Why Haven't Most Provinces Developed A PBS-Type Channel?

[Gregg]

If I'm not mistaken, the three highest-population provinces have their own PBS-type channels:

Ontario: TVO and TFO
Quebec: Tele-Quebec
B.C.: The Knowledge Network

TVO and Tele-Quebec are available on over-the-air TV stations. The Knowledge Network is cable-only. And TFO, Ontario's French network, has some over-the-air carriers but is mostly on cable.

I remember at one point, one of the prarie provinces had a part time channel it shared with Radio-Canada, showing educational programs in English by day and carrying SRC evenings and nights. Those were the days where there there were few UHF channels. I'm sure that arrangement ended decades ago.

Nearly all states in the U.S. have a state-wide PBS network of over-the-air stations. In the larger states such as New York and California, PBS (or NET in those days) stations developed individually in the early days of TV, so there was no need for a state-wide network.

I'm surprised only three provinces have a non-commercial, education and fine arts network of stations, only two of those over the air. After all, CBC only has one network in English and one in French. There's no BBC 2 in Canada. The CBC/SRC tries to keep the programming more serious than the privately-owned networks. But they still runs plenty of not-so-serious progams and sports. SRC has soap operas, game shows and movies. CBC has Coronation Street, a British soap, plus for a while Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune, even Fresh Prince and The Simpsons at one point..


Gregg
[email protected]

 

[Yeziknoradio]

A lot of it may be politics.
TVO has been threatened to be shut down or sold off to a private broadcaster numerous times. There's a Provincial election coming up in October here in Ontario. I'm surprised the future of TVO hasn't come up as an election issue yet. I guess we have to get the Federal election out of the way first. (May 2, 2011)

Which leads to another good question...Why doesn't the States have an American version of the CBC? (meaning part ad revenue, and part tax funded)

 

[azumanga]

If I'm not mistaken, the three highest-population provinces have their own PBS-type channels:

Ontario: TVO and TFO
Quebec: Tele-Quebec
B.C.: The Knowledge Network

TVO and Tele-Quebec are available on over-the-air TV stations. The Knowledge Network is cable-only. And TFO, Ontario's French network, has some over-the-air carriers but is mostly on cable.

Alberta has "Access", which was once owned by the province, but was sold off to CHUM in the late-1990s (Bell Media owns it today). Under provincial ownership, it was an educational channel just like PBS, but after it became CHUM property, it became a commercial station, though it still carries some educational shows to meet its license. Some regular programs also have special intros by professors, to give it an educational slant. It is seen terrestrially in Edmonton and Calgary, but its cable or sat only everywhere else.

Saskatchewan has SCN, which is similar to TVO, but on cable or sat only.

None of the provinces in Atlantic Canada had a network, but the ASN network on sat and cable carried some educational programming for schools and colleges, in addition to regular shows. Over the years, though, the amount of educational shows on ASN has shrinked.

I remember at one point, one of the prarie provinces had a part time channel it shared with Radio-Canada, showing educational programs in English by day and carrying SRC evenings and nights. Those were the days where there there were few UHF channels. I'm sure that arrangement ended decades ago.

This was in reference to CBXFT channel 11 in Edmonton, which gave weekday morning and early afternoons to MEETA, a local educational television group, while Radio-Canada had the rest of the time. This ended sometime in the mid-1970s, shortly after Access started up.

As for UHF in the western provinces -- with so much open spaces and so few needed offerings, it was not needed at the time. It was not until September 1976 when CKVU-TV in Vancouver signed on channel 21 (since moved to VHF channel 10) as the first UHF station west of Ontario, followed a couple of weeks later by CBUFT channel 26. Alberta did not get UHF until the 1990s, with the arrival of the old A-Channel; and it wasn't until 2006 that Manitoba got its first UHFer -- CIIT channel 35 in Winnipeg. Saskatchewan remains the only province in Western Canada without a full-powered, self-sustaining UHF station. (This does not take into account repeaters of stations.)

SRC has soap operas, game shows and movies.

Though much of their programming on Radio-Canada is produced in Canada, either by Radio-Canada themselves or by independent producers.

CBC has Coronation Street, a British soap, plus for a while Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune, even Fresh Prince and The Simpsons at one point..

