Editing Media of Canada (section)

==Television==
{{Main|Television in Canada}}
{{See also|Lists of Canadian television series}}
The history of [[television in Canada]] begins in [[Montreal]] and [[Toronto]], where the first television stations were started in 1952. The [[Canadian Broadcasting Corporation]] aired its first broadcast on September 6, 1952 from Montreal's station, [[CBFT]]. The program was bilingual.<ref>{{cite web|author=Paul Cassel VE3SY |url=http://www.hammondmuseumofradio.org/dates.html |title=Some Important Dates from Canadian Broadcast History |publisher=Hammondmuseumofradio.org |date=2004-02-10 |access-date=2011-12-16}}</ref> As mentioned by Irving, and supported by Arthur Siegel, modern media such as television and radio have become agents of denationalization because of the spillover of U.S. influence and fragmentation of media within Canada.<ref>{{cite web|author=Audley, Paul |url=http://www.sources.com/SSR/Docs/SSR11-20-AmericanInfluencePervasiveinCanadian.htm |title=American Influence Pervasive in Canadian Newspapers, Radio, TV |publisher=Sources.com |access-date=2011-12-16}}</ref> Siegel implies that because of this, the state of television in Canada (i.e. whether it is healthy or dying) depends on the state of television in the United States.

Television was welcomed when it was first introduced into society. It brought about a change from communication which was previously limited to only audio. If one wanted to view something on a screen, one would have to visit the cinema; the television provided a way of sitting at home and having visual communication as well as entertainment.<ref name="webscopia1">{{cite web |url=http://www.webscopia.com/2011/02/is-television-dying/ |title=Is Television Dying? — Webscopia |publisher=Webscopia.com |date=2011-02-10 |access-date=2011-12-16 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111128052204/http://www.webscopia.com/2011/02/is-television-dying/ |archive-date=2011-11-28 }}</ref> Nowadays, however, with the introduction of smartphones and the Internet, television is headed towards obsolescence according to Rabab Khan. He writes that because smartphones and computers allow one do what a television and radio combined allow, the need for the latter two media is declining.<ref name="webscopia1" /> However, he writes that television allows for a shared experience which computers and smartphones do not allow. Henry Blodget also addresses this issue and claims that because revenue and profits of the television industry are still steadily coming in, people are in denial about its inevitable failure.<ref name="businessinsider1">{{cite web |author=Henry Blodget |url=http://articles.businessinsider.com/2009-06-12/tech/30062877_1_tv-industry-tv-companies-business-models |title=Sorry, There's No Way To Save The TV Business – Business Insider |publisher=Articles.businessinsider.com |date=2009-06-12 |access-date=2011-12-16 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120425202910/http://articles.businessinsider.com/2009-06-12/tech/30062877_1_tv-industry-tv-companies-business-models |archive-date=2012-04-25 }}</ref> He states that like the newspaper industry, television is beginning to migrate to the web and investing in digital platforms.<ref name="businessinsider1" />

The Canadian [[television]] broadcasting industry is split between public and private ownership. Canada currently has 130 originating television stations, which broadcast on 1,456 transmitters across the country, on both the [[VHF]] and [[Ultra high frequency|UHF]] bands.

In addition to the public [[Canadian Broadcasting Corporation]]/[[Société Radio-Canada]], which operates both English ([[CBC Television]]) and French ([[Ici Radio-Canada Télé]]) television networks, there are five major private TV networks. [[CTV Television Network|CTV]], [[Global Television Network|Global]], and [[Citytv]] broadcast in English, and are available throughout the country. [[TVA (Canadian TV network)|TVA]] and [[Noovo]] (formerly 'V') broadcast in French and operate over-the-air in French-language markets (including Quebec and parts of Ontario and New Brunswick), although are also available across Canada via pay television. Most network stations are owned and operated by the networks themselves, although all networks have some affiliates with different ownership.
[[File:Press freedom 2022.svg|upright=1.3|thumb|'''2022 Press Freedom Index'''<ref>{{cite web |url=https://rsf.org/en/ranking/2022 |title=2022 World Press Freedom Index |work=Reporters Without Borders |year=2022 }}</ref>
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In addition, the [[Aboriginal Peoples Television Network]] (APTN), a service devoted mainly to programming of interest to the [[Indigenous peoples in Canada|Indigenous peoples of Canada]], is considered a network by the [[Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission|CRTC]], although the network airs terrestrially only in the 3 Canadian territories, and must be carried by all television providers in the rest of Canada. There are, as well, a number of smaller [[television system]]s, such as [[CTV Two]] (a compliment to the main CTV network in smaller and secondary markets), and [[Omni Television]]—a group of Rogers-owned ethnic broadcasters.

