2007 Canada broadcast TV realignment
Encyclopedia
In 2007, significant ownership changes occurred in Canada
's broadcast television industry, involving nearly every network and television system
. In addition to the shuffling of television network affiliations and network mergers, several new broadcast translators and new television station
s also took to the air.
In 2006, following the death of longtime chairman Allan Waters
, CHUM Limited
decided to shut down operations and sell its broadcasting assets to a willing bidder. Bell Globemedia (now CTVglobemedia
) announced a $1.7 billion takeover offer in July of that year.
Bell Globemedia initially intended to retain CHUM's popular Citytv
-branded stations and its numerous specialty channels, selling off the smaller-market A-Channel stations along with several specialty channels to a willing bidder. Rogers Communications
originally bid on the A-Channel stations; Brandon, Manitoba
's CKX-TV
; Alberta
educational station Access
; SexTV
; and CLT. However, CTV's plans were denied by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC), as all five Citytv stations are based in markets where CTV already has owned-and-operated
(O&O) stations, and so CTV's retention of Citytv would have exceeded the CRTC's concentration of media ownership
limits. CTV was, however, allowed to retain control of the A-Channel stations and all of CHUM's specialty channels.
Soon afterwards, Rogers placed a new bid to purchase the Citytv system as a complement to its own Omni Television
, a system of multicultural-themed stations.
's Citytv stations, and sell off the A-Channel stations, CKX-TV
, and several other digital specialty channels. However, this was denied by the CRTC, and CTV was told it could purchase A-Channel instead. With this outcome, CTV put the Citytv stations in trusteeship with corporate lawyer John McKellar
while searching for an owner. Rogers Communications
, which had originally bid on the A-Channel stations before the CRTC decision, offered a new bid for the Citytv stations a few days later, which was approved by the CRTC on September 28, 2007.
CHUM Limited officially ceased operations on June 22, 2007. All of the CHUM Limited properties (with the exception of the Citytv
stations, and CHUM's interest in MusiquePlus
and Musimax
) are now fully owned by CTVglobemedia (now Bell Media).
CTV (now Bell Media) has also retained ownership of CHUM's cable specialty services, including MuchMusic
, Star!, Space, Bravo!, CP24, and CHUM's radio station
s.
A-Channel's original 2007-08 schedule was announced in early June, before the takeover was approved by the CRTC. By September, CTV had radically altered the schedule to give A-Channel broadcast rights to several series CTV had not been able to fit into its own fall schedule, including Two and a Half Men
, Jeff Ltd.
, Scrubs
and 30 Rock
. The A-Channel network along with the Atlantic Satellite Network were later rebranded as A in 2008 and CTV Two which incorporated Access Alberta on August 29, 2011.
CTVglobemedia announced on November 16, 2007, along with its co-owner Comcast
, that it will sell the remaining interest of OLN to Rogers
. The company announced on March 8, 2008, that it would sell Canadian Learning Television to Corus Entertainment
.
BCE Inc. would eventually regain 100% of CTV's broadcasting arm in April 2011, thus becoming known as Bell Media.
had wanted to gain a multicultural station in Vancouver
for a long time, but was either denied by the CRTC and competitor station CHNM-TV
(Channel M), or was out-bid for stations in the market. In 2005, opportunity arose when Rogers was given permission to purchase religious broadcaster Trinity Television, owner of the television station CHNU-TV
and the Winnipeg
license CIIT-TV
.
In 2007, both Multivan Broadcasting (CHNM-TV's owner) and Rogers submitted bids for television stations in Edmonton
and Calgary
during the most recent call for applications of broadcast licences by the CRTC. The licences were awarded to Rogers, which launched CJCO
and CJEO
in the fall of 2008. Shortly thereafter, Multivan entered a tentative deal to sell CHNM to Rogers, citing the loss of the Calgary and Edmonton licenses as leaving the company no longer able to compete as a standalone station. Rogers also announced the intention to sell its two religious stations (Vancouver's CHNU-TV and Winnipeg's CIIT-TV) to S-VOX
on November 6, 2007. Rogers' acquisition of CHNM and its sale of CHNU and CIIT to S-VOX were both approved by the CRTC on March 31, 2008.
