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A-Channel (Craig Media)
Encyclopedia
A-Channel was a Canadian
television system
owned by Craig Media from 1997 to 2004 and CHUM Limited
from 2004 to 2005. It consisted of Craig's television stations in Winnipeg
, Calgary
and Edmonton
, and was the company's unsuccessful attempt to build a national network.
CHUM Limited, which acquired Craig Media in 2004, merged these stations into CHUM's flagship television system Citytv
on August 2, 2005. On the same date, the A-Channel name was transferred to the NewNet stations in Southern Ontario
and Vancouver Island
, which are currently operated by Bell Media under the CTV Two banner. The three original Craig Media A-Channel stations are now owned by Rogers Media
.
: CKX-TV
, a CBC Television
affiliate in Brandon
; and CHMI, an independent station (branded as the Manitoba Television Network, or MTN) in Portage la Prairie
. 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", or "A-Channel" for short. During the first round of hearings in the early 1990s, neither company obtained a licence. However, after a second round in the mid-1990s, Craig won against CanWest. (CanWest later bought out Western International Communications
and assumed control of its Alberta-based stations.)
A-Channel stations in Edmonton
(CKEM-TV
) and Calgary
(CKAL) were launched in 1997. They billed themselves as very locally-oriented stations, with programming decisions made in Alberta and not Toronto
. Programming included the local morning show The Big Breakfast, and Prime Ticket Movies, a brand initially used at MTN. MTN joined the A-Channel system in 1999.
Craig established the A-Channel Production Fund which provided financing for made-in-Alberta television movies which A-Channel would air. The most notable of these was an adaptation of A Christmas Carol
starring Jack Palance
.
In the late 1990s, Craig tried to expand the A-Channel network to other markets, either by acquisition or by pursuing new licenses. When Canwest purchased WIC, Craig attempted to force the company to resell WIC's Hamilton
station CHCH (as Canwest already owned CIII
in the Toronto/Hamilton market). It also pursued stations up for grabs in Montreal
(CFCF-TV
) and Vancouver
(CKVU), and applied for a new licence in Victoria
. All these attempts failed: Canwest was allowed to keep CHCH; Craig was outbid by other buyers for CFCF and CKVU; and CHUM won the Victoria licence (CIVI). However, in 2001, the company's persistence seemed to pay off: The CRTC granted Craig a licence for a station in Toronto
, CKXT (known as Toronto 1), which was not officially part of the A-Channel system, but aired a similar program lineup and also adopted a similar logo. CKXT went on air on September 19, 2003.
A-Channel Edmonton's employees went on strike on September 17, 2003 during negotiations for a first contract. The station filled airtime primarily with live feeds of MTV Canada. The labour dispute was resolved on February 14, 2004.
On April 12, 2004, CHUM Limited announced a deal to purchase Craig Media for $
265 million. The sale was approved by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission on November 19, 2004, and was completed on December 1. CHUM had to sell off Toronto 1, because it already owned stations in Toronto (CITY
) and nearby Barrie
(CKVR
). Toronto 1 was sold to Quebecor Media, owners of the media units TVA
and Sun Media
.
In February 2005, CHUM announced it would align Craig's A-Channel stations with its existing major-market stations under the Citytv name. The change took effect on August 2 of the same year, when the A-Channel name was transferred to CHUM's NewNet stations.
With the subsequent takeover of CHUM Limited in 2007, all three of the Craig Media's A-Channel stations were sold to Rogers Communications
and are now owned by Rogers Media
under the Citytv banner, while the former NewNet stations along with most of CHUM Limited's former assets were sold to CTVglobemedia
in 2007 which was subsequently sold to Bell Canada
in 2011 and are now owned by Bell Media branded as CTV Two.
Original programming on the old A-Channel stations included the police reality series
To Serve and Protect
, the drama 1-800-Missing
and the variety series Pepsi Breakout
and MTV Select
.
