CFTO-DT

Last updated

CFTO-DT
CTV logo 2018.svg
Channels
Branding
  • CTV Toronto or CTV (general)
  • CTV News Toronto (newscasts)
Programming
Affiliations CTV
Ownership
Owner Bell Media Inc.
History
First air date
December 31, 1960(63 years ago) (1960-12-31)
Former call signs
CFTO-TV (1960–2011)
Former channel number(s)
  • Analogue: 9 (VHF, 1960–2011)
  • Digital: 40 (UHF, 2004–2011), 9 (VHF, 2011–2019)
Independent (1960–1961)
Call sign meaning
"Canada's Foremost, Toronto's Own"
Technical information
Licensing authority
 CRTC
ERP 10.2 kW
HAAT 467.0 m (1,532 ft)
Transmitter coordinates 43°38′33″N79°23′14″W / 43.64250°N 79.38722°W / 43.64250; -79.38722
Translator(s) see § Transmitters
Links
Website CTV Toronto

CFTO-DT (channel 9) is a television station in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, serving as the flagship station of the CTV Television Network. It is owned and operated by network parent Bell Media alongside Barrie-based CTV 2 flagship CKVR-DT, channel 3 (although the two stations maintain separate operations). CFTO-DT's studios are located at 9 Channel Nine Court in Agincourt, and its transmitter is located atop the CN Tower in Downtown Toronto. The station shares the Agincourt studio complex with CTV's headquarters, which includes studios for the network's news programming ( CTV National News and the CTV News Channel), along with most of Bell Media's specialty channels.

Contents

History

The station first signed on the air at 10 p.m. on December 31, 1960; its first official day of programming was on January 1, 1961. The inaugural program broadcast on CFTO was a telethon for the Ontario Association for Community Living, hosted by broadcaster Joel Aldred, [1] complete with a fireworks ceremony.

The station was founded by Baton Aldred Rogers Broadcasting, a joint venture between Telegram Corporation (owned by the Bassett and Eaton families), Aldred-Rogers Broadcasting (owned by Joel Aldred and Ted Rogers), and Foster Hewitt Broadcasting, which owned radio station CKFH (1430 AM, now CJCL on 590 AM). The 'Baton' portion of the name was pronounced /ˌbætən/ (as in Baton Rouge, Louisiana), rather than the conducting tool's traditional pronunciation.

A version from the early 1990s of CFTO's longtime multicoloured iris logo (designed by art director Joern Dressel), first introduced during the transition to colour television in 1965. It was unused for much of the 1980s in favour of a blue "circle 9" design before returning c. 1987. This version was later used as the basis for the logo used by the Baton Broadcast System. CFTO 9 ID.jpg
A version from the early 1990s of CFTO's longtime multicoloured iris logo (designed by art director Joern Dressel), first introduced during the transition to colour television in 1965. It was unused for much of the 1980s in favour of a blue "circle 9" design before returning c. 1987. This version was later used as the basis for the logo used by the Baton Broadcast System.

The station's first children's show, shown on weekday afternoons, was The Professor's Hideaway, starring Stan Francis. [2] [3] [4] American television network ABC held a minority share in the partnership, which it sold to each of the partners shortly before CFTO-TV went on the air. Ted Rogers' uncle J. Elsworth Rogers was a minority (and originally primary) owner of Western Ontario Broadcasting, Ltd., owners of CKLW-TV (now CBET) in Windsor, Ontario (which was mostly owned by RKO General). The station's original studio and transmitter facilities were located at 1550 McCowan Road, later renamed 9 Channel Nine Court.

CFTO's BBS logo. Cftobbs.svg
CFTO's BBS logo.

In March 1961, Aldred sold his interest in the station, and on October 1 of that year, CFTO became a charter affiliate of CTV, as well as the network's flagship station. In 1970, Ted Rogers sold his interest in CFTO and the Bassett-Eaton group sold their interest in Rogers Cable in an exchange of assets. On May 31, 1976, CFTO began transmitting its signal from the CN Tower, while its studios remained in Agincourt. CFTO began broadcasting in stereo in 1985. In 1991, the station joined with several other Ontario stations to form Ontario Network Television, which evolved into the Baton Broadcast System, a subsystem within the CTV network. In 1995, CFTO began operating rebroadcast stations at Orillia (on UHF channel 21) and Bobcaygeon (near Peterborough, on UHF channel 54).

