Citytv Totally Explained

Everything about Citytv totally explained

ť This article is about the general Citytv brand. Individual stations are listed according to their call signs.

Citytv is an Canadian English language television system owned and operated by Rogers Communications. The system currently consists of five television stations located in Toronto, Winnipeg, Calgary, Edmonton and Vancouver. The stations are treated as independent stations which share common branding and some common programming, and not as a television network. The Citytv brand has been licensed to television stations outside of Canada as well. Moses Znaimer, who developed the original format, once described the system's philosophy by saying, "It's not the show, it's the flow."

History

The original Citytv station (granted callsign CITY-TV by the CRTC) was founded in Toronto in 1972 and began broadcasting for the first time on September 28 under the ownership of Channel Seventy-Nine Ltd; CHUM Limited acquired the station in 1981. Broadcasting on UHF channel 79 through its first decade, the station moved to channel 57 in 1983, where it remains to this day. In 1987, the station moved to its current headquarters at the CHUM-City Building; the building has since become one of the most recognizable landmarks in the city.
   Citytv gained a second station in Vancouver when CHUM bought CKVU from Global in 2001. The station became Citytv Vancouver on July 22, 2002. Prior to CHUM's acquisition of CKVU, some Citytv programming was syndicated to KVOS in nearby Bellingham, Washington.
   In 2004, CHUM bought Craig Media Inc., parent of the A-Channel system in Manitoba and Alberta. The Craig-owned A-Channel stations were relaunched as Citytv on August 2, 2005; the same date when CHUM's NewNet stations were rebranded under the A-Channel banner.
   On July 12, 2006, CTVglobemedia (CTVgm) announced it was making a friendly takeover bid to buy CHUM Limited, with plans to maintain the Citytv system separate from its own CTV stations. The new A-Channel stations were expected to be sold. On the same day that the takeover was announced, Citytv cancelled its supper hour, late night, and weekend newscasts at its local Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary and Winnipeg stations, laying off hundreds of news department staff.
   In October 2006, Citytv launched a daily national newscast, CityNews International. It is produced in Toronto for broadcast on the western Canadian stations, as well as on CHUM's Toronto news channel CP24. The Edmonton and Calgary stations also began broadcasting a daily 30-minute magazine show, Your City, instead of a full-fledged newscast. Winnipeg had been expected to launch a similar program at the same time which hadn't yet materialized. The Vancouver news operation, which had operated for 30 years under various owners and station identities, wasn't maintained aside from BT. It remains to be seen how the cancellation of local newscasts at the western Canadian stations will affect the Citytv brand, which was created as a highly local concept.
   In the same month, Citytv Toronto began broadcasting local news in high-definition.
   On June 8, 2007, the CRTC approved the CTV takeover of CHUM. However, the CRTC made the deal conditional on CTV divesting itself of Citytv. As such, CTV retained the A-Channel stations, and sold the Citytv stations to Rogers Communications for $375 million. The transaction was approved by the CRTC on September 28 and was completed on October 31, 2007.

Programming

Citytv is best known for its unconventional approach to news and local programming. There is no news desk (anchors read the news standing up), and cameras are usually hand-held. Citytv also pioneered the concept of videojournalism, where reporters often carry their own cameras and report and videotape their own stories. Citytv calls its videojournalists "videographers", but unlike many American television markets which try to conceal the fact that reporters are so-called "one-man bands", Citytv embraced the use of videojournalism by highlighting the use of technology; Citytv videographers often carry a second home video camera to record images of them videotaping on the scene. The low-grade video is then incorporated into the final story to show viewers how the story was recorded.
   Citytv Toronto's CityNews, formerly known as CityPulse, had developed a large following, but ratings have since been steadily declining. Other stations around the world have tried to imitate its format to varying degrees of success. However, Citytv itself was unsuccessful in expanding its audience to other markets, as evidenced by the recent cancellation of the other stations' traditional newscasts.
   Citytv Toronto produces more local programs than any other television station in Canada, such as Speakers' Corner, CityLine, FashionTelevision, SexTV, and MediaTelevision. Many of these series are not strictly Toronto-centric – FT, for instance, consists largely of foreign runway footage – and are easily syndicated to other CHUM outlets.
   The station also attracted attention and controversy by airing Baby Blue Movies, or soft-core pornography, on Friday nights after midnight. Although this programming strategy was discontinued in the 1980s, it was recently reinstated. However, such programming is only aired on the CITY and CKVU stations.
   This, along with the 'hide away' place on the UHF dial formed the basis of fictional station "CIVIC TV" (Channel 83 Cable 12) in David Cronenberg's Videodrome, which is set in Toronto.
   As well, CITY was one of the first television stations in Canada to implement a diversity policy in hiring its on-air staff. Znaimer originally described the policy as wanting the station to "look like Toronto".
   Also, a show called Citytv New Year's Eve Bash, airs and is watched nationwide every New Year's Eve on the network. Since its debut in 1983, celebrations have been taking place at Nathan Phillips Square in downtown Toronto. The 2007 edition featured performance by the Grammy Award-winning group the Plain White T's which was broadcasted on Citytv Toronto and OMNI 2.
   On March 2, 2008, Citytv Toronto, aired its first live sports event, in the form of a Toronto Blue Jays spring training baseball game, against the Cincinnati Reds. Citytv and the Toronto Blue Jays share a common ownership in Rogers Media. This isn't the first time that a live sport event has aired on a Citytv network station, however, as CKVU-TV aired NFL football games during the 2007 NFL season, using the Rogers Sportsnet NFL licence.

