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| Type | Terrestrial television network |
|---|---|
| Country | Canada |
| Founded | by Spence Caldwell |
| Headquarters | 9 Channel Nine Court, Agincourt, Scarborough, Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
| Parent | Cooperative |
| Launch date | October 1, 1961 |
| Picture format | 1080i HDTV |
| Affiliates | See here |
| Official website | ctv.ca |
| Language | English |
The Canadian Television Network, commonly known as CTV, is a Canadian English-language terrestrial television network. Launched in 1961, it is Canada's first commercial network and a cooperative consisting of (exact number tbd) stations, 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.
History[]
Formation[]
In 1958, the John Diefenbaker government passed the Broadcasting Act. This established the Board of Broadcast Governors (BBG), which evolved into the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC), as the governing body of Canadian broadcasting, ending the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation's (CBC) dual role as regulator and broadcaster. The new board's first act was to take applications for television stations in Halifax, Montreal (in both English and French), Ottawa, Toronto, Winnipeg, Calgary, and Edmonton. The CBC had held a monopoly on television, and many had been calling for a second option.
The nine winners, in order of their first sign-on, were:
- CKCO-TV Kitchener/Cleveland (March 1, 1954)
- CFCN-TV Calgary (September 9, 1960)
- CJAY-TV Winnipeg (November 12, 1960)
- CFTO-TV Toronto (December 31, 1960)
- CJCH-TV Halifax (January 1, 1961)
- CFCF-TV Montreal (English; January 20, 1961)
- CFTM-TV Montreal (French; February 19, 1961)
- CJOH-TV Ottawa (March 12, 1961)
- CBXT Edmonton (October 1, 1961)
The first seven stations were privately owned; the Edmonton station was a CBC O&O, thus CFRN-TV, the existing local station, would lose its CBC affiliation once CBXT signed on.
John Bassett, co-owner of CFTO-TV's parent Baton Aldred Rogers Broadcasting Ltd., had thought about creating a second television network before acquiring the license, with CFTO as the flagship. Baton had began meeting with the successful applicants in other cities to gauge their interest. Bassett's idea was a cooperative that would share programming. In July 1960, the Independent Television Organization (ITO) would form, consisting of the six newly licensed private stations and CFRN; CFTM had opted out as it was French language. Each station had a vote in the Organization's operations, regardless of size. The ITO soon resolved to apply for a network licence to link their stations.
However, Spence Caldwell, a former CBC executive and one of the applicants for the Toronto station license, had his own pitch for a second network. His plan was to sell 51% of the network's shares to prominent Bay Street investors, the remaining 49% would be reserved for the network's affiliates. The BBG, feeling that a station owned network would be dominated by CFTO, set conditions which favored Caldwell's proposal.
Caldwell's Canadian Television Network and the ITO faced off in a series of meetings that fall. ITO decided not to apply for the network license, but the stations continued to voice their concerns with CTN. Ultimately, CTN got the license, but had to sign affiliation deals with at least six ITO stations.
Baton heavily opposed the CTN, however, in early 1961, CFTO won the broadcast rights to the Canadian Football League Eastern Conference for the 1961 and 1962 seasons. Baton originally wanted to set up a temporary network to distribute the games to independent stations and a few CBC affiliates, but various uncertainties lead John Bassett to sign an affiliation deal with CTN.
Early years[]
The Network launched as the Canadian Television Network, originally abbreviated CTN, but soon changed to CTV, on October 1, 1961. The networks first program was a promotional documentary about the network by Harry Rasky. The season featured these inaugural programs:
- The Avengers (United Kingdom, ITV)
- The Andy Griffith Show (United States, CBS)
- Checkmate (United States, CBS)
- Cross Canada Barndance (Canada)
- Deputy Seraph (United Kingdom, ITV)
- The Rifleman (United States, ABC)
- Showdown (Canada)
- Sing Along With Mitch (United States, NBC)
- Take a Chance, a quiz show by Roy Ward Dickson adapted from radio (Canada)
- Top Cat (United States, ABC)
- Twenty Questions (Canada)
- West Coast (Canada)
- Whiplash (Australia, ATN-7)
Other shows introduced later in the season include Telepoll and A Kin to Win.