CFTO-TV logo used from 1998 to 2005. In October 2005, logos with the stations' callsigns were discontinued from use on CTV's stations, instead opting to use the main CTV logo. CFTO-TV.jpg
CFTO-TV logo used from 1998 to 2005. In October 2005, logos with the stations' callsigns were discontinued from use on CTV's stations, instead opting to use the main CTV logo.

When CTV's stations proposed to buy the network and run it as a cooperative in 1966, the Board of Broadcast Governors initially balked at the proposal. CFTO was by far the largest, richest and most profitable station (it was more than double the size of the next-largest station, CFCF-TV in Montreal). This led to fears that CFTO would dominate a station-owned network. The BBG was only appeased when the station owners promised that each owner would have an equal vote, regardless of how large it was. As it turned out, though, Baton gradually grew powerful enough that it was able to buy controlling interest in CTV in 1997, changing its name to CTV Inc. in 1998.

On January 27, 1998, the Eaton family sold its 41% interest in CTV. On that same day, the Baton Broadcast System merged into CTV. With rumours of an impending takeover, Bell Canada proposed to buy CTV Inc. for $2.3 billion; this was approved by the CTV board in March 2000. The deal still required approval from the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC), but with the promise of the largest benefits package ever presented to the regulators, the deal was approved on December 7 that year. By February 2005, the station stopped using its call letters in its on-air branding (opting to use the "CTV" name), a branding convention that became official on several CTV stations throughout the country in October 2005. BCE later sold most of its interest in CTV, with the parent company being renamed CTVglobemedia. BCE Inc. later reacquired 100% control of CTVglobemedia's assets for $1.3 billion in 2011, with the parent company being renamed once again to Bell Media.

Programming

As CFTO serves as CTV's flagship station, its schedule is virtually identical to the CTV network schedule. A largely identical schedule is used on the other CTV stations in Southern Ontario, CJOH in Ottawa and CKCO in Kitchener, as CFTO acts as master control for these stations. Any discrepancies with other stations would generally be limited to local infomercials and religious programming on Sunday mornings.

Other station productions

Under CTV's original cooperative structure, CFTO, through Baton's in-house production company Glen-Warren Productions, was one of the network's main contributors of Canadian programming, such as The Littlest Hobo , Circus and The Uncle Bobby Show . Indeed, the amount of programming originating at CFTO was often a source of tension with the network's other major-market affiliates. However, as with most local stations in North America, such locally produced non-news programming has become increasingly rare.

For much of its history, CFTO's Channel Nine Court studios have also served as the home for network-produced programs such as CTV National News , Canada AM and W5. The studios are now also used by a number of CTV's specialty channels, for productions such as the cable news channel CTV News Channel, TSN's SportsCentre , and Discovery Channel's Daily Planet .

Over the years, the studio complex has also been rented out for third-party productions, such as the studio scenes in the 1976 film Network . [5] The Lotto 6/49 and Lotto Super 7 (now Lotto Max) drawings were also held at the CFTO studios until 2008. Since 2010, CFTO and CP24 have been the television broadcasters for the Toronto Santa Claus Parade.

News operation

Michelle Dube doing a report during the 2012 Toronto International Film Festival. Michelle Dube at TIFF crop.jpg
Michelle Dubé doing a report during the 2012 Toronto International Film Festival.

CFTO-DT presently broadcasts 15+1⁄2 hours of locally produced newscasts each week (with 2+1⁄2 hours each weekday and 1+1⁄2 hours each on Saturdays and Sundays). With the exception of its CP24 simulcasts, the station brands its newscasts as CTV News Toronto, in line with all of CTV's other owned-and-operated stations as well as the CTV 2 stations, using generic CTV News graphics. The station's flagship 6 p.m. newscast is the highest-rated local newscast in Canada. [6] Known beginning in the 1970s as World Beat News (for its early evening newscast), Noon Beat News (for its lunch hour newscast) and Night Beat News (for its late evening newscast), the station's newscasts were rebranded as CFTO News in early 1998, and as CTV News in 2005.

