Former Canadian television system
Television channel
E!
|
Type
| Broadcast
television system
|
---|
Country
| Canada
|
---|
Broadcast area
| Semi-national -
Ontario
,
B.C.
,
Alberta
,
Montreal
(
Quebec
); available in several U.S. states via
cable
|
---|
Headquarters
| Toronto
,
Ontario
, Canada
|
---|
|
Owner
| Canwest
(Branding licensed from
Comcast
/
NBCUniversal
)
|
---|
Parent
| Canwest Media Inc.
|
---|
Key people
| Leonard Asper
, CEO, Canwest;
Kathleen Dore, President, Radio and Television, Canwest Media
|
---|
Sister channels
| |
---|
|
Launched
| February 12, 2001
(
2001-02-12
)
|
---|
Closed
| September 1, 2009
(
2009-09-01
)
(8 years, 201 days)
|
---|
Former names
| CH (2001-2007)
|
---|
The first incarnation of
E!
, also referred to as
E! Entertainment Television
, was a Canadian English language privately owned
television system
that existed from 2001 to 2009 under the ownership of
Canwest
. At its peak it consisted of eight local
television stations
located in
Quebec
,
Ontario
,
Alberta
and
British Columbia
, including five stations
owned and operated
(O&O) by Canwest and three
affiliates
owned by
Jim Pattison Group
.
The system was launched in 2001 as
CH Television
or
CH
(derived from the call sign of flagship
CHCH-TV
in
Hamilton
), providing a secondary schedule parallel to Canwest's larger
Global Television Network
. It initially focused on airing programs from the U.S. broadcast networks that could not fit on Global's own schedule, in order to avail of
simultaneous substitution
opportunities. The system became "E!" in fall 2007, as a result of a deal with
Comcast
to carry programming from that company's U.S.-based
E!: Entertainment Television
, although it continued to air much of the same American network series in primetime and the afternoon.
Following corporate financial difficulties, which eventually led to the company filing for
bankruptcy protection
and the sale of their properties to
Shaw Media
, Canwest announced in early 2009 it would look to either sell or close its E! O&Os by that fall. Those stations saw varied fates as E! ceased operations on August 31, 2009: two stations (CHCH and
CJNT-TV
Montreal
) were sold to
Channel Zero
;
CHEK-TV
Victoria
was sold to a consortium of local investors and station employees;
CHBC-TV
Kelowna
was converted to a Global O&O; and
CHCA-TV
Red Deer
was shut down entirely. The three Pattison-owned affiliates subsequently joined
Rogers Media
's
City
network, as did CJNT several years later. This left CHCH and CHEK as the only independent former stations of this system to still exist.
E! in the U.S. (now owned by
NBCUniversal
) later reached an agreement to bring the channel's brand and programming to Bell Media's
entertainment specialty channel
, previously known as Star!, effective late November 2010.
History
[
edit
]
Purchase of WIC stations by Canwest
[
edit
]
The CH/E! system had its roots in the television stations group owned by
Western International Communications
(WIC), which at one point owned ten stations, including three
CTV
affiliates, two
CBC
affiliates, three
independent stations
in Alberta that mostly carried programming from Global,
[1]
Montreal multicultural station
CJNT-TV
, and independent station
CHCH-TV
Hamilton.
Aside from CHCH, many of WIC's stations were involved in various types of "
twinsticks
", or a set of two stations serving one market under a single owner ? specifically in the
British Columbia
Lower Mainland
,
Alberta
,
Montreal
, and
Kelowna
markets. The second stations were, respectively,
CHEK-TV
,
CKRD-TV
, CJNT-TV, and
CHBC-TV
.
WIC was an ownership group, and not a network unto itself; the company was rarely able to co-ordinate the programming of its first-string stations, much less the second-string outlets, due to the stations' different network affiliations. Even so, during the 1990s, WIC had been stepping up its acquisitions of American programming, eventually acquiring shows such as
Everybody Loves Raymond
,
Will & Grace
,
Suddenly Susan
,
Just Shoot Me
, and
Touched by an Angel
.
These programs were broadcast on CHCH (which was rebranded "
ONtv
" in 1997 in an effort to broaden the station into a province-wide outlet, a change that was not popular with the station's core Hamilton audience
[2]
), and on its other stations when timeslots were available. For example, in the
Vancouver
area in the late 1990s, CTV network programming ? i.e. the 40 hours per week not aired on
VTV
? would air in-pattern on
BCTV
, with some WIC programming airing in the remaining timeslots. On CHEK, the same CTV programs would generally air out-of-pattern, with additional WIC programming scheduled for the remaining timeslots when BCTV was airing network programs.
