CH (television system)
Encyclopedia : C : CH : CHT : CH (television system)
| network_type = Broadcast television network | available = Semi-national - most of Ontario, B.C., Alberta, and in Montreal (may also be available in parts of northern U.S. via cable) | owner = CanWest MediaWorks Inc. (CanWest) | key_people = Leonard Asper, CEO, CanWest Global; Kathleen Dore, President, Radio and Television, CanWest MediaWorks | launch_date = 2001 | past_names = CanWest Global System | brand = "Global's Got It!" | website = [www.chtv.ca] | }} CH is a system of six local television stations across Canada, all but one owned by CanWest Global Communications. It is a secondary service parallel to the larger Global Television Network, and frequently airs "leftover" foreign programs that cannot fit on Global.
History
Most of CH's component stations have been around for decades as affiliates of other networks. However, CH itself was only formed in early 2001 after CanWest bought out most of these stations, which were previously owned by Western International Communications. In several markets, namely the B.C. Lower Mainland, Alberta, and Montreal, WIC had already effectively secured twinsticks in some form, the second stations being, respectively, CHEK, CKRD and CJNT. However, as an ownership group and not a network, it was not able to co-ordinate the activities of the first-string stations, much less the second-string outlets.
Despite strong opposition from competitors, CanWest was allowed to keep all of the WIC stations save CFCF in Montreal. By promising to continue to support the "underserved" communities these stations were originally intended to serve, it was able to maintain the B.C. and Alberta twinsticks, revise the Montreal twinstick by aligning CJNT with CKMI, and most importantly secure a new twinstick in the major market of Ontario with both its own CIII and WIC's CHCH.
CHCH was the first to adopt the CH brand in February 2001, followed by CHEK and CJNT that September. CKRD, now CHCA, joined in 2005. All four now cross-promote heavily with the local Global stations.
While CH briefly used the slogan "Closer to Home" when it launched, it is considered more likely that the letters "CH" were simply derived from the call sign of flagship CHCH, often colloquially abbreviated to "CH" prior to that station's "ONtv" era. The CJNT station in Montreal refers to the initials as Canal Horizon, or the Horizon Channel.
Published reports ([Toronto Star, February 13, 2006]) suggested that the CH brand may soon be discontinued. During the June 2006 upfronts, CanWest confirmed that CH would indeed be going through a rebranding within the coming months, although not necessarily in the fall.
Programming
CH airs several hit U.S. programs, sharing a library of programs with Global. It is not uncommon for Global, which is carried in more cities nationwide than CH, to cherry-pick some of CH's hits and air them on the main network. Conversely, Global programs are sometimes sent "down" to CH if two programs aired by Global begin to air simultaneously on separate U.S. networks, so CanWest can maximize its simulcasting opportunities.
This notwithstanding, CH generally targets an older audience than the Global network. For instance, one of CBS's more popular series, NCIS, has older demographics than most of Global's other series and hence has remained on CH.
While CH is allowed to timeshift a limited amount of programming also aired on Global, in practice it has rarely done so.
CH stations
- CJNT - CH Montreal (Montreal, Quebec)
- CHCH - CH Hamilton (Hamilton, Ontario)
- CHCA - CH Red Deer (Red Deer, Alberta)
- CHEK - CH Vancouver Island (Victoria, British Columbia)
- CHBC - CH Kelowna (Kelowna, British Columbia)
Affiliate stations
- CFJC - Kamloops, British Columbia (owned by Jim Pattison Group)
- * Airs nearly all of CHBC's non-local programming and has a joint sales agreement with CHBC. CFJC and CHBC are the only two stations in the CH system not branded as CH.
Slogans
- 2001-2005: CH Has It All!
- 2005-present: Closer to You!
See also
External link
| Broadcast television networks and systems in Canada | |
|---|---|
| English networks/systems: CBC | CTV | Global | CH | Citytv | A-Channel | |
| French networks: Radio-Canada | TVA | TQS | |
| Multi-language networks/systems: OMNI | APTN | |
|
Provincial educational networks: TVO · TFO · ACCESS · SCN · Knowledge Network · Télé-Québec Regional sub-systems: GWTV | CTV Northern Ont. | CTV Atlantic | |
| See Also: Local Canadian TV Stations | Local American TV Stations (W) | Local American TV Stations (K) | North American TV | [[Template:Canadian broadcast television|Canadian networks]] | [[Template:American broadcast television|American networks]] | [[Template:Mexican broadcast television|Mexican networks]] | [[Template:Superstations|Superstations]] | [[Template:NAmerTV|List of local television stations in North America]] | Local Mexican TV Stations | List of American Over-The-Air Networks | [[Template:Insular Areas TV]] | List of Canadian Over-The-Air Networks | |