CIHC-DT
| Hay River, Northwest Territories Canada | |
|---|---|
| Channels | Analog: 5 (VHF) Digital: 5 (UHF) Virtual: 5 (AHF) |
| Branding |
|
| Programming | |
| Affiliations | 5.1: CTV/Independent |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | Taylorfilms (Hay River Community Service Society) |
| Sister stations | CFFB-DT, CFWH-DT, CTDC-DT, CHAK-DT, WNQT-DT, CFCL-DT |
| History | |
| First air date | September 11, 1993 |
| Technical information | |
| Licensing authority | CRTC |
| Links | |
| Website | CTV Arctic |
CIHC-DT (channel 8) is a community-based television station within Hay River, Northwest Territories, Canada, serving as the CTV affiliate for the city of Yellowknife. It is owned by the Hay River Television Ltd. within Hay River and is also partially licensed to the city as a community-based television programming undertaking for it's residents.
History
The station officially began when the CRTC approved an application by the Hay River Community Service Society on September 30, 1993. It was initially granted a separate broadcasting license to operate an English-language television station on channel 5 with a low-power transmitter of 10 watts.
Prior to receiving this distinct license, the society operated a community-funded radiocommunication distribution system. This setup used low-power analog transmitters atop the Mackenzie Place high-rise to rebroadcast various Canadian and American satellite signals directly to residents.
Because the society wanted to start broadcasting content they produced themselves locally, the CRTC required them to hold a distinct television programming license rather than a basic distribution permit issued for most stations like within these circumstances.
Standards
In their station's license, as part of its original mandate, CIHC-TV initially operated throughout the day primarily as an automated community bulletin board. It utilized an alpha-numeric character generator to scroll local notices, public announcements, and community information. One of the earliest programming pillars proposed by the station was a weekly television bingo program sponsored by a local service club, functioning as both local entertainment and a community fundraiser. Under its broadcast standards, CIHC-TV was established strictly as a non-encrypted, non-commercial service. The station was entirely barred from carrying commercial advertising.
Funding
Unique to Hay River’s local media ecosystem, television broadcasting overseen by the society has historically been financed through local municipal property taxes. Residents pay a dedicated levy (historically $36 per household per year) to maintain these localized over-the-air television operations. The original 1993 license was issued for a short trial period expiring in 1997. Over the decades, it has seen consecutive renewals alongside broader regulatory structural shifts. In the mid-2020s, the CRTC issued wide-scale administrative renewals for television licensees across Canada to maintain existing station conditions while modernizing frameworks under the Online Streaming Act. As major networks began shutting down over-the-air transmitters in the North—such as the CBC closing its local repeater (CBEBT-1) in 2012—the Hay River Community Service Society proactively stepped in to acquire the transmitter infrastructure. This decision ensured that localized analog signals remained active for residents who rely on over-the-air TV rather than paid cable or satellite.
Programming
Although CIHC primarily operates as a non-commercial educational independent station serving both Hay River and Yellowknife, the station is currently affiliated with the CTV Television Network since September 2026 at the insistence of the federal government due to no CTV outlet being available for Hay River, Yellowknife, Inuvik, and all the other large areas and rural communities out within Arctic Canada. Although CIHC carries the vast majority of CTV programs and generally use a similar schedule to most CTV-owned stations, the station retains all creative qualities and most of its advertising inventory, and it has the final authority over carriage and scheduling of CTV programming. The station does not carry syndication or produce original programming within the visual arts, dramedy, finance, and/or public affairs genres of television, instead using these forms of local entertainment and independent arts from external coverage to ensure that obligations are completely fulfilled, which is almost entirely done via the frequent carriage of national feeds like CBC or Radio-Canada over the society's network.
Local News
One of the station's defining features within its earliest years on the air was its 24/7 scrolling community board. Using an alpha-numeric character generator, it acts as the primary visual source for hyper-local notices, public health alerts, road conditions, fire updates, and municipal public service announcements.
Sports
Historically the most famous and highly watched interactive program produced locally by the station. Sponsored by local service organizations like the Hay River Elks Club, it served as a major town entertainment pillar and a massive fundraiser for local minor sports teams, youth travel, and families in need.
Dramedy
CIHC does not independently script indigenous dramedies on its own, but the society actively dedicates its over-the-air transmitter array to rebroadcast the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network (APTN) to Hay River residents, with this making almost every notable forms of national Indigenous dramedies, public affairs, and a couple of children's programs (like North of North or APTN children's blocks) available locally. Additionally, the station has co-produced some of its own indigenous dramedies and documentary programs with independent companies and/or local producers across Arctic Canada.
Finance
Programming on CIHC-DT within the financial genre is extremely rare and almost exclusively limited entirely to local public notices regarding town budgets or tax structures scrolled on the alpha-numeric board.