Several provinces maintain provincial public broadcasting networks in addition to the CBC, including [[Télé-Québec]], [[TVOntario]], [[TFO]], and [[Knowledge (TV channel)|Knowledge]] (British Columbia). [[Citytv Saskatchewan]] and [[CTV Two Alberta]] were formerly provincial public broadcasters (SCN and Access), but both have since been privatized and amalgamated into commercial networks operated by their current owners ([[Rogers Communications|Rogers]] and [[Bell Canada|Bell]]). While both outlets devote a portion of their schedules to their networks' respective, advertising-supported entertainment programming, both networks are still required to adhere to an educational remit in the majority of their programming. Unlike in the United States, where a statewide public network is usually the state's primary [[Public Broadcasting Service|PBS]] member station, the provincially owned public systems in Canada are independent of each other and have their own programming.

Only CBC/Radio-Canada, TVA and APTN are officially considered national networks by the CRTC, while V is a provincial network in Quebec. City, CTV and Global are legally considered "television services" even though they operate as networks for all practical purposes. As well, there are a few independent stations, including [[CFTU-TV|CFTU]] in [[Montreal]], [[CJON-TV|CJON]] in [[St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador|St. John's]] and [[CJIL-TV|CJIL]] in [[Lethbridge]]. However, most of these are not general entertainment stations like independent stations in the United States, but are instead specialty [[community channel (Canada)|community channel]]s or educational services. CJON is the only independent commercial station currently operating in Canada, although CJON sublicenses a mix of programming from Global, CTV and other sources rather than purchasing program rights independently.

TV station [[callsign]]s in Canada are usually made up of four letters, although two stations have three call letters ([[CKX-TV|CKX]] in [[Brandon, Manitoba|Brandon]] and [[CKY-TV|CKY]] in [[Winnipeg]]) and some (primarily CBC-owned Radio-Canada stations) have five. The first call letter is always ''C'', and callsigns of privately owned television stations start with the [[ITU prefix|two-letter combinations]] of ''CF'', ''CH'', ''CI'', ''CJ'', or ''CK''. The combinations ''CG'', ''CY'', ''CZ'' and several combinations beginning with ''V'' and ''X'' are also assigned to Canada, but to date no Canadian television station has ever been licensed to take a call sign within those ranges. There is no clear rule for the call letters of [[rebroadcaster]]s&mdash;some are labelled by the call-letters of the originating station, followed by a number, while others have their own distinct call letters. Low-power repeater transmitters (LPRTs) have their own unique callsign format, which consists of the letters CH followed by four numbers. Some rebroadcast transmitters are licensed as ''semi-satellites'', which are licensed to air separate commercials (and, on rarer occasions, a limited amount of distinct programming) targeted to their community of license.

CBC-owned stations use call letters beginning with the combination ''CB'' (through a special agreement with the government of [[Chile]]); private affiliates of the CBC use the same combinations as other private stations. The CBC has also sometimes directly acquired former private affiliate stations; these usually (although not always) retain their historic call sign rather than changing to a CB call. While Canadian TV stations are technically required to identify themselves over the air by their call letters, the rule is rarely enforced by the CRTC. As a result, most TV stations never use their call letters for any purpose other than official CRTC business, and instead brand under regional names such as [[CTV Northern Ontario]] or [[CFRE-DT|Global Regina]]. Even then, most network-owned stations may only use these brands for station identification and newscasts, and promote the majority of their programming under the network brand without any disambiguation.

Due to their proximity to American media markets, a number of Canadian cities and regions receive US broadcasters as part of their local media. This has required special dispensation for Canadian content for broadcasters in the [[Windsor, Ontario]] region (due to it falling within the [[Detroit]] media footprint), and there have also been cases of US-based broadcasters ([[KCND-TV]] of [[Pembina, North Dakota]], now [[CKND-DT]] of Winnipeg; also [[KVOS-TV]] of [[Bellingham, Washington]]) targeting its programming and advertising at Canadian viewers.

