299 Queen Street West
299 Queen Street West, alternatively known as CTV Queen Street, is the main studio complex of CTVglobemedia (CTVgm) in downtown Toronto, Canada. It previously served as the headquarters of CHUM Television, which CTVgm acquired in 2007. It is located at the intersection of Queen Street West and John Street. With its 1914 neo-Gothic terra cotta facade, the building is one of the most recognizable in the Queen Street West neighbourhood.
Overview
The building houses various CTV-owned media outlets previously owned by CHUM, such as CP24, MTV2, MuchMusic, MuchMoreMusic, Star!, Bravo! and Space, as well as the master control facilities for the A television stations in Southern Ontario (specifically A London, A Barrie, A Ottawa, A Windsor and A Wingham). In addition, CTV's entertainment news program eTalk has been produced at the building since 2008.
Since the change in ownership, a private balcony has been added on the building's east façade, looking out off the company's boardroom.
Citytv Toronto, which was divested by CTV along with other Citytv stations across Canada per the orders of the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission, remains at the building as a tenant of CTVgm until it moves to 35 Dundas Street East at Dundas Square on July 1, 2009.[1]
There may be some confusion because the CTV signage appears on the building's east façade, the building does not currently house the studios of CTV Toronto nor its news bureau, the station is however based at 9 Channel Nine Court where most of the other CTV-owned speciality channels are based. (see below) [2]
Tours of the facilities are held regularly.
History and architecture
The five-storey building was originally constructed as the headquarters of the Methodist Church of Canada in 1913 by Burke, Horwood and White. The Methodists joined with two other denominations to form the United Church of Canada in 1925, for which the building served as the headquarters until 1959. By this time the Ryerson Press, originally the publishing arm of the Methodist Church, had grown to occupy the entire building. The building was purchased by CHUM in 1985, and was re-opened in May 1987 as the new headquarters for the company and its various outlets. (Citytv Toronto's previous studio was located at 99 Queen St. East.)
The building's east wall is decorated with an actual older style news truck seemingly bursting out of the building; the front tires of the truck can be seen spinning from time to time. The truck previously bore the old CityPulse Live-Eye decal; it has been overhauled with the CP24 Breaking News decal following the acquisition by CTVgm.
On the northwest corner is the former Speakers' Corner videobooth, where for a dollar anyone can record two minutes of oneself. Citytv says it receives over 50 hours of video per week, which its staff edits into short vignettes and a half-hour show. CTV plans for future use of the video booth for their portfolio of channels.
While the outside facade has been restored and remains intact, the building's interior has been modernized into one of the world's most innovative media complexes. 299 Queen Street West has no TV studios: the entire building has been rigged for audio and video. The building has been engineered so that public space, working areas, offices, and even the parking lot may all be used as optimal shoot locations. Many television shows produced by the various outlets operating out of the building, such as Citytv's Breakfast Television, CityLine and the former Electric Circus, are filmed live on the ground floor. The ground floor features giant glass sliding partitions so that the building can be open to the street. The annual MuchMusic Video Awards show is held as a street party that takes place in the parking lot, rooftop, as well as Queen and John Streets adjacent to the building.
299 Queen Street West served as the national broadcast headquarters for the 2007 Live Earth concert, with several CTVgm-owned media outlets and personalities collaborating to broadcast the live event nationally for 28 hours. The building also served as the headquarters for CTV's multi-platform coverage of the 32nd Toronto International Film Festival in September 2007, acting as the launching pad of red carpet coverage, galas, film parties, film premieres, festival breaking news, and other related events. Coverage was collaborated through various CTV assets, such as eTalk, Star!, MuchMusic, MTV, Bravo!, FashionTelevisionChannel, Canada AM, and select personalities.
Other CTVgm facilities in Toronto
- 9 Channel Nine Court: CTVglobemedia's flagship headquarters, where CTV Toronto, CTV Newsnet, TSN, TSN2, The Comedy Network and Discovery Channel are based
- 1331 Yonge Street: studio for 104.5 CHUM FM and 1050 CHUM (to be relocated to 250 Richmond Street West in 2009)
- Masonic Temple: studio for MTV
- 720 King Street West: studio for Business News Network
- 444 Front Street West: The Globe and Mail
References
- ^ Matt Hartley, "CITY-TV gets a new Toronto home". The Globe and Mail, October 23, 2007.
- ^ CTV building, Toronto Flickr.com
External links
