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Shaw in Thunder Bay switches US Networks to Minneapolis from Detroit

6K views 16 replies 8 participants last post by  cyclist44 
#1 ·
Route reference: Part 1 application posted on 9 September 2011

Ottawa, 6 December 2011

2. Specifically, the following condition of licence:

The licensee is authorized to distribute, at its option, WXYZ (ABC), WWJ-TV (CBS), WDIV (NBC) and WTVS (PBS) Detroit, Michigan, and WUHF (FOX) Rochester, New York, as part of the basic service.

is replaced with:

The licensee is authorized to distribute WCCO-TV (CBS), KARE (NBC), KSTP-TV (ABC), KMSP-TV (FOX) and KTCI-TV (PBS) Minneapolis, Minnesota as part of the basic service, or alternatively for each signal, the signal of a different affiliate of the same network located in the same time zone and included in the List of non-Canadian programming services authorized for distribution, as amended from time to time.

3. In its application, Shaw stated that there are currently no major market U.S. 4+1 signals operating in the same time zone as Thunder Bay that share a community of interest with Thunder Bay. It argued that changing the source of the U.S. network signals to Minneapolis is appropriate given that there is a community of interest between Thunder Bay and Minneapolis; that the Minneapolis signals offer greater programming relevance; that there is significant demand from customers for those signals; and that the impact on Canadian broadcasters will be minimal. In support of its application, Shaw also provided the results of a customer survey that demonstates that its Thunder Bay customers would prefer to receive the U.S. network signals from Minneapolis rather than those from Detroit.
http://www.crtc.gc.ca/eng/archive/2011/2011-749.htm


The switch will happen sometime this year.

I was surprised that Fox and PBS were included with the switch as we always had Fox from Rochester and PBS from Detroit even when Shaw switched us to Minneapolis before temporarily.
 
#7 ·
I'm assuming all the feeds from Minneapolis will be fibered to Winnipeg then sent to Thunder Bay.

Doesn't Winnipeg already have CBS and NBC from Minneapolis? I doubt they will change the PBS feed as Winnipeg has had PBS from North Dakota for decades. I'm not sure how Shaw received PBS from North Dakota these days but in the past the ABC signal operated a microwave relay that sent the ABC feed and PBS feed to Winnipeg. If this is still the way the signal is being delivered, I would expect that ABC and PBS will continue to come from Fargo/Grand Forks area. I can however see the FOX feed switching to Minneapolis for Winnipeg.
 
#8 ·
Shaw's not likely to change our local PBS station KFME/KGFE . This station gets a large portion of its funding from Winnipeggers, and therefore represents Winnipeg fairly well. I think it's in our mutual interest (Winnipeg and Prairie Public TV) to keep the current PBS station.

On the other hand, PBS Detroit can go. Nobody in Winnipeg watches PBS Detroit, and the last thing we need is an eastern PBS timeshift which is only 1 hour off, when all our other timeshifts are Pacific.

FOX Rochester just doesn't make sense for Winnipeg in any sense. It's an out-of-market station located in a different time zone, from a town that has no dealings with Winnipeg, whereas Fargo and Minneapolis are our neighbours and shopping destinations, and this is supposed to be our "local" station.
 
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