CHNM was relaunched as an Omni Television
station (OMNI British Columbia) on September 1, 2008, while S-VOX
's CIIT (CIIT 11) and CHNU (CHNU 10) stations were relaunched as Joytv 11 and 10
respectively on the same date.
In addition, Rogers applied to purchase the Citytv stations for an estimated $375 million. Media analysts have suggested that with a more powerful media conglomerate such as Rogers behind them, the Citytv stations will effectively become Canada's fourth full-fledged commercial television network, in effect if not immediately in name. The Citytv transaction was approved by the CRTC on September 28, 2007, and Rogers officially became Citytv's new owner on October 31.
Rogers acquired the remaining interest of OLN from CTVglobemedia
and Comcast
on August 31, 2008.
E!
owner Comcast
which saw the two broadcasters share certain programming. At the same time, the system's local O&Os revived their call signs as their local programming branding. Red Deer, Alberta
O&O CHCA-TV
was also granted permission to expand its signal to Edmonton
and Calgary
, a request that the CRTC had previously denied.
The E! television system was disbanded in 2009 amidst Canwest's financial woes, with its O&Os being sold off, converted to a Global
O&O, or (in the case of CHCA-TV) closed down. The trio of Pattison Group E! stations joined the Citytv
system.
The E! brand would eventually return to Canada, when CTVglobemedia (later owned by Bell Media) struck a deal with Comcast (later owned by NBCUniversal) to re-launch its existing entertainment-focused specialty channel Star! as E! in November 2010.
, also applied to the CRTC to purchase the assets of Alliance Atlantis
, a broadcasting and film production company which operated 13 licensed cable channels and was a partial owner of seven more.
The transaction was approved by the CRTC in early January 2008. CanWest sold off the production division, but retained ownership of the cable channels.
Shaw eventually took control of Canwest's television arm in late October 2010 following Canwest seeking creditor protection in late 2009, thus becoming Shaw Media.
, a religious broadcaster, also expanded in 2007, being granted licences to launch new stations in Calgary (CKCS
) and Edmonton (CKES
). Crossroads previously consisted of a single station, CITS
in Southern Ontario
.
in Toronto
) had applied for licences to operate repeater transmitter
s in London
and Ottawa
, to bring it on par with fellow Toronto-area stations CITY-TV
, CITS-TV
, OMNI.1
and OMNI.2
, as those channels currently operate translators in those cities. The reason for this request was that it would put the station on a level playing field in regards to Simultaneous substitution
. This request was accepted, and the new stations went on the air in London on channels 26 (analog) and 19 (digital), and in Ottawa on channels 54 (analog) and 20 (digital) in fall 2008.
Quebecor Media's new 24-hour news channel Sun News Network replaced SUN TV
on April 18, 2011.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
's broadcast television industry, involving nearly every network and television system
Television system
A television system is a Canadian term for a group of television stations which share common ownership, branding, and programming, but are not considered a full television network....
. In addition to the shuffling of television network affiliations and network mergers, several new broadcast translators and new television station
Television station
A television station is a business, organisation or other such as an amateur television operator that transmits content over terrestrial television. A television transmission can be by analog television signals or, more recently, by digital television. Broadcast television systems standards are...
s also took to the air.
Sale of CHUM Limited to Bell Globemedia
Allan Waters
Allan Waters was a Canadian businessman and media icon. Waters was one of the founders of CHUM Limited, a Canadian media corporation....
, CHUM Limited
CHUM Limited
CHUM Limited was a media company based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada from 1945 to 2007. Immediately prior to its acquisition, it held full or joint control of two Canadian television systems — Citytv and A-Channel — comprising 11 local stations, and one CBC Television affiliate, one...
decided to shut down operations and sell its broadcasting assets to a willing bidder. Bell Globemedia (now CTVglobemedia
CTVglobemedia
CTVglobemedia , was one of Canada's largest private media companies. Its operations include newspaper publishing , television broadcasting and production , radio broadcasting , and their respective Internet properties.Originally established by BCE and the Thomson family in 2001 combining CTV Inc.,...