[3]
This effectively gave WIC one "full" station to program itself in the Vancouver market. Similarly, in Alberta, Global or WIC programs that could not fit onto the schedules of WIC's
Calgary
or
Edmonton
stations would instead air on
Red Deer
CBC affiliate CKRD, available on cable in much of the province, in non-network timeslots.
Canwest reached an agreement to purchase WIC's conventional television arm in 1999. Its plan to keep all of the WIC stations, save
CFCF-TV
in Montreal, faced strong opposition from competitors and advocacy groups. However, Canwest convinced the
Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission
(CRTC) that such twinstick operations would allow the company to support the "underserved" communities these stations were originally intended to serve,
[1]
arguing that no other company could provide the same level of support (CJNT would not be sustainable financially, while the other stations would turn their focus to larger neighbouring markets such as
Toronto
or Vancouver). For instance, Canwest promised to relaunch CHCH as a station with a renewed focus on Hamilton. As a result, Canwest was able to maintain the B.C. and Alberta twinsticks, re-align CJNT with
CKMI-TV
, and most importantly secure a new twinstick in the major market of Toronto with both its own
CIII-TV
and WIC's CHCH.
The launch of CH
[
edit
]
In February 2001, CHCH dropped its "ONtv" branding, becoming the first to adopt the
CH
brand.
[2]
It was followed by CHEK (newly
disaffiliated
from
CTV
) and multicultural station CJNT that September. The initial CH schedules largely consisted of the programming Canwest had inherited from WIC ? indeed there were almost no programming changes initially at CHCH, since the branding change came mid-season. However, a handful of WIC programs would eventually be "cherry-picked" by Global. The stations also began to cross-promote heavily with the local Global stations. While CH briefly used the slogan "
C
loser to
H
ome" when it launched, the letters "CH" were derived from the
call sign
of flagship CHCH. On the other hand, CJNT referred to the initials as
Canal Horizon
, or
CH Horizon
, until 2002.
CKRD joined in 2005 after disaffiliating from the
CBC
(having carried CH programming in non-CBC timeslots like it did during the WIC era prior to this), and reverted to its original call letters (CHCA) in the process.
[4]
Kelowna's CHBC and
Kamloops
's
CFJC
, the latter owned by the
Jim Pattison Group
, also disaffiliated from the CBC in February 2006 and joined CH. Although CFJC was not owned by Canwest, its joint sales agreement with CHBC necessitated its affiliation switch.
[5]
With a replacement brand for CH expected in the near future, both CHBC and CFJC maintained their own local identities for the remainder of the "CH" era.
Rebranding to E!
[
edit
]
Published reports in early 2006
[6]
suggested that Canwest was looking to rebrand the CH stations. However, that brand remained in use for more than a year. In April 2007, Canwest finally announced that the CH stations would be relaunched as E! that fall;
[7]
the changes took effect on September 7. E! (U.S.) owner
Comcast
licensed the brand name and programming, but it did not obtain ownership in the Canadian E! network.
The launch of E! in Canada marked the first adoption of a
specialty channel
-type schedule by an over-the-air system in Canada, essentially a loophole in a
CRTC
policy which permitted only one specialty channel per programming genre; this policy would be revoked in 2015. (Terrestrial stations have no restrictions on the genres of programming they can air, so long as they meet their Canadian content and local programming requirements.) Previously, E! programming had aired on
Star!
, which was launched in 1999 as the Canadian specialty channel with genre exclusivity for the entertainment / celebrity niche.
Pattison announced in September 2007 that its two remaining CBC affiliates,
Prince George
's
CKPG-TV
and
Medicine Hat
's
CHAT-TV
, would drop their current affiliation in favour of programming from Canwest effective fall 2008.
[8]
CKPG affiliated with E! instead of Global due to the presence of a
Global BC
rebroadcaster in the market; CHAT joined E! as well, despite the absence of an over-the-air Global signal serving Medicine Hat.
