CIVI-TV
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| CIVI-TV | |
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| Victoria / Vancouver, British Columbia | |
| City of license | Victoria, British Columbia |
| Branding | A-Channel Victoria/Vancouver |
| Channels | Analog: 53 (UHF, Victoria) Digital: 23 (UHF) (Not yet on air) |
| Translators | CIVI-TV-2 17 (UHF, Vancouver) |
| Affiliations | A-Channel (2001-present, formerly named The New VI until 2005) |
| Owner | CTVglobemedia CTV Limited |
| Founded | 2001 |
| Call letters’ meaning | C I Vancouver Island |
| Transmitter Power | CIVI-TV: 23 kW CIVI-TV-2: 100 kW |
| Height | CIVI-TV: 99.6 m CIVI-TV-2: 586.2 m |
| Website | www.achannel.ca |
CIVI-TV (A-Channel Victoria/Vancouver; formerly known as The New VI) is a television station based in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. Currently owned by CTVglobemedia, the station serves the Vancouver Island area, and it is the only station in British Columbia to be part of the A-Channel system. It is seen on cable channel 12 on most cable systems in southwestern BC.
CIVI's signal spills into Vancouver. As a result, the station is mandated by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) to broadcast no more than 10% of the programs shown on Citytv Vancouver (the two stations were previously under common ownership by CHUM Limited).
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[edit] History
At the end of the 1990s, CHUM Limited only owned over-the-air television stations in Ontario. Similarly, Craig Media only had stations in the Canadian Prairies. Both companies looked to expand their national presence, and both submitted a bid when the CRTC issued a call for applications for a new TV licence in Victoria. CHUM was awarded the licence in 2000, and CIVI was launched on October 4, 2001 as CHUM's first original station to be part of the NewNet system.
Known on the air as The New VI, the station started off with much pomp and circumstance. It boasted a large lineup of personalities, including former British Columbia New Democratic Party cabinet minister Moe Sihota. The station's news anchors walked around the studio instead of sitting behind a desk, mimicking the format used at sister station Citytv Toronto and other NewNet outlets. However, the station struggled to compete against CHEK-TV, a station which had essentially held a monopoly over the television industry on Vancouver Island for more than four decades. Gradually, personalities from the original roster were replaced by new faces, and some were let go without replacements.
The station received a boost in 2004, when longtime CHEK-TV anchor Hudson Mack joined the station as its new chief anchor and news director. Changes were introduced to the station's newscasts, and they appear to have been effective: though still ranking behind CHEK-TV, the ratings gap between the two has been narrowed.
Since Mack's arrival, the station has been honoured with a number of industry awards. In 2006 it received three Edward R. Murrow Awards from RTNDA International, for Best Newscast, Best Investigative Reporting and an Edward R. Murrow Award for Best Sports Reporting. It was the second straight year the station won Murrows for its newscast and investigative reporting. In 2005 the station won eight industry awards, including two Edward R. Murrow Awards from RTNDA International, for Best Newscast and Best Investigative Reporting; and top news honours from the BC Association of Broadcasters.
The station was renamed "A-Channel" on August 2, 2005, along with the rest of the NewNet system. The station would likely have been named "A-Channel" at its launch had Craig Media won the licence in 2000.
On July 12, 2006 , CTV owner CTVglobemedia announced plans to purchase A-Channel owner CHUM Ltd. for C$1.7 billion, with plans to divest itself of the A-Channel and Access Alberta stations, subject to CRTC approval[1]. On that same day it was also announced that the A-Channel Morning show would be cancelled, although this decision was supposedly unrelated to the takeover by CTVglobemedia.
On April 9, 2007, it was announced that Rogers Communications had filed with the CRTC to purchase the A-Channel stations (including CIVI) and several cable channels being put up for sale by CHUM Limited in the wake of CTVglobemedia's pending acquisition of the CHUM group. [2]
On June 8, 2007, the CRTC announced its approval of CTVglobemedia's purchase of CHUM Limited, but added a condition that CTVglobemedia must sell off CHUM's Citytv stations instead of the A-Channel stations (including CIVI), in effect cancelling the planned sale of A-Channel to Rogers Communications. [3]
The station was taken over by CTVglobemedia on June 22, 2007, along with rest of the CHUM Limited properties except Citytv, which was sold to Rogers Media. CTVglobemedia officials have indicated that the A-Channel stations will be rebranded with a new name and identity in 2008[4].
On July 26, 2007, CTVglobemedia named Richard Gray the head of news for the A-Channel stations. He will report to the CTVgm corporate group, not CTV News, to preserve independent news presentation and management. Gray will now oversee the news departments for CIVI, plus CKVR, CHRO, CFPL, CKNX, CHWI, as well as Brandon's CKX-TV.[5]
On June 2, 2008, CTVglobemedia announced that A-Channel would become known as "A" in the fall of 2008.[6]
[edit] Current anchors and reporters
Anchors: Hudson Mack (A-Channel News at 5 and 6/Vancouver Island Report), Cheryl Bloxham (A-Channel News at Eleven)
Weather: Bruce Williams
Sports: Mira Laurence, Jordan Cunningham
Reporters: Stephen Andrew, Jonathan Bartlett, Astrid Braunschmidt, Meribeth Burton, Gord Kurbis, Shachi Kurl, Bill Macfarlane, Howard Markson, Adam Sawatsky, Erick Thompson, David Wiwchar, Andrew Johnson
Videographers: Tash Baycroft, Kirk Duncan, Jason Halman, Todd Harmer, Ian Hoar, Wells Gaetz, John McKenzie, Roland Stacey, Brendan Strain, Scott Weston
[edit] Gallery
 The station's studio building in Victoria, and used to be nicknamed "Pandora's Box" for its location at the corner of Broad Street and Pandora Avenue |
 The New VI's logo, 2001-2005 |
[edit] Station presention
[edit] As The New VI
 NewDay Open from 2004-2005. |
[edit] References
- ^ Bell Globemedia makes $1.7B bid for CHUM. Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (2006-07-12). Retrieved on 2006-07-12.
- ^ CRTC expected to OK Rogers' $137.5M buy of CTVglobemedia TV channels. Canadian Press via Yahoo! Canada News (2007-04-09). Retrieved on 2007-04-09.
- ^ CRTC tells CTVglobemedia to sell 5 Citytv stations. cbc.ca via Yahoo! Canada News (2007-06-08). Retrieved on 2007-06-08.
- ^ CTV expected to rebrand A Channel. Friends of Canadian Broadcasting (2006-06-13). Retrieved on 2006-07-05.
- ^ CTVglobemedia
- ^ [1]
[edit] External links
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