Originally created by the Saskatchewan government as a commercial free educational channel, the station was bought last year by private concerns who aired Commercial-free educational and cultural programming between 6 a.m. and 3 p.m. local time and commercial programming from the mid-afternoon on.
Rogers says it will continue to run commercial-free educational content before 3pm. between 6 a.m. and 3 p.m. Throughout the remainder of the day, the network will air local, original and acquired Citytv programming, such as CityLine, Modern Family, The Neighbours Dog, 15 Minutes of Fame, 2 Broke Girls, and the upcoming Canada's Got Talent.
"Acquiring SCN was motivated by our desire to expand our national reach for Citytv content, allowing us to more effectively compete with other national broadcasters," said Scott Moore, President, Broadcast, Rogers Media.
Rogers will now have CityTV stations in all provinces west of Quebec.
The Citytv Saskatchewan station will operate out of Regina with the current management team and employees, with support from Rogers Media. In addition, Rogers says it provide the necessary capital investment for production upgrades, including offering a high definition signal for Citytv Saskatchewan and updated traffic equipment.
The deal is currently pending regulatory approval, with a decision expected in Spring 2012. No financial details were disclosed.
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