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CTV is a property of a
BCE-owned consortium known as Bell Globemedia, which
also owns The Globe And Mail as well as Internet service
Sympatico-Lycos. As Canada's largest privately-run
television service, CTV is seen by over 95% of English
Canada (99% if you count Cable and DTH coverage). When
CTV first came on the air in the fall of 1961 as a
network, it was owned by a consortium of Toronto
investors, connecting the eight "independent" stations
that were originally affiliated with it. When CTV
almost fell into bankruptcy in 1966, the affiliate
stations agreed to buy out the network. Over time, the
various CTV stations grew and became hostile of one
another, until one company bought out CTV and almost all
of the network's affiliates, the most recent purchases
being CKY in Winnipeg and CFCF in Montreal. CTV now has
an ownership structure very similar to CBC. Recently,
CTV let its network licence expire, so now it is simply
a television service, not an official network, putting
it on level pegging with Global.
CTV owns and operates
twenty stations across Canada, and nearly all of them
broadcast a standard schedule. The various CTV programs
include Canada AM, Vicki Gabereau, CTV National News,
ER, The West Wing, Law & Order, Cold Squad, CSI, Wheel
of Fortune, and Jeopardy. Some differences in
programming usually only concern syndicated shows or
time zones. The local newscasts the CTV stations
produce also look the same or similar.
Not all CTV stations
are owned by the service. Those stations owned by other
companies are in Thunder Bay, Kenora and Lloydminster,
and receive just a minimum 40-hour schedule from CTV.
Some stations, such as CJBN-TV in Kenora, Ont., air
additional CTV programming with no ads from the main
service.
Within the past couple
of years, CTV has lost some over-the-air coverage in
British Columbia. The former CTV affiliate in BC,
CHAN-TV (an original CTV affiliate) grew so much and got
so hostile toward CTV that the network never got the
chance to buy the station. Since then, CHAN-TV has
switched from CTV to Global, and it has taken its sister
station, CHEK-TV, out of the CTV network as well,
leaving CTV to broadcast its programming on a newer
station, CIVT-TV, one that does not have any
rebroadcasting transmitters. As a result, CTV now has
to depend on cable or satellite distributors to reach
B.C. viewers outside of the Greater Vancouver area.
Also, CTV now must depend on satellite and digital cable
to get most of its programs into Newfoundland, now that
NTV has stormed out of the CTV network.
Update: As of December 28, 2002, CTV no longer shows
ABC's Disney schedule on Saturday Mornings. CTV now airs
"Good Morning Canada", in addition to other programs, in
its place.
The above information
provided courtesy Nelson Media
www.nelsonmedia.ca |
