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CHWI-TV (branded as A Windsor) is a Canadian television station owned by CTVglobemedia. It is part of the A system. The station is licensed to Wheatley, Ontario, but operates out of (and focuses on) Windsor. CHWI also has offices in Chatham.

On cable, CHWI can be seen on Cogeco Windsor channel 6. It is not seen on Comcast Detroit or Bright House Livonia.

Due to economic issues, the station will permanently cease operations on August 31, 2009.[1]

History

CHWI is the second-youngest station in the A system, having signed on October 19, 1993. It was founded and owned by Baton Broadcasting (under the subsidiary of "South West Ontario Broadcasting", later "South West Ontario Television, Incorporated", co-owned by Electrohome) and remained a Baton Broadcasting System (BBS) station until it was traded to CHUM in 1997, after which it was rebranded The New WI (part of CHUM's NewNet group of stations) in 1998. In August 2005, the NewNet stations were renamed "A-Channel". In August 2008, the A-Channel stations were renamed "A".

Beginnings: independent and BBS

Baton applied to the Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) for a licence on for the Wheatley area, to serve both Chatham and Windsor with an independent local television station (as both were served only by the CBC and Télévision de Radio-Canada, SRC)). The station was approved on January 26, 1993, and its first transmissions began on October 19, 1993.

During its tenure as an independent station, it also aired ABC's Disney's One Saturday Morning schedule (along with, or from, CTV affiliate, CKCO-TV), along with syndicated Disney shows in the afternoons on weekdays (The Disney Afternoon), such as Bonkers and Goof Troop before the 5 PM News, similar to WXON-TV 20 and WKBD 50 across the river in Detroit. In 1997, it dropped the Saturday Morning/weekday afternoon cartoons, CTV/ABC programs, and BBS branding, in favour of the NewNet brand and programming, synchronizing itself with fellow NewNet station CFPL-TV in London. While the station aired many CTV programs, it was never branded as a CTV station directly, but it was labelled as a BBS station.

It was broadcast on channel 16 only (its Wheatley transmitter) for the first two years, and was basically impossible to view in Windsor because of to its weakened signal. It was 1995 when the station began transmissions to Windsor and Northern/Western Essex County on channel 60, somewhat fixing this situation. However, some parts of the Windsor area, including Tecumseh, are not reached by the Channel 60 signal, or the Channel 16 signal, and must rely on cable television access to watch CHWI-TV.

Baton had heard the complaints regarding the signal issues in the Windsor area, and applied for a Windsor-area translator on Channel 6, with an effective radiated power of 87 watts. The Federal Communications Commission of the United States denied this request, citing potential interference with WLNS 6 from Lansing, Michigan, but recommended Channel 60 instead. The CRTC agreed, and Baton was allowed to place a broadcast translator in Windsor on Channel 60 with an effective radiated power of 580 watts (with the same signal contours as channel 6 at 87 watts). In 2000, CHUM Limited had applied to increase its power from 580 watts, to 5.8 kilowatts (10 times the strength), and was approved. Its Windsor transmitter stands atop the 34-floor Victoria Park Place apartment building, currently the tallest building in Windsor. While the station was a BBS affiliate, it aired a great deal of CTV programming, and was more or less a CTV affiliate, if in programming and not by affiliation or name.

The New WI

In 1997, the station was sold by Electrohome and Baton Broadcasting to CHUM Limited, and was re-branded as The New WI, as part of NewNet. It was re-branded as "A-Channel" in 2005 and again as "A" in 2008). This was a result of a large affiliation swap that saw BBS gain control of the CTV network (becoming today's CTVglobemedia) and Electrohome exiting the broadcasting business, with CHUM gaining Baton's independnet stations.

Until 2003, the station broadcast its news from a separate studio at CFPL-TV. Sports and weather are still done from there, while the news is done from Windsor. From 1993 to 1999, the Windsor newsroom was at the corner of Riverside Drive East and Goyeau Street, at the foot of the 75 Riverside Drive apartments. The station's old banners ("The New WI") are still shown, faded and upside down over the abandoned and very-visible but abandoned rooms. The newsroom now sits at the corner of University and Ouellette Avenue, in the same building as the Palace Cinema.

A-Channel

In 2004, CHUM had announced it was purchasing Craig Media, and updating the branding of its stations in 2005. The A-Channel stations would become Citytv stations, while the NewNet stations would gain the A-Channel branding. CHWI-TV then became A-Channel Windsor.

Acquisition by CTVglobemedia

In 2006 CTV owner CTVglobemedia had announced that it would be taking over CHUM Limited for $C1.7 billion, with plans to divest itself of the A-Channel and Access Alberta stations.

In 2007 Omni Television owner Rogers Media had announced it would takeover the A-Channel stations, including CHWI, along with SexTV: The Channel, CLT, Access Alberta, and CKX-TV in the wake of CTVglobemedia's pending takeover of the CHUM Limited group. The transaction is said to cost $137 million in which will be paid in cash by Rogers. The CRTC) later announced its approval of CTVglobemedia's purchase of CHUM Limited, but it added a condition that CTVglobemedia must sell off CHUM's Citytv stations to another buyer. As such, CTVglobemedia retained the A-Channel stations and all of CHUM's specialty channels, and sold the Citytv stations to Rogers Media.