Logo used for news programs CTV Toronto News Logo.png
Logo used for news programs

In December 2008, CP24, a 24-hour news channel which primarily focuses on Toronto, began airing a simulcast of CTV News at Six, displacing its simulcast of the 6 p.m. edition of CityNews . This change occurred because the long-standing association between CITY-TV (channel 57) and CP24 (which were previously both owned by CHUM Limited) abruptly came to an end after the CRTC announced the approval of their application by Rogers Media, owners of Citytv, to launch its own 24-hour local news channel which would be focusing on the Greater Toronto Area, CityNews Channel; [7] [8] like CFTO, CP24 is operated by Bell Media, although the operations between the two remain otherwise separate. The station's late evening newscast, CTV News at 11:30, was later added to the CP24 schedule in May 2009. On May 12, 2009, CFTO began broadcasting its local newscasts in high definition; with the change, the station introduced a renovated studio.

Starting in July 2017, CFTO began simulcasting CP24's Live at 5 and Live at 5:30 as part of an expansion of local news programming across Bell Media stations. Unlike CP24, these newscasts are broadcast in full screen without any information sidebars.

Notable current on-air staff

Zuraidah Alman at Nathan Phillips Square during the 2015 American League Division Series between the Toronto Blue Jays and Texas Rangers in October 2015. Zuraidah Alman.JPG
Zuraidah Alman at Nathan Phillips Square during the 2015 American League Division Series between the Toronto Blue Jays and Texas Rangers in October 2015.

Notable former on-air staff

Technical information

Subchannels

Subchannels of CFTO-DT [9]
Channel Res. Aspect Short nameProgramming
9.1 1080i 16:9 CFTOMain CFTO-DT programming / CTV
9.2 480i

Analogue-to-digital conversion

The station began providing a digital signal on satellite on November 17, 2003, and on January 30, 2004, CFTO was granted an over-the-air digital television signal, transmitting on UHF channel 40 at an effective radiated power of 17,400 watts. In mid-2005, CFTO upgraded its digital signal to transmit programming in high definition. CFTO shut down its analogue signal, over VHF channel 9, on August 31, 2011, the official date on which Canadian television stations in CRTC-designated mandatory markets transitioned from analogue to digital broadcasts. The station's digital signal was relocated from its pre-transition UHF channel 40 to its analogue-era VHF channel 9 for post-transition operations. [10] On April 29, 2019, CTV updated broadcast channels for stations in Toronto, Victoria, and Windsor. CFTO moved to VHF channel 8, but retained virtual channel 9. [11]

Transmitters

Map all coordinates using OpenStreetMap

Download coordinates as:

Station City of licence Channel
(RF / VC)		 ERP HAAT Transmitter coordinates
CFTO-DT-21 Orillia 21 (UHF)
21		207.6 kW [12] 171.3 m (562 ft) 44°52′4″N79°35′41″W / 44.86778°N 79.59472°W / 44.86778; -79.59472 (CFTO-TV-21)
CFTO-DT-54 Peterborough 35 (UHF)
54		38 kW176.3 m (578 ft) 44°26′44″N78°31′59″W / 44.44556°N 78.53306°W / 44.44556; -78.53306 (CFTO-TV-54)

CFTO-TV-21 and a long list of CTV rebroadcasters nationwide were to shut down on or before August 31, 2009, as part of a political dispute with Canadian authorities on paid fee-for-carriage requirements for cable television operators. [13] A subsequent change in ownership assigned full control of CTVglobemedia to Bell Media; as of 2011, these transmitters continue to be licensed and remain in operation. [14] Just after midnight on June 23, 2019, the Orillia transmitter was converted to digital.

Related Research Articles

The CTV Television Network, commonly known as CTV, is a Canadian English-language terrestrial television network. Launched in 1961 and acquired by BCE Inc. in 2000, CTV is Canada's largest privately owned television network and is now a division of the Bell Media subsidiary of BCE. It is Canada's largest privately or commercially owned network consisting of 22 owned-and-operated stations nationwide and two privately owned affiliates, and has consistently been placed as Canada's top-rated network in total viewers and in key demographics since 2002, after several years trailing the rival Global Television Network in key markets.

