CHWI-TV

Infobox_Broadcast
call_letters = CHWI-TV
city =
station_
station_slogan = Windsor's News Leader
station_branding = A Windsor
analog = 16 (UHF)
digital = "allocated 66 (UHF)"
other_chs = 60 CHWI-TV-60 Windsor
affiliations = A
network =
airdate = October 19, 1993
location = Wheatley, Ontario
callsign_meaning = CHatham WIndsor
former_callsigns =
former_channel_numbers =
owner = CTVglobemedia, Inc.
licensee = CTV Limited
sister_stations =
former_affiliations = independent (1993-1997)
effective_radiated_power = CHWI-TV: 492 kW
CHWI-TV-60: 32 kW
HAAT = CHWI-TV: 168.2 m
CHWI-TV-60: 93.8 m
coordinates = CHWI-TV:
coord|42|8|30|N|82|26|48|W|type:landmark
CHWI-TV-60:
coord|42|18|58|N|83|2|24|W|type:landmark|name=CHWI-TV-60
homepage = [http://www.atv.ca/windsor/ A Windsor]

CHWI is a Canadian television station owned by CTVglobemedia. It is part of the A system. The station is licensed to Wheatley, Ontario, but operates out of (and focuses on) Windsor. CHWI also has offices in Chatham.

On cable, CHWI can be seen on Cogeco Windsor channel 6. It is not seen on Comcast Detroit or Bright House Livonia.

History

CHWI is the second-youngest station in the A system, having signed on October 19, 1993. It was founded and owned by Baton Broadcasting (under the subsidiary of "South West Ontario Broadcasting", later "South West Ontario Television, Incorporated", co-owned by Electrohome) and remained a BBS station until it was traded to CHUM in 1997, after which it was rebranded "The New WI" (part of CHUM's NewNet group of stations) in 1998. In August 2005, the NewNet stations dropped the NewNet brand in favour of the A-Channel branding. In August 2008, the A-Channel stations dropped the A-Channel brand in favour of the A branding.

Beginnings: independent and BBS

Baton applied for a license on for the Wheatley area, to serve both Chatham and Windsor with an independent local television station (as both were served only by the CBC and SRC). The station was approved on January 26, 1993, and its first transmissions began on October 19, 1993.

During its tenure as an independent station, it also aired ABC's Disney's One Saturday Morning schedule (along with, or from, CTV affiliate, CKCO-TV), along with syndicated Disney shows in the afternoons on weekdays (The Disney Afternoon), such as "Bonkers" and "Goof Troop" before the 5 PM News, similar to WXON-TV 20 and WKBD 50 across the river in Detroit. In 1997, it dropped the Saturday Morning/weekday afternoon cartoons, CTV/ABC programs, and BBS branding, in favour of the NewNet brand and programming, synchronizing itself with fellow NewNet station CFPL-TV in London. While the station aired many CTV programs, it was never branded as a CTV station directly. Rather, it labelled as a BBS station.

One peculiar part about CHWI-TV's history was that it was broadcast on channel 16 only (its Wheatley transmitter) for the first two years, and was basically impossible to view in Windsor, due to its weakened signal. It was 1995 when the station began transmissions to Windsor and Northern/Western Essex County on channel 60, somewhat fixing this situation. However, some parts of the Windsor area, including Tecumseh, are not reached by the Channel 60 signal, "or" the Channel 16 signal, and must rely on cable television access to watch CHWI-TV.

Baton had heard the complaints regarding the signal issues in the Windsor area, and applied for a Windsor-area translator on Channel 6, with an effective radiated power of 87 watts. The Federal Communications Commission of the United States denied this request, citing potential interference with WLNS 6 from Lansing, Michigan, but recommended Channel 60 instead. The CRTC agreed, and Baton was allowed to place a broadcast translator in Windsor on Channel 60 with an effective radiated power of 580 watts (with the same signal contours as channel 6 at 87 watts). In 2000, CHUM Limited had applied to increase its power from 580 watts, to 5.8 kilowatts (10 times the strength), and was approved. Its Windsor transmitter stands atop the 34-floor Victoria Park Place apartment building, currently the tallest building in Windsor. While the station was a BBS affiliate, it aired a great deal of CTV programming, and was more or less a CTV affiliate, if in programming and not by affiliation or name.

NewNet

In 1997, the station was sold from Electrohome and Baton Broadcasting to CHUM Limited, and was re-branded as "'The New WI", as part of NewNet (re-branded into A-Channel in 2005). This was a result of a large affiliation swap that saw BBS gain control of the CTV network (becoming today's CTVglobemedia) and Electrohome exiting the broadcasting business, with CHUM gaining Baton's independnet stations.

Until 2003, the station broadcast its news from a separate studio at CFPL-TV. Sports and weather are still done from there, while the news is done from Windsor. From 1993 to 1999, the Windsor newsroom was at the corner of Riverside Drive East and Goyeau Street, at the foot of the 75 Riverside Drive apartments. The station's old banners ("The New WI") are still shown, faded and upside down over the abandoned and very-visible but abandoned rooms. The newsroom now sits at the corner of University and Ouellette Avenue, in the same building as the Palace Cinema.

