CHEK News

What CHEK News does

CHEK News (legal entity CHEK Media) is an independent, employee-owned local television and digital news organization headquartered in Victoria, British Columbia, with regional bureaus in Nanaimo and the Comox Valley. The company produces local news, weather, sports, political coverage, and community-focused feature programming for Vancouver Island audiences across multiple distribution surfaces. Its product portfolio centers on the cheknews.ca website, the CHEK+ OTT streaming service (available on Apple TV, Samsung TV, Roku, Amazon Fire TV, and iOS/Android), the CHEK Mobile App, and a 24/7 livestream channel. Original programming includes talk shows (Donnie and Dhali, Now You Know BC, This is VANCOLOUR), cooking shows (Cookin' on the Coast, The Dome Cooking Show, Kaeshammer's Kitchen), archival series (Island Rewind), sports features (Jordan Cunningham's Big League Treatment), and recurring community segments (Inspiring Island Women, Order Up!, Pet CHEK, Vital People, The Upside). The content management stack is WordPress-based (Newspack), with JW Player handling video delivery and Spreaker distributing 14+ podcasts. The station also operates 24/7 harbour cameras in Victoria and Nanaimo and runs educational series such as Weather School.

The business model is advertising- and sponsorship-led. Linear broadcast newscasts (weekdays at 5 p.m., 6 p.m., and 10 p.m.; weekends at 5 p.m.) carry commercial inventory; CHEK+ streaming is offered free without cable authentication to maximize audience reach and inventory value. Revenue is supplemented by community sponsorships (with partners including Arbutus RV, Traveland RV, Country Grocer, Destination Greater Victoria, and Pacific FC), branded/sponsored content, and a growing set of B2B services: video and commercial production, greenscreen studio rental, and podcast studio rental. Marketing and distribution rely on a broad social presence (Facebook, X, Threads, YouTube, TikTok, Bluesky, Instagram), a daily email newsletter (CHEK Now), community events, and strategic content partnerships.

The customer base is two-sided: a B2C audience of Vancouver Island residents consuming local news and lifestyle content, and a B2B advertiser base of regional businesses (retail, tourism, automotive/RV, grocery, sports) purchasing on-air, OTT, and sponsored content placements. As an employee-owned entity, CHEK has no external private equity, venture, or corporate parent; ownership sits with current employees. The company does not disclose revenue, headcount, or founding date in the available data.

Name

CHEK News

Legal name

CHEK Media

Website

https://cheknews.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

1956

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

CHEK News (CHEK Media) is an independent, employee-owned local TV and digital news organization serving Vancouver Island from Victoria, Nanaimo, and Comox Valley via linear broadcast, the free CHEK+ OTT streaming service, mobile apps, and a portfolio of podcasts and original shows, funded primarily by advertising and sponsorships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Local Broadcast News

NAICS

Television Broadcasting Stations (516120)

SIC

Television Broadcasting Stations (4833)

akta.pro primary industry

Independent Local TV Stations (MPABACAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Local News & Weather Stations (MPABACAJ)

Keywords

• Local broadcast news
• Streaming television
• News media
• Video production
• Podcast distribution

Headquarters

HQ city

Gatineau

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Advertising and Sponsorships: CHEK News generates revenue through advertising sales, commercial production services, and sponsored content. The station maintains a dedicated advertising page and offers 'Sales + Marketing' and 'Creative Services' to clients.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

CHEK News is an independent, employee-owned local television news station that produces and distributes Vancouver Island-focused news, weather, sports, and original programming. It reaches audiences through linear TV newscasts, the free CHEK+ OTT streaming platform available across smart TVs and mobile devices, the cheknews.ca website, podcast distribution, and production services for advertisers and community partners.

