Hard cut in Windsor, Charlottetown, Regina, St. John's and Yellowknife for the English service.

Just to clarify, these stations will be flash cutting on what date/year?

I missed the SMPTE meeting, I'll have to watch the web version when it becomes available. I believe it is Aug 31 2011.

No, that is only the case in mandatory markets. Outside mandatory markets, all that is prohibited is broadcasting anything about channel 51. Broadcasting in analog below channel 52 is permitted.


My interpretation of Broadcasting Information Bulletin CRTC 2010-719 (http://www.crtc.gc.ca/eng/archive/2010/2010-719.htm) is in non-mandatory markets if they are already broadcasting below channel 52, they don't need to convert. If they are on 52 or above, they must convert to digital (below 52) even in non-mandatory markets.

I would bet CBC English OTA London area has more users then Radio Canada French in Toronto where they seem to be able to afford a digital transmitter for far users.

I've written Ed Holder twice already. Standard response is

But maybe if a few more of us write more frequently, it will result in something -- I'll write again.

Hey Micah, I have also submitted comments on the CBC website (as complaints) regarding the CBC transmitter in London. I also sent an email to MP Ed Holder.

You might have overlooked my question in post #434 in this thread, but here it is again:

Micah, you mentioned last summer (posting on page 11 on this thread), that a reporter at the London Free Press newspaper contacted you for information on the CBC's OTA digital conversion plan. Has the London Free Press followed up at all with you? I never saw an OTA digital conversion article published in the London Free Press. The article should have been published in the paper by now, stating that the CBC is dropping their OTA transmitter in London, Ontario, and will not convert to digital. About 500,000 people in the London & area will lose reception of CBC over-the-air broadcasting.

I expect to see something to be published in the London Free Press regarding the DTV conversion in London & area.... and I expect to see some negative comments regarding CBC's decision to drop OTA broadcasting in London.

Yeah. I did see it and totally forgot (I was busy at the time I read it) -- sorry. LFP hasn't followed up with me at all and I doubt they ran the article. The interviewer didn't seem to interested in it as a story, so IDK what ended up happening.

one point I thought was interesting during that meeting webcast, was when questioned about approximately how many users will lose service, the cbc spokesman rattled off a 10% number, or was it related to percentage of users using OTA? ( I don't recall exactly). Either way, the crux of the questioner's query was that OK, of those users, they likely rely on OTA programming much more than the typical cable / satellite subscriber who might have access to hundreds of channels to choose from.

i.e. - the typical OTA user is likely to watch say CBC for way more hours per day than the typical cable or satellite sub would. Simply from a you can only watch one program at a time standpoint. Therefore, by leaving the OTA user hangin out to dry, in (insert town name here) they are destined to lose revenue in the process.

MajorTom
That is very good point you make that the OTA audience lacking less choices are much more likely to view their signal than cable or satellite viewers, could point hopefully advertisors will see the same logic.

According to Marc (on this forum) the CBC plans to have that fixed this August when they get their new automation server.

That's right, I forgot about that. Shouldn't complain, after all they're the only broadcaster I know of across all of TO/BUF area that sends 10 days worth as it is.

It's not surprising that the LFP didn't show much interest in publishing the London CBC story. The paper is now published out of Toronto by SUN. It's become like everything else here, a shadow of its former self with little local content and little of note to make it even worth purchasing. In other words, it's a lot like the CBC, a mediocre Toronto export that of little interest to most local residents.

The London Free Press editorial staff remain in London. The location of the printing press has nothing to do with the content of the paper. You are correct in your assertion that CBC digital signals and other such signals are of little interest to most people in this area that are serviced by cable or dth systems.

You are correct in your assertion that CBC digital signals and other such signals are of little interest to most people in this area that are serviced by cable or dth systems.

Lindsay649 - What I am finding here in Calgary is that folks who suddenly find out that there are other alternatives to cable and DTH and that OTA is free and arguably better quality, start to think twice as to whether they want to stay with their paid option!? ;)

On the CRTC Broadcasting Info Bulletin CRTC 2010-719-2 dated March 14, 2011 @ http://www.crtc.gc.ca/eng/archive/2010/2010-719-2.htm, the table in Appendix 1 Analog transmitters involved in digital conversion that are operating in mandatory markets lists:


London
CBLFT-9 (SRC) 53 Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
CBLN-TV (CBC) 40 Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
CFMT-TV-1 (OMNI) 69 Rogers Broadcasting Limited
CFPL-TV (A) 10 CTV Corp.
CHCH-TV-2 (CHCH) 51 2190015 Ontario Inc.
CICO-TV-18 (TVO) 18 The Ontario Educational Communications Authority
CITS-TV-2 (CTS) 14 Crossroads Television System
CITY-TV-2 (Citytv) 31 Rogers Broadcasting Limited
CJMT-TV-1 (OMNI) 20 Rogers Broadcasting Limited
CKXT-DT-2 (SUN-TV) 26 TVA Group Inc.


With this updated list of analog transmitters mandated for digital conversion, will the CBC eventually be required convert it's London CBLN analog transmitter to digital afterall?
Or, will the CRTC modify the list again, excluding the CBC from converting their rebroadcast CBLN to digital in the mandatory market of London, Ontario??

The implication is that if it's not converted it will have to be shut down.

Territorial capitals erased from DTV Mandatory Markets list (https://www.digitalhome.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=137917)

The CRTC has decided the three territorial capitals will no longer be mandatory DTV conversion markets, as the continued operation of analog transmitters will not be a problem for channels in adjacent markets and those communities would lose over-the-air service except for CBC in Yellowknife. Therefore, CBC in those three cities will likely remain available over-the-air for now.

Perhaps this is what the CRTC will have to do in London, Moncton, Saint John, and Saskatoon to save CBC service there. If they can do it for a market of less than 10,000 in Nunavut, I'm sure they can do it in a market 10 times larger in Ontario.

I find it interesting that the CBC can find money in the budget for a market of 10,000 people but not for two markets of about 500,000 people each. There are a number of other smaller markets being converted as well. How much money are they going to lose from advertisers or is it just that the CBC thinks there will be no political repercussions?

Territorial capitals erased from DTV Mandatory Markets list (https://www.digitalhome.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=137917)

The CRTC has decided the three territorial capitals will no longer be mandatory DTV conversion markets, as the continued operation of analog transmitters will not be a problem for channels in adjacent markets and those communities would lose over-the-air service except for CBC in Yellowknife. Therefore, CBC in those three cities will likely remain available over-the-air for now.

Perhaps this is what the CRTC will have to do in London, Moncton, Saint John, and Saskatoon to save CBC service there. If they can do it for a market of less than 10,000 in Nunavut, I'm sure they can do it in a market 10 times larger in Ontario.

Agreed! If the CBC won't be converting its transmitters to digital in Whitehorse, Yellowknife, and Iqaluit (as they are no longer considered mandatory markets by the CRTC decision), then the CBC should redirect those funds they would have spent converting their Whitehorse, Yellowknife, and Iqaluit analog transmitters to London, Moncton, Saint John, and Saskatoon.

...and Lethbridge!!!! :)

The CBC has already stated that if funds did become available, they would not spend it on OTA transmitters but on new technologies, such as an IPTV project instead. Toronto was also mentioned as a location for a new project. I guess the CBC doesn't serve all Canadians any more, just big cities, Quebec and political capitals.

"If funds did become available"... I wonder how much money they'd stand to make selling off the land they own where all their repeater sites sit on.