'A' Television Stations in Wingham and Windsor to be Shut Down

[nakedgord]

Originally Posted by Blackburst

Hell, with all the sub-channels available from the Detroit market, perhaps some US station will provide local Windsor news, and make a profit. Bye-Bye CTV. Take your marbles and go home back to Toronto. And the same goes for Global.

Agreed. The Buffalo stations already cover some Canadian news and WKBW's main anchor, Keith Radford, is actually Canadian.

I'm sure since they have the studios, are paying staff and have all these new sub channels to fill the idea of some quick $ to do our news just south of the border might catch their eye.

If the CRTC really wanted to get back at these broadcast groups, they would order them to sell off assets, and separate Sat/Cable services from owning speciality cable networks.

If they'd *really* want to kick it to them I'd love for the CRTC to mandate that cable/Bell TV/Star Choice have an unencrypted free service for everyone that just includes OTA broadcast stations plus public service stations like CPAC, OPAC, Vision and CBCNW/Newsnet and let them make their money of the specialty channels.

I'm sure that'd get them to quiet down over fee-for-carriage.

[HT gearhead]

The CRTC should have never allowed the homogenization of locals like Bell and Canwest have done to them. In doing so these two companies have managed to effectively destroy local tv. Add to that being forced to sub to every distant cookie cutter local at bloated prices on satellite....well you get the point.
And they wonder why some folks pirate or buy grey market satellite.

[alebowgm]

No, whats the point?

[nakedgord]

Originally Posted by HT gearhead

The CRTC should have never allowed the homogenization of locals like Bell and Canwest have done to them. In doing so these two companies have managed to effectively destroy local tv. Add to that being forced to sub to every distant cookie cutter local at bloated prices on satellite....well you get the point.

As someone mentioned earlier I'm sure that someone will apply to start new stations in these areas (although I wouldn't expect that until the depression ends...whenever that will be).

I can only hope, at that time, the CRTC will deny any applications from either CTV or Global.

And they wonder why some folks pirate or buy grey market satellite.

Agreed. With all the talk of Bev and Dave along with internet TV destroying Canadian TV it's really been CTV and Global (along with the CBC following their lead in dumbing down Canadian media) that have done the best job at it.

[windows7]

For this example, I'll use Windsor (but I'm positive Wingham is just as loved by their locals):

I assume no TV station operating, means no news crew working at the TV station covering local news. So this means CFPL really can't pick up the slack of the soon-to-be-dark station, because they'd have to send a newscrew 2 hours south to cover local events (costly, unrealistic).

Technically, with CFPL licensed to the London area, they are under no obligation to cover Windsor-area news; that's why one obtains a local TV station for the area (which obviously no longer feasible).

So viewers in the 2 affected area are S.O.O.L. Such a shame. It's not like CHCH Hamilton going down (may still happen). They're near the big Toronto area. It's easy for Global to send a newscrew to Ham to cover something. Not so easy when you're down in Windsor.

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edit: 11 O'Clock news: Just saw Don Mumford (the guy in charge of all A stations; use to be GM of CFPL until his promotion) said he applauded Scott Miller's work covering the Wingham area and said they'll maintain a bureau in the area for reporting to feed to London for broadcast. No mention of Windsor. Looks like local TV is going dark in Windsor. A does a lot of "community events" filler segments during commercials. You're going to have to rely on CBC Windsor now for your local TV news. They mentioned the closure of CKX in Brandon, MB and mentioned CanWest's plans to sell or shutdown 5 E! stations.

As a volunteer at CFPL on the morning show (then-called) "New Day" at Covent Garden Market, I'm sadden by this. Although not paid, it was the best job I ever had w/ the excitement of live TV. This was back in 2000 and the camera crew actually were having trouble back then making ends-meet. One guy travelled TO Windsor to clean the CBC buildings at night.

[ScaryBob]

Due to the proximity to Detroit, the Windsor market has always been difficult for broadcasters. I imagine that has become worse now that most US broadcasters have switched to digital.

CFPL is the only local station in London and it has a wide market with it's high power and tall antenna tower. For many years, it was the only station that had a clear signal in London. That still makes it a valuable asset. Apart from news programming, Wingham's CKNX has always been a sister/repeater station to CFPL and has a much smaller market. I'm sure many people will miss it though.

I am not defending CTV, I think they have done Canadians a disservice by shutting down these stations. I can see why the bean counters at CTV made the decision though.

[PHAND]

This is quite sad. My dads family was part of CKNX back when it started. My grandmother managed the accounting there for 30+ years, my uncle was a technician there. They all lived just a few blocks away from the station.

Very sad indeed.

[bigoranget]

My prediction,

CFPL will fully expect to be carried on cable in these areas and the local cable systems, without any fight will continue to grant simsubs. I wouldn't even be surprised if they ask to re-broadcast CFPL on these now defunct transmitters.

Personally, I think if CTV is going to abandon these markets, A-Channel (or A) should not have any carriage on cable in these markets.

[El Gran Chico]

As someone orginally from Southwestern Ontario, this bothers me but I can't say I'm surprised. Just a cold business decision from head office.

Someday there will be a local disaster in one of these communities, and people will turn on their tv's for coverage, and there will be nothing but people in a far off place talking about something else oblivous to what's happening on the ground in some places in their viewing area.

Heck, even in Toronto the local television did an atrocious job of covering last summer's propane explosion. Maybe local television is already dead in Canada now that I think of it more. Compare this to the coverage the Buffalo stations did on the plane crash a couple of weeks ago.

[spensar]

Ad revenues are down a lot for TB these days. CTV reacts by cutting costs, CBC whines for more money from the government. OH Canada!

[mma2003]

I'm in Windsor, and have bell tv, so I didn't get that channel. I guess if anything this is good news for the windsor star as I get the paper as my source for local news. I know a few people that get OTA signals but most people I know that don't have cable or bell tv just use FTA.

[RingtailedFox]

Well, this doesn't surprise me. CHWI-TV"s newscrew has to be the most rude and neanderthal-like in all of canada, and i'm GLAD they're getting the boot. CFPL got the approval last year by the CRTC to be covered locally on cable in Windsor and Leamington... i assume the transmitters in windsor and weatley and wingham will become repeaters... though if the station's forsale for one dollar, as with CKX-TV, i'll consider buying it instead (since it's just down the street from me).

lately, the detroit stations have been covering windsor news (particularly weather) much more often than the years before 2004....

[987654321]

CFPL will be shut down in 2010 or 2011. The employees have already been told.

[alebowgm]

Originally Posted by RingtailedFox

Well, this doesn't surprise me. CHWI-TV"s newscrew has to be the most rude and neanderthal-like in all of canada, and i'm GLAD they're getting the boot. CFPL got the approval last year by the CRTC to be covered locally on cable in Windsor and Leamington... i assume the transmitters in windsor and weatley and wingham will become repeaters... though if the station's forsale for one dollar, as with CKX-TV, i'll consider buying it instead (since it's just down the street from me).

lately, the detroit stations have been covering windsor news (particularly weather) much more often than the years before 2004....

Do you have a link to the CRTC decesion saying this?

[Classof83]

Countdown, where did you get this info from about CFPL being shut down?