Demise
[
edit
]
Despite the rebranding and increased coverage, the system continued to trail in the ratings, and ultimately remained unprofitable. On February 5, 2009, amid rising debt and increasing pressure from creditors, Canwest announced it would explore "strategic options", including possible sale or closure, for its E! O&Os, saying "a second conventional TV network is no longer key to the long-term success" of the company.
[9]
[10]
The company later announced it would sell two of those stations, CHCH and CJNT, to
Channel Zero
, which said it would operate both as independent stations.
[11]
Canwest also made clear that it would not be running the remaining E! stations as of fall 2009,
[12]
and in late July announced the rebranding of CHBC, and the closure of CHCA and CHEK, all effective September 1.
[4]
[13]
However, as discussed below, the CHEK decision was later reversed, with an agreement to sell the station to a local consortium.
[14]
The transition for each station on Monday, August 31, 2009, was as follows:
- Channel Zero took control of programming at CHCH as of midnight EDT Monday morning, and at CJNT as of 6:00 a.m. (although the latter station's new programming did not actually take air until mid-morning).
- CHCA ended regular programming by 4:00 a.m. MDT. At that point it began airing a
slide
thanking viewers for their support, before leaving the air on September 1.
- CHBC joined Global (by simulcasting
CHAN-TV
's morning news) at 5:30 a.m. PDT.
- CHEK was scheduled to carry regular programming until 7:00 p.m., when it was to air an hour-long look back at the best of their
newsmagazine
show,
Island 30
and a two-hour retrospective of its 53 years covering local news, before signing off permanently at 10:00 p.m. However, by late afternoon on the 31st, negotiations to sell the station had resumed, delaying the station's signoff indefinitely; nevertheless, CHEK no longer carried E! programming as of September 1. An agreement to sell the station to an employee-led group (pending approval from the CRTC) was finalized on September 4, thereby allowing CHEK to remain on the air.
- Program schedules for the Pattison stations indicated that they would carry "regular" E! programming throughout the broadcast day, with the last Canwest-supplied program,
The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson
, concluding at approximately 1:38 a.m. PDT on September 1; however, it is not clear whether all of the primetime and late-night programming actually made air, since, by that point, it was not scheduled to air on any Canwest station. The Pattison stations began carrying national Citytv programming later that morning.
The rights to most of the system's non-E! primetime programs were acquired by other broadcasters, with most going to
Citytv
. Meanwhile, Canwest had been believed to retain the Canadian rights to E! (U.S.)'s original programming under its original long-term contract with
Comcast
. These programs were expected to move to the company's other channels such as
Global
or
Slice
, the latter having carried some E! programs in the past, or potentially even a new or rebranded E! cable channel (provided such a channel did not interfere with Star!'s exclusivity in the celebrity/entertainment genre). However, no such move occurred.
The closure of E! did not put an end to Canwest's financial troubles, and the company filed for creditor protection towards the end of 2009. Its broadcasting assets, including CHBC and the other Global O&Os, were eventually auctioned off to
Shaw Communications
, and became part of the new
Shaw Media
unit in late 2010. Shaw Media was in turn, acquired by
Corus Entertainment
on April 1, 2016.
In fall 2010, CTVglobemedia (later renamed
Bell Media
after its purchase by
BCE Inc.
) reached a new deal with Comcast to move E! programming back to
Star!
, which was renamed E! on November 29, 2010.
[15]
The circumstances under which Canwest/Shaw Media's contract with E! programming ended ? that is, whether the deal had expired, or had been cancelled by one or both sides ? are unclear.
Subsequent connections
[
edit
]
Following their respective sales, CHCH and CHEK both began airing a line-up consisting primarily of
rolling news
during the daytime hours, and a featured movie each evening. While it is likely that some of the same movies have been aired on both stations, there has been no apparent coordination between the stations in terms of either news coverage or scheduling ? that is, the two stations would not typically air the same movie on the same night.
Since September 2010, CHCH, CJNT and CHEK have once again carried some of the same programming on the same date, having each acquired regional rights to various U.S. series, such as
Smallville
,
Supernatural
,
Everybody Hates Chris
,
Chuck
,
Nightline
,
20/20
,
60 Minutes
,
Jimmy Kimmel Live!
,
48 Hours Mystery
, and selected
NBA on ABC
season and playoff games, most of which were shed by
Sun TV
as part of its transition to the
Sun News Network
. However, the stations retain their existing ownership and branding, and are expected to continue scheduling movies and selling advertising independently. As a result, this does not currently appear to be a revival of the former CH/E! system.
