W Network
Encyclopedia : W : WN : WNE : W Network
The channel is available in two timeshifted feeds, East (Eastern Time) and West (Pacific Time).
When it launched on January 1, 1995, the service was controlled by Moffat Communications and known as WTN (Women's Television Network). Like Moffat's cable television operations and its local CTV affiliate CKY-TV, it was based in Winnipeg, Manitoba, and broadcast a variety of programmes ranging from dramas and decorating shows to current affairs and occasionally even sports.
Shaw Communications purchased Moffat in early 2001, but Shaw itself had no interest in re-entering the specialty service business and put WTN up for sale. While there was ostensibly an independent auction process to sell the service, it came as little surprise that the Shaw family's Corus Entertainment came out the winning bidder. To the surprise of WTN management and employees alike, Corus laid off virtually everyone and moved WTN's base of operations to Toronto. The new management subsequently replaced the WTN name with "W Network" and brought in a more entertainment-oriented mix of recent dramas and movies. Whereas WTN seemed to focus on the feminist, W would henceforth focus on a more post-modern female.
The Sunday Night Sex Show was one of W's most popular shows, dating back to the WTN days; it was cancelled in 2005, apparently due to host Sue Johanson's other commitments. Current series include repeats of Gilmore Girls, Judging Amy, Nip/Tuck, and Felicity, plus Canadian series such as Divine Design and Colour Confidential. British shows such as Cash in the Attic and House Doctor fulfill a CRTC requirement that a minimum amount of its foreign programming is produced outside the United States.
In Canadian pop culture, the network is a perennial target of Royal Canadian Air Farce character Gilbert Smithe-Bite Me, particularly due to its "employment" of many of Gilbert's ex-wives.
See also: List of Canadian television channels
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