Atlantic Satellite Network
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| Atlantic Satellite Network (ASN) | |
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| Halifax, Nova Scotia | |
| Branding | ASN |
| Channels | Analog: Cable 7 (Halifax) |
| Affiliations | Independent |
| Owner | CTVglobemedia (CTV Television Inc.) |
| Founded | May 29, 1983 |
| Website | www.asn.ca |
Atlantic Satellite Network (ASN) is a Canadian English language cable television channel serving Atlantic Canada owned by CTVglobemedia, with its studios located in Halifax, Nova Scotia.
Designated by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) as a "satellite-to-cable television programming undertaking," it is essentially a local television station without any broadcast transmitters. In other words, it is available in the region on basic cable television, and indeed throughout Canada on many digital cable systems and satellite television, but not over the air. Nonetheless, it has full simultaneous substitution rights in the Atlantic provinces, whereas most non-broadcast channels do not.
Although not historically affiliated with any network, in the past ASN has received much of its programming from CHUM's Citytv and A-Channel systems, which did not operate in the region, while timeshifted CTV programs have often aired on the channel as well. Following the merger between CHUM and CTVglobemedia, it appeared likely that ASN would become the Citytv O&O for Atlantic Canada. However, the merger was made conditional on the sale of Citytv to a third party (Rogers Communications); as such, ASN will instead be integrated into A-Channel (to be renamed simply "A") and carry that system's full lineup (with the exception of local programming) effective fall 2008.
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[edit] History
Launched by CHUM Limited in 1983 as a supplementary service to its ATV system of CTV affiliates (now known as CTV Atlantic), ASN initially aired Atlantic Pulse newscasts at alternate times to ATV's newscasts. Atlantic Pulse used ATV reporters, but different anchors and graphics, with a comparatively spartan set located across the newsroom from ATV's. ASN also carried alternative entertainment programming, much of it produced by or otherwise sourced from CHUM's Citytv.
To this date, the format of ASN's signature morning show BT: Breakfast Television, and its logo still resemble the standard Breakfast Television logo used by the Citytv stations.
ASN also devoted a significant amount of its daytime schedule to educational programming provided by provincial education departments and by local universities. Currently, it provides a total of 16 hours of educational programming each weekend from 6:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. and a total of 10 hours every Monday to Friday morning from 4:00 a.m. to 6:00 a.m. (In the early years, some TVOntario programs were carried on ASN, such as Polka Dot Door, Today's Special and Fast Forward.) Later it launched a local version of Citytv's Breakfast Television, moving educational programs to the weekend and to overnight hours. By 1996, as specialty television began to grow in popularity, Atlantic Pulse gave way to a short-lived cut-back version called ATV Headline News. While ATV aired some United States syndicated programming that was shown on Citytv in Toronto (e.g., Friends and Seinfeld repeats), ASN aired programs associated with CTV in the rest of the country, such as Wheel of Fortune, Jeopardy! and Camilla Scott. ASN was also the original home of The Oprah Winfrey Show until it moved to ATV early in its run.
In 1997, as part of a multi-station trade between CHUM and Baton Broadcasting, ATV and ASN became Baton properties; ATV was integrated into the expanded CTV network, while ASN took over the few remaining CHUM programs from ATV. ASN remained, for all intents and purposes, the Citytv affiliate in Atlantic Canada, and until recently carried a similar mix of movies and series in primetime. However, by the mid-2000s, the amount of CHUM programming on the ASN schedule had in fact decreased, and CHUM-supplied soap operas and movies (aside from a handful of weekend timeslots) were no longer present.
ASN has also aired selected CTV network programming, including sports coverage and Canadian Idol, which, until recently, would not otherwise be widely available in Newfoundland and Labrador as a result of the 2002 disaffiliation of CJON from CTV (in July 2006, CJON purchased rights to the remainder of the fourth season of Idol; the first three seasons aired exclusively on ASN). Since fall 2005, ASN has also carried same-night rebroadcasts of CTV programs, presumably for simultaneous substitution purposes, on most nights at 11:00 p.m. AT (10:00 p.m. ET).
Since 1997, ASN's local programming has been cut back significantly. At its peak, Breakfast Television aired for two and a half hours daily; it now airs for 90 minutes. Also, while ASN still airs a noon newscast and an early-morning rebroadcast of CTV's Live at 5, both are branded as CTV News programs. As of mid-October 2005 ASN no longer carries a late newscast, due to the additional CTV programming noted above.
Interestingly, despite the then-pending CTVgm/CHUM merger, CHUM content was actually lowered during the 2006-07 season compared to previous years, with other series from the CTV library — including repeats, "shelf" series like What About Brian, programming from MTV, and time shifted CTV programming for simsub purposes — making up the balance.
[edit] Notes
- Until fall 2006, the CRTC required that "commercial messages that are likely to have a negative impact on (CJON) be deleted from the ASN service distributed in St. John's and Mount Pearl (and area)" by Rogers Cable. [1] For several years Rogers aired scrolling text from Broadcast News in its place, and has been faulted on several occasions for untimely malfunctions of the automated equipment that performs the deletion (i.e., entire segments of Canadian Idol being blocked). In spring 2006, Rogers applied to have this condition removed, citing these complaints among other reasons. [2] This was approved in fall 2006.
[edit] Related link
List of Canadian television channels
[edit] External links
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