CHEK has served Vancouver Island since 1956. It was the first private TV station in BC, and CHEK is now the only employee-owned station inNorth America! In September 2009, with overwhelming support from communities across Vancouver Island, CHEK employees and Island investors purchased the station to ensure the Island's most watched news remained on-air. In recognition, the employees of CHEK were honoured with a national award for Journalistic Integrity by the Canadian Journalism Foundation.