Originally, Craig owned only two stations in Manitoba: CKX-TV, a CBC Television affiliate in Brandon; and CHMI-TV, an independent station (branded as the Manitoba Television Network, or MTN) in Portage la Prairie and serving Winnipeg. Looking to expand, Craig decided to counter CanWest Global's attempts to obtain licenses from the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) for television stations in Alberta, with a proposal it dubbed "The Alberta Channel".
Initially, Craig had two stations in Manitoba: CKX-TV, a CBC affiliate in Brandon; and CHMI-TV, an independent station (branded as the Manitoba Television Network, or MTN) in Portage la Prairie serving Winnipeg. In order to expand, Craig made a move to counter CanWest Global's attempts to get licenses from the CRTC for TV stations in Alberta, with a proposal he called "The Alberta Channel".