Baton Broadcasting applied to the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) for a licence to operate an independent television station for the Wheatley area, that would also serve Chatham and Windsor. This application was related to, and directly dependent on, Baton's purchase of CFPL-TV in London and CKNX-TV in Wingham from The Blackburn Group, as their intention was to launch a semi-satellite of CFPL-TV that served Chatham and Windsor. At the time, the only clear signals from Canadian stations were from TVOntario, the CBC and Télévision de Radio-Canada. The station's license application was approved on January 26, 1993, and CHWI-TV first began broadcasting on October 19, 1993. This marked Baton's return to television broadcasting in the region after the CBC had bought out Baton's majority interest in CKLW-TV in Windsor, renaming it CBET, in 1975 (Baton also operated radio stations in Windsor until 1984).