'Like a family': CKCK TV celebrates 70th Anniversary

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A group of former employees returned to the CKCK Television studio to mark the station’s 70th Anniversary. They say it was a great place to work.

“And it was like a family. It really was like a family,” former producer Bruce Edwards told CTV News. “I think you’ll find with people that toured the station today that it’s an important part of their careers.”

CKCK was the first television station in Saskatchewan. It began programming on July 28th, 1954 with news anchor Jim McLeod delivering the first local broadcast.

Only two people held the supper hour anchor position during the first four decades, Jim McLeod followed by James Allyn.

Layton Burton worked in the newsroom as a photographer.

“All I can visualize when I walk into that newsroom is Jim Allyn and Dale Isaac pounding away on manual typewriters with cigarettes hanging out of their mouths talking about things we can’t talk about today and just having the best time in the world,” he explained.

Until the 1990s, the station worked in tandem with 620 CKCK Radio. Most on air staff did duty at both.

Originally, CKCK Television was a CBC affiliate, switching to CTV in 1969. Viewers had only two channels to choose from, making for a large audience.

“And it was still the golden era of television and journalism and there was just a lot of people here and you had a lot of fun,” former CKCK reporter Dean Gutheil said.

Hundreds of staff have passed through the doors over the seven decades but the commitment remains the same – informing and entertaining the people of southern Saskatchewan.