CTV Northern Ontario

Infobox Network
network_name = CTV Northern Ontario
network_
country = Canada
network_type = Broadcast television network
available = Most communities in Northeastern Ontario, also available nationally via satellite
owner = CTVglobemedia
key_people = Scott Lund - President
launch_date = 1953
past_names = MCTV (1980 - 2005)
website = [http://www.ctvnorthernontario.ca CTV Northern Ontario]

CTV Northern Ontario, formerly known as MCTV, is a system of four television stations in Northern Ontario, Canada, owned and operated by the CTV Television Network, a division of CTVglobemedia.

These stations are:
* CICI - Greater Sudbury (flagship station)
* CKNY - North Bay
* CHBX - Sault Ste. Marie
* CITO - Timmins

All four stations refer to themselves on air as CTV, not by their call letters, and have common local programming for the most part, but remain legally licensed as separate stations as of 2008. Station information and history is discussed on each station's own page.

History

Mid-Canada Television, or MCTV, was created in 1980 when Cambrian Broadcasting, which owned the CTV affiliates in Sudbury, North Bay and Timmins, merged with J. Conrad Lavigne's CBC affiliates in the same cities to create Mid-Canada Communications. This twinstick structure was permitted by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission because both companies were on the brink of bankruptcy due to their aggressive competition for limited advertising dollars in small markets. In its decision, however, the CRTC explicitly communicated the expectation that this would exist only as a temporary arrangement, to end as soon as the CBC could afford to directly acquire MCTV's CBC affiliates.

The CBC twinsticks in the original MCTV system were:
* CKNC - Sudbury
* CHNB - North Bay
* CFCL - Timmins

All of the stations were also referred to on air as MCTV — the stations were distinguished from each other by use of their network affiliation (i.e., "MCTV-CTV" and "MCTV-CBC".) Sault Ste. Marie's CHBX and CJIC were owned by Huron Broadcasting, and remained under different ownership and branding until 1990.

As well, MCTV owned CHRO in Pembroke, a market with no other television stations. CHRO used the same logo and programming schedule as MCTV's other stations, and changed affiliation from CBC to CTV during its time in the MCTV group, but it always used its own callsign, rather than MCTV, as its on-air identification.

Baton Broadcasting acquired both Mid-Canada and Huron in 1990, and converted the Huron stations to the MCTV branding. As well, Baton reaffiliated CHRO with CTV. Baton eventually became the sole corporate proprietor of CTV, and sold CHRO to CHUM Limited in 1998. Baton retained the CBC twinsticks until 2002, when it sold them to the CBC. Once the deal was finalized in early 2003, the CBC converted them to retransmitters of CBLT, Toronto's CBC-owned station. All four stations surrendered their old call letters.

In the same year, CTV merged the news production facilities of the MCTV stations into a single regional newscast, with only short inserts for each city's local coverage. The regional newscast is produced at CICI. This created extensive controversy, with many public interest groups across Canada raising concerns about the disappearance of local news coverage in small markets.

Organizations in Sault Ste. Marie, North Bay and Timmins began to call for a boycott of MCTV news, and local companies began offering web-based sources of local news, weather and sports information.

In 2003, MCTV's master control was transferred to CTV facilities in Toronto. In October 2005, MCTV News was renamed as "CTV News", in line with most of the other CTV owned-and-operated stations. "CTV News" uses WSI's TrueView Weather Technology to broadcast weather reports during all its newscasts.

Major departures

In 2005 longtime "News at Noon" anchor Don Mark resigned to work as a communications specialist at the Ministry of Natural Resources. In March 2007 CTV Northern Ontario 6 p.m. co-anchor Mike Boothman resigned to return to field producing at CFPL-TV in London. In April, reporter, 11:30 news anchor and former weather anchor Caroline Barghout resigned to anchor weekend news and report out of CKY-TV in Winnipeg, sports anchor Andre Corbeil resigned in April to pursue a career at CFCF in Montreal. In July 2007, weekend anchor Paul Godkin quit to take a teaching position at Conestoga College in Kitchener.

Anchors

CTV News Updates (During "Canada AM"): Shannon Martin

CTV News at Noon: Shannon Martin

CTV News at Six: Michelle Tonner and Tony Ryma

CTV News at 11:30: Gord Nicholls

CTV Weekend News at Six: Lynn Bulloch

CTV Sports: Darcy Seaton

CTV Weather: Craig Larkins

Reporters

* Sault Ste. Marie: Ivy Cuervo, Sarah Konsmo, Lincoln Louttit (sports)
* Sudbury: Lynn Bulloch, Alana Everson, Tamara Ischenko, Stephanie Bertini, Darcy Seaton (Sports)
* North Bay: Linda Holmes, Cindy Males, Courtney Heels
* Timmins: Shane Mercer, Erin Howe, Dave McGowan
* Muskoka: Amanda Anderson

logans

*Since 2000 - "News for the North"

External links

* [http://northernontario.ctv.ca/ CTV Northern Ontario]