CKXT
in Toronto
, then known as "Toronto One", carried most of the system's non-CHUM programming from 2003 to 2005. Its logo was also similar to the A-Channel logo, although with a numeral 1 in the square instead of a letter A.
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...
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....
owned by Craig Media from 1997 to 2004 and 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...
from 2004 to 2005. It consisted of Craig's television stations in 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...
, 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...
and 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 was the company's unsuccessful attempt to build a national network.
CHUM Limited, which acquired Craig Media in 2004, merged these stations into CHUM's flagship television system Citytv
Citytv
Citytv is a Canadian English language television system owned and operated by Rogers Communications under its Rogers Broadcasting Ltd. division...
on August 2, 2005. On the same date, the A-Channel name was transferred to the NewNet stations 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...
and Vancouver Island
Vancouver Island
Vancouver Island is a large island in British Columbia, Canada. It is one of several North American locations named after George Vancouver, the British Royal Navy officer who explored the Pacific Northwest coast of North America between 1791 and 1794...
, which are currently operated by Bell Media under the CTV Two banner. The three original Craig Media A-Channel stations are now owned by Rogers Media
Rogers Media
Rogers Media Inc is a subsidiary of Rogers Communications Inc., which owns Canada's largest publishing company, Rogers Publishing Limited, which has more than 70 consumer and business publications. Rogers Media Inc...
.
History
A-Channel was first used by Craig Media as it sought to develop a national presence. Originally, Craig owned only two stations in ManitobaManitoba
Manitoba is a Canadian prairie province with an area of . The province has over 110,000 lakes and has a largely continental climate because of its flat topography. Agriculture, mostly concentrated in the fertile southern and western parts of the province, is vital to the province's economy; other...
: 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...
, a CBC Television
CBC Television
CBC Television is a Canadian television network owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the national public broadcaster.Although the CBC is supported by public funding, the television network supplements this funding with commercial advertising revenue, in contrast to CBC Radio which are...
affiliate in Brandon
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...
; and CHMI, an independent station (branded as the Manitoba Television Network, or MTN) in Portage la Prairie
Portage la Prairie, Manitoba
-Transportation:Portage la Prairie railway station is served by Via Rail with both The Canadian and Winnipeg – Churchill trains calling at the station....
. Looking to expand, Craig decided to counter CanWest Global
CanWest Global Communications
Canwest Global Communications Corporation, which operated under the corporate brand Canwest, was a major Canadian media company based in Winnipeg, Manitoba, with its head offices at Canwest Place...
's attempts to obtain licenses from the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) for television stations in 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...
, with a proposal it dubbed "The Alberta Channel", or "A-Channel" for short. During the first round of hearings in the early 1990s, neither company obtained a licence. However, after a second round in the mid-1990s, Craig won against CanWest. (CanWest later bought out Western International Communications
Western International Communications
WIC Western International Communications Ltd.The apparent occurrence of "RAS syndrome" here was in fact part of the company's legal name. was a Canadian media company that operated from 1982 to 2000, with operations including broadcast and specialty television, radio, and satellite distribution via...
and assumed control of its Alberta-based stations.)
A-Channel 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...
(CKEM-TV
CKEM-TV
CKEM-DT is a television station based in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Owned and operated by Rogers Media, it is part of the Citytv system and was formerly the flagship station of Craig Media's A-Channel system between 1997-2005...
) 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...
(CKAL) were launched in 1997. They billed themselves as very locally-oriented stations, with programming decisions made in Alberta and not 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...
. Programming included the local morning show The Big Breakfast, and Prime Ticket Movies, a brand initially used at MTN. MTN joined the A-Channel system in 1999.
