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Across CANADA - CTV stations to be discontinued?

16K views 61 replies 23 participants last post by  JamesK 
#1 ·
Are some of CTV repeaters for sure going to be shutting down?

So I never really herd if the Repeaters they requested to be shut down, were for sure going to be shut down. I'm really wondering about the Channel 2 CKCO repeater in Wiarton (near our cottage).

My Grandma (who is up here almost all the time) is devoted to the CKCO news and the channel is not on Shaw Direct also our other 2 tv's with set top antennas, its the only channel they can receive.

Our main tv up here is on the Roof Antenna and we have Shaw Direct for the summer so it's not completely the end of the world. I'm just more curious then anything.

I herd AUG 31st was the date they could do it.
 
#7 ·
If you're concerned about losing OTA signals, I would encourage you to write the station. It's important that they hear from their audience.

This is why I always make a point of contacting a station if something is wrong with their broadcast. They need to know people are indeed watching OTA.
 
#9 ·
I thought ctv 13 prided itself on community access to the local market..... and no ota dtv seems to fly in the face of that policy

Not everyone can have cable/ satellite etc for whatever reason , guess the comunitee members will have to fess up to all the money they haven't paid their sponsers over the years and get new sets, new converter boxes faster isp access etc yuk :/
 
#10 ·
CTV Toronto has one of the strongest digital stations available; it's easily received throughout Kitchener-Waterloo with a simple UHF rooftop antenna.
 
#11 ·
I thought ctv 13 prided itself on community access to the local market..... and no ota dtv seems to fly in the face of that policy
That was the CJOH of a different era. Today it's all about profits for the shareholders in Toronto. CJOH can do what it wants as far as its local news coverage goes (and even that's questionable nowadays with increasing influence from Toronto), but decisions on digital transmitters, programming, and such are up to the suits in Toronto who feel responsible only to shareholders.
 
#12 ·
I've been researching what's going on with OTA during the digital transition and it looks very bleak for everyone not living in one of the 5 (?) major cities in Canada. Came across a list of CTV stations that will not be renewed this fall (read: being taken off air). Just in time to miss the Olympics (CTV being the sole broadcaster of the games?) Complaints sent to the station may help, but there seems to be a bigger issue at work here....Check the list to see if you'll be affected:

CKAM-TV Upsalquitch Lake, NB; CKX-TV-3 McCreary, MB; CKCD-TV Campbellton, NB; CKYP-TV The Pas, MB; CKCW-TV-2 St. Edward, PE; CKYF-TV Flin Flon, MB; CJCH-TV-4 Bridgetown, NS; CKYS-TV Snow Lake, MB; CJCB-TV-4 New Glasgow, NS; CKYT-TV Thompson, MB; CJOH-TV-6 Deseronto, ON; CIPA-TV-2 Big River, SK; CJOH-TV-8 Lancaster, ON; CKCK-TV-7 Fort Qu’Appelle, SK; CJOH-TV-47 Pembroke, ON; CICC-TV-3 Hudson Bay, SK; CFTO-TV-21 Severn Falls, ON; CIWH-TV-1 Humboldt, SK; CFTO-TV-54 Bobcaygeon, ON CFCN-TV-4 Burmis, AB; CICI-TV-1 Elliot Lake, ON CFCN-TV-6 Drumheller, AB; CITO-TV-1 Kapuskasing, ON; CFCN-TV-7 Bassano, AB; CITO-TV-2 Kearns, ON; CFCN-TV-11 Sparwood, BC; CITO-TV-3 Hearst/Hallebourg,ON; CFCN-TV-12 Moyie, BC; CITO-TV-4 Chapleau, ON CFCN-TV-13 Pigeon Mountain, AB; CHBX-TV-1 Wawa, ON; CFCN-TV-16 Oyen, AB; CKNY-TV-11 Dwight, ON; CFCN-TV-17 Waterton Park, AB; CKCO-TV-2 Wiarton, ON; CFCN-TV-18 Coleman, AB; CKVR-1 LP Parry Sound, ON; CFRN-TV-7 Lougheed, AB; CKNX-TV Wingham ON; FRN-TV-10 Rocky Mountain House, AB; CHWI-TV-60 Windsor, ON; CFRN-TV-12 Athabasca, AB; CKX-TV-1 Foxwarren, MB; CFCN-TV-15 Invermere, BC; CKX-TV-2 Melita, MB
 
#16 ·
Yes Tablo that is the document its from - from CTV to CRTC (in reference to licensing negotians this year, I think?). Have I got it wrong or is it that these stations will go off air?

