CICI-TV
Encyclopedia
CICI-TV is a Canadian
television station, broadcasting in Sudbury, Ontario
. It is an owned-and-operated station
of the CTV Television Network
, and is the flagship station of that network's system in northern Ontario, CTV Northern Ontario
.
CICI currently also broadcasts on Channel 3 in Elliot Lake and Channel 11 in Huntsville
. The rebroadcaster in Huntsville (CKNY-TV-11) was originally a CKCO-TV
repeater (CKCO-TV-4), but switched to CKNY-TV
as its source, and then to CICI-TV, but has not changed its call letters yet. Both transmitters are expected to cease operation in August 2009, pending CRTC approval.
affiliate, receiving programs by kinescope
until a microwave relay system linked the station to Toronto
in 1956. The station originally broadcast only from 7 to 11 p.m., but by the end of its first year in operation it was on the air from 3:30 p.m. to midnight.
CKSO remained affiliated with the CBC from its launch in 1953 until 1971, when it joined CTV along with sister station CKNY-TV
in North Bay
. A new CBC affiliate, CKNC
, went to air in Sudbury the day of CKSO's affiliation switch. CKSO's first rebroadcast transmitter, CKSO-TV-1, was established in Elliot Lake shortly after CKSO launched. A second transmitter, CKSO-TV-2, was established in Timmins
in 1971 when CKSO switched to the CTV network. When CKSO changed to CICI in 1980, the Timmins repeater broke off as a standalone station, CITO-TV
.
Until 1980, CKSO and CKNC aggressively competed with each other for advertising dollars, leaving both in a precarious financial position due to the Sudbury market's relatively small size. In 1980, the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission approved the merger of the two stations, along with their co-owned stations in North Bay and Timmins, into the MCTV
twinstick
. CKSO changed its call letters to CICI at that point.
In 1990, the stations were acquired by Baton Broadcasting. Baton bought full control of CTV in 1997, and sold CKNC to the CBC in 2002.
CICI produces all of the CTV Northern Ontario stations' local programming, except for local news segments of the system's newscasts.
requirements for cable television
operators. A subsequent change in ownership assigned full control of CTV Globemedia to Bell Canada Enterprises; as of 2011, these transmitters remain in normal licensed broadcast operation.
was the first woman in Canadian broadcasting history to work on air as a television weather reporter. She later became a federal Member of Parliament for Sudbury's Nickel Belt
riding.
Other past employees of the station include journalists Francis D'Souza
, Sarika Sehgal
and Susan Hay
, all now associated with major market stations in Toronto
, as well as sportscasters and former hockey players Cummy Burton
and Frank Salive.
Canadian sportscaster Brendan Connor
is the son of Michael Connor, a longtime news anchor from the station's days as CKSO. Michael Connor died in December 2008, aged 82.
In the 1960s and 1970s, Inco sponsored a local variety show, Inco Presents, on the station. The program included comedic sketches performed by the duo of Gil Mayer and Norm McGilvary, in which Mayer, a sales manager with the station, performed the character of miner "Marcel Mucker". Marc Mayer
, now the director of the National Gallery of Canada
, is the son of Gil Mayer.
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 station, broadcasting in Sudbury, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
. It is an owned-and-operated station
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...
of the CTV Television Network
CTV television network
CTV Television Network is a Canadian English language television network and is owned by Bell Media. It is Canada's largest privately-owned network, and has consistently placed as Canada's top-rated network in total viewers and in key demographics since 2002, after several years trailing the rival...
, and is the flagship station of that network's system in northern Ontario, CTV Northern Ontario
CTV Northern Ontario
CTV Northern Ontario, formerly known as MCTV, is a system of four television stations in Northern Ontario, Canada, owned and operated by the CTV Television Network, a division of Bell Media.These stations are:...
.
CICI currently also broadcasts on Channel 3 in Elliot Lake and Channel 11 in Huntsville
Huntsville, Ontario
Huntsville is a town in the Muskoka Region of Ontario, Canada. It is located north of Toronto and south of North Bay....
. The rebroadcaster in Huntsville (CKNY-TV-11) was originally a CKCO-TV
CKCO-TV
CKCO-DT is a television station broadcasting on channel 13 in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada. Owned and operated by Bell Media, it is a part of the CTV Television Network and has been branded CTV Southwestern Ontario since 2005.-History:...
repeater (CKCO-TV-4), but switched to CKNY-TV
CKNY-TV
CKNY is a Canadian television station, broadcasting in North Bay, Ontario. It is an owned-and-operated station of CTV.-History:...
as its source, and then to CICI-TV, but has not changed its call letters yet. Both transmitters are expected to cease operation in August 2009, pending CRTC approval.
History
The station was launched on October 25, 1953 by Sudbury businessmen George Miller, William Mason, Jim Cooper and Bill Plaunt, and was the first private television station to launch in Canada. Its original call sign was CKSO-TV. The station was a CBCCBC 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, receiving programs by kinescope
Kinescope
Kinescope , shortened to kine , also known as telerecording in Britain, is a recording of a television program made by filming the picture from a video monitor...
until a microwave relay system linked the station to 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...
in 1956. The station originally broadcast only from 7 to 11 p.m., but by the end of its first year in operation it was on the air from 3:30 p.m. to midnight.
CKSO remained affiliated with the CBC from its launch in 1953 until 1971, when it joined CTV along with sister station CKNY-TV
CKNY-TV
CKNY is a Canadian television station, broadcasting in North Bay, Ontario. It is an owned-and-operated station of CTV.-History:...
in North Bay
North Bay, Ontario
North Bay is a city in Northeastern Ontario, Canada. It is the seat of Nipissing District, and takes its name from its position on the shore of Lake Nipissing.-History:...
