CBK (AM)

CBK

City of license	Watrous, Saskatchewan
Broadcast area	Southern and Central Saskatchewan (Regina and Saskatoon)
Branding	CBC Radio One
Frequency	540 kHz (AM)
First air date	July 29, 1939
Format	public broadcasting
ERP	50,000 watts
Class	A
Transmitter coordinates	51°40′48″N 105°26′48″W / 51.68000°N 105.44667°W / 51.68000; -105.44667
Callsign meaning	Canadian Broadcasting Corporation Henry Kelsey (the first explorer to reach the Canadian Prairies)
Owner	Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
Website	CBC Saskatchewan

CBK is a Canadian clear-channel station, broadcasting the CBC Radio One network at 540 AM to most of southern Saskatchewan. The AM transmitter is located in Watrous, the city of license, but its studios are located at the CBC's broadcast centre in Regina, with an additional bureau in Saskatoon. This facility also houses CBK-FM and CBKT.

The station operates as a 50,000-watt clear-channel station. Due to its location near the bottom of the AM dial, transmitter power and Saskatchewan's flat land (with superb soil conductivity), CBK's daytime signal reaches most of the southern two-thirds of the province, including Regina, Saskatoon, Yorkton, Swift Current, Lloydminster, Moose Jaw and Prince Albert. It also provides grade B coverage as far west as Calgary and as far east as Winnipeg, and reaches across the border into North Dakota. At night, it can be heard across much of the western half of North America. However, it is strongest in Western Canada, North Dakota, Washington, Idaho, Montana, and Minnesota.

History

The station was launched by the CBC in 1939, serving most of Saskatchewan from the single transmitter site. It was originally intended as the CBC's clear-channel operation for the Prairies (CKY in Winnipeg, now CBW, was also a clear-channel, but was a private CBC affiliate at the time). However, it initially aired no local programs. All programming was initially fed from Toronto, then after 1948 from Winnipeg. A local studio didn't open until 1954, on Broad Street in Regina.

For most of World War II, it aired programming in both English and French.

CBK was almost forced to move dial locations in 1947, when the International Telecommunications Conference considered designating 540 for a group of low-powered stations. Eventually, the ITC agreed to allow CBK to use 540 until an alternate location could be found.

There has recently been an effort by the town of Watrous to designate the transmitter a historic site.

Local programming

The station's local programs are The Morning Edition in the mornings from 6 a.m.-8:30 a.m. CST, Blue Sky from 12 noon-2 p.m. CST and The Afternoon Edition in the afternoons from 4 p.m.-6 p.m. CST.

In Saskatoon, CBK-1-FM 94.1 has carried its own local morning program, Saskatoon Morning, in place of The Morning Edition, since 2013. It airs from the CBC's Saskatoon bureau in the Hutchinson Building on 2nd Avenue South in downtown Saskatoon. Saskatoon Morning began streaming online on April 29, and began airing on 94.1 in September after the CBC won Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission approval to move the program over-the-air. For the rest of its broadcasting day, it carries the same programming as CBK.^[1]

Rebroadcasters

In 2000, the CBC opened a local FM repeater of CBK in Regina, CBKR-FM 102.5, due to problems with urban AM reception during the day. In 2006, a second repeater was added -- CBK-1-FM 94.1 in Saskatoon.

CBK has the following rebroadcasters; except for its Regina, Saskatoon and Meadow Lake transmitters, all are licensed to rebroadcast CBKA-FM La Ronge (see below):

Community-owned rebroadcasters

Though separately licenced, CBKA-FM in La Ronge is a full-time satellite of CBK. Until 2009, that station produced its own noon-hour show and regional news updates, although it aired both The Morning Edition and The Afternoon Edition.^[2]

References

External links

• Radio locator info on CBK-AM
• CBC Saskatchewan
• CBK (AM) history at Canadian Communications Foundation
• Query the REC's Canadian station database for CBK