CBC's OTA Future: Discussion

[Jakeman3]

It appears that CBC has pulled all of their analogue coverage maps from their website.

[alebowgm]

If this is in the wrong thread (or warrants its own), then hopefully an OP can move it.

I have received confirmation that at tonight's City of Windsor council meeting, the following is going to be introduced regarding the impending shutdown of CBEFT.

Whereas the Windsor region has had ready access to francophone television programming on CBEFT since 1976 and

Whereas this analogue transmission service is set to be shut down at the end of July and

Whereas this will impact the francophone community in Windsor and Essex County area, leaving them without their only non-cable access to information in their preferred language and

Whereas this decision, not to switch this long-standing analogue service to digital, will force the francophone community to pay high fees for a cable service and

Whereas there is a viable alternative and

Whereas the French language service of the CBC could easily use a method known as “mutliplexing” which would combine multiple digital data streams into one signal over a shared medium and

Whereas the English transmitter at CBET could be used for this purpose and

Whereas this would allow the CBC to shutdown the analogue service but retain local francophone programming by broadcasting on a sub-channel and

Whereas this is a proven technology and widely used in the United States.

Therefore be it resolved that this City Council urges The Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission, Industry Canada and Minister Christian Paradis and the Department of Canadian Heritage and Minister James Moore to authorize the CBC to use this multiplexing method as a viable alternative to serve our area’s Francophone Community.

It is going to be introduced by either Percy Hatfield or Alan Halberstadt, both city Councillors, as they are on board about trying to save the station. I know Dave Monk in Lakeshore and Carolyn Davies in Amherstburg, both Councillors in their own region, share the same concerns and are looking at doing the same.

I have also been invited to appear at all three councils but have declined for the time being due to personal issues. I know this would be effective but I just can't do it right now. With that said, if anyone in the region was interested in taking up the cause, PM me and we can talk about what needs to be done.

[roger1818]

^^^Certainly worth a try, but I wouldn't hold my breath. One of the issues the CBC is facing is distribution. The satellite feeds the repeaters currently use will be shut down and the national HD programming is sent in an unfinished format with the station adding local ads and programming (by remote control). Much of that local programming would not be available in Windsor so they would have to use an alternate feed.

The CBC would also not want to sacrifice the picture quality of their primary broadcast to make room for a sub-channel. Do that and see how quickly people complain about how bad HNIC looks compared to TSN.

[micah]

Awesome stuff -- good luck!

[alebowgm]

Ya I am not holding my breath. It is going to take more than one resolution of council to actually get something done. They will need multiple councils in the region to get on board. They also would have to talk to the MPs and MPPs to work something out before going to CBC, CRTC and other areas of government. But something is better than nothing, which is why the councilors decided on advocating for multiplexing versus keeping the RF 35 transmitter online. If anyone in the Windsor-Essex region is interested in appearing before council (Windsor, Amherstburg or Lakeshore), PM me. I was invited for all three but am unable to do so for personal reasons, but would be glad to steer you in the right direction.

[rob50312]

CBC has already has reduced resolution on all OTA transmitters so adding a 480i sub should not make any difference.Rogers gets a better quality feed.

[someguy23475]

I just thought of something: in markets that have semi-satellites of a larger CBC station (Saskatoon, London, etc.), when these stations shut down, will they lose local advertising rights?

[LONSat]

I don't think they sell local advertising in London anyways. I have never seen any.

[El Gran Chico]

The CBC would also not want to sacrifice the picture quality of their primary broadcast to make room for a sub-channel.

But Hubert Lacroix, Steven Guiton, Bev Kirshenblatt, et al keep telling us that less than 1% (it declines every time they comment on it ) watches OTA so an insignificant number of people are impacted and if they are concerned, that they should get cable like everyone else.

Therefore be it resolved that this City Council urges The Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission, Industry Canada and Minister Christian Paradis and the Department of Canadian Heritage and Minister James Moore to authorize the CBC ...

Authorize? I would have used "order" or "mandate". If they are authorized, they are not compelled to implement it. Sort of like CBEFT analog is authorized to stay on the air to Aug. 31 but the licensee is free to kill it earlier as they plan to do.

It is going to take more than one resolution of council to actually get something done.

Agreed! Windsor should be engaging the councils in other locations with a similar situation:

• Anglophone communities in and around Moncton, Quebec City, Sherbrooke, Chicoutimi, Trois-Rivières
  
• Francophone communities in and around Fredericton, Halifax, Charlottetown, St. John’s, Calgary

[someguy23475]

I thought that was the purpose of CBLN being called as such- to sell local advertising. Otherwise, they'd have a CBLT-xx callsign.

[tvlurker]

Call signs are issued by Industry Canada. Broadcasting license conditions are set by the CRTC. There is no relationship between the form of a call sign and license terms.

It used to be that split-advertising relays showed separate local news and had separate CRTC licenses. Now I believe that so-called semi-satellites can be listed on the main station's license. In any case, it does not matter what the call signs are.

[roger1818]

As an example, TVO has several call signs but only one feed but CHEX-TV-2 is a semi-satellites of CHEX-TV.

[classicsat]

At one time, CBLN did have local advertising, I remember seeing it, but that was last century, about the time that Baton basically shut down CKNX as an actual station.

[Reader]

Good work on the Windsor motion! The other places where this would make good sense for CBC and Radio-Canada to multiplex and maintain a Radio-Canada OTA signal are: Fredericton, Charlottetown, St. John's and Yellowknife. This is where CBC plans to have, or has, digital transmitters and Radio-Canada will not.

[LONSat]

The CBLN call signs could also be a little bit of marketing optics. Not being CBLT-xx gives the appearance that this is not simply a re broadcaster of a Toronto station. There may have been a vision a some time to add local news but that is pure speculation on my part.