Wingham in Huron County, Ontario — Central Canada (North America)

W. T. (Doc) Cruickshank

1897 - 1971

Photographed by Tim Boyd, July 4, 2025

1. W. T. (Doc) Cruickshank Marker

Inscription. From our midst came a boy of humble beginning, with quiet dignity, unwavering integrity and an idea. His pioneering spirit made the idea become his life achievement in the field of Canadian Broadcasting, the founding of CKNX Radio and Television. From our midst went a man of humble beginning, with quiet dignity, unwavered Integrity and the respect and admiration of his community. This site, established by the People of Wingham, is dedicated to his exemplary conduct as citizen and humanist.

Erected 1971.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Communications • Entertainment.

Location. 43° 53.352′ N, 81° 18.646′ W. Marker is in Wingham, Ontario, in Huron County. It is on Josephine Street 0.1 kilometers south of Alfred Street, on the right when traveling south. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 360 Josephine Street, Wingham ON N0G 2W0, Canada. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in the Huron-Perth-Waterloo-Wellington Area

and in Southwestern Ontario.

It is also in Central Canada.

Globally,

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it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once a British colony,

the Viceroyalty of New France,

the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy,

and Rupert’s Land.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 18 kilometers of this marker, measured as the crow flies: “A Glimpse of the Past” (approx. 0.2 kilometers away); George Agnew Reid (approx. 0.3 kilometers away); The Founding of Wingham (approx. 0.3 kilometers away); Alice Munro (approx. 0.3 kilometers away); Olympian Jennie Fletcher (approx. 12.3 kilometers away); Teeswater Cenotaph (approx. 12.4 kilometers away); The Founding of Teeswater (approx. 12.4 kilometers away); The Founding of Brussels (approx. 16.9 kilometers away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Wingham.

Also see . . .
1. CKNX-AM (History of Canadian Broadcasting). 1926 It was February. The setting was Wingham, a town of 2,700 people. W. T. “Doc” Cruickshank took time out from his work at a local factory to experiment with a tiny radio transmitter he made from a drawing in Popular Mechanics

Photographed by Tim Boyd, July 4, 2025

2. W. T. (Doc) Cruickshank Marker

magazine. Going through a box of spare radio parts, he came up with all that he needed. His little transmitter was completed within an hour. It was so small, on the top of an old butter box, he could carry it from his home to his new shop where he had started to sell and repair radios. He was the only radio retailer and service man within a 50 mile radius of Wingham. A few days later, station “JOKE” was born. The project was so much fun, Doc called it a joke, and since he didn’t have a turntable or records, all the programming was live and unscheduled. (Submitted on July 9, 2025, by Tim Boyd of Hamilton, Ontario.)

2. CKNX-TV (History of Canadian Broadcasting).

1955

It usually takes at least a year to go from the planning stage to getting a new station on the air. Doc had CKNX-TV up and running within three months. It was 6:00 p.m., November 18 that channel 8 began broadcasting from Wingham – “the smallest community in the world with its own television station”. Wingham only had some 3,000 residents. CKNX-TV served a market made up of five agriculturally oriented counties in mid-western Ontario. The sign-on program was
Photographed by Tim Boyd, July 4, 2025

3. Cruickshank Park in 2025
called “Focus”, 60 minutes of news, sports, weather and farm news, along with a Musical combo and an emcee.

(Submitted on July 9, 2025, by Tim Boyd of Hamilton, Ontario.)

Credits. This page was last revised on July 9, 2025. It was originally submitted on July 9, 2025, by Tim Boyd of Hamilton, Ontario. This page has been viewed 274 times since then and 22 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on July 9, 2025, by Tim Boyd of Hamilton, Ontario. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.