CHCH-TV

Encyclopedia : C : CH : CHC : CHCH-TV

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CHCH is a television station in Hamilton, Ontario that is part of the CH system.

CHCH began broadcasting in 1954 as a CBC affiliate from a transmitter located at 481 First Road West in Stoney Creek. In 1961, CHCH disaffiliated from the CBC and became an independent station. They wanted to produce a larger amount of local programming, instead of being forced to carry CBC programming. Aside from the various CTV stations that launched ahead of the network's launch, CHCH was the first independent anglophone television station in Canada. It became a nationwide "superstation" on January 1, 1982, when Cancom began carrying the station and three others to cable television operators in remote regions of the country that had access only to the CBC.

WIC purchased CHCH in 1990, and in 1997 CHCH's signal expanded to cover all of Ontario, although it had been available on cable in many Ontario markets for many years. WIC then rebranded the station OnTV, representing the station's expanded coverage but also to match the naming pattern of its other stations (such as BCTV, ITV, RDTV, etc.) During the OnTV years, the station aired WIC's nightly Canada Tonight newscast.

In 2000, CanWest purchased WIC and assumed control of its stations. Since a Global station (Toronto's CIII) already broadcasts to Hamilton, CanWest rebranded the station CH on February 12, 2001, starting a secondary television system for its stations in medium-sized markets that wouldn't fit in the Global network.

Some cablesystems outside of Ontario carry CHCH as a "superstation". CHCH is still available throughout most of Ontario; however, it cannot broadcast to Thunder Bay, Peterborough, or Kingston because of complaints made to local cablesystems by other local stations.

On June 7, 2004, CHCH-TV celebrated 50 years on the air. On this date at 8:00 pm, which was the official date and time CHCH went on the air for the first time, CH aired a documentary profiling the station history, which was entitled The First 50 Years: A Half Century of CH and it was hosted by CH's Matt Hayes.

Notable personalities associated with the station have included Brian Linehan, Jennifer Mossop, Annette Hamm and Jane Hawtin. The station has also produced a number of important Canadian syndicated series, including The Hilarious House of Frightenstein, Me & Max and Smith & Smith, and was the original TV home of The Red Green Show. Hamilton native Martin Short also had his television debut on the station. CHCH also produced local broadcasts such as Tiny Talent Time and The Party Game.

Past Slogans

• Join Us (1980-1987)
• Together, We're The Ones (1987-1995)
• There's Always Something ONTV (1998-1999)
• ONTV: Where You Are (1999-2000)
• Closer To You (2001-Present)

CHCH rebroadcasters

• Alvinston (London) - 51
• North Bay - 32
• Ottawa - 11
• Port Severn (Muskoka) - 67
• Sault Ste. Marie - 38
• Sudbury - 41
• Timmins - 11

See also

• List of programs broadcast by CH

External links

• [CH Hamilton]
• [CHTV.ca]
• [CanWest Global]

 

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