A-Channel

In 2004, CHUM had announced it was purchasing Craig Media, and updating the branding of its stations in 2005. The A-Channel stations would become Citytv stations, while the NewNet stations would gain the A-Channel branding. CHWI-TV then became A-Channel Windsor.

Acquisition by CTVglobemedia

In 2006 CTV owner CTVglobemedia had announced that it would be taking over CHUM Limited for $C1.7 billion, with plans to divest itself of the A-Channel and Access Alberta stations.

In 2007 Omni Television owner Rogers Media had announced it would takeover the A-Channel stations, including CHWI, along with , CLT, Access Alberta, and CKX-TV in the wake of CTVglobemedia's pending takeover of the CHUM Limited group. The transaction is said to cost $137 million in which will be paid in cash by Rogers. The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) later announced its approval of CTVglobemedia's purchase of CHUM Limited, but it added a condition that CTVglobemedia must sell off CHUM's Citytv stations to another buyer. As such, CTVglobemedia retained the A-Channel stations and all of CHUM's specialty channels, and sold the Citytv stations to Rogers Media.

A

In June 2008, CTV announced that the A-Channel stations (including CHWI-TV) would be rebranded as A. A-Channel's press releases and the station's local newscasts (known as "A News") began using A in the same month as the network's new branding. CHWI became A Windsor in August 2008.

Programming

CHWI's programming is almost identical to that of London, Ontario's CFPL, including popular American television series such as "Primetime Live" and "Supernanny". The "A Morning" show has a contributor from Windsor, however, only the news anchor is based at their downtown Windsor studio. Sports and weather reports are based from a separate studio at CFPL in London. Prior to 2003, the CHWI newscasts were produced entirely out of studios at CFPL, and presently the weekend newscasts are simulcast with CFPL.

As with the other NewNet stations, CHWI was rebranded as A-Channel on August 2, 2005.

On July 12 2006 CTV owner CTVglobemedia has decided to purchase A-Channel owner CHUM Ltd. for $C1.7 billion, with plans to divest itself of the A-Channel and Access Alberta stationscite web|url=http://www.cbc.ca/story/business/national/2006/07/12/chum-bell.html|title=Bell Globemedia makes $1.7B bid for CHUM|publisher=Canadian Broadcasting Corporation|date=2006-07-12|accessdate=2006-07-12] .

On April 9 2007 Omni Television owner Rogers Media announced the purchase of all of the A-Channel stations, including CHWI, along with , CLT, Access Alberta, and CKX-TV. The transaction is said to cost $137 million in which will be paid in cash by Rogers. cite web|url=http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/capress/technology_rogers_ctvglobemedia|title=CRTC expected to OK Rogers' $137.5M buy of CTVglobemedia TV channels|publisher=Canadian Press via Yahoo! Canada News|date=2007-04-09|accessdate=2007-04-09]

On June 8, 2007, the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) announced its approval of CTVglobemedia's purchase of CHUM Limited, but added a condition that CTVglobemedia must sell off CHUM's Citytv stations to another buyer while keeping the A-Channel stations (including CHWI), in effect cancelling the planned sale of A-Channel to Rogers Media. cite web|url=http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/08062007/3/canada-crtc-tells-ctvglobemedia-sell-5-citytv-stations.html|title =CRTC tells CTVglobemedia to sell 5 Citytv stations|publisher=cbc.ca via Yahoo! Canada News|date=2007-06-08|accessdate=2007-06-08]

As with the other CHUM Limited channels excluding Citytv in which they were sold to Rogers Media, CHWI has been bought by CTVglobemedia on June 22 2007.

On July 26, 2007, CTVglobemedia named Richard Gray the head of news for the A-Channel stations and CKX-TV. Gray 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 CKVR, CHRO, CFPL, CKNX, CHWI, CIVI-TV and CKX-TV. [ [http://micro.newswire.ca/release.cgi?rkey=1507269890&view=39118-0&Start=0 CTVglobemedia ] ]

As with the other A-Channel stations, CHWI was rebranded as A on August 11, 2008. [ [http://www.achannel.ca/ottawa/promo/webcast/vidpannel3.html on Tuesday August 5th Edition Of Inside A-Channel Sandra Blaikie confirms "A" debut on Monday August 11th] ]

tation presentation

CFPL-TV Logo from 1993-1994. CHWI-TV had a similar logo, with different call letters as the only difference.
CFTO-TV's BBS logo from 1994-1997. CHWI had a similar logo under its tenure as a BBS station, with the only difference being different call letters.
The_New_WI_logo_from_1997-2005,_Colours_occasionally_varied,_however.Image:Achannelnew.svg|A-Channel_logo_from_2005-2008.

References

External links

* [http://www.atv.ca/windsor/ A Windsor]
* [http://www.broadcasting-history.ca/listings_and_histories/television/histories.php?id=144&historyID=116 Canadian Communications Foundation - CHWI-TV History]
*RecnetCanada|CHWI-TV
* [http://www.michiguide.com/dials/tv/chwi.html Michiguide.com's listing for CHWI 16]