) announced a $1.7 billion takeover offer in July of that year.
Bell Globemedia initially intended to retain CHUM's popular Citytv
Citytv
Citytv is a Canadian English language television system owned and operated by Rogers Communications under its Rogers Broadcasting Ltd. division...
-branded stations and its numerous specialty channels, selling off the smaller-market A-Channel stations along with several specialty channels to a willing bidder. Rogers Communications
Rogers Communications
Rogers Communications Inc. is one of Canada's largest communications companies, particularly in the field of wireless communications, cable television, home phone and internet with additional telecommunications and mass media assets...
originally bid on the A-Channel stations; Brandon, Manitoba
Brandon, Manitoba
Brandon is the second largest city in Manitoba, Canada, and is located in the southwestern area of the province. Brandon is the largest city in the Westman region of Manitoba. The city is located along the Assiniboine River. Spruce Woods Provincial Park and CFB Shilo are a relatively short distance...
's CKX-TV
CKX-TV
CKX-TV was a television station in Brandon, Manitoba, Canada, formerly affiliated with CBC Television. Owned and operated by CTVglobemedia, it was the first privately owned television station in Manitoba...
; Alberta
Alberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
educational station Access
Access (TV channel)
CTV Two Alberta is a Canadian English language entertainment, information, and educational television channel in the province of Alberta...
; SexTV
SexTV: The Channel
W Movies is a Canadian English language Category B specialty channel which focuses on films and film-related series aimed at women. It is a spinoff channel of W Network and is owned by Corus Entertainment.-As SexTV: The Channel:...
; and CLT. However, CTV's plans were denied by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC), as all five Citytv stations are based in markets where CTV already has owned-and-operated
Owned-and-operated station
In the broadcasting industry , an owned-and-operated station usually refers to a television station or radio station that is owned by the network with which it is associated...
(O&O) stations, and so CTV's retention of Citytv would have exceeded the CRTC's concentration of media ownership
Concentration of media ownership
Concentration of media ownership refers to a process whereby progressively fewer individuals or organizations control increasing shares of the mass media...
limits. CTV was, however, allowed to retain control of the A-Channel stations and all of CHUM's specialty channels.
Soon afterwards, Rogers placed a new bid to purchase the Citytv system as a complement to its own Omni Television
OMNI Television
Omni Television, corporately styled as OMNI Television, is a Canadian television system owned and operated by Rogers Communications. It consists of the company's conventional television stations in Ontario, British Columbia and Alberta which are licensed as multicultural stations...
, a system of multicultural-themed stations.
CTVglobemedia
Bell Globemedia originally placed a bid to purchase CHUM LimitedCHUM Limited
CHUM Limited was a media company based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada from 1945 to 2007. Immediately prior to its acquisition, it held full or joint control of two Canadian television systems — Citytv and A-Channel — comprising 11 local stations, and one CBC Television affiliate, one...
's Citytv stations, and sell off the A-Channel stations, CKX-TV
CKX-TV
CKX-TV was a television station in Brandon, Manitoba, Canada, formerly affiliated with CBC Television. Owned and operated by CTVglobemedia, it was the first privately owned television station in Manitoba...
, and several other digital specialty channels. However, this was denied by the CRTC, and CTV was told it could purchase A-Channel instead. With this outcome, CTV put the Citytv stations in trusteeship with corporate lawyer John McKellar
John McKellar
John McKellar was a businessman and political figure in Ontario, Canada. He was the first mayor of Fort William, Ontario , serving from 1892 to 1898....
while searching for an owner. Rogers Communications
Rogers Communications
Rogers Communications Inc. is one of Canada's largest communications companies, particularly in the field of wireless communications, cable television, home phone and internet with additional telecommunications and mass media assets...
, which had originally bid on the A-Channel stations before the CRTC decision, offered a new bid for the Citytv stations a few days later, which was approved by the CRTC on September 28, 2007.
