CFCN-TV

Infobox_Broadcast
call_letters = CFCN-TV
city =
station_
station_slogan =
station_branding = CTV
analog = 4 (VHF)
digital = "allocated 56 (UHF)"
other_chs = see below
affiliations = CTV
network =
airdate = September 9, 1960
location = Calgary, Alberta
callsign_meaning =
former_callsigns =
former_channel_numbers =
owner = CTVglobemedia, Inc.
licensee = CTV Television, Inc.
sister_stations =
former_affiliations = independent (1960-1961)
effective_radiated_power = 100 kW
HAAT = 188.4 m
coordinates = coord|51|3|34|N|114|10|13|W|type:landmark_scale:2000
homepage = [http://calgary.ctv.ca/ CTV Calgary]

CFCN-TV (also known as CTV Calgary) is a Canadian television station, broadcasting in Calgary, Alberta. It is owned and operated by the CTV Television Network a division of CTVglobemedia. The station also operates a semi-satellite in Lethbridge, which shares tower space with CISA-TV.

History

CFCN signed on September 9, 1960; owned by the Love family along with CFCN-AM 1060 (now CKMX). It was the first independent television station in Canada. It became a charter member of the Canadian Television Network, now CTV, on October 8, 1961. In 1967, Maclean-Hunter bought the CFCN stations.

In 1968, CFCN opened its semi-satellite in Lethbridge, leasing tower space from CJLH-TV (now CISA).

One of CFCN's locally produced shows began in 1967, "The Buckshot Show". For the next thirty years, Ron Barge was a comforting and familiar figure to Calgary children. Every noon hour, he appeared on television wearing a battered cowboy hat and shirt alongside his sidekicks, Benny the Bear and Clyde the Owl. Three generations of kids grew up with Buckshot, Benny the Bear and Clyde the Owl. Local police officers, firefighters and paramedics visited the show and taught kids how to be safe. A humorous song that was popular on the show was "16 Chickens and Tambourine" by Roy Acuff. It can be heard on Youtube. His birthday wishes to local children with their name on the screen was the highlight of many a child in the 1970s and 1980s.

During the 70's, former (then future) Alberta premier Ralph Klein was a reporter for CFCN before going into politics and heading north to Edmonton.

Maclean-Hunter merged with Rogers Communications in 1994. Rogers sold CFCN to Baton Broadcasting in 1996. CFCN was the next-to-last major acquisition for Baton before it bought majority control of CTV in 1997.

By 2001, CFCN-TV operated the following transmitters: CFCN-TV-1 Drumheller, CFCN-TV-2 Banff, CFCN-TV-3 Brooks, CFCN-TV-6 Drumheller, CFCN-TV-13 Pigeon Mountain, CFCN-TV-14 Canmore (Harvie Heights) and CFCN-TV-16 Oyen.

On November 25, 2005, CFCN-TV-5 Lethbridge was given approval to make some technical changes to CFCN-TV-8 at Medicine Hat. Effective radiated power would be reduced from 6,700 watts to an average ERP of 5,800 watts, the antenna height would be raised and the transmitter site would change.

The station's current main newscasts & news anchors are:

* Noon: Jocelyn Laidlaw & Ian White
* 5:00pm: Jocelyn Laidlaw
* 5:30pm: Ian White
* 6:00pm News: Darrel Janz & Barb Higgins

Transition to Digital

An application has been made by CTVglobemedia, for a licence to operate a transitional digital OTA television signal. The application was posted on August 21, 2008 on the CRTC web site. CFCN-DT had originally been allotted Channel 56 by Industry Canada but with various station ownership changes involving CTV they are instead asking to use Channel 36 with an expected maximum Effective Radiated Power of 204kW from their broadcast antenna on Calgary's Signal Hill.

Transmitters

ee also

*Buckshot Show

External links

* [http://calgary.ctv.ca/ CTV Calgary]
* [http://www.broadcasting-history.ca/listings_and_histories/television/histories.php?id=36&historyID=170 Canadian Communications Foundation - CFCN-TV History]
* [http://www.broadcasting-history.ca/listings_and_histories/television/histories.php?id=44&historyID=169 Canadian Communications Foundation - CFCN-TV-5 History]
*RecnetCanada|CFCN-TV