CTV-Two

[jon]

CTV-Two
Bell Media to turn A Network stations into new CTV Two channel this fall

TORONTO - The CTV television network is creating a new sister service by converting its "A''-channel stations into the CTV Two network.

CTV's parent Bell Media says the new network will launch this fall as the company transitions the stations to a high-definition signal.

The media company says it will make the CTV Two schedule public on Thursday. About 90 per cent of viewers in English Canada will have access to the new network.

Bell says CTV Two will feature a mix of drama, comedy and reality programming as well as spotlighting day-to-day life in local communities in Vancouver, Victoria, Toronto, Barrie, Ottawa, London, Windsor and Atlantic Canada through its news service.

Local CTV Two stations will serve Vancouver, Toronto, Southwestern Ontario, Ottawa and Atlantic Canada. The former A News brand will be changed into CTV News.

Bell Media (TSX:BCE) acquired the A Channel stations in 2006 when it bought CHUM Ltd.

[Doug]

Any word on if Shaw Cablesystems will pick up CTV Two on what arguably should be Basic Cable for clients on the Okanagan/Thompson/Cariboo?

I say, grant the change subject but change the status to "must carry" and make it on a "must carry for free" (Bell Media makes billions and should not charge for carriage).

Cheers,
Doug

[Paul P]

Any word on if Shaw Cablesystems will pick up CTV Two on what arguably should be Basic Cable for clients on the Okanagan/Thompson/Cariboo?

I say, grant the change subject but change the status to "must carry" and make it on a "must carry for free" (Bell Media makes billions and should not charge for carriage).

Cheers,
Doug

Do you get A Channel now?
If not, why should Shaw? CTV's rebranding, and that's all it is, has nothing to do with them.
Kinda like Harvey Overfed going on his his blog about Global employees not having had a pay increase for 4 or 5 years.
That, has nothing to do with Shaw, which just bought Global TV. If they didn't get an increase for the previous 4 years, blame the bargaining unit and CanWest.... not the new owners.

[Doug]

If they want to be a national network by calling it "CTV Two", Bell Media should provide it for free to the various distributors and it should be required carriage.

Cheers,
Doug

[Paul P]

If they want to be a national network by calling it "CTV Two", Bell Media should provide it for free to the various distributors and it should be required carriage.

Cheers,
Doug

So the answer is no, you don't get it now.
They'd just be playing the same American crap that you can get anywhere else.

[Doug]

I just don't understand why they always want to put up new transmitters in southwestern Ontario and want all kinds of carriage there but then those of us in the BC Interior, where there are a lot of affluent people I might add, get nothing. I'll take CTV Two over Global any day. In fact, you can yank CHBC's transmitters for all I care.

Cheers,
Doug

P.S. Has anyone seen how cheesy and crappy CHBC's new virtual sets are? The thing that gets me, they spend lots of money on a brand spanking new, polished set when they convert to E! then a couple years later, they rip it all out, paint the room green (literally, floor to ceiling), paint X's on the floor so the on-air talent knows where to stand and put in one desk in the middle of the room and they think that looks better!? It might save money but it's tacky as hell. Plus, when Mike Roberts does the weather, sometimes you can see a greyish/white outline around his legs and feet. And really, what they're effectively doing is going back to the old days of having a weather guy stand in front of a green screen except now we're extending it to news anchors (CHBC's used to be blue, apparently). The kicker is, now we make it look like there's a large LCD screen behind him when in actual fact it's just a photograph of a large LCD screen and what we've done is make the weather map smaller! Does anyone else see the stupidity of this!?