Stingray announces that CITL & CKSA TV are off the air; local radio stations remain

Image: The landing page of the CKSA and CITL websites on Tuesday morning. 

TV in Lloydminster is no more.

Stingray announced that CITL and CKSA television have gone off the air, effective immediately, as of Tuesday, citing economic challenges.

“Representing Stingray’s sole conventional television properties, CITL/CKSA TV has operated under increasingly challenging economic conditions which have greatly deteriorated over the last 6 years,” a press release reads.

“During that time, viewership has substantially decreased, and revenues have dropped by more than half. Despite cost-containment strategies, the expense of producing local television in a market the size of Lloydminster has resulted in significant losses, making the continued operation of the Lloydminster TV stations unsustainable.”

The release went on to say that they are committed to “small market radio” which includes Hot 101.3 in Bonnyville and Boom 95.3 in Cold Lake, as well as stations in Lloyd and Wainwright.

Bonnyville was home to transmitters for the sister stations.

Stingray purchased the stations from Newcap during the company acquisition in

CITL had been a CTV affiliate since its inception in 1976. CKSA dates back to 1960 and was originally a CBC affiliate, before switching to Global in 2016, and then CityTV in 2021.