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CFTO-DT

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CFTO-TV (branded as CTV Toronto) is a Canadian television station, licensed to, and serving Toronto, Ontario, and surrounding areas. It is the flagship station of the CTV Television Network and was one of the charter members of the television network when it was launched in 1961. It broadcasts from the CN Tower in Toronto on channel 9 (cable 8) with a power output of 316 kW.

Prior to 1995, CFTO only had one main transmitter (similar to CFCF and CIVT now), but with its two repeater stations, its signal now reaches all of Central Ontario.

It also available on Bell TV (channels 212 SD and 800 HD) and Star Choice (channel 313) satellite systems. The station shares its premises with the network's headquarters, which includes studios for the network's news programming (Canada AM, CTV National News and the CTV Newsnet channel), along with CTV's specialty channels. This arrangement had existed even before CFTO's founder, Baton Broadcasting, purchased the network.

CFTO is one of several television stations in Toronto that broadcast descriptive video services for the blind on the Secondary Audio Program.

Programming

Being the flagship station of the CTV network, its schedule is the main CTV schedule. This schedule is also seen on the other CTV stations in Southern Ontario, as CFTO acts as the master control for these stations.

News

CFTO's news programming is aired at noon (Monday to Friday), 6 p.m. and at 11:30 p.m. (all week, 11:30 p.m. bulletin repeated at 5:55 a.m. Monday to Friday before Canada AM begins). CTV News at 6 is the highest rated local newscast in Toronto - getting approximately 500,000 viewers each newscast. CTV News Toronto is also known for having the most live trucks in the market (multiple satellite and microwave trucks). CFTO is one of the few stations in Canada to lease a news helicopter which can broadcast live at 1500 feet above land. CFTO's twin chopper is in Vancouver at CTV's CIVT. CTV News also has the most advanced weather technology compared to other Canadian stations which incorporates WSI's TrueView technology and real time doppler radar with zoom and pan capabilities. [citation needed] Moreover, CFTO has bureaus at City Hall, Queen's Park, and downtown Toronto (Front St.). CTV News Toronto has the support of the entire CTV National News Team; it is not uncommon to see live reports from any one of CTV National News bureaus.

As of December 2008, CablePulse 24 (CP24), a 24-hour news channel that primairly focuses in Toronto airs a simulcast of CTV News at Six, in place of CityNews at Six. This occurred because the long-standing affiliation between Citytv Toronto and CP24 suddenly came to an end upon the announcement by the CRTC that Rogers Media, owners of Citytv, would be launching it's own 24-hour news channel to be known as CityNews Toronto which would be focusing on the Greater Toronto Area.

CFTO and CP24 share common ownership through CTVglobemedia.

Personalities

  • Noon & 6 p.m. anchors
    • Ken Shaw - formerly of CHFI-FM
    • Christine Bentley
  • 11:30 p.m. anchors
    • Bill Hutchison
    • Pauline Chan - formerly of Global TV
  • Weekend anchors (6 p.m. & 11:30 p.m.)
    • Tom Hayes
    • Andria Case
  • Fill-in anchors
    • Tom Gibney - retired as main evening news anchor
    • Janice Golding - on maternity leave
    • Alicia Kay-Markson - on maternity leave
    • John Musselman
    • Galit Solomon
    • Paul Bliss
    • Dana Levenson
  • General reporters:
    • Janice Golding - on maternity leave
    • Alicia Kay-Markson - on maternity leave
    • Galit Solomon
    • Tom Hayes
    • Andria Case
    • Bill Hutchison
    • Dana Levenson
    • Chris Eby - court reporter
    • Austin Delaney
    • Jim Junkin - crime and police reporter
    • John Musselman
    • Matet Nebres
    • Paul Bliss
    • Mairianna Bachynsky - on maternity leave
    • Naomi Parness - formerly with CTVglobemedia's A-Channel/CKVR in Barrie, ON
    • Jacqueline Milczarek - formerly with Global News in Toronto, ON
    • Karlene Nation - diversity producer and reporter
    • Ken Regular - formerly with CJON-TV and ctv.ca
    • Brad Giffen - formerly with WWSB and CHUM AM/FM
    • Zuraidah Alman - formerly with Global Ontario
  • Entertainment reporter:
    • Andria Case
  • Consumer affairs reporter:
    • Pat Foran
  • Lifetime/Health reporter:
    • Monica Matys
  • Weather:
    • Dave Devall[1]
    • Tom Brown - formerly of CKCK-TV, (CTV Regina)
    • Dana Levenson
    • Anwar Knight - formerly of Global TV
    • Mairianna Bachynsky - on maternity leave
  • Sports:
    • Lance Brown
    • Joe Tilley
    • Claude Feig
    • Suneel Joshi - formerly of Citytv

The station brands its newscasts as CTV News, in line with all of CTV's other owned and operated stations, using generic CTV News graphics.