I see the list of permanent allotments, but does that mean all those stations are commited to refitting and continuing ota? I'd be very happy if someone could confirm if this is so, but everything I dig up tends to indicate the prevailing view is that it's too expensive to rebuild/retrofit, ota in general is too expensive to maintain, everybody uses cable/satellite anyways, money would be better spent on increasing canadian content than broadcasting ota. The compromise I've heard suggested is that digital ota conversion will take place in a few select major cities, and the rest of the country may be allowed to run analogue till the infrastructure drops, but then it's game over and to cable we all go.

Please tell me I'm wrong? Is such an outcome potentially possible? At first review of info available it seems to be heading this way already...
 
#17 ·
Hold your horses...

Let's treat that list as being very interesting for the possible state of CTV's OTA stations but unfortunately not being 100% verifiable as fact, then. That's not directed personally at bcgirl in any way, whom I thank for posting it. It is based on what some of you who have been involved in CRTC hearings in the past already know: there is almost always a big gap between the desires of the Canadian broadcasters and the eventual outcomes.

So, it is one thing for CTV to submit it to the CRTC as part of hearings, but hopefully we can get some further evidence from CTV in the form of an announcement or other document. :)
 
#18 ·
The "list" may have been a bargaining piece generated by CTV. Now that the local television fund is in place, things may have changed...
 
#19 ·
Those "stations" are mostly repeaters for actual stations in other cities. They generate little revenue since local advertising solicitation is not allowed. They also have no local programming so they cannot benefit from the LPF.

These repeaters were put in place originally to allow simsubs on area cable systems. CTV now has approval to request simsubs for areas where no stations exist. Therefore the repeaters are no longer necessary and CTV is shutting them down rather than spend any money for digital conversion.

BTW, the CRTC automatically renewed licenses for stations when CTV failed to apply for renewals, basically calling CTV's bluff. They are still on the air but digital conversion is still questionable. What's next? Maybe a digital conversion fund mandated by the CRTC? Whatever happened to free enterprise and entrepreneurship in Canada?
 
#21 ·
@scarybob: If a station meets the criteria for local station improvement funds, they (and their repeaters) will receive funding.

@ringtailedfox: Indeed, the US government contributed quite a bit to the conversion, and so should the Canadian government. We can't forget that the federal government will earn unbelieveable sums of money auctioning off the 700MHz spectrum, which will be vacated after the conversion. The least the government could do would be to help stations and consumers with the transition.
 
#23 ·
I may be less in the know but did not the current owner take a long bath on speciality channels that no one wanted to pay for , so they are taking it out on the loyal customers of local tv by canning the ctv ota stuff,

I mean these stations have been around longer than most civil servants and local programming is their specialty. Unfortunately the new boys from Montreal who own these stations and all the other stuff are soooooooooooooo money fixated that they chose to blame anything or anyone for their bad decisions sigh

the only thing constant is change ---- notwithstanding having the right dna?
I don't know

:(
 
#24 ·
Use the Industry Canada listings for Canadian stations since the U.S. ones that are based on the FCC have incorrect info:

http://www.user.dccnet.com/jonleblan...a_TV_Stations/
Actually w9wi's list is accurate, because it IS based on the Industry Canada database.

It's only Andy at TVFool who hasn't had the time to integrate the real Canadian Database onto his web page.

In fact, W9WI's Candian listing are very handy, since they're easier to read than the raw database files (and I don't have to download them every week.)
 
#26 ·
These repeaters were put in place originally to allow simsubs on area cable systems.
That's a stretch. A lot of those stations predate the 1968 establishment of the CRTC, let alone the institution of simsub regulations in the early 70's.

Before simsub came along, Canadian stations used to buy pre-release rights to many American shows, so they were actually broadcast on Canadian TV (both CBC and CTV) before the American showing. Sometimes it was 30 or 60 minutes before, and sometimes it was days before.
 
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