CHFD-DT

CHFD-DT
Thunder Bay, Ontario
Canada
Branding Global Thunder Bay
Channels Digital: 4 (VHF)
Virtual: 4.1 (PSIP)
Translators CKAR-TV 8 Armstrong (0.01 kW)
Affiliations Global
Owner Dougall Media
(Thunder Bay Electronics Ltd.)
First air date October 14, 1972
Call letters' meaning C Hector Fraser Dougall
Sister station(s) CKPR-DT
Former callsigns CHFD-TV (1972-2011)
Former channel number(s) 4 (Analog, VHF, 1972-2011)
Former affiliations CTV (1972-2010)
Transmitter power 1.2 kW
Height 366.2 m
Transmitter coordinates 48°31′25″N 89°6′55″W / 48.52361°N 89.11528°W / 48.52361; -89.11528
Website globalthunderbay.tbtv.com

CHFD-DT is a privately owned television station serving as an affiliate of the Global Television Network in Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada. It broadcasts a digital signal on VHF channel 4 from a transmitter in Shuniah and also operates a rebroadcaster in Armstrong (CKAR-TV, channel 8).

Owned by Dougall Media, it is sister to CTV affiliate CKPR-DT and both stations share studios located on Hill and Van Norman Streets in central Thunder Bay. This station can also be seen on Shaw Cable channel 6, and Bell TV channel 222. There is a high definition feed offered on Shaw Cable digital channel 211. On Shaw Direct, the channel is available in high definition on channel 038 (Classic) or 538 (Advanced).

Since February 12, 2010, CHFD carries the vast majority of Global's programming schedule and brands itself on-air as Global Thunder Bay in the manner of the network's owned-and-operated stations operated by its parent company Corus Entertainment.[1]

History

As a CTV affiliate

CHFD went on the air for the first time on October 14, 1972, as a CTV affiliate. The station is part of the Thunder Bay Television twinstick with the then-CBC affiliate CKPR. It was, from 2002 to 2009, among three CTV-affiliated stations in Canada not owned and operated directly by CTV.

As a CTV affiliate, CHFD also aired selected programming purchased from Global, such as Saturday Night Live and Brothers & Sisters, as well as religious programming commonly aired on Global stations, including 100 Huntley Street and the Hour of Power. It has also aired programmes which do not air on other broadcast channels in Canada, such as Channel 4's A Place in the Sun.

Affiliation with the Global Television Network

Former logo used when CHFD was a CTV affiliate. It continued to be used on sister station CKPR until 2012.

In January 2010, the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) published an application filed by CHFD to disaffiliate from CTV as of February 28, after not being able to negotiate an acceptable new programming agreement with the network, indicating it had instead reached an expanded program supply agreement with Global.[2] However, on February 12, just before CTV's coverage of the 2010 Winter Olympics began, and before the CRTC was able to rule on the application, CHFD began carrying Global programming full-time. It had attempted to get broadcast rights for the Olympics – which the station said was a separate matter from the network affiliation – but was again unable to reach an acceptable agreement.[1] After affiliating with Global, CHFD rebranded from Thunder Bay Television to Global Thunder Bay, and adopted a new logo and website similar to Global's owned and operated stations (this differs from most Canadian television stations that are not under common ownership with a television system or national television network; such stations typically use their callsigns as their on-air branding).

Local cable company Shaw Cable advised customers who wish to continue to watch CTV programming to subscribe to their digital cable timeshifting package;[3] the company did, however, add CTV Toronto to its basic lineup on channel 23 for the duration of the Olympics.[4]

In June 2014, Dougall Media announced that sister station CKPR would switch its affiliation from CBC to CTV in September.[5] The affiliation switch took effect on September 1, 2014.

On January 27, 2016, Dougall Media officials revealed that CKPR and CHFD are both being sustained by the payouts from life insurance policies on former owner Fraser Dougall and a former general manager who both died in 2015, and said that the stations were likely to shut down by September 1, barring a favourable change in CRTC policies on local television funding.[6] Both stations, however, are still in operation.

Programming

Currently the station clears the majority of Global programming, with some preemptions in the daytime schedule for infomercials and the weekend edition of Global National since fall 2011.

Locally produced programs include Officially Rugged, TB Classifieds, and the nightly Headline News (no relation to the CNN-owned channel). CHFD also airs a Saturday evening newscast and repeats CKPR's 11 p.m. TB News Late Edition at 11:30 on weeknights, along with a simulcast of Global Toronto's The Morning Show on weekday mornings from 6-9:30 a.m. plus with national broadcast and also News at Noon on weekday noon at 12-12:30 p.m.[7]

Digital television and high definition

CHFD-DT flash cut to digital in early August 2011 alongside sister station CKPR.

Through the use of PSIP, digital television receivers will display CHFD-DT's virtual channel as 4.1.[8]

In January 2011, Dougall Media applied with the CRTC to broadcast its digital signal instead on channel 4.[9]

References

  1. 1 2 A message to the viewers of Thunder Bay Television
  2. ↑ http://www.crtc.gc.ca/eng/archive/2010/2010-5.htm#1
  3. ↑ Carl Clutchey, City's TV horizon could change, The Chronicle-Journal, 2010-01-13
  4. ↑ Shaw - Channels In My Area (using Thunder Bay postal code), accessed 2010-02-09
  5. ↑ "CTV set to return to CKPR-TV". tbnewswatch.com, June 18, 2014.
  6. ↑ Kohut, Tania (January 27, 2016). "Thunder Bay TV stations surviving on life insurance cash, shutdowns looming". GlobalNews.ca. Retrieved January 27, 2016.
  7. ↑ CHFD TV's schedule at Zap2It.com
  8. ↑ Industry Canada: "DTV Post-Transition Allotment Plan", December 2008
  9. ↑ Broadcasting Notice of Consultation CRTC 2011-23
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