Jeopardy and Wheel will be leaving the CBC soon, as they have not renewed the contract to the shows; and Fresh Prince and Simpsons have been long gone; this, of course, is due to the CBC's current drive to expand its Canadian programming. Soon, the only imports remaining would be Corrie, Ghost Whisperer and Doctor Who (and maybe a couple of others).

Of course, this doesn't mean much for those who watch CBET in Windsor -- most American shows, including Wheel, Jeopardy, Simpsons and Fresh Prince, have been pre-empted locally due to Detroit rights to these shows.

 

[mjlarochelle]

A lot of it may be politics.
TVO has been threatened to be shut down or sold off to a private broadcaster numerous times. There's a Provincial election coming up in October here in Ontario. I'm surprised the future of TVO hasn't come up as an election issue yet. I guess we have to get the Federal election out of the way first. (May 2, 2011)

And even then, TVO has an identical signal province-wide, whereas a PBS setup would have a number of different local stations. I think TVO will come up as an election issue sooner or later once we're through the federal election. TVO nowadays contributes very little to the broadcast landscape in Ontario, aside from The Agenda; they show very little that you can't get elsewhere, such as from PBS or Discovery Channel. The station has lost the relevance it had 20 or even 10 years ago.

In my opinion TVO should be spun off but remain as a publicly supported station, much like CKUA Radio in Alberta. The province can continue to contribute funding but it should be operated more as a PBS-style member-supported station than it is now. In return, it needs to beef up its reflection of Ontario.

 

[mimo]

There's also the French language TFO in Ontario. It has a large coverage area both over the air and cable. I'm not sure if it's province wide or not.

I remember access. In Calgary it was available without cable on channel 13. Before that there was a channel called CETV which aired on cable 13 in Calgary. It was educational only programming. My Grandma said that in the prairies, all channel 13s were educational at that time.

 

[azumanga]

There's also the French language TFO in Ontario. It has a large coverage area both over the air and cable. I'm not sure if it's province wide or not.

I believe it is -- it only has aerial coverage in predominantly-francophone areas (such as Sudbury and Hawkesbury, but not Toronto or Ottawa), but is seen on cable provincewide.

I remember access. In Calgary it was available without cable on channel 13.

Access is seen terrestrially on channel 13 in Calgary and channel 9 in Edmonton, though probably not for long -- last year, CTV (before Bell's takeover), filed a notice with the CRTC that they have no plans to convert the aerial channels to digital come August 31, citing that most viewers watch via cable and satellite.

Before that there was a channel called CETV which aired on cable 13 in Calgary. It was educational only programming. My Grandma said that in the prairies, all channel 13s were educational at that time.

I don't believe there's any truth to that, especially if you're talking aerial television (CITV in Edmonton, CBKFT Regina, CHMI Winnipeg, plus scores of repeaters and satellites).

 

[Yeziknoradio]

Here's a good read from 2004: http://www.friends.ca/news-item/1796

 

[Yeziknoradio]

...and then there's some current talk about killing the CBC!

Source: http://www.friends.ca/news-item/10160

 

[mimo]

There's also the French language TFO in Ontario. It has a large coverage area both over the air and cable. I'm not sure if it's province wide or not.

I believe it is -- it only has aerial coverage in predominantly-francophone areas (such as Sudbury and Hawkesbury, but not Toronto or Ottawa), but is seen on cable provincewide.

I remember access. In Calgary it was available without cable on channel 13.

Access is seen terrestrially on channel 13 in Calgary and channel 9 in Edmonton, though probably not for long -- last year, CTV (before Bell's takeover), filed a notice with the CRTC that they have no plans to convert the aerial channels to digital come August 31, citing that most viewers watch via cable and satellite.

Before that there was a channel called CETV which aired on cable 13 in Calgary. It was educational only programming. My Grandma said that in the prairies, all channel 13s were educational at that time.

I don't believe there's any truth to that, especially if you're talking aerial television (CITV in Edmonton, CBKFT Regina, CHMI Winnipeg, plus scores of repeaters and satellites).

It is available with Antenna in Ottawa. Great signal to0.

 

[blackgold]

When I was in Quebec in 1995, I was surprised to find that Tele-Quebec runs commercials between their programs!