Former reporters and program hosts

History

CFTO went on the air for the first time on December 31, 1960 at 10.00 p.m. The first official day of programming was January 1, 1961. The opening program was a telethon hosted by Joel Aldred, complete with a fireworks ceremony. The telethon was for what was then known as the Ontario Association for Retarded Children.

The station was originally owned by Baton-Aldred-Rogers Broadcasting, made up of:

US network ABC had a minority share in the partnership, but this was sold shortly before CFTO-TV went on the air to each of the partners. John Bassett trained at WXYZ-TV in Detroit, and WABC-TV in New York.

The elder E. S. Rogers was a minority owner of Western Ontario Broadcasting, Ltd., owners of CKLW-TV (now CBET) in Windsor, Ontario/Detroit (which was mostly owned by RKO General).

The station's original studios and transmitter were located at 1550 McCowan Road.

In March 1961, Joel Aldred sold his interest in CFTO, and on October 1 that year, the station joined the CTV Television Network. In 1970, Ted Rogers sold his interest in CFTO and the Bassett-Eaton group sold their interest in Rogers Cable.

On May 31 1976, CFTO began broadcasting from the CN Tower, while studios remained in Agincourt. CFTO began broadcasting in stereo in 1985.

In 1994, the station became part of the Baton Broadcast System, a subsystem within the CTV network.

In 1995, CFTO began operating rebroadcast stations at Orillia (channel 21) and Bobcaygeon (near Peterborough, channel 54).

On January 27, 1998, the Eaton family sold its 41% interest in Baton. On the same day the Baton Broadcast System merged into CTV.

With rumours of a takeover impending, Bell Canada Enterprises proposed to buy CTV Inc. for $2.3 billion. This was approved by the CTV board in March 2000. The deal still required CRTC approval, but with the promise of the largest benefits package ever presented to the regulators, the deal was approved on December 7 that year. BCE later sold most of its interest in CTV, with the parent company renamed CTVglobemedia.

The station began providing a digital signal on satellite on November 17, 2003, and on January 30, 2004, CFTO was granted a digital television channel signal, transmitting on channel 40VU from the CN Tower with an ERP of 17,400 watts. In mid 2005, CFTO's CN Tower transmitter began transmitting HDTV over the air. As this is the only HDTV feed of the CTV network emanating from eastern or central Canada, CFTO-DT is sometimes known as CTV HD East.

Logos

  • CFTO-TV's logo from 1974
    CFTO-TV's logo from 1974
  • An early-1990s version of CFTO's longtime multicoloured iris logo, first introduced during the transition to colour TV in 1965. This version was later used as the basis for the BBS logo.
    An early-1990s version of CFTO's longtime multicoloured iris logo, first introduced during the transition to colour TV in 1965. This version was later used as the basis for the BBS logo.
  • CFTO's BBS logo
    CFTO's BBS logo
  • CFTO-TV's former logo (1998-2005). As of October 2005 logos with the stations' callsigns are no longer used on CTV stations; instead they all use the main CTV logo.
    CFTO-TV's former logo (1998-2005). As of October 2005 logos with the stations' callsigns are no longer used on CTV stations; instead they all use the main CTV logo.

Shows produced at CFTO's studios

The CTV Toronto studios at the 9 Channel Nine Court are also the main headquarters for the CTV national network and the main headquarters for CTVglobemedia (the parent of CTV).

The studio scenes in the 1976 film Network were filmed at CFTO.

CTV also owns CablePulse 24 (CP24), a 24-hour local news channel based in Toronto previously owned by CHUM is based at the CHUM-City Building at Queen and John Streets along with other former CHUM Limited channels now owned by CTVglobemedia such as MuchMusic, Star!, Bravo! and Space are based.

The Lotto 6/49 and Lotto Super 7 drawings are also held at CFTO studios, although the live draws are not televised on CFTO.

Transmitters

Station City of licence Channel ERP HAAT Transmitter Coordinates
CFTO-TV-21 Orillia 21 (UHF) 207.6 kW 171.3 m 44°52′4″N 79°35′41″W / 44.86778°N 79.59472°W / 44.86778; -79.59472 (CFTO-TV-21)
CFTO-TV-54 Peterborough 54 (UHF) 223.2 kW 176.3 m 44°26′44″N 78°31′59″W / 44.44556°N 78.53306°W / 44.44556; -78.53306 (CFTO-TV-54)

Digital television and high definition

After the analog television shutdown and digital conversion, which is tentatively scheduled to take place on August 31, 2011 [3], CFTO-TV will continue digital broadcasts on its current pre-transition channel number, 40. However, through the use of PSIP, digital television receivers will display CFTO-TV's virtual channel as 9.1.

References

  1. ^ NewspaperARCHIVE.com - Search old newspaper articles online
  2. ^ http://www.broadcasting-history.ca/sportsonradioandtv/CFL_The_TV_Years.html
  3. ^ http://www.ic.gc.ca/epic/site/oca-bc.nsf/en/ca02336e.html
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