Craig established the A-Channel Production Fund which provided financing for made-in-Alberta television movies which A-Channel would air. The most notable of these was an adaptation of A Christmas Carol
A Christmas Carol
A Christmas Carol is a novella by English author Charles Dickens first published by Chapman & Hall on 17 December 1843. The story tells of sour and stingy Ebenezer Scrooge's ideological, ethical, and emotional transformation after the supernatural visits of Jacob Marley and the Ghosts of...
starring Jack Palance
Jack Palance
Jack Palance , was an American actor. During half a century of film and television appearances, Palance was nominated for three Academy Awards, all as Best Actor in a Supporting Role, winning in 1991 for his role in City Slickers.-Early life:Palance, one of five children, was born Volodymyr...
.
In the late 1990s, Craig tried to expand the A-Channel network to other markets, either by acquisition or by pursuing new licenses. When Canwest purchased WIC, Craig attempted to force the company to resell WIC's Hamilton
Hamilton, Ontario
Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian province of Ontario. Conceived by George Hamilton when he purchased the Durand farm shortly after the War of 1812, Hamilton has become the centre of a densely populated and industrialized region at the west end of Lake Ontario known as the Golden Horseshoe...
station CHCH (as Canwest already owned CIII
CIII-TV
CIII-DT-41 is a television station owned by Shaw Communications that serves much of the population of the Canadian province of Ontario. It is a flagship station of the Global Television Network...
in the Toronto/Hamilton market). It also pursued stations up for grabs in Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
(CFCF-TV
CFCF-TV
CFCF-DT is a CTV-owned and operated station located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada...
) and 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,...
(CKVU), and applied for a new licence in Victoria
Victoria, British Columbia
Victoria is the capital city of British Columbia, Canada and is located on the southern tip of Vancouver Island off Canada's Pacific coast. The city has a population of about 78,000 within the metropolitan area of Greater Victoria, which has a population of 360,063, the 15th most populous Canadian...
. All these attempts failed: Canwest was allowed to keep CHCH; Craig was outbid by other buyers for CFCF and CKVU; and CHUM won the Victoria licence (CIVI). However, in 2001, the company's persistence seemed to pay off: The CRTC granted Craig a licence for a station 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...
, CKXT (known as Toronto 1), which was not officially part of the A-Channel system, but aired a similar program lineup and also adopted a similar logo. CKXT went on air on September 19, 2003.
A-Channel Edmonton's employees went on strike on September 17, 2003 during negotiations for a first contract. The station filled airtime primarily with live feeds of MTV Canada. The labour dispute was resolved on February 14, 2004.
On April 12, 2004, CHUM Limited announced a deal to purchase Craig Media for $
Canadian dollar
The Canadian dollar is the currency of Canada. As of 2007, the Canadian dollar is the 7th most traded currency in the world. It is abbreviated with the dollar sign $, or C$ to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies...
265 million. The sale was approved by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission on November 19, 2004, and was completed on December 1. CHUM had to sell off Toronto 1, because it already owned stations in Toronto (CITY
CITY-TV
CITY-DT, Channel 57 , is a television station based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada owned and operated by Rogers Media...
) and nearby Barrie
Barrie
Barrie may refer to:* Barrie, city in Ontario, Canada* Barrie , Canadian federal electoral district* Barrie , provincial electoral district* Barrie—Simcoe—Bradford, former Canadian electoral district...
(CKVR
CKVR-TV
CKVR-DT, is a television station in Barrie, Ontario, Canada, owned by Bell Media, it serves as the flagship station of Bell Media's secondary television service, CTV Two, with facilities located at 33 Beacon Road in Barrie...
). Toronto 1 was sold to Quebecor Media, owners of the media units TVA
TVA (TV network)
TVA is a privately owned French language television network in Canada. The network is currently owned by Groupe TVA Inc. , a publicly traded subsidiary of Quebecor Media...
and Sun Media
Sun Media
Sun Media Corporation is the owner of several widely read tabloid and broadsheet newspapers in Canada and the 49 percent owner of Sun News Network...
.
In February 2005, CHUM announced it would align Craig's A-Channel stations with its existing major-market stations under the Citytv name. The change took effect on August 2 of the same year, when the A-Channel name was transferred to CHUM's NewNet stations.