CHUM Limited officially ceased operations on June 22, 2007. All of the CHUM Limited properties (with the exception of the Citytv
Citytv
Citytv is a Canadian English language television system owned and operated by Rogers Communications under its Rogers Broadcasting Ltd. division...
stations, and CHUM's interest in MusiquePlus
MusiquePlus
MusiquePlus is a Canadian French language Category A specialty channel owned by Astral Media operating from Montreal, Quebec.MusiquePlus is devoted to music and music related programming from various genres including pop, rock, RnB and focuses on a younger demographic than its sister station, MusiMax...
and Musimax
MusiMax
MusiMax is a Canadian French language Category A specialty channel owned by Astral Media operating out of Montreal, Quebec.MusiMax is devoted to music and music related programming focusing more on adult contemporary, soft-rock, classic rock and lighter music than its sister station, MusiquePlus...
) are now fully owned by CTVglobemedia (now Bell Media).
CTV (now Bell Media) has also retained ownership of CHUM's cable specialty services, including MuchMusic
MuchMusic
MuchMusic is a Canadian English language Category A specialty channel owned by Bell Media. MuchMusic is dedicated to music-related programs, pop and youth culture.-History:...
, Star!, Space, Bravo!, CP24, and CHUM's radio station
Radio station
Radio broadcasting is a one-way wireless transmission over radio waves intended to reach a wide audience. Stations can be linked in radio networks to broadcast a common radio format, either in broadcast syndication or simulcast or both...
s.
A-Channel's original 2007-08 schedule was announced in early June, before the takeover was approved by the CRTC. By September, CTV had radically altered the schedule to give A-Channel broadcast rights to several series CTV had not been able to fit into its own fall schedule, including Two and a Half Men
Two and a Half Men
Two and a Half Men is an American television sitcom that premiered on CBS on September 22, 2003. Starring Charlie Sheen, Jon Cryer, and Angus T. Jones, the show was originally about a hedonistic jingle writer, Charlie Harper; his uptight brother, Alan; and Alan's growing son, Jake...
, Jeff Ltd.
Jeff Ltd.
Jeff Ltd. is a CTV television series. The half-hour long series stars Jeff Seymour of The Eleventh Hour, and also airs on The Comedy Network. The show follows Jeff Stevens, an advertising exec who thinks he can have any lady he wants. He spends a lot of time trying to get with the ladies, and less...
, Scrubs
Scrubs (TV series)
Scrubs is an American medical comedy-drama television series created in 2001 by Bill Lawrence and produced by ABC Studios. The show follows the lives of several employees of the fictional Sacred Heart, a teaching hospital. It features fast-paced screenplay, slapstick, and surreal vignettes...
and 30 Rock
30 Rock
30 Rock is an American television comedy series created by Tina Fey that airs on NBC. The series is loosely based on Fey's experiences as head writer for Saturday Night Live...
. The A-Channel network along with the Atlantic Satellite Network were later rebranded as A in 2008 and CTV Two which incorporated Access Alberta on August 29, 2011.
CTVglobemedia announced on November 16, 2007, along with its co-owner Comcast
Comcast
Comcast Corporation is the largest cable operator, home Internet service provider, and fourth largest home telephone service provider in the United States, providing cable television, broadband Internet, and telephone service to both residential and commercial customers in 39 states and the...
, that it will sell the remaining interest of OLN to Rogers
Rogers Communications
Rogers Communications Inc. is one of Canada's largest communications companies, particularly in the field of wireless communications, cable television, home phone and internet with additional telecommunications and mass media assets...
. The company announced on March 8, 2008, that it would sell Canadian Learning Television to Corus Entertainment
Corus Entertainment
Corus Entertainment Inc. is a publicly traded Canadian media and entertainment conglomerate.Corus is a leading Canadian specialty television and radio producer, with additional assets in pay television, advertising services, television broadcasting, children's book publishing and children's...
.
BCE Inc. would eventually regain 100% of CTV's broadcasting arm in April 2011, thus becoming known as Bell Media.
Rogers Communications
Rogers CommunicationsRogers Communications
Rogers Communications Inc. is one of Canada's largest communications companies, particularly in the field of wireless communications, cable television, home phone and internet with additional telecommunications and mass media assets...
had wanted to gain a multicultural station in Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
for a long time, but was either denied by the CRTC and competitor station CHNM-TV
CHNM-TV
CHNM-DT, channel 20 , is a television station based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada...