Product overview

CHEK News is an independent, employee-owned local television station and news organization covering Vancouver Island from studios in Victoria, BC with bureaus in Nanaimo and the Comox Valley. The company operates a multi-platform media ecosystem consisting of the core cheknews.ca website for breaking news and local stories, the CHEK+ streaming service (OTT platform available on Apple TV, Samsung TV, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV, and mobile apps) providing on-demand access to original shows, podcasts, and newscasts, and the CHEK Mobile App for iOS and Android. Original programming includes talk shows (Donnie and Dhali, Now You Know BC, This is VANCOLOUR), cooking shows (Cookin' on the Coast, The Dome Cooking Show, Kaeshammer's Kitchen), archival series (Island Rewind), and sports features (Jordan Cunningham's Big League Treatment). Feature series cover food (Order Up!), pets (Pet CHEK), inspiring local women (Inspiring Island Women), weather education (Weather School), and community stories (The Upside, Vital People, VIBE). Additional services include 24/7 livestreaming, Vancouver Island weather forecasting, CHEK Harbour Cams, podcast production and distribution (via Spreaker), video/commercial production services with studio rentals (greenscreen and podcast studios), newsletter subscriptions, community sponsorship, and interactive features like polls and Sudoku. The company generates revenue through advertising sales, creative services, and community partnerships.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• CHEK+ Streaming Service Free over-the-top (OTT) streaming service allowing viewers to watch local Vancouver Island shows, podcasts, full newscast episodes, and individual CHEK News stories on-demand across smart TVs and mobile devices without a cable subscription or login.
• CHEK Mobile App Mobile application for iOS and Android smartphones enabling users to stream CHEK+ content, access breaking news, weather, local stories, and news alerts on-the-go.
• CHEK Podcasts Branded podcast portfolio covering news, politics, business, community, and tourism topics for Vancouver Island and British Columbia, distributed via the Spreaker platform and major podcast apps.
• Video/Commercial Production Services Professional video and commercial production services offered by CHEK to advertisers, sponsors, and external clients, leveraging in-house studio, podcast, and greenscreen facilities.
• Podcast Studio Rental Rental of CHEK's professional podcast studio facilities to external clients and producers for podcast recording and production.
• CHEK Greenscreen Studio Rental Rental of CHEK's professional greenscreen studio for video production by advertisers, agencies, and external clients.
• CHEK Now Newsletter Daily email newsletter service delivering top Vancouver Island news stories and breaking-news alerts to subscriber inboxes.
• CHEK Harbour Cams 24/7 Livestreams Continuous 24/7 livestream video feeds from harbour cameras located in Victoria and Nanaimo, available to viewers via CHEK's platforms.
• Vancouver Island Weather Coverage Local weather forecasting and reporting service dedicated to Vancouver Island, delivered across broadcast, streaming, and web platforms.
• CHEK News Website (cheknews.ca) Main CHEK news website covering Vancouver Island with breaking news, local stories, weather, sports, video content, podcasts, and streaming access from CHEK's Victoria studios and Nanaimo/Comox Valley bureaus.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration8 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• Arbutus RVminorGTM or Marketing PartnerArbutus RV sponsors the Island Rewind series, a weekly show featuring stories from Vancouver Island's past.
• Traveland RVminorGTM or Marketing PartnerTraveland RV sponsors content on CHEK News, including the celebrations/contests section.
• Country GrocerminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCountry Grocer sponsors birthday and anniversary celebrations contest on CHEK.
• Destination Greater VictoriaminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCo-produced 'Every Visitor Counts' podcast with Destination Greater Victoria for tourism content.
• Pacific FCminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCHEK provides game schedules and sports coverage for Pacific FC soccer team.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• NTV (NTV Television): Independent local TV station serving Newfoundland and Labrador with regional news and original programming. Similar in scale and independent-operator profile to CHEK, providing a useful comparable for the small-market independent broadcaster model.
• Global BC: Corus Entertainment-owned regional broadcaster covering British Columbia including Vancouver Island. Provides overlapping news, weather, and sports coverage and competes head-to-head for audience and ad share in the CHEK market.
• CHCH-DT: Independent local TV station in Hamilton, Ontario, with a comparable independent-ownership model and hyper-local multi-platform distribution strategy. Structurally similar to CHEK as an independent Canadian local broadcaster outside the major network groups.
• CTV Vancouver Island: Bell Media-owned local TV news operation that directly competes with CHEK in the Vancouver Island market, covering the same geography with news, weather, and sports. Closest direct head-to-head competitor in CHEK's home market.
• Village Media: Independent Canadian operator of a network of community news websites across Ontario with a model emphasizing local journalism and digital-first distribution. Comparable as a multi-site independent local news operator targeting underserved local markets.
• CBC British Columbia: Public broadcaster with a Vancouver Island bureau covering local news, politics, and community stories in the same geography as CHEK. Competes for the same audience and advertisers, with the added dimension of public funding.

Emerging players

• The Discourse: Independent Canadian digital news startup focused on in-depth local journalism in smaller markets. Represents an emerging digital-first model that competes for the same hyper-local news audience and advertiser attention as CHEK.

Broad incumbents

• Glacier Media: Western Canadian media company operating a portfolio of community newspapers and digital news properties across BC and the prairies. Comparable as a multi-platform local/community news operator in the same region, though print-and-digital rather than broadcast-led.
• CityNews Vancouver: Rogers Sports & Media-owned local news operation covering Metro Vancouver and broader BC. A larger incumbent with broader Lower Mainland focus that overlaps with CHEK on provincial and breaking news coverage.

Regional players

• Castanet: BC-based digital news and information platform primarily serving the Okanagan region. Regional peer in the same province with comparable local news, classifieds, and community information model, though geographically distinct from CHEK's Vancouver Island focus.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/chek_news
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@chek_media
• Facebookfacebook.com/cheknews
• Instagraminstagram.com/chek_news
• TikToktiktok.com/@chekmedia
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/chek-news

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about CHEK News