CJNT withdrew from this partnership as of June 4, 2012, due to its pending sale by Channel Zero to
Rogers Media
, and an associated interim affiliation agreement for CJNT with Rogers'
Citytv
television system.
[16]
Programming
[
edit
]
E! aired a number of programs from the U.S. broadcast networks, sharing a library of programs with Global. Initially, it was not uncommon for Global, which was carried in more cities nationwide, to cherry-pick some of CH's hits and air them on the main network. Conversely, Global programs were sometimes sent "down" to CH if two programs aired by Global begin to air simultaneously on separate U.S. networks, so Canwest could maximize its
simultaneous substitution
opportunities. Following the start of E!, the practice was for the most part abandoned, although such series might be exchanged between the two systems from one season to the next.
Content from the American E! network started to air throughout the system's daytime, late night, and weekend schedule upon its re-branding on September 7, 2007; this was to include Canadian-produced series aired on E! channels internationally, although the extent of this was unclear. E! programming had previously aired on
Star!
until the launch of E! in Canada. As a result of this change, E! programming was not available in all areas where it could be seen previously, although E! stations were generally available on
digital cable
, as well as both of Canada's
satellite
providers. Primetime programming continued to be sourced primarily from the major U.S. broadcast networks.
As CH, local stations (except for CHBC and CFJC) used the "CH" brand throughout the day, titling their newscasts
CH News
as opposed to using their often well-known
call signs
. Similar network-based branding practices have been common at most local TV stations in Canada, including the O&Os of Canwest's primary Global network, since the late 1990s. Upon converting to E!, that brand became similarly predominant for most of the broadcast day.
For similar reasons, the E! branding was downplayed somewhat during sports programming such as
PGA Tour
coverage, when the system's
bug
was not seen. The bug was, however, used during some shows outside of the "entertainment" genre, such as lifestyle programming aired during the daytime schedule.
News
[
edit
]
Local news coverage and other regional programming on the E! stations used the
CH News
brand. When CH became E!, it reverted to their local branding, such as "
CHCH News
" in Hamilton, and "
CJNT Montreal
" for multicultural programming on the Montreal station. Local branding was also used for most local community sponsorships. This decision was made at least partly to avoid confusion with the entertainment news show
E! News
, but it was likely also intended to ensure that local newscasts were not themselves perceived as celebrity-oriented.
Some E! stations also aired Global's national newscasts
Global National
though CHCH aired
Live @ 5:30
talk show.
E! HD
[
edit
]
On April 18, 2008, E! launched a
high-definition
simulcast of its Ontario station (
CHCH
). The channel was available on digital cable in many areas, and also via
an aerial signal
in the Hamilton-Toronto-Buffalo area on CHCH-DT Channel 18. CHCH retains this digital signal under its new ownership. In addition, CHBC, CHEK and CJNT have since converted to digital signals due to the 2011 analogue-to-digital conversion.
E! stations
[
edit
]
Owned-and-operated
[
edit
]
Note:
- 1) Italicized channel numbers indicate a digital channel allocated for future use by the
Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission
.
City of license/market
|
Station
|
Channel
TV
(
RF
)
|
Year of affiliation
|
Year of disaffiliation
|
Notes
|
Victoria, British Columbia
|
CHEK-TV
|
6
(analog only)
|
2001
|
2009
|
originally scheduled to close down on August 31, 2009, but was instead sold to a consortium of station employees and local investors; currently carries infomercials, news, movies, and other local programming; since re-added American programming. Has since been a secondary affiliate of
Yes TV
.
|
Kelowna
,
British Columbia
|
CHBC-TV
|
2
(analog only)
|
2006
|
2009
|
Currently a Global O&O owned by
Corus
.
|
Red Deer, Alberta
|
CHCA-TV
|
6
(analog only)
|
2005
|
2009
|
closed August 31, 2009; license revoked December 16, 2009
|
Hamilton, Ontario
|
CHCH-TV
|
11.1 (then 18 now 11)
|
2001
|
2009
|
now owned by
Channel Zero
; initially carried a news/movies format; since re-added American programming and now identifies on-air as CHCH. The all-news format in the daytime was discontinued in December 2015 due to budget cuts.
|
Montreal
,
Quebec
|
CJNT-TV
|
62
(analog only)
|
2001
|
2009
|
now owned by
Rogers Media
in a conventional English-language format as
City
Montreal. Previously owned by Channel Zero under its multicultural format as Metro 14 with addition of foreign movies and music videos as well as some American programming (The latter was carried over to
CFHD
upon that station's launch).
|
Affiliates and secondary carriers
[
edit
]
E!'s three affiliates were all owned by the
Jim Pattison Group
as ex-
CBC Television
affiliates. They nevertheless also adopted the on-air news look of the Canwest E! stations. All three began carrying
Citytv
programming on September 1, 2009.
