CBOFT-DT (channel 9) is an Ici Radio-Canada Télé station in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, serving the National Capital Region. It is part of a twinstick with CBC Television station CBOT-DT (channel 4). The two stations share studios at the CBC Ottawa Broadcast Centre on Queen Street (across from the Confederation Line light rail station) in Downtown Ottawa, alongside the main corporate offices of the CBC; CBOFT-DT's transmitter is located on the Ryan Tower at Camp Fortune in Chelsea, Quebec, north of Gatineau.
 | |
| Channels | |
|---|---|
| Branding | ICI Ottawa–Gatineau |
| Programming | |
| Affiliations | Ici Radio-Canada Télé |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | Société Radio-Canada |
| CBOT-DT, CBOF-FM, CBOX-FM | |
| History | |
First air date | June 24, 1955 |
Former call signs | CBOFT (1955–2011) |
Former channel number(s) |
|
| TVA (secondary, 1977–1978) | |
Call sign meaning | CBC Ottawa Français Télévision |
| Technical information | |
Licensing authority | CRTC |
| ERP | 3.5 kW |
| HAAT | 424.9 m (1,394 ft) |
| Transmitter coordinates | 45°30′9″N 75°50′59″W / 45.50250°N 75.84972°W |
| Links | |
| Website | ICI Ottawa–Gatineau |
History
editCBOFT first signed on the air on June 24, 1955, as the first French language television station in Ontario. Previously, CBOT aired both CBC and Radio-Canada programs.
For a brief time during 1977 and 1978, until CHOT opened, CBOFT also carried some TVA programs, after Ottawa's first TVA affiliate, CFVO-TV (whose channel 30 frequency is now occupied by CIVO) went bankrupt.
Due to cost-cutting measures at the CBC in the early 1990s, local programming on Toronto's CBLFT and its rebroadcasters, as well as CBLFT semi-satellite CBEFT in Windsor was discontinued in 1991. All Radio-Canada transmitters in Ontario (except the northwest, which was served by CBWFT in Winnipeg) were reclassified as rebroadcasters of CBOFT, under the name "Radio-Canada Ontario-Outaouais". The station produced two distinct newscasts through the 1990s and 2000s, one for the Ottawa region and one for the remainder of Ontario.
In 2010, the CBC applied to the CRTC to have CBLFT relicensed as a separate station, which would again produce a separate newscast for broadcast in most of the province outside of CBOFT's market.[1] The application was approved on April 28, 2010, leading to CBLFT resuming newscast production from Toronto, and most of the network's transmitters in Ontario were reassigned to CBLFT's license. Following this split in the network, CBOFT and its Quebec transmitters became "Radio-Canada Ottawa-Gatineau", while most other Ontario transmitters became "Radio-Canada Ontario".
Prior to the arrival of the Ottawa Senators NHL team, the station would broadcast the Montreal Canadiens games on Saturday nights, while the English counterpart, CBOT, would carry the Toronto Maple Leafs games during the Saturday Hockey Night in Canada slot.
Notable staff
edit- Pierre Dufault, sports journalist and political correspondent[2]
Technical information
editSubchannel
edit| Channel | Res. | Aspect | Short name | Programming |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9.1 | 720p | 16:9 | CBOFT-DT | Main CBOFT-DT programming / Ici Radio-Canada Télé |
Analogue-to-digital conversion
editOn August 31, 2011, when Canadian television stations in CRTC-designated mandatory markets transitioned from analogue to digital broadcasts,[4] the station's digital signal relocated from UHF channel 22 to VHF channel 9. Due to reception issues on channel 9, the station was granted permission to move to UHF channel 33.[5]
Transmitters/Former rebroadcasters of CBOFT
editCBOFT operated three analog television rebroadcasters all located in Quebec in the following communities:
| Station | City of licence | Channel | ERP | HAAT | Transmitter coordinates |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CBOFT-1 | Chapeau, QC | 11 (VHF) | 4.75 kW | 114 m (374 ft) | 45°55′29″N 77°4′22″W / 45.92472°N 77.07278°W |
| CBOFT-2 | Rapides-des-Joachims, QC | 8 (VHF) | 0.74 kW | 20.1 m (66 ft) | 46°11′58″N 77°42′39″W / 46.19944°N 77.71083°W |
| CBOFT-3 | Notre-Dame-du-Laus, QC | 10 (VHF) | 0.01 kW | NA | 46°4′38″N 75°36′7″W / 46.07722°N 75.60194°W |
Due to federal funding reductions to the CBC, in April 2012, the CBC responded with substantial budget cuts, which included shutting down CBC's and Radio-Canada's remaining analog transmitters on July 31, 2012.[6] None of CBC or Radio-Canada's rebroadcasters were converted to digital.
References
edit- ^ CRTC Decision 2010-239
- ^ Gratton, Denis (June 22, 2018). "Pierre Dufault, le dernier des grands". Le Droit (in Canadian French). Retrieved November 8, 2020.
- ^ RabbitEars TV Query for CBOFT
- ^ "Digital Television – Office of Consumer Affairs (OCA)". Archived from the original on August 17, 2013. Retrieved July 13, 2013.
- ^ http://www.crtc.gc.ca/eng/archive/2012/2012-207.pdf [bare URL PDF]
- ^ Speaking notes for Hubert T. Lacroix regarding measures announced in the context of the Deficit Reduction Action Plan
External links
edit- ICI Ottawa–Gatineau (in French)
- CBOFT-DT History - Canadian Communications Foundation
- CBOFT in the REC Canadian station database