Citytv HD

In 2003, CHUM Limited launched an HD simulcast of its Toronto station CITY-TV which is available national via satellite, digital cable and cable operators. In October 2006, Citytv installed a new control room, becoming one of the first fully HD broadcasters in Canada.

Citytv stations

Individual stations are normally branded on-air as "Citytv"; the location may be added if disambiguation is necessary.

The CTV-owned ASN in Atlantic Canada may also be considered a Citytv "affiliate", as it airs a local version of Breakfast Television and a mix of programming from both Citytv and A-Channel. ASN was previously owned by CHUM, and as part of CTV's acquisition of the channel, it agreed to continue airing CHUM programs on ASN. Its analog to CityPulse was called Atlantic Pulse, which was discontinued in 1996. It is possible that ASN will continue to air at least some of Citytv's more popular programs, even if it's involved in an expanded A-Channel.
   CTV also owns CKX in Brandon, Manitoba, a CBC affiliate formerly owned by Craig Media, which presently rebroadcasts some Citytv programming.
   The Citytv brand has been licensed to local television stations in Bogotá, Colombia (Citytv Bogotá) and Barcelona, Spain (Citytv Barcelona). The latter station's licence agreement expired in 2006, and the station was renamed TD8.
   In March 2006, CHUM signed an agreement with WRUA channel 34 in Fajardo, Puerto Rico to establish a Citytv franchise on that channel -- a first on American soil. Rogers Media discontinued the licensing for WRUA, and the station now serves as a translator for WECN in Naranjito. KVOS in Bellingham, Washington, United States, which is close to Vancouver, carried some Citytv programming during the 1990s and early 2000s when Citytv didn't have a station in the Lower Mainland.

Current presenters

List includes presenters from all Citytv stations.

Past presenters

Omar Sachedina former CityNews reporter and CP24 anchor (both Toronto) - Now working with CTV

Zuraidah Alman former CityNews reporter and CP24 anchor - Now co-host of Morning News and anchor of Noon News on Global TV Ontario

Actor Dan Aykroyd (Citytv Toronto's first on-air announcer)

Journalist Bill Cameron (Anchored late-night edition of CityPulse in the early 1980s before moving on to the CBC); now deceased

Liza Fromer former co-host of Breakfast Television; now with Slice.

Peter Gross former weatherman and funnyman; now sports reporter with 680 News

Lance Chilton, former CityNews/CP24 Anchor now with A-Channel Barrie/Toronto

Brian Hill (broadcaster) former weatherman; now meteorologist with 680 News

Harold Hosein former weatherman for 25 years (1981-2006); now with 680 News

Bob Hunter former CityNews environmental reporter, later with CP24; now deceased.

Terrilyn Joe former reporter now residing in San Francisco, California

Irshad Manji, host of

Sharon Navarro former reporter with CFTO; now senior consultant with Punch Communications

David Onley former science and technology reporter and anchor for CityNews and CP24. Now the Lieutenant Governor of Ontario.

Beatrice Politi former CityNews, A-Channel News, CP24 Ottawa Specialist; now with Global Ontario.

Tonya Rouse former CityNews/CP24 Fitness Specialist.

Roger Petersen former live reporter for Breakfast Television and CityNews - Now at CTV Toronto

Alex Pierson former co-anchor of CityNews Tonight; now with Global Ontario.

Dave Pinton former live reporter for Breakfast Television and CityNews - Now at CTV Vancouver

Monita Rajpal former journalist for Pulse24, now with CNN International

Ivan Reitman (Producer with Citytv Toronto)

Anchor John Roberts (Hosted MuchMusic's The New Music, using the name J.D. Roberts); now with CNN

John Saunders former sports anchor (1980-1982) - Has been working for ESPN since 1986 as a sportscaster

Jim Tatti former sportscaster; later with Global TV Ontario

Camilla Di Giuseppe former reporter and anchor with Citytv and CP24 now with CTV in CalgaryFurther Information

Get more info on 'Citytv'.

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