A

In June 2008, CTV announced that the A-Channel stations (including CHWI-TV) would be rebranded as A. CHWI's press releases and the station's local newscasts (known as A News) began using A in the same month as the network's new branding. CHWI became A Windsor in August 2008.

CHWI's demise

On February 25, 2009, CTV announced that, given the ongoing structural problems facing the conventional television sector in Canada and the current global economic crisis, it will not be applying to the CRTC) for renewal of the licences of CHWI-TV and CKNX-TV Wingham. [2] Even though both stations were losing money for CTV, in the case of CHWI, this comes despite its dominant ratings in local news over CBET.[3] [4] [5]

The stations' transmitters are slated to be shut down entirely and will not be converted to rebroadcasters of London's A station, CFPL-TV.[6] However, CFPL is expected to be available on cable, and remain available on satellite, in the affected areas following the shutdown. CTV says it will continue news coverage of the southwestern Ontario region through CFPL and CTV network station CKCO-TV.

The Windsor Star reported on March 4, 2009 that Windsor City Council, local Members of Provincial Parliament Sandra Pupatello and Dwight Duncan, and federal Members of Parliament Brian Masse and Joe Comartin are lobbying the CRTC and CTVglobemedia to keep CHWI-TV open, as it is the only local privately-owned television station in Windsor.[7]

Programming

CHWI's programming is almost identical to that of London, Ontario's CFPL, including popular American television series such as Primetime Live and Supernanny. The A Morning show has a contributor from Windsor, however, only the news anchor is based at their downtown Windsor studio. Sports and weather reports are based from a separate studio at CFPL in London. Prior to 2003, the CHWI newscasts were produced entirely out of studios at CFPL, and presently the weekend newscasts are simulcast with CFPL.

As with the other NewNet stations, CHWI was rebranded as A-Channel on August 2, 2005.

On July 12, 2006 CTV owner CTVglobemedia has decided to purchase A-Channel owner CHUM Ltd. for C$1.7 billion, with plans to divest itself of the A-Channel and Access Alberta stations[8].

On April 9, 2007 Omni Television owner Rogers Media announced the purchase of all of the A-Channel stations, including CHWI, along with SexTV: The Channel, CLT, Access Alberta, and CKX-TV. The transaction is said to cost $137 million in which will be paid in cash by Rogers. [9]

On June 8, 2007, the CRTC announced its approval of CTVglobemedia's purchase of CHUM Limited, but added a condition that CTVglobemedia must sell off CHUM's Citytv stations to another buyer while keeping the A-Channel stations (including CHWI), in effect cancelling the planned sale of A-Channel to Rogers Media. [10]

As with the other CHUM Limited channels excluding Citytv in which they were sold to Rogers Media, CHWI has been bought by CTVglobemedia on June 22, 2007.

On July 26, 2007, CTVglobemedia named Richard Gray the head of news for the A-Channel stations and CKX-TV. Gray will report to the CTVgm corporate group, not CTV News, to preserve independent news presentation and management. Gray will now oversee the news departments for CKVR, CHRO, CFPL, CKNX, CHWI, CIVI-TV and CKX-TV.[11]

As with the other A-Channel stations, CHWI was rebranded as A on August 11, 2008.[12]

Station presentation

References

  1. ^ 'A' Television Stations in Wingham and Windsor to be Shut Down, CTVglobemedia press release via Canada NewsWire, February 25, 2009
  2. ^ 'A' Television Stations in Wingham and Windsor to be Shut Down, CNW, 2009-02-25
  3. ^ Ted Shaw, A Channel closing Windsor operation, The Windsor Star (online), February 25, 2009
  4. ^ The Toronto Star, "Throwing salt on Windsor's wounds", 3/8/2009.
  5. ^ 'A' | NEWS | ATV Windsor Set Sign Off, www.atv.ca
  6. ^ CBC News Windsor at Six, February 25, 2009 (accessed February 25, 2009)
  7. ^ http://www.windsorstar.com/News/More+local+politicians+lobby+Channel+survival/1349776/story.html
  8. ^ "Bell Globemedia makes $1.7B bid for CHUM". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. 2006-07-12. Retrieved 2006-07-12.
  9. ^ "CRTC expected to OK Rogers' $137.5M buy of CTVglobemedia TV channels". Canadian Press via Yahoo! Canada News. 2007-04-09. Retrieved 2007-04-09.
  10. ^ "CRTC tells CTVglobemedia to sell 5 Citytv stations". cbc.ca via Yahoo! Canada News. 2007-06-08. Retrieved 2007-06-08.
  11. ^ CTVglobemedia
  12. ^ on Tuesday, August 5 Edition Of Inside A-Channel Sandra Blaikie confirms "A" debut on Monday, August 11
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