[alebowgm]

A one liner in FyBush's weekly newsletter this week, interesting nonetheless. In discussing the sale of CHST-FM (Bob FM in London), the following was said...

The sale separates Bob FM from its TV sister station, CFPL-TV (Channel 10), which is also believed to be for sale to the right buyer.

http://fybush.com/nerw.html#can

Thoughts? Not sure exactly what CFPL-TV by itself can be good for, unless Shaw wanted a secondary OTA station to supplement the Canwest stations they are in the process of buying.

 

[windows7]

I don't know what this means for CHWI-TV (/A\ Windsor), since they're solely dependent on CFPL-TV's news operations.

That's what happens when you gut a station (Windsor) leaving a former shell of itself to consolidate. Eventually, times change and it's unale to stand on its own two legs.

 

[Bent But]

If Jim Shaw didn't see these channels were worth $1, I doubt that there will be any buyers. Expect to see them shut down prior to digital transition. CTV will be $0 on capital for these operations.

 

[musimax]

If, and that's a big if, CTV is looking to sell CFPL, there might be buyers out there. SCN received 12 offers to buy the station (granted, some of them were offers just to buy the equipment and not to actually run the station), which in the end went to Bluepoint. So, there may be buyers out there for it.

 

[alebowgm]

Maybe Channel Zero would be interested.

 

[cm023]

Maybe then we will get some real "Local" programing?

 

[alebowgm]

Well that's why I bring it up. Channel Zero has done well since acquiring CHCH (CH - Hamilton) and the 'local' feel since taking the station over. Now that Channel Zero has purchased the rights to a lot of the US programming in the fall that was previously on Quebecor Media's CKXT (Sun TV - Toronto) and plan to air it on both CHCH and CJNT (CJNT - Montreal), as well as on CHEK (CHEK - Victoria), expanding their reach, viewership numbers and ability to simsub may be something of interest to them. It's all theoretical but I could see them picking up part of the /A\ network cluster that CTVgm want's to dump (CFPL, CHWI - Windsor, CHRO - Ottawa), then dumping their retransmitters in Ottawa and London. I doubt they bring back CKNX-TV in Wingham by-itself but it would be nice.

Anyways, it would give them strong coverage in a good portion of the country, population wise that is. Heck bring CHCA and CKX back from the dead and suddenly the 'CH' and 'A' cluster is one network with strong penetration.

Also, I know it was previously said but I do agree that whoever gets CFPL probably picks up CHWI.

 

[ScaryBob]

The CFPL frequency and viewership have some value but the station itself is a dinosaur. Maintaining such a high powered station, it's associated 1000' tower and production facilities must be very expensive. The station itself hasn't made money since about 1990. The city has had 95% cable penetration since the 1960's, which means that most (if not all) TV viewers have access to distant stations. It might make some sense to make CFPL a CTV affiliate, sell/rebrand CKCO and close down all the low power CFTO/CKCO repeaters across the area. But then, who thinks Canadian TV network executives have any sense?

 

[PlayitSimple]

Channel Zero buying this station sounds good to me, you can't go wrong there. Good, stable Independent ownership and a station operated by and for the local community- isn't that what LOCAL TV is all about?!

I think CTV is looking to dump the A stations so they don't have to spend the money to upgrade them to digital as well as whatever repeaters each station has. Look for possible announcements by the fall since the switch to digital is fast approaching.

 

[vjose78]

Well one things for sure, with Channel Zero spending a fair amount of money on American programming, they might as well get something out of it. Getting it on more networks, like some of the A's would probably be to their benefit if they could do it.

On a side note, slightly off topic, what is it with Canadian broadcasters using one letter names for their channels, like 'A', 'V', E!, M (for TMN), and so forth. So uncreative and lazy in my opinion.

 

[bigoranget]

I highly doubt CFPL will be purchased by Channel Zero. Channel Zero doesn't need additional stations in Ontario as they pretty much cover Ontario with CHCH.

If CTVgm is planning to sell CFPL/CHWI, it will go to a different company.

 

[ScaryBob]

Correct. CHCH has repeaters in London (channel 51) and other locations in Ontario, as well as carriage on cable and satellite.