With the subsequent takeover of CHUM Limited in 2007, all three of the Craig Media's A-Channel stations were sold to 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...
and are now owned by Rogers Media
Rogers Media
Rogers Media Inc is a subsidiary of Rogers Communications Inc., which owns Canada's largest publishing company, Rogers Publishing Limited, which has more than 70 consumer and business publications. Rogers Media Inc...
under the Citytv banner, while the former NewNet stations along with most of CHUM Limited's former assets were sold to 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.,...
in 2007 which was subsequently sold to Bell Canada
Bell Canada
Bell Canada is a major Canadian telecommunications company. Including its subsidiaries such as Bell Aliant, Northwestel, Télébec, and NorthernTel, it is the incumbent local exchange carrier for telephone and DSL Internet services in most of Canada east of Manitoba and in the northern territories,...
in 2011 and are now owned by Bell Media branded as CTV Two.
Programming
A significant amount of the old A-Channel system's programming was subcontracted from CHUM, which did not have stations in the same markets. For several years before CHUM's acquisition of Craig Media, business analysts were already suggesting that some kind of merger between the two companies was likely, in part because of their already-established business relationship. The purchase of CHUM programming was diminished significantly following CKXT's launch, but increased following CHUM's purchase in the months prior to integration into Citytv.Original programming on the old A-Channel stations included the police reality series
Reality television
Reality television is a genre of television programming that presents purportedly unscripted dramatic or humorous situations, documents actual events, and usually features ordinary people instead of professional actors, sometimes in a contest or other situation where a prize is awarded...
To Serve and Protect
To Serve and Protect
To Serve and Protect is a Canadian documentary television series which airs on A-Channel, SUN TV, Men TV, and Mystery TV. It is very similar to the American series COPS....
, the drama 1-800-Missing
1-800-Missing
Missing is a Canadian-American crime drama television series based on the 1-800-WHERE-R-YOU book series by Meg Cabot...
and the variety series Pepsi Breakout
Pepsi Breakout
Pepsi Breakout was a Canadian television series broadcast on A-Channel, MTV Canada, and Toronto One. The show was made up of concert and backstage footage of a Canadian band filmed by fans in attendance who are given digital camcorders....
and MTV Select
MTV Select
MTV Select was a television program airing weekday afternoons on MTV across Europe launched in 1997...
.
Stations
- CalgaryCalgaryCalgary 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...
/LethbridgeLethbridgeLethbridge is a city in the province of Alberta, Canada, and the largest city in southern Alberta. It is Alberta's fourth-largest city by population after Calgary, Edmonton and Red Deer, and the third-largest by area after Calgary and Edmonton. The nearby Canadian Rockies contribute to the city's...
- CKALCKAL-TVCKAL-DT is a television station based in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. It is part of the Citytv system as of August 2, 2005, and was previously branded as A-Channel. The station is owned by Rogers Media through its Rogers Broadcasting, Ltd. division... - EdmontonEdmontonEdmonton 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...
/Red DeerRed Deer, AlbertaRed 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...
- CKEMCKEM-TVCKEM-DT is a television station based in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Owned and operated by Rogers Media, it is part of the Citytv system and was formerly the flagship station of Craig Media's A-Channel system between 1997-2005... - Portage la Prairie/WinnipegWinnipegWinnipeg 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...
- CHMICHMI-TVCHMI-DT is a television station licensed to Portage la Prairie, Manitoba, Canada, with most of its operations in Winnipeg. It is part of the Citytv system, and the only Rogers TV station not part of any duopoly ever since CIIT-TV was sold to S-VOX in 2008.-History:The station was licensed by the...
CKXT
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...
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...
, then known as "Toronto One", carried most of the system's non-CHUM programming from 2003 to 2005. Its logo was also similar to the A-Channel logo, although with a numeral 1 in the square instead of a letter A.