(Channel M), or was out-bid for stations in the market. In 2005, opportunity arose when Rogers was given permission to purchase religious broadcaster Trinity Television, owner of the television station CHNU-TV
CHNU-TV
CHNU-DT is an English language television station based in Surrey, British Columbia, Canada. The station is licensed to the Fraser Valley Region, and also serves Metro Vancouver, Victoria and surrounding areas. CHNU is owned by ZoomerMedia, and is an owned and operated station of the Joytv...
and the Winnipeg
Winnipeg
Winnipeg is the capital and largest city of Manitoba, Canada, and is the primary municipality of the Winnipeg Capital Region, with more than half of Manitoba's population. It is located near the longitudinal centre of North America, at the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers .The name...
license CIIT-TV
CIIT-TV
CIIT-DT is a Canadian English language television station based in and licensed to Winnipeg, Manitoba. The station is owned by ZoomerMedia and is an owned and operated station of the Joytv television system. CIIT broadcasts a variety of multi-faith and family-oriented programming.-History:In...
.
In 2007, both Multivan Broadcasting (CHNM-TV's owner) and Rogers submitted bids for television stations in Edmonton
Edmonton
Edmonton is the capital of the Canadian province of Alberta and is the province's second-largest city. Edmonton is located on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Capital Region, which is surrounded by the central region of the province.The city and its census...
and Calgary
Calgary
Calgary is a city in the Province of Alberta, Canada. It is located in the south of the province, in an area of foothills and prairie, approximately east of the front ranges of the Canadian Rockies...
during the most recent call for applications of broadcast licences by the CRTC. The licences were awarded to Rogers, which launched CJCO
CJCO-TV
CJCO-DT, branded as OMNI Calgary, is a television station in Calgary, Alberta. The station is owned by Rogers Communications, and broadcasts a multicultural programming format as part of Rogers' Omni Television system...
and CJEO
CJEO-TV
CJEO-DT, branded as Omni Alberta, is a television station in Edmonton, Alberta. The station is owned by Rogers Communications, and broadcasts a multicultural programming format as part of Rogers' Omni Television system...
in the fall of 2008. Shortly thereafter, Multivan entered a tentative deal to sell CHNM to Rogers, citing the loss of the Calgary and Edmonton licenses as leaving the company no longer able to compete as a standalone station. Rogers also announced the intention to sell its two religious stations (Vancouver's CHNU-TV and Winnipeg's CIIT-TV) to S-VOX
S-VOX
S-VOX Foundation is a Canadian non-profit media organization dedicated to producing content on faith and spirituality.The organization is the successor to the non-profit entity that operated VisionTV, and later other related Canadian specialty channels, from 1988 to 2010...
on November 6, 2007. Rogers' acquisition of CHNM and its sale of CHNU and CIIT to S-VOX were both approved by the CRTC on March 31, 2008.
CHNM was relaunched as an Omni Television
OMNI Television
Omni Television, corporately styled as OMNI Television, is a Canadian television system owned and operated by Rogers Communications. It consists of the company's conventional television stations in Ontario, British Columbia and Alberta which are licensed as multicultural stations...
station (OMNI British Columbia) on September 1, 2008, while S-VOX
S-VOX
S-VOX Foundation is a Canadian non-profit media organization dedicated to producing content on faith and spirituality.The organization is the successor to the non-profit entity that operated VisionTV, and later other related Canadian specialty channels, from 1988 to 2010...
's CIIT (CIIT 11) and CHNU (CHNU 10) stations were relaunched as Joytv 11 and 10
Joytv
Joytv is a privately held Canadian television system owned by ZoomerMedia. Joytv airs a mix of multi-faith and family-oriented programming in the form of dramas, comedies, news magazines, talk shows and more.-History:...
respectively on the same date.
In addition, Rogers applied to purchase the Citytv stations for an estimated $375 million. Media analysts have suggested that with a more powerful media conglomerate such as Rogers behind them, the Citytv stations will effectively become Canada's fourth full-fledged commercial television network, in effect if not immediately in name. The Citytv transaction was approved by the CRTC on September 28, 2007, and Rogers officially became Citytv's new owner on October 31.