 

[spunker88]

I know many Canadians watch the US PBS affiliates. In Ottawa many watch WNPI by cable or the fringe OTA signal. Theres also WCFE that covers Montreal. Toronto can get Buffalo's PBS and Windsor can get Detroit's.

 

[Gregg]

Actually, Montreal and Vancouver cable systems carry two PBS channels from the U.S.

Montreal: WCFE Mountainlakes PBS, Plattsburgh NY & WETK Vermont PBS, Burlington VT
Vancouver: KCTS Seattle PBS & WTVS Detroit PBS

Why does Vancouver carry a Detroit PBS station that's on Eastern Time in addition to the PBS station from Seattle they can pick up over the air? Because several Detroit-area TV stations are carried to Northern Canada by a Canadian satellite including WTVS. On cable systems in communities that are too far from the U.S. border, most of them get the Detroit ABC, NBC, CBS and PBS stations plus the Rochester NY Fox station. (The Detroit Fox station runs many hours of local news making them a less attractive Fox affiliate to pick up. The Rochester Fox station does only an hour of news each day at 10pm.)

So if Montreal and Vancouver get two PBS stations, why not Toronto, Ottawa and other cable systems in Canada? I guess it's just tradition.


Gregg
[email protected]

 

[Yeziknoradio]

So if Montreal and Vancouver get two PBS stations, why not Toronto, Ottawa and other cable systems in Canada? I guess it's just tradition.

Gregg
[email protected]

Well, Buffalo used to have two PBS stations. Channel 17 & 23, but channel 23 had to be sold.

In Toronto, KCTS Seattle is available on Rogers digital Cable channel 164.

 

[spunker88]

Actually, Montreal and Vancouver cable systems carry two PBS channels from the U.S.

Montreal: WCFE Mountainlakes PBS, Plattsburgh NY & WETK Vermont PBS, Burlington VT
Vancouver: KCTS Seattle PBS & WTVS Detroit PBS

Why does Vancouver carry a Detroit PBS station that's on Eastern Time in addition to the PBS station from Seattle they can pick up over the air? Because several Detroit-area TV stations are carried to Northern Canada by a Canadian satellite including WTVS. On cable systems in communities that are too far from the U.S. border, most of them get the Detroit ABC, NBC, CBS and PBS stations plus the Rochester NY Fox station. (The Detroit Fox station runs many hours of local news making them a less attractive Fox affiliate to pick up. The Rochester Fox station does only an hour of news each day at 10pm.)

So if Montreal and Vancouver get two PBS stations, why not Toronto, Ottawa and other cable systems in Canada? I guess it's just tradition.


Gregg
[email protected]

Ottawa wanted to switch to the more reliable Detroit PBS satellite feed but this made viewers and WPBS upset. For years WPBS has targeted the Ottawa market with a full power translator that broadcasts up closer to the border. They actually get quite a bit of funding from Ottawa so getting kicked off their cable lineup wouldn't have been good news. In the end WPBS ended up paying to run a fiber cable, because the only excuse they had for dropping WPBS was the fact that trying to get their digital signal OTA from the Ottawa cable headend was unreliable.

 

[Bluenoser]

Cable viewers in Halifax get 2 as well: WGBH and WTVS, with KCTS also available through digital cable.

 

[azumanga]

Well, Buffalo used to have two PBS stations. Channel 17 & 23, but channel 23 had to be sold.

In Toronto's case, WNEQ ch.23 was never carried on cable, mainly due to limited programming that the station offered (at ome point, it simulcasted WNED). It wasn't until after Channel 23 became WNLO that it became available on Toronto cable, as a digital cable channel.

 

[rjoc]

I know many Canadians watch the US PBS affiliates. In Ottawa many watch WNPI by cable or the fringe OTA signal. Theres also WCFE that covers Montreal. Toronto can get Buffalo's PBS and Windsor can get Detroit's.

Rogers Cable viewers in New Brunswick get Maine Public Broadcasting as their primary PBS. Some systems also have WGBH Boston. When I stayed at the Hilton in Saint John NB a few weeks ago, Maine Public Broadcasting was on Channel 12, relaying WMEM Presque Isle, ME. They have been on over there for years. Check out the Rogers cable website for their channel listings for each system.