CIVI-TV

Infobox_Broadcast
call_letters = CIVI-TV
city =
station_
station_slogan =
station_branding = A Victoria/Vancouver
analog = 53 (UHF)
digital = "allocated 23 (UHF)"
other_chs = 17 CIVI-TV-2 Vancouver
affiliations = A
network =
airdate = October 1, 2001
location = Victoria, British Columbia
callsign_meaning = C
I
Vancouver
Island
former_callsigns =
former_channel_numbers =
owner = CTVglobemedia
licensee = CTV Limited
sister_stations = CIVT-TV, CFAX, CHBE-FM
former_affiliations =
effective_radiated_power = CIVI-TV: 23 kW
CIVI-TV-2: 100 kW
HAAT = CIVI-TV: 99.6 m
CIVI-TV-2: 634.3 m
coordinates = CIVI-TV:
coord|48|25|30|N|123|20|13|W|type:landmark
CIVI-TV-2:
coor dms|49|21|16|N|122|57|30|W|type:landmark|name=CIVI-TV-2
homepage = [http://www.atv.ca/victoria/ A Victoria]

CIVI-TV is a television station based in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. Currently owned by CTVglobemedia, the station serves the Vancouver Island area, and operates as part of the A system. It is seen on cable channel 12 on most cable systems in southwestern BC.

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 Radio-Television News Directors Association 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.

As A-Channel

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, CTVglobemedia (formerly Bell Globemedia) announced plans to purchase CHUM Limited, with the intention of divesting the A-Channel stations.cite 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 that same day it was also announced that the "A-Channel Morning" show would be discontinued, although this decision was supposedly unrelated to the takeover by CTVglobemedia and the morning show has returned to the schedule of CIVI as of fall 2007.

Rogers Communications announced a deal to buy A-Channel on April 9 2007;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] however, given the conditions of approval for the sale of CHUM on June 8, 2007,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] Rogers acquired Citytv instead, and CTV kept A-Channel.cite web|url=http://www.friends.ca/News/Friends_News/archives/articles06130703.asp|title=CTV expected to rebrand A Channel|publisher=Friends of Canadian Broadcasting|date=2006-06-13|accessdate=2006-07-05] CTVglobemedia became the official owner of CIVI effective June 22, 2007.

As A

The station was renamed A on August 11, 2008 along with the rest of the A-Channel system as well as Atlantic Canada's ASN. As a result, CIVI's newscasts were rebranded as "A News" on that same date, and the station began producing its morning show (under the name "A Morning") on September 8, 2008. [ [http://www.canada.com/victoriatimescolonist/news/business/story.html?id=f94f272f-93d4-4018-8f19-c5fe6473ed9e Morning TV show back on airwaves] ] [ [http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/June2008/02/c7178.html CNW Group | CTV INC. | Double Vision: Fall 2008 Schedules Announced for CTV and "A" ] ] [ [http://www.atv.ca/victoria/tvschedule.aspx?date=9-8-2008 A Victoria website confirming 'A' Morning debut September 8th] ]

Current anchors and reporters

Anchors: Hudson Mack "( A News at 5 & 6/Vancouver Island Report)", Cheryl Bloxham "( A News at 11)", Bruce Williams " (Island Weekend) ", Erick Thompson and Astrid Braunschmidt "(A Morning)"

Weather: Bruce Williams

Sports: Mira Laurence, Jordan Cunningham

Entertainment: Adam Sawatsky

Reporters: Stephen Andrew, Jonathan Bartlett, Astrid Braunschmidt, Meribeth Burton, Gord Kurbis, Shachi Kurl, Bill Macfarlane, Howard Markson, Erick Thompson, David Wiwchar, Andrew Johnson, Maggie Cox "(Live Eye, A Morning)"

Videographers: Tash Baycroft, Kirk Duncan, Jason Hallman, Todd Harmer, Ian Hoar, Wells Gaetz, John McKenzie, Roland Stacey, Brendan Strain, Scott Weston

tation presention

Digital television and high definition

As of September 2008, CIVI-TV has not yet began broadcasting in digital.

After the analog television shutdown and digital conversion, which is tentatively scheduled to take place on August 31, 2011 http://www.ic.gc.ca/epic/site/oca-bc.nsf/en/ca02336e.html] , CIVI-TV is required to begin digital broadcasts on its current assigned channel number, 23. However, through the use of PSIP, digital television receivers will display CIVI-TV virtual channel as 53.

References

External links

* [http://www.Atv.ca/victoria/ A Victoria]
* [http://www.broadcasting-history.ca/listings_and_histories/television/histories.php?id=63&historyID=59 Canadian Communications Foundation - CIVI-TV History]
*RecnetCanada|CIVI-TV