CKVR-TV

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CKVR-TV
Barrie, Ontario
Branding	A-Channel
Channels	3 (VHF) analog, not yet on air digital
Translators	CKVR-1 12 (Parry Sound)
Affiliations	A-Channel
Owner	CHUM Limited
Founded	1955
Call letters meaning	C K Valerie and Ralph Snelgrove
Former affiliations	CBC (1955-1995) NewNet (1995-2005)
Website	A-Channel Barrie

CKVR-TV, A-Channel Barrie (formerly The New VR), is a television station owned by CHUM Limited which broadcasts out of Barrie, Ontario, Canada. It is the flagship station of the current A-Channel system, with facilities located at 33 Beacon Road in Barrie Ontario. Its signal reaches well into the Toronto area, and overlaps its sister station Citytv Toronto; cross-promotions are seen on both channels as a result.

CKVR is famous for its camera overlooking the city of Barrie, Lake Simcoe, and its environs. The camera is situated on the CKVR broadcast tower.

Prior to the A-Channel rebranding, CKVR's emphasis was on Barrie, Simcoe County and Muskoka. However, since the rebranding, the focus has shifted to Toronto's suburban York Region. As a result, loyal CKVR viewers from the Barrie area complained that the newscasts was more about Toronto and less (if at all) about Barrie. CHUM announced, however, that the station would return its focus to the Barrie market on July 12, 2006, the same day that CHUM Limited announced that it (CHUM) would be taken over by Bell Globemedia. Globemedia has subsequently announced tentative plans to sell the A-Channels and Alberta station Access to a third party, once it's takeover of CHUM is finalized^[1].

The station was founded by Ralph Snelgrove whose first initial and that of his wife, Valerie, form part of the station's callsign. It was a longtime CBC affiliate, for forty years from its inception in 1955 to 1995, after which it was disaffiliated and rebranded by CHUM as The New VR. CKVR has been owned by CHUM since 1969.

In February 2005, CHUM announced plans to consolidate the master control departments for CKVR, CFPL, CHRO, CHWI and CKNX in the CHUM-City Building in Toronto, as well as consolidating the traffic and programming departments at CFPL in London, resulting in the loss of approximately 9 staff members from CKVR. On June 3, 2005, at approximately 10:00 am, the Barrie master control signal came to an end, as the new consolidated master control took to air.

[edit] Previous logos

CKVR's last logo in 1995, before becoming The New VR.

The New VR logo, which was used from 1995 to 2005.

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• A-Channel Barrie
• Bright Lights, Small City, a critique of New VR news (Ryerson Review of Journalism, summer 1999)