CHAB-TV

Jack Moffat, president and general manager of CHAB Ltd., announced that CHAB had opened the first unattended television transmitter in North America. The electronically controlled unit cost $10,000 and used no more space than the average sized suitcase. The RCA designed remote transmitter was controlled from the downtown studios by a selector, identical in appearance to a telephone dial. The station’s transmitter was located 17 miles west of Moose Jaw in the Caron district. Antenna height was 590 feet – 1,300 feet higher than the city.

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On August 25, CHAB-TV switched network affiliation from CBC to CTV.
CHAB Ltd. launched CHRE-TV in Regina on December 21. It was a semi-satellite of CHAB-TV Moose Jaw. The transmitter was located northeast of Regina on a 735-foot tall tower. Both stations were CTV affiliates.

Sid Boyling, CKY Radio (Moffat Broadcasting Ltd.) Winnipeg’s former general manager moved to Moose Jaw to become GM for Jack Moffat’s (CHAB Limited) CHAB-TV and CHRE-TV. He replaced the departing Gary Johnson. Boyling had in the past, operated CHAB for many years, before the stations were sold to Jack Moffat.

At this time, CHAB-TV operated on channel 4 with effective radiated power of 48,000 watts video and 25,000 watts audio. CHRE-TV broadcast on channel 9, with an ERP of 140,000 watts video and 75,000 watts audio.

Moffat Broadcasting Ltd. announced that Randall L. Moffat and his sister, Donna M. Pryor, had exercised an option to buy the controlling interest of their uncle, Jack. D. Moffat, in CHAB Ltd. (CHAB-AM-TV Moose Jaw and CHRE-TV Regina). Federal approval was required. Jack Moffat had previously announced the sale of the company to Jim Pattison Enterprises Ltd subject to first refusal rights of minority interests. Moffat Broadcasting owned CKLG-AM-FM Vancouver and CKY Winnipeg, of which Randall was president, and CKXL Calgary, of which Donna was president. The company also had a part interest in CHED Edmonton.

On May 30, Moffat Broadcasting received approval to acquire the Moose Jaw and Regina stations but would have to find another purchaser for CHRE-TV and CHAB-TV within a year or the licenses would be automatically revoked. Both stations were CTV affiliates and the network was owned by its affiliated stations. Moffat already owned 50% of CJAY-TV in Winnipeg, another CTV station. No person or company could control more than one CTV station. Moffat agreed to transfer its rights, powers and obligations as a CTV member to G. Ross Snead for one year. He would act as a representative of CHAB Ltd. on the CTV board during this period.

On July 18, CHAB Ltd. had its application to sell CHAB-TV and CHRE-TV to Western Broadcast Management Ltd. denied. The CRTC instead approved the sale of the stations to the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.

On September 13, CHAB-TV and CHRE-TV became CBKMT Moose Jaw and CBKRT Regina, and was known as “9&4”. The CTV affiliation moved to CKCK-TV in Regina and CKMJ-TV in Marquis (Moose Jaw). The local supper-hour news on 9&4 was renamed from Our World to Evening News. The CBC received approval to operate a rebroadcast transmitter at La Ronge to receive programming on a delayed basis. It would broadcast over channel 12 with a power of five watts.