CHBC-DT

CHBC-DT, virtual channel 2 (UHF digital channel 27), is a Global owned-and-operated television station located in Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada. The station is owned by the Shaw Media subsidiary of Shaw Communications. CHBC maintains studio facilities located on Leon Avenue (near Water Street) in Kelowna, and its main transmitter is located near Lambly Creek Road in Central Okanagan; CHBC also operates 18 rebroadcast transmitters across the southeastern part of the province.

On cable, the station is also available on Shaw Cable (corporate sister through parent company Shaw Communications) channel 4 and Telus Optik TV channel 114. There is a high definition feed offered on Shaw Cable digital channel 211.

History

As a CBC affiliate

The station first signed on the air on September 21, 1957, originally operating as a CBC affiliate. Its signal covered the central Okanagan, broadcasting at 3,700 watts of power from its main studios and transmitter in Kelowna. The station was founded by three local radio stations: CKOV-AM (1210, now CKQQ-FM on 103.1) in Kelowna, CKOK (800 AM, now CKOR) in Penticton and CJIB (107.5 FM, now CKIZ-FM) in Vernon. Due to the mountainous terrain of the area, which impaired the primary signal in certain areas, the station began operating repeaters a few weeks later in Vernon (broadcasting on VHF channel 7, at 310 watts) and Penticton (broadcasting on VHF channel 13, at 300 watts). At the time of the station's sign-on, only 500 homes in the area had television receivers, but that amount rose to 10,000 the following year. The station had ordered two studio cameras, but due to the number of television stations that started up in North America during that period, the station had to make do with one camera on loan for a year until the order was filled. They also relied on 16 mm film, which was developed first by a local photo lab, and then again in-house.