. A new CBC affiliate, CKNC
CKNC-TV
CKNC-TV was a television station in Sudbury, Ontario. In operation from 1971 to 2002 as a private affiliate of CBC Television, it is now a repeater of the network's station in Toronto, CBLT.-History:...
, went to air in Sudbury the day of CKSO's affiliation switch. CKSO's first rebroadcast transmitter, CKSO-TV-1, was established in Elliot Lake shortly after CKSO launched. A second transmitter, CKSO-TV-2, was established in Timmins
Timmins
Timmins is a city in northeastern Ontario, Canada on the Mattagami River. At the time of the Canada 2006 Census, Timmins' population was 42,997...
in 1971 when CKSO switched to the CTV network. When CKSO changed to CICI in 1980, the Timmins repeater broke off as a standalone station, CITO-TV
CITO-TV
CITO is a Canadian television station, broadcasting in Timmins, Ontario. It is an O&O of CTV. CITO also broadcasts on channel 10 in Kapuskasing, channel 11 in Kirkland Lake, channel 4 in Hearst and channel 9 in Chapleau.-History:CITO was established in 1971 as CKSO-TV-2, originally rebroadcasting...
.
Until 1980, CKSO and CKNC aggressively competed with each other for advertising dollars, leaving both in a precarious financial position due to the Sudbury market's relatively small size. In 1980, the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission approved the merger of the two stations, along with their co-owned stations in North Bay and Timmins, into the MCTV
Mid-Canada Communications
Mid-Canada Communications was a Canadian media company, which operated from 1980 to 1990. The company, a division of Northern Cable, had television and radio holdings in Northeastern Ontario.-MCTV:...
twinstick
Twinstick
A twinstick, in Canadian broadcasting, is a term for two television stations, broadcasting in the same market, which are owned by the same company...
. CKSO changed its call letters to CICI at that point.
In 1990, the stations were acquired by Baton Broadcasting. Baton bought full control of CTV in 1997, and sold CKNC to the CBC in 2002.
CICI produces all of the CTV Northern Ontario stations' local programming, except for local news segments of the system's newscasts.
Transmitters
CICI-TV-1, CKNY-TV-11, and a long list of CTV rebroadcasters nationwide were to shut down on or before August 31, 2009, as part of a political dispute with Canadian authorities on paid retransmission consentRetransmission consent
Retransmission consent is an option granted to US television stations as part of the law that granted such stations the option to elect must-carry rights. Under retransmission consent, a full-power US television station may elect to negotiate with a cable system operator for carriage of its...
requirements for cable television
Cable television
Cable television is a system of providing television programs to consumers via radio frequency signals transmitted to televisions through coaxial cables or digital light pulses through fixed optical fibers located on the subscriber's property, much like the over-the-air method used in traditional...
operators. A subsequent change in ownership assigned full control of CTV Globemedia to Bell Canada Enterprises; as of 2011, these transmitters remain in normal licensed broadcast operation.
Famous people
Onetime CKSO employee Judy JacobsonJudy Erola
Judith Erola, née Jacobson, PC is a former Canadian politician, who represented the riding of Nickel Belt in the Canadian House of Commons from 1980 to 1984. She was a member of the Liberal Party....
was the first woman in Canadian broadcasting history to work on air as a television weather reporter. She later became a federal Member of Parliament for Sudbury's Nickel Belt
Nickel Belt
Nickel Belt is one of two federal electoral districts serving the Greater City of Sudbury.Nickel Belt has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons since 1953.It consists of:...
riding.
Other past employees of the station include journalists Francis D'Souza
Francis D'Souza
Francis D'Souza is a Canadian news anchor for Citytv in Toronto, Canada. D'Souza was the co-anchor of the station's noon newscast, which was cancelled in January 2010...
, Sarika Sehgal
Sarika Sehgal
Sarika Sehgal is a Canadian broadcast journalist. Sehgal's broadcasting career began in Toronto as a producer for a national morning show. From there, she served as an anchor and reporter for CICI in Sudbury. Similar duties soon followed at CKEM in Edmonton where she was a key part of the special...
and Susan Hay
Susan Hay
Susan Hay is a weather anchor for Global Toronto. She has been with Global since May 1989 and was previously with the CTV television network affiliate CICI in Sudbury, Ontario. Hay has also donated to many charities as well as hosts the televised Toronto Santa Claus Parade...
, all now associated with major market stations 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...
, as well as sportscasters and former hockey players Cummy Burton
Cummy Burton
Cumming Scott Burton was a Canadian professional ice hockey right winger who played three seasons in the National Hockey League for the Detroit Red Wings....
and Frank Salive.
Canadian sportscaster Brendan Connor
Brendan Connor
Brendan Connor is a Canadian journalist with a wide range of broadcasting experience, including recently working for Al Jazeera English TV, based out of Washington, DC, and Doha, Qatar...
is the son of Michael Connor, a longtime news anchor from the station's days as CKSO. Michael Connor died in December 2008, aged 82.
In the 1960s and 1970s, Inco sponsored a local variety show, Inco Presents, on the station. The program included comedic sketches performed by the duo of Gil Mayer and Norm McGilvary, in which Mayer, a sales manager with the station, performed the character of miner "Marcel Mucker". Marc Mayer
Marc Mayer
Marc Mayer is a Canadian arts manager and curator, who was named the director of the National Gallery of Canada on December 8, 2008....
, now the director of the National Gallery of Canada
National Gallery of Canada
The National Gallery of Canada , located in the capital city Ottawa, Ontario, is one of Canada's premier art galleries.The Gallery is now housed in a glass and granite building on Sussex Drive with a notable view of the Canadian Parliament buildings on Parliament Hill. The acclaimed structure was...
, is the son of Gil Mayer.