 

[musimax]

Channel Zero probably wouldn't want it because if they were to buy another English station, it and CHCH would be subject to the priority programming clause, meaning then they would both have to air a certain amount of Canadian drama, comedies, etc. That's a probably a good reason why they only bought CJNT and CHCH back when they bought them. They could always change their mind and maybe they'd be up for it now, but I still doubt it. I still think Bluepoint would be a contender since they have been openly stating they want a bunch of local stations.

 

[alebowgm]

Well they can produce in-house priority programming, such as Saturday morning clown hour, etc.

Per Wikipedia, CHCH has the following transmitters

CHCH-TV-1 Ottawa 11 (VHF) 60 kW 190 m
CHCH-TV-2 London 51 (UHF) 1300 kW 300 m
CHCH-TV-3 Muskoka 67 (UHF) 2572 kW 305 m
CHCH-TV-4 Sudbury 41 (UHF) 35 kW 171.9 m
CHCH-TV-5 Sault Ste. Marie 38 (UHF) 5 kW 112.5 m
CHCH-TV-6 North Bay 32 (UHF) 5 kW 116 m
CHCH-TV-7 Timmins 11 (VHF) 3.3 kW 142.2 m

CFPL is only in London, so they can drop the retransmitter there. They would also pick up CKNX in Wingham. CHRO in Ottawa lets them drop the retrans there as well. Meanwhile, CHWI in Windsor would give them another market. CIVI won't happen because of CHEK in Victoria though.

Its all hypothetical of course. But I would rather see local programming strive and done right. I know the rules are different but there is what, some 200+ DMA's in the USA that have locals and they all find a way to survive and provide local news. Many have populations smaller than Hamilton, London and Windsor.

 

[alebowgm]

On a side note, slightly off topic, what is it with Canadian broadcasters using one letter names for their channels, like 'A', 'V', E!, M (for TMN), and so forth. So uncreative and lazy in my opinion.

/A\ was a play off of the A-Channel, which goes back many years out in the west when it was with Craigmedia.

E! was a grab on the US network that has success with that programming there. They tried to basically mimic the station and it didn't work.

I have no excuse for V but I am sure someone knows the background on it.

 

[Emerald_Boar]

The only reason to buy /A\ London. (and the other As)
Is for the Ad rights.

CTV, CHCH & GLOBAL would have seriously overlap issues.

TVO doesnt do ADS.
Rogers would have to drop its Woodstock or London transmittor.

As you can see there will be little interest in it.

Read ya l8r,
Al

 

[thenewdc]

London is a good size market, certainly their is value in CFPL.

 

[mjjl]

I've said it before, and I'll say it again - CFPL's local news ratings are just way too high for the station to drop dead. Their newscasts register a rating of 16, according to a reliable source. That translates to over 130,000 viewers in Southwestern Ontario. It is also reportedly the most-watched TV program in London, ahead of any major network offerings.

I saw some BBM ratings a few years ago, and now-defunct stations CKRD (CHCA) and CKX had very low ratings for their local newscasts. In fact CKRD was behind both Edmonton's ITV and CFRN. CKRD and CKX didn't have the local support necessary to make operating the stations worthwhile, and both were also in markets much smaller than London. These are the kinds of stations that shut down. Not stations like CFPL.

If CTV can't sell the station for some reason, I still don't see why they can't make it a full CTV station. Global managed to make CHBC Kelowna a full Global station even though Kelowna already gets BCTV, and that is a small market. But I don't see how a station like CFPL couldn't find a buyer. Stations like CHWI or CKNX on their own, now those I understand not finding buyers.

I must say also that a lot of people outside Southwestern Ontario don't realize how big a market London really is. It's bigger than Halifax, Regina, Saskatoon, or Kelowna. TV stations in large markets don't just suddenly disappear, especially when they're the only local station.

 

[classicsat]

FWIW, CKNX-TV no longer formally exists as a TV station. What was CKNX-TV has been reduced over the years to informally a re-transmitter and news bureau for CFPL. Last year they formally "closed" the station, relicensing the transmitter as CFPL-TV2, or something like it.

 

[Lindsay649]

The reliable sources for number of viewers watching CFPL should be identified. The actual program is one of the worst in Canada.....six o'clock news with the bobble head man and eleven o'clock news with the wailing head women. Lets not forget Nick Paparillie or what ever filling his face with food and the news directors wife rehashing old American and usually dated health news. I suppose many individuals tune in just to see if !the newscasts are getting better. Almost missed the Weekends when Windsor news is front and centre even if the city of London is burning down.