CICI-TV

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CICI-TV is a television station in Sudbury, Ontario, Canada. It is owned by Bell Media and is part of the CTV Television Network. The station’s studios are on Frood Road in Sudbury, and its transmitter is near Huron Street. CICI-TV is the flagship of CTV Northern Ontario and produces most of the local programming for the Northern Ontario stations, though some local news inserts come from other stations in the system. The station broadcasts on analog channel 5 (VHF) and has a digital allocation of channel 8 (VHF).

History in brief:
- Launched October 25, 1953, as CKSO-TV by local businessmen and was Canada’s first privately owned TV station. It began as a CBC affiliate.
- In 1956, a microwave link connected CKSO to Toronto, allowing more CBC programming.
- In 1971, CKSO switched its affiliation from CBC to CTV, and Sudbury’s new CBC outlet CKNC began airing in its place.
- In 1980, financial pressures led to a merger that created the MCTV twinstick; CKSO became CICI, and the Timmins station became CITO-TV.
- In 1990, Baton Broadcasting acquired the stations, and in 1997 Baton gained full control of CTV. CKNC was sold to CBC in 2002 and became a rebroadcaster of CBLT.
- Over the years, several analog transmitters (including CICI-TV-1 in Elliot Lake and CKNY-TV-11 in Huntsville) were shut down, with Huntsville ceasing operation by 2020.
- Each December, CICI-TV airs the locally produced CTV Lions Children’s Christmas Telethon.

Notable notes:
- CICI-TV also airs local programming for the CTV Northern Ontario system, with some region-wide newscast inserts produced elsewhere.
- The station has played an important role in Northern Ontario broadcasting and has seen several ownership and affiliation changes since its founding.