CFTO was initially the only station capable of carrying live programming; CTV used CBC's microwave system, lended on off hours, to send programming to the rest of the country on tape delay. Soon, a second microwave channel opened up, enabling live programming for all.
The Caldwell-led management team immediately ran into financial trouble, and relations between the network and its stations were not smooth at first since CTV had essentially been the product of a forced marriage. For example, most of the rights to American programming rested with the ITO, not CTV. In many cases, CTV found itself competing with its own stations for the rights to programming.
Reorganization[]
Caldwell left the network in 1965; by that time, CTV's situation worsened to the point that it on the verge of bankruptcy. In 1966, the network's affiliates, had by this time had expanded to CHAB/CHRE in Moose Jaw/Regina, and the network's first and U.S. affiliate, WNYP-TV in Jamestown, New York, sought permission to buy out the network and turn it into a cooperative. The BBG was at first skeptical; CFTO was by far the largest and richest station in the network, so there were concerns that CFTO would dominate CTV. To alleviate these concerns, each station owner was promised one vote regardless of its audience share. This ensured the proposal's approval, and by the start of the 1966–67 season, the stations owned their network. The network also began broadcasting in colour on September 1, 1966.
By the mid 70's, CTV had expanded its footprint across all of Canada. This was accomplished through twinstick arrangements and private CBC affiliates switching to CTV once the CBC signed on new O&O's. Notably, CTV's original Saskatchewan affiliate, CHAB/CHRE (now CBKT), was bought by the CBC in 1969, allowing Regina's original station, CKCK-TV, to join CTV.
CTV was able to convince star CBC news anchor Lloyd Robertson to switch networks in 1976; he would serve as the network's main anchorman until
Programming[]
The network's programming consists mainly of hit American series from the major networks, including The Amazing Race and Stuck With You, but it has also had success with Canadian-made shows, including some Canadian adaptations of American hits.
CTV also regularly produces and airs Canadian-made television movies, often based on stories from Canadian news or Canadian history, under the banners CTV Signature Series or CTV Movie.
CTV high-definition and digital transition[]
CTV carries its high-definition feed broadcasting at 1080i. The following CTV stations are available in HD on digital terrestrial television (DTT):
| Station | City | Pre-transition digital terrestrial channel |
DTT launch date |
Post-transition DTT channel |
BDU Carriage launch date |
Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CFTO-DT | Toronto | 40 (9.1) | 2005 | 40 (9.1) | November 19, 2003 | Nationally on satellite |
| CFCN-DT | Calgary | 36 (4.1) | January 8, 2009 | 29 (4.1) | January 8, 2009 | Also available on satellite |
| CFCF-DT | Montreal | 51 (12.1) | January 28, 2011 | 12 (12.1) | December 1, 2009 | |
| CJOH-DT | Ottawa | N/A | 2011 | 13 (13.1) | December 1, 2009 | |
| CFRN-DT | Edmonton | N/A | 2011 | 47 (3.1) | January 2010 | |
| CKCO-DT | Kitchener | N/A | September 1, 2011 | 13 (13.1) | September 2011 | |
| CKY-DT | Winnipeg | N/A | September 1, 2011 | 7 (7.1) | February 2011 |
CTV stations[]
| City of license | Station | Channel TV (RF) |
Year of affiliation |
Owner | Television system |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Calgary, Alberta | CFCN-DT | 4.1 (29) | 1961 | Electrohome | Electrohome Alberta TV |
| Edmonton, Alberta | CFRN-DT | 3.1 (12) | 1961 | ||
| Lethbridge, Alberta | CFCN-DT | 13.1 (13) | 1968 | ||
| Red Deer, Alberta | CFRN-DT | 3.1 (12) | 1973 | ||
| Lloydminster, Alberta | CITL-DT | 4.1 (4) | 1976 | ||
| Toronto, Ontario | CFTO-DT | 9.1 (9) | 1961 | Baton Broadcasting | Baton Broadcasting System |
| Kitchener, Ontario | CKCO-DT | 13.1 (13) | 1964 | ||
| North Bay, Ontario | CKNY-DT | 10.1 (12) | 1971 |