[17]
Many Global stations in markets not served by E!, however, plus other stations not owned by Canwest, also broadcast programs usually seen on the E! system. Those stations include, former private CBC affiliates such as
CHEX
and
CKWS
, then CTV affiliate
CJBN
and the
Thunder Bay Television
twinstick
of
CKPR
and
CHFD
as well as
Lloydminster
twinstick of
CKSA
and
CITL
.
Slogans
[
edit
]
- As CH:
- 2001: Closer to Home
- 2001-2005: CH Has It All!
- 2001-2007: Closer to You!
- As E!
- 2007-2009: Everything Entertainment
See also
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
a
b
"Decision CRTC 2000-221"
.
Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission
. July 6, 2000
. Retrieved
August 19,
2011
.
- ^
a
b
"CH-CH-CH-changes for ONtv"
. Strategy. January 15, 2001
. Retrieved
August 19,
2011
.
- ^
For example:
Spring 2000 Vancouver primetime TV schedules
, compiled by
Friends of Canadian Broadcasting
- ^
a
b
Harley Richards (July 23, 2009).
"CHCA-TV fades to black"
.
Red Deer Advocate
. Archived from
the original
on July 19, 2012
. Retrieved
August 19,
2011
.
- ^
"Broadcasting Decision CRTC 2006-25"
(PDF)
. CRTC. February 1, 2006
. Retrieved
August 19,
2011
.
- ^
Toronto Star
, February 13, 2006
- ^
Alex Strachan (April 25, 2007).
"CanWest signs agreement to air E! entertainment in Canada"
.
Vancouver Sun
. Archived from
the original
on March 20, 2012
. Retrieved
August 19,
2011
.
- ^
"Broadcasting Public Notice CRTC 2007-117"
. CRTC. October 18, 2007
. Retrieved
August 19,
2011
.
- ^
Canwest announces strategic review of five conventional television stations
, press release, February 5, 2009
- ^
Canwest considers possible sale of 5 TV stations across Canada
,
The Canadian Press
via
Google News
, February 5, 2009
- ^
Channel Zero Inc. agrees to purchase CHCH-TV Hamilton and CJNT-TV Montreal from Canwest
CNW Group
(June 30, 2009)
- ^
"Out with the E!, in with the new at Canwest upfront"
. Marketing Magazine. June 3, 2009
. Retrieved
August 19,
2011
.
- ^
"Canwest closing TV stations in Alberta, B.C."
CBC News. July 22, 2007
. Retrieved
August 19,
2011
.
- ^
"Local investors, staff buy CHEK"
. Victoria, British Columbia: The Times-Colonist. September 5, 2009. Archived from
the original
on September 13, 2012
. Retrieved
August 19,
2011
.
- ^
CTVglobemedia
(press release) (November 1, 2010).
"CTV and Comcast International Media Group Partner to Bring E!, World's Top Entertainment Brand, Back to Canada"
. Archived from
the original
on July 19, 2011
. Retrieved
November 1,
2010
.
- ^
Citytv expanding into Quebec & Western Canada
Archived
May 9, 2012, at the
Wayback Machine
,
CityNews
, May 3, 2012.
- ^
"Jim Pattison Broadcast Group solidifies Program Supply agreement for three independent stations serving BC and Alberta"
(Press release). Jim Pattison Broadcast Group. July 14, 2009. Archived from
the original
on August 31, 2009
. Retrieved
July 19,
2009
.
|
---|
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
| |
---|
English-language commercial
| |
---|
French-language commercial
| |
---|
Inuit-language commercial
| |
---|
Multicultural
| |
---|
Religious
| |
---|
Defunct
| |
---|
See also
| |
---|
Additional resources on North American television
|
---|
North America
| |
---|
Canada
| |
---|
Mexico
| |
---|
United States
| |
---|
|