CTV News Channel (Canada)

CTV News Channel is a Canadian English language Category C specialty channel that is owned by Bell Media (a wholly owned subsidiary of Bell Canada). The 24-hour channel broadcasts national and international news headlines, breaking news, and information. CTV News Channel is headquartered at 9 Channel Nine Court in the Agincourt neighbourhood of Scarborough in the city of Toronto.

Revenue

According to the Canadian Communication's Monitoring Report - Broadcasting System 2014, there were 8.4 million subscribers to the channel and revenue of $26 million. ^[1]

History

First logo, used from 1997 to 1999.

In September 1996, CTV Television Network Ltd. (a division of CTV) was granted a broadcast licence by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) for CTV N1, a national English language specialty television service that would broadcast "news, weather and sports reports, as well as business, consumer and lifestyle information",^[2] in a 'headline news' format on a 15-minute news wheel.^[2]

The channel was launched on September 30, 1997 as CTV News 1. Under the terms of this licence, the channel broadcast news and information on a 15-minute wheel, beginning a new cycle every 15 minutes using a pre-recorded, server-hosted configuration. Not long after its launch, however, it began covering more breaking news. CTV News 1 used news segments from CTV National News and local CTV and BBS affiliates.

The channel began with its news anchors sitting at a desk which would periodically, while the anchor was not speaking, spin in a circle to change the background in front of which the anchor sat. This gimmick was criticized, and soon abandoned. The channel included a large on-screen news ticker that provided news updates, weather, sports scores, stock trading data, among other information.

Second logo, used from 1999 to 2009.

On September 8, 1999, the channel was renamed CTV Newsnet,^[3] after the launch of then-sister channel, CTV Sportsnet.

CTV sought amendments to the channel's condition of licence that had restricted it to a 15-minute news wheel, in order to allow greater coverage of breaking news, longer-form news-oriented discussion and other programming. These requests were met with mixed decisions from the CRTC. On April 7, 2005, the CRTC removed the condition mandating a 15-minute news cycle, substituting new but much more liberal conditions including the allowance of a small percentage of airtime devoted to long-form discussion programming.^[4]

Third logo, used from 2009 to 2011.

On August 22, 2005, CTV Newsnet unveiled a new, full screen format with a considerably smaller news ticker broadcasting only news headlines, and revamped its late afternoon and primetime programming, with increases to its anchor, reporting and production teams, and a greater emphasis on general news from the main anchor desk, eliminating sports and business coverage. The network hoped to capitalize in part on the lockout which had nearly eliminated news programming on CBC Television (outside Quebec) and CBC Newsworld.

Before the 2005 format change, sports segments were co-branded with TSN, and business news with Report on Business Television (now Business News Network). These channels are owned by the same companies as CTV and Newsnet. Earlier in the network's history, weather reports were provided by The Weather Network, which is independently owned, and sports segments were once co-branded with Headline Sports, and then later by CTV Sportsnet, which CTV owned before it acquired TSN.

CTV Newsnet was renamed CTV News Channel on May 26, 2009, at the time no channel format or schedule change had occurred.^[5] On September 10, 2010, Bell Canada (a minority shareholder in CTVglobemedia) announced that it planned to acquire 100% interest in CTVglobemedia for a total debt and equity transaction cost of $3.2 billion CAD.^[6] The deal, which acquired CRTC approval, was approved on March 7, 2011^[7] and closed on April of that year, CTVglobemedia was renamed Bell Media on April 1, 2011.

On October 3, 2011, CTV News Channel unveiled a new weekday programming lineup, which added three new news segments to the schedule (Direct, Express and National Affairs) and introduced four new news anchors.^[8]

On December 19, 2011, CTV News Channel underwent a major overhaul which consisted of a new logo, new on-air presentation designed by Troika Design Group, and a newly renovated studio set as the channel began production in high definition for the first time. An HD feed was launched on the channel's co-owned Bell Fibe TV service in February 2012.^[9] The set still consists of the traditional CTV newsroom background.

On July 5, 2017 CTV News Channel relaunched with a new look and automation package utilizing Super Ticker and Brando provided by Bannister Lake Software, a software application company located in Cambridge Ontario. For many years, the network has aired the CTV National News at 10 pm Eastern—or 11 pm Atlantic, when the newscast begins its nightly run across the network (it airs at 11 pm local time over the air (11:30 pm in Newfoundland and southeastern Laborador)). It is repeated every hour until 2 am Eastern, or 11 pm Pacific.

Programs

Current programming

• Power Play, Canadian public affairs television show hosted by Don Martin, airs weekdays
• CTV National News, anchored by Lisa LaFlamme weekday evenings, and Sandie Rinaldo weekend evenings
• Question Period, interview and panel discussion show on Canadian politics which airs at 5 pm daily, hosted by Robert Fife

Notable current on–air staff

Anchors

Reporters

• Peter Akman - Toronto correspondent
• Todd Battis - Halifax bureau chief
• Geneviève Beauchemin - Montreal bureau chief
• Janet Dirks - Calgary bureau chief
• Avis Favaro – medical specialist
• Merella Fernandez – Toronto correspondent
• Vanessa Lee - Montreal correspondent
• Jill Macyshon - Winnipeg bureau chief
• Richard Madan – Ottawa correspondent
• Victor Malarek – Toronto correspondent
• Glen McGregor - Parliamentary correspondent
• Melanie Nagy - Vancouver bureau chief
• Joyce Napier - Ottawa bureau chief
• Craig Oliver – chief political correspondent
• Lloyd Robertson – chief correspondent (semi-retired; also the voice-over of CTV News Channel)
• Omar Sachedina – Toronto correspondent
• Katie Simpson - Ottawa correspondent
• Mercedes Stephenson - Ottawa correspondent
• John Vennavally-Rao - Toronto correspondent

Foreign correspondents

• Daniele Hamamdjian - London bureau chief
• Janis Mackey Frayer – Beijing bureau chief
• Joy Malbon – Washington, D.C. correspondent
• Martin Seemungal – Middle East bureau chief
• Tom Walters - Los Angeles bureau chief
• Paul Workman – Washington, D.C. bureau chief

Notable former on–air staff

• Steve Chao - former Far East and Asia bureau chief
• Tom Kennedy – former London bureau chief
• Dan Matheson
• Roger Smith – former Ottawa bureau chief (retired)
• Seamus O'Regan

CTV News Channel HD

On December 19, 2011, CTV News Channel began broadcasting in high definition, although a dedicated HD feed was not launched until February 16, 2012. It is available on Bell TV, Shaw Direct, Cogeco, Eastlink, Rogers Cable, Bell Fibe TV, Bell MTS, SaskTel and Telus Optik.

References

External links

• Official website
• CTV News