CKVR-DT is a television station in Barrie, Ontario, Canada, serving as the flagship station of the CTV 2 system. It is owned and operated by Bell Media alongside Toronto-based CTV flagship CFTO-DT, channel 9 ; it is also sister to 24-hour regional news channel CP24. CKVR-DT's studios are located at 33 Beacon Road in Barrie, and its transmitter is located near Essa Road/Highway 27 on the city's southwest side.

CFPL-DT is a television station in London, Ontario, Canada, part of the CTV 2 system. It is owned and operated by Bell Media alongside Kitchener-based CTV station CKCO-DT, although the two stations maintain separate operations. CFPL-DT's studios and local transmitter are located on Communications Road on the southwestern side of London, and its Wingham-area rebroadcast transmitter is located on Tower Road in South Bruce.

CKCO-DT is a television station in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada, part of the CTV Television Network. It is owned and operated by network parent Bell Media alongside London-based CTV 2 station CFPL-DT, although the two stations maintain separate operations. CKCO-DT's studios are located on King Street West in Kitchener, and its transmitter is located at Baden Tower between Snyders Road East and Highway 7 in Baden, just west of the Kitchener city limits.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">CITY-DT</span> Citytv flagship station in Toronto

CITY-DT is a television station in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, serving as the flagship station of the Citytv network. It is owned and operated by network parent Rogers Sports & Media alongside Omni Television outlets CFMT-DT and CJMT-DT. The stations share studios at 33 Dundas Street East on Yonge–Dundas Square in downtown Toronto, while CITY-DT's transmitter is located atop the CN Tower.

CHWI-DT is a television station licensed to Wheatley, Ontario, Canada, broadcasting CTV 2 programming to the Windsor area. Owned and operated by Bell Media, the station has studios at the Bell Canada Building in downtown Windsor with a secondary office in Chatham; its transmitter is located on Zion Road in Chatham.

CHRO-TV is a television station licensed to Pembroke, Ontario, Canada, serving the capital city of Ottawa as part of the CTV 2 system. It is owned and operated by Bell Media alongside CTV outlet CJOH-DT. Both stations share studios with Bell's Ottawa radio properties at the Market Media Mall building on George Street in downtown Ottawa's ByWard Market, while CHRO-TV's transmitter is located on TV Tower Road near Pembroke. The station operates a digital-only rebroadcaster in Ottawa, CHRO-DT-43, with transmitter in the city's Herbert Corners section.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">CP24</span> Canadian television news channel

CP24 is a Canadian English-language specialty news channel owned by Bell Media, a subsidiary of BCE Inc. and operated alongside the Bell-owned CTV Television Network's owned-and-operated television stations CFTO-DT and CKVR-DT. The channel broadcasts from 299 Queen Street West in Downtown Toronto.

CBLT-DT is a television station in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, serving as the flagship station of the English-language service of CBC Television. It is part of a twinstick with Ici Radio-Canada Télé outlet CBLFT-DT. The two stations share studios at the Canadian Broadcasting Centre on Front Street West in downtown Toronto, which is also shared with national cable news channel CBC News Network and houses the studios for most of the CBC's news and entertainment programs. CBLT-DT's transmitter is located atop the CN Tower.

CKCK-DT is a television station in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada, part of the CTV Television Network. Owned and operated by network parent Bell Media, the station maintains studios and transmitter facilities on Eastgate Drive and Highway 1, just east of Regina proper.

CFQC-DT is a television station in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada, part of the CTV Television Network. Owned and operated by network parent Bell Media, the station has studios on 1st Avenue North and 23rd Street East in the Central Business District neighbourhood of Saskatoon, and its transmitter is located near Highway 41 and Burgheim Road, northeast of the city.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">CHAN-DT</span> Global TV station in Vancouver

CHAN-DT, branded Global BC, is a television station in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, serving as the West Coast flagship of the Global Television Network. Owned and operated by network parent Corus Entertainment, the station has studios on Enterprise Street in the suburban city of Burnaby, which also houses Global's national news headquarters. Its transmitter is located atop Mount Seymour in the district municipality of North Vancouver.