Although all broadcast networks in Canada are required to produce and air some [[Canadian content]], only the English and French networks of the [[Canadian Broadcasting Corporation|CBC]] run predominantly Canadian-produced schedules, though, the English network does run some imported programming from the [[United Kingdom]], most notably ''[[Coronation Street]]''. The private networks, [[CTV Television Network|CTV]], [[Global Television Network|Global]] and [[Citytv]], have all at times faced criticism over their level of commitment to producing and airing Canadian programming. The commercial networks often find it easier to purchase rights to hit American series than to invest in Canadian productions, which are often prohibitively costly for the comparatively small size of the Canadian market. The French-language networks traditionally have had less difficulty meeting their Canadian content obligations, as the language difference makes francophone audiences much more readily receptive to home-grown programming than to dubbed American imports.

[[Digital television]] is an emerging technology in Canada. Although some TV stations have begun broadcasting digital signals in addition to their regular VHF or UHF broadcasts, this is not yet as widespread as in the United States. Although most markets have digital channel assignments already in place, to date digital broadcasts have only launched in the largest [[metropolitan area]]s. Digital television sets are available in Canadian stores, but are not universally present in all Canadian homes.

Several broadcasters, including the CBC, have argued that there is no viable business case for a comprehensive digital conversion strategy in Canada. At [[Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission|CRTC]] hearings in 2007 on the future direction of regulatory policy for television, broadcasters proposed a number of strategies, including funding digital conversion by eliminating restrictions on the amount of advertising that television broadcasters are permitted to air, allowing terrestrial broadcasters to charge cable viewers a subscription fee similar to that already charged by cable [[specialty channels]], permitting [[Television licence|license fees]] similar to those which fund the [[BBC]] in the [[United Kingdom]], or eliminating terrestrial television broadcasting entirely and moving to an exclusively cable-based distribution model.

In May 2007, the CRTC set August 31, 2011 as the deadline for digital conversion in Canada. This is approximately two years later than the cutoff date in the United States. The CRTC ultimately decided to relax restrictions on advertising as the funding mechanism. However, a CRTC statement issued in June 2008 indicated that as of that date, only 22 digital transmitters had been fully installed across the entire country,<ref>[https://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080624.wrcable24/BNStory/Technology/home "Networks unprepared for digital TV shift: CRTC"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080628212056/http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080624.wrcable24/BNStory/Technology/home/ |date=June 28, 2008 }}, ''[[The Globe and Mail]]'', June 24, 2008.</ref> and expressed the regulator's concern that Canada's television broadcasters were not adequately preparing for the shift to digital broadcasting.

===Cable television===
{{Main|Multichannel television in Canada}}

[[Cable television]] is a very common method of television programming delivery in Canada. By 1997, already 77% of Canadian homes subscribed to a cable television service.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Dalglish |first1=Brenda |title=Satellite TV gets lost in space |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/512457782/ |access-date=25 May 2024 |work=Newspapers.com |publisher=National Post |date=September 13, 1997 |language=en}}</ref> [[Vancouver]], with 93% of its homes connected to cable, had one of the highest cable connection rates in the world.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Strachan |first1=Alex |title=Electronic rating system to be used in Vancouver |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/496038939/ |access-date=25 May 2024 |work=Newspapers.com |publisher=The Vancouver Sun |date=May 16, 1997 |page=C3 |language=en}}</ref>

There are currently 739 licensed cable distributors in Canada. This significant decline from over 2,000 just a few years ago is attributable both to major cable companies acquiring smaller distributors and to a recent change in CRTC rules by which independent cable operators with fewer than 2,000 subscribers are no longer required to operate under full CRTC licences. (However, the CRTC does retain some regulatory authority over these operators. This is an exemption granted by the CRTC to previously licensed companies that continue to meet certain conditions, and does ''not'' mean that anybody can simply set up their own small cable company without CRTC approval.){{Citation needed|date=January 2021}}

Major Canadian cable companies include [[Rogers Communications|Rogers]], [[Shaw Communications|Shaw]], [[Cogeco]], [[Vidéotron]] and [[EastLink (company)|EastLink]]/[[Persona Communications|Persona]]. Most Canadian cities are served by only one cable company per market; in the few cities that are served by more than one cable company, each company is restricted to a specific geographical division within the market. For instance, in [[Hamilton, Ontario|Hamilton]], [[Cogeco Cable]], [[Rogers Cable]] and [[Source Cable]] are all licensed operators, but each has a monopoly in a specific area of the city.{{Citation needed|date=January 2021}}

However, two major companies offer [[direct broadcast satellite]] delivery as an alternative to cable: [[Bell Satellite TV]], which is a division of [[Bell Canada