recognized the impracticability of imposing any conditions relative to 1-1 ratios between Canadian and non-Canadian programming in the ensuing year, given the programming commitments that were already in place.

The Commission would however continue to explore various regulatory measures “…to ensure that English-language television broadcasters devote an appropriate proportion of their expenditures to Canadian programming.”

The CRTC approved an amendment to the licence for CFQC-TV Saskatoon, to add a digital transmitter (post-transitional). CFQC-DT would operate on channel 8 with an average effective radiated power of 5,600 watts horizontal and 2,400 watts vertical (maximum ERP of 10,000 watts horizontal and 4,400 watts vertical). A directional antenna would be used at an effective height above average terrain of 268.8 metres. The existing CTV tower would be used and microwave would be used for the studio to transmitter link.

It was expected that, by summer, CTV Calgary would host master control for most of the Western Canadian CTV stations: four in Saskatchewan, three in Alberta, CTV Vancouver and BC Interior feeds.

CTV Saskatoon was now available on Bell Satellite. Bell subscribers in the Saskatoon region had previously been shut out from local programming availability.

On March 7, the CRTC approved an application by BCE Inc. on behalf of CTVglobemedia Inc., for authority to change the effective control of CTVgm’s licensed broadcasting subsidiaries to BCE. The Commission concluded that the transaction would be beneficial to the Canadian broadcasting system by ensuring the long-term stability of a significant Canadian television network and advancing the Commission’s objective of providing relevant high-quality Canadian programming to Canadians through conventional and new media distribution channels. BCE was a public corporation and controlled by its board of directors. Before this approval, BCE held 15% of the voting interest in the capital of CTVgm. The other shareholders were 1565117 Ontario Limited (a corporation ultimately controlled by Mr. David Kenneth R. Thomson) (40% of the voting interest), Ontario Teacher’s Plan Board (25% of the voting interest) and Torstar Corporation (20% of the voting interest). Under the transaction agreement dated September 10, 2010, BCE would acquire the remaining 85% of the voting interest in the capital of CTVgm and would therefore exercise effective control. Condition: enhance local news in Western markets – incremental new local morning newscasts and programming content in Saskatoon – 3 hours x 5 days per week.

On March 15, CTV Inc., CTV Corp., CTV Limited and CTVglobemedia Inc. amalgamated to continue as CTV Inc.

On March 29, the CRTC administratively renewed the licence for a number of conventional television and transitional digital television stations until August 31, 2011. The CRTC 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.

BCE Inc. announced on April 1 that it had completed its acquisition of CTV and that it had launched Bell Media (replacing CTVglobemedia), a new business unit that would make CTV programs and other Bell content available on smartphones and computers as well as traditional television. In addition to CTV and its television stations, Bell Media now also operated 29 specialty channels, 33 radio stations, Dome Productions, a mobile broadcast facilities provider, and dozens of high-traffic news, sports and entertainment websites, including the Sympatico.ca portal.

On July 27, the CRTC renewed the licence for CFQC-DT and its transmitters CFQC-TV-1 Stranraer and CFQC-TV-2 North Battleford until August 31, 2016. The Commission noted the licensee’s commitment to broadcast 7 hours of local programming per week, averaged over the broadcast year.

The CRTC approved a change to the ownership of Bell Media Inc., from BCE Inc. to Bell Canada. This transaction would not affect effective control of Bell Media Inc. and of its licensed broadcasting subsidiaries, which continued to be exercised by BCE Inc. Bell Media Inc. held, directly and through its licensed broadcasting subsidiaries, various radio and television programming undertakings as well as specialty and pay-per-view television services.

On August 1, the CRTC approved the application by Bell Media Inc. to amend the technical parameters of CFQC-DT by increasing the maximum effective radiated power from 10,000 to 13,000 watts, by increasing the average ERP from 5,600 to 13,000 watts, by decreasing the effective height of antenna above average terrain from 268.8 to 267.9 metres and by changing the antenna radiation pattern from directional to non-directional. The licensee stated that this amendment would allow it to increase its coverage in the outlying regions to the south to south-west of Saskatoon. The licensee further stated that CFQC-DT would operate at the existing broadcast site of CFQC-TV by using a different antenna.