CFCF-DT is a television station in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, part of the CTV Television Network. It is owned and operated by network parent Bell Media alongside Noovo flagship CFJP-DT. The two stations share studios at the Bell Media building, at the intersection of Avenue Papineau and Boulevard René-Lévesque Est in downtown Montreal; CFCF-DT's transmitter is located atop Mount Royal.

CFCN-DT is a television station in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, part of the CTV Television Network. It is owned and operated by network parent Bell Media alongside cable-exclusive CTV 2 Alberta. CFCN-DT's studios are located on Patina Rise Southwest, near Calgary's Coach Hill neighbourhood, and its transmitter is located near Old Banff Coach Road/Highway 563.

CFRN-DT is a television station in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, part of the CTV Television Network. It is owned and operated by network parent Bell Media alongside cable-exclusive CTV 2 Alberta. The two outlets share studios with sister radio station CFRN on Stony Plain Road in Edmonton; CFRN-DT's transmitter is located near Highway 21, southeast of Sherwood Park.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rogers Sports & Media</span> Subsidiary of Rogers Communications

Rogers Media Inc., operating as Rogers Sports & Media, is a Canadian subsidiary of Rogers Communications that owns the company's mass media and sports properties, such as the Citytv and Omni Television terrestrial television stations, Sportsnet, OLN, localized versions of FX and FXX, the Rogers Radio stations, Frequency Podcast Network, and these properties' associated digital media outlets.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">CHEX-DT-2</span> Global station in Oshawa, Ontario

CHEX-DT-2 is a television station licensed to Oshawa, Ontario, Canada, serving the Regional Municipality of Durham as part of the Global Television Network. It is owned and operated by network parent Corus Entertainment, and maintains studios on Simcoe Street in Downtown Oshawa and a transmitter on Enfield Road in Clarington.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">9 Channel Nine Court</span> Bell Media/CTV studio complex in Toronto

9 Channel Nine Court is an office and studio complex owned by Bell Media in the Agincourt neighbourhood of Scarborough, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The civic address of the complex refers to the over-the-air channel on which CFTO-TV, the building's original tenant, broadcast. It is located at the northwest corner of the intersection of Highway 401 and McCowan Road near the Scarborough City Centre.

CKY-DT is a television station in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, part of the CTV Television Network. The station is owned and operated by network parent Bell Media, and maintains studios on Graham Avenue in Downtown Winnipeg; its transmitter is located near Lord Selkirk Highway/Highway 75 in Ritchot.

CityNews Channel was a Canadian English language specialty digital cable television channel from 2011 to 2013. It was owned by the Rogers Media division of Rogers Communications, and primarily focused on the Greater Toronto Area (GTA). The channel was only available in Ontario and broadcast a single feed in high definition which was also accessible through standard definition televisions.

References

  1. ↑ Joel Walkden Aldred
  2. ↑ Raffi (September 1998). The Life of a Children's Troubadour: An Autobiography. Homeland Press. p. 57. ISBN   978-1-896943-44-2.
  3. ↑ "Here's looking at you, Kiddo" Archived August 13, 2017, at the Wayback Machine . Showbiz, Bill Brioux, November 26, 2004
  4. ↑ "Happy Homes for Adoptable Children". Broadcaster, April 25, 1963, page 90
  5. ↑ "Filming Locations for Network (1976), in New York and Toronto".
  6. ↑ "ABOUT US". CTV News Toronto. Retrieved October 18, 2015.
  7. ↑ CP24 broadcasts Toronto's Number One Local 6pm Newscast
  8. ↑ What Happened To CityNews On That Cable Channel? Archived December 14, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
  9. ↑ RabbitEars TV Query for CFTO
  10. ↑ Digital Television – Office of Consumer Affairs (OCA) Archived November 20, 2013, at the Wayback Machine
  11. ↑ "Over-The-Air transmitter channel changes". CTV Television Network. Archived from the original on April 21, 2019. Retrieved April 21, 2019.
  12. ↑ ota test
  13. ↑ CTV list of transmitters to be shut down Archived December 24, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
  14. ↑ "CRTC renews licences of most English-language television services: New licence terms to bolster funding for original Canadian programs". Crtc.gc.ca. Archived from the original on October 5, 2012. Retrieved December 24, 2015.
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