Editing Global Television Network (section)

===1970s–1990s===
A considerable number of programs featured on Global's schedule were cancelled in the spring of 1974. By that fall, it was obvious that Global's original model was unsustainable, and it was forced to pick up a large amount of American programming to fill in the gaps. With American imports filling as much of the schedule as Canadian content rules would allow (60% Canadian overall, 50% Canadian in prime time), Global had effectively become "another [[CTV Television Network|CTV]]."<ref name=scorns>"Global scorns Canadian shows". ''[[The Globe and Mail]]'', June 4, 1975.</ref> With the exception of the nightly newscasts, few other Canadian-produced programs remained on the station, and the ones that did exist were largely criticized as cheaply-produced filler.<ref name=scorns/> John Spalding, the station's original program director, quit in 1975 after being unable to convince the station's owners to invest more money into higher-quality production.<ref>"Program director leaves Global in dispute over Canadian shows". ''[[The Globe and Mail]]'', October 9, 1975.</ref> To replace him the company recruited programmer Bill Stewart away from CKCO-TV, Kitchener. Stewart's savvy program purchases in the ensuing years were largely credited with keeping the network viable while its viewership grew. The company enhanced its senior talent pool in 1979 with the arrival of sales guru Dave Mintz, formerly of [[KVOS-TV]], as the network's president,<ref name=wilson>Peter Wilson, "New job for TV executive". ''[[Vancouver Sun]]'', September 13, 1979.</ref> a post he held until his retirement in 1993, taking Global from the lowest-rated station in Toronto to the ratings leader along the way.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://playbackonline.ca/1999/01/25/24406-19990125/|title=Global Ontario's 25th Anniversary – from 1974 to 1999|access-date=May 14, 2021|archive-date=May 14, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210514001143/https://playbackonline.ca/1999/01/25/24406-19990125/|url-status=live}}</ref>
Over several years, the prime late evening newscast shifted between 10 and 11 p.m., and between 30 and 60 minutes. CKGN changed its callsign to [[CIII-DT|CIII-TV]] in 1984, deferring to its widespread CATV distribution on Cable 3.

Asper bought controlling interest in 1985, making him the first western-based owner of a major Canadian broadcaster. In 1989, Asper and Morton tried to buy each other out, a struggle which was resolved in favour of Asper and Canwest.

The network continued to be limited to its six-transmitter chain in Ontario for its first decade. However, soon after Asper bought controlling interest in Global, he seemed eager to grow his chain of stations into a third national network. He started by launching [[CFRE-DT]] in [[Regina, Saskatchewan|Regina]] and [[CFSK-DT]] in [[Saskatoon]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.broadcasting-history.ca/listings_and_histories/television/histories.php?id=94&historyID=73|title=CFRE-TV|publisher=[[Canadian Communications Foundation]]|access-date=August 7, 2010|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100820070407/http://www.broadcasting-history.ca/listings_and_histories/television/histories.php?id=94&historyID=73|archive-date=August 20, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.broadcasting-history.ca/listings_and_histories/television/histories.php?id=97&historyID=75|title=CFSK-TV|publisher=[[Canadian Communications Foundation]]|access-date=August 7, 2010|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100820070046/http://www.broadcasting-history.ca/listings_and_histories/television/histories.php?id=97&historyID=75|archive-date=August 20, 2010}}</ref> and winning a legal battle for [[CKVU-DT]] in Vancouver<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.broadcasting-history.ca/listings_and_histories/television/histories.php?id=60&historyID=57|title=CKVU-TV|publisher=[[Canadian Communications Foundation]]|access-date=August 7, 2010|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130926085059/http://www.broadcasting-history.ca/listings_and_histories/television/histories.php?id=60&historyID=57|archive-date=September 26, 2013}}</ref> during the second half of the 1980s. He also acquired the fledgling [[CIHF-DT]] in [[Halifax, Nova Scotia|Halifax]] in the early 1990s.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.broadcasting-history.ca/listings_and_histories/television/histories.php?id=75&historyID=65|title=CIHF-TV|publisher=[[Canadian Communications Foundation]]|access-date=August 7, 2010|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100820070959/http://www.broadcasting-history.ca/listings_and_histories/television/histories.php?id=75&historyID=65|archive-date=August 20, 2010}}</ref> Canwest's stations now reached seven of Canada's ten provinces. The Canwest stations purchased many of their programs collectively, and consequently had similar – although not identical – broadcast schedules. They did not share common branding, however – although stations were sometimes indicated as being part of the "CanWest Global System" as a secondary brand, throughout the 1980s and early 1990s they each retained their own branding and continued to function as an ownership group of independent stations rather than as a fully unified network.

[[File:Old Global TV Logo.svg|left|thumb|150px|The second logo (1997–2006) of Global, which debuted with its formal rebranding as a national network. The crescent motif was also used on the logos of other Canwest properties such as [[CH (television system)|CH]], [[Prime (Canadian TV channel)|Prime]], and [[Mystery TV]], and is still featured on [[DejaView]]'s logo.]]
In 1997, Canwest bought controlling interest in the [[CBC Television|CBC]] affiliate in [[Quebec City]], [[CKMI-DT|CKMI-TV]], from [[TVA (Canada)|TVA]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.broadcasting-history.ca/listings_and_histories/television/histories.php?id=125&historyID=127|title=CKMI-TV|publisher=[[Canadian Communications Foundation]]|access-date=August 7, 2010|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100820071700/http://www.broadcasting-history.ca/listings_and_histories/television/histories.php?id=125&historyID=127|archive-date=August 20, 2010}}</ref> which retained a 49% interest until 2002. With the acquisition of CKMI, Canwest now had enough coverage of Canada that it seemed logical to rebrand its station group as a network. Accordingly, on August 18, 1997, Canwest scrubbed all local branding from its stations and rebranded them as the "Global Television Network", the brand previously used solely by the Ontario outlet. On the same day, CKMI disaffiliated from CBC, set up rebroadcasters in Montreal and [[Sherbrooke]], and became the Quebec outlet of the newly minted network. It also built a new studio in Montreal and moved most of its operations there, though the licence nominally remained in Quebec City until 2009. Canwest's purchase of CKMI extended Global's footprint to eight of Canada's 10 largest markets (though Ottawa and Montreal were only served by rebroadcasters).

Even so, Global was still not a fully national network, as it did not have stations in [[Calgary]] and [[Edmonton]]. The CRTC turned down bids by Canwest for stations in those cities in the 1980s. As a result, Global continued its long-standing secondary affiliations in those cities on independent stations [[CICT-DT|CICT-TV]] and [[CITV-DT|CITV-TV]], respectively. Similarly, Global lacked a full-time station in [[St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador|St. John's]], where Global programming was carried by longtime CTV affiliate [[CJON-DT|CJON-TV]].