Rogers acquired the remaining interest of OLN from CTVglobemedia
CTVglobemedia
CTVglobemedia , was one of Canada's largest private media companies. Its operations include newspaper publishing , television broadcasting and production , radio broadcasting , and their respective Internet properties.Originally established by BCE and the Thomson family in 2001 combining CTV Inc.,...
and Comcast
Comcast
Comcast Corporation is the largest cable operator, home Internet service provider, and fourth largest home telephone service provider in the United States, providing cable television, broadband Internet, and telephone service to both residential and commercial customers in 39 states and the...
on August 31, 2008.
CH becomes E!
Canwest Global's CH television system was rebranded as E! on September 7, 2007, following an agreement from the AmericanUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
E!
E!
E! Entertainment Television is an American basic cable and satellite television network, owned by NBCUniversal. It features entertainment-related programming, reality television, feature films and occasionally series and specials unrelated to the entertainment industry.E! has an audience reach of...
owner Comcast
Comcast
Comcast Corporation is the largest cable operator, home Internet service provider, and fourth largest home telephone service provider in the United States, providing cable television, broadband Internet, and telephone service to both residential and commercial customers in 39 states and the...
which saw the two broadcasters share certain programming. At the same time, the system's local O&Os revived their call signs as their local programming branding. Red Deer, Alberta
Red Deer, Alberta
Red Deer is a city in Central Alberta, Canada. It is located near the midpoint of the Calgary-Edmonton Corridor and is surrounded by Red Deer County. It is Alberta's third-most-populous city – after Calgary and Edmonton. The city is located in aspen parkland, a region of rolling hills...
O&O CHCA-TV
CHCA-TV
CHCA-TV was a television station in Red Deer, Alberta, Canada. It was owned by Canwest, and was part of the E! television system. The station was seen on VHF channel 6 and cable channel 11 in Red Deer...
was also granted permission to expand its signal to Edmonton
Edmonton
Edmonton is the capital of the Canadian province of Alberta and is the province's second-largest city. Edmonton is located on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Capital Region, which is surrounded by the central region of the province.The city and its census...
and Calgary
Calgary
Calgary is a city in the Province of Alberta, Canada. It is located in the south of the province, in an area of foothills and prairie, approximately east of the front ranges of the Canadian Rockies...
, a request that the CRTC had previously denied.
The E! television system was disbanded in 2009 amidst Canwest's financial woes, with its O&Os being sold off, converted to a Global
Global Television Network
Global Television Network is an English language privately owned television network in Canada, owned by Calgary-based Shaw Communications, as part of its Shaw Media division...
O&O, or (in the case of CHCA-TV) closed down. The trio of Pattison Group E! stations joined the Citytv
Citytv
Citytv is a Canadian English language television system owned and operated by Rogers Communications under its Rogers Broadcasting Ltd. division...
system.
The E! brand would eventually return to Canada, when CTVglobemedia (later owned by Bell Media) struck a deal with Comcast (later owned by NBCUniversal) to re-launch its existing entertainment-focused specialty channel Star! as E! in November 2010.
Acquisition of Alliance Atlantis
CanWest, in conjunction with Goldman SachsGoldman Sachs
The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. is an American multinational bulge bracket investment banking and securities firm that engages in global investment banking, securities, investment management, and other financial services primarily with institutional clients...
, also applied to the CRTC to purchase the assets of Alliance Atlantis
Alliance Atlantis
Alliance Atlantis Communications Inc. was a Toronto-based media company that operated primarily as a specialty service operator in Canada. Alliance Atlantis also had offices in Halifax, Los Angeles, London, Dublin, Madrid, Barcelona, Shannon and Sydney.Alliance Atlantis was acquired by Canwest...
, a broadcasting and film production company which operated 13 licensed cable channels and was a partial owner of seven more.
The transaction was approved by the CRTC in early January 2008. CanWest sold off the production division, but retained ownership of the cable channels.
Shaw eventually took control of Canwest's television arm in late October 2010 following Canwest seeking creditor protection in late 2009, thus becoming Shaw Media.