August 31 was the deadline for the conversion of analog to digital for television stations in mandatory markets. CFQC-TV (analog) left the air at around 12:05 a.m. C.S.T. on August 31. The station returned to the air a short time later in digital (CFQC-DT). The station broadcast on channel 8 in analog and used that same channel (virtual 8.1) for digital broadcasting.

CTV Saskatoon’s new morning show line-up included co-anchors Chris Carr and Veronica Jubinville, along with weather specialist Mike Ciona and reporter Tara Yolan. Carr spent the last decade working in radio and television throughout Western Canada. Jubinville was a video journalist and anchor at CTV Saskatoon. Ciona’s previous stops included Regina, Yorkton and Saskatoon. Saskatoon native Yolan started her career in television journalism with CTV where she reported and anchored the news for six years.

Jim McCrory died at age 70. The veteran Saskatchewan broadcaster joined CFQC Radio in 1963 as an announcer. In the 1970s, he crossed the hall to CFQC-TV where, for many years, he was the weather man. McCrory retired in 2001.

Denis Gilbertson, operations manager at CTV Saskatchewan, left the company after 25 years. Moving up the ladder, in 2001 he was offered, and accepted , the ops manager role at CTV Saskatoon and then CTV Saskatchewan.

Peter Christensen, was the new CTV Saskatoon Operations Manager/Creative Manager. He arrived from 20+ years as an award-winning Director of Photography in the episodic TV world.

Blair Nelson died at age 94. Nelson was a long-time manager of CFQC-TV and a former city councillor. A member of the Canadian Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame, Nelson had worked at CFQC-TV for several decades, beginning in 1954 (after working in the sales department at CFQC-AM). He served as GM until the TV station was sold in 1986.

Wade Moffatt, the Vice President & General Manager of CTV Saskatchewan’s four stations (Regina, Saskatoon, Yorkton and Prince Albert), was no longer with Bell Media. Moffatt had been with CTV for 21 years.

David Fisher was the new Vice President/General Manager of CTV Saskatchewan, overseeing the CTV stations in Regina, Saskatoon, Yorkton and Prince Albert. Most recently, he was manager of promotions and advertising for CTV Edmonton and CTV Two Alberta.

CFQC converted its local production operations to High Definition and on July 21 HD broadcasting began. Technical Director Dale Liebrecht oversaw the conversion.

December 5 marked the station’s 60th anniversary. To commemorate the occasion and honour its greatest alumni, the main studio was named “The Greg Barnsley Television Studio”.

Wade Moffatt passed away at age 47. The former CTV Saskatchewan VP and General Manager began producing commercials at CFQC-TV, moved into sales and then became the GM for CTV Saskatchewan before moving to the top job. Moffat had been with CTV for 21 years and left in 2012.

Greg Barnsley died at 83 on January 2. He was one of the first employees at CFQC-TV when it went on the air in 1954. The beloved weatherman retired in 1992 and the CTV Saskatoon studio was upgraded and renamed after Barnsley in 2014.

News anchor Rob MacDonald retired January 20 after nearly 41 years with CTV Saskatoon. He started out at CHAB-AM Moose Jaw in 1973 and in 1976 moved to Saskatoon as the late night news anchor for CFQC-TV. He was promoted to six o’clock news anchor in 1988.

It was announced in June that CTV Saskatoon would begin airing a 5:00 p.m. weekday newscast in the fall. This move was being made by all CTV stations not already airing news in this time period.

John Baglieri (35) died on March 8. Baglieri started as a reporter with CTV Prince Albert in 2010 where he also anchored the noon newscast. He joined CTV Saskatoon the following year.

Gerald MacLeod, 76, died on June 24. MacLeod’s 43-year broadcasting career began at CFQC-TV in July 1958. He became production manager in 1974, and then operations manager. In 1989, MacLeod was appointed Vice President of Operations and then served as general manager from 1995 until his retirement in 2001.

On July 30, the CRTC gave Bell Media permission to delete 28 analog rebroadcasting transmitters across the country. Bell stated the transmitters did not generate any incremental revenue and generally attracted little to no added viewership. The following CFQC-DT transmitters would be shut down on February 26, 2021: CFQC-TV-1 Stranraer and CFQC-TV-2 North Battleford.