Crossroads Television System expansion
The Crossroads Television SystemCrossroads Television System
Crossroads Television System, or CTS, is a privately held Canadian television system.CTS airs predominantly Christian-based religious programming, most notably 100 Huntley Street, The Michael Coren Show and LIFE Today with James & Betty Robison, as well as other religious and faith based...
, a religious broadcaster, also expanded in 2007, being granted licences to launch new stations in Calgary (CKCS
CKCS-TV
CKCS-DT is a television station in Calgary, Alberta, Canada which first began broadcasting on October 8, 2007 on channel 32. The station uses CTS Calgary as its on-air brand....
) and Edmonton (CKES
CKES-TV
CKES-DT is a television station in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada which first began broadcasting on October 8, 2007 on channel 45. The station uses CTS Edmonton as its on-air brand....
). Crossroads previously consisted of a single station, CITS
CITS-TV
CITS-DT is a Canadian English language religious broadcasting television station based in Ontario. It is licensed to the city of Hamilton, although its studios are located in Burlington. CITS uses the on-air brand of CTS...
in Southern Ontario
Southern Ontario
Southern Ontario is a region of the province of Ontario, Canada that lies south of the French River and Algonquin Park. Depending on the inclusion of the Parry Sound and Muskoka districts, its surface area would cover between 14 to 15% of the province. It is the southernmost region of...
.
SUN TV expansion
In 2007, Quebecor Media (owners of SUN TVCKXT-TV
CKXT-DT was a broadcast television station based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada and serving much of southern and eastern Ontario, owned by Quebecor Media through its Groupe TVA unit. At the time of the station's closure on November 1, 2011, the station was serving as an over-the-air simulcast of...
in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
) had applied for licences to operate repeater transmitter
Transmitter
In electronics and telecommunications a transmitter or radio transmitter is an electronic device which, with the aid of an antenna, produces radio waves. The transmitter itself generates a radio frequency alternating current, which is applied to the antenna. When excited by this alternating...
s in London
London, Ontario
London is a city in Southwestern Ontario, Canada, situated along the Quebec City – Windsor Corridor. The city has a population of 352,395, and the metropolitan area has a population of 457,720, according to the 2006 Canadian census; the metro population in 2009 was estimated at 489,274. The city...
and Ottawa
Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
, to bring it on par with fellow Toronto-area stations CITY-TV
CITY-TV
CITY-DT, Channel 57 , is a television station based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada owned and operated by Rogers Media...
, CITS-TV
CITS-TV
CITS-DT is a Canadian English language religious broadcasting television station based in Ontario. It is licensed to the city of Hamilton, although its studios are located in Burlington. CITS uses the on-air brand of CTS...
, OMNI.1
CFMT-TV
CFMT-DT, channel 47, is a television station based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, with rebroadcasters in Ottawa and London. The station broadcasts multicultural programming targeting European and Latin American communities throughout Southern Ontario. Part of the Omni Television group of stations...
and OMNI.2
CJMT-TV
CJMT-DT is a Canadian television station, which broadcasts multicultural programming in Toronto, Ontario. As one of the Omni Television stations owned by Rogers Media, it uses the on-air brand OMNI.2, and is a sister station to CFMT ....
, as those channels currently operate translators in those cities. The reason for this request was that it would put the station on a level playing field in regards to Simultaneous substitution
Simultaneous substitution
Simultaneous substitution is a practice mandated by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission requiring Canadian cable, direct broadcast satellite and multichannel multipoint distribution service television distribution companies to substitute the signal of a foreign or...
. This request was accepted, and the new stations went on the air in London on channels 26 (analog) and 19 (digital), and in Ottawa on channels 54 (analog) and 20 (digital) in fall 2008.
Quebecor Media's new 24-hour news channel Sun News Network replaced SUN TV
CKXT-TV
CKXT-DT was a broadcast television station based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada and serving much of southern and eastern Ontario, owned by Quebecor Media through its Groupe TVA unit. At the time of the station's closure on November 1, 2011, the station was serving as an over-the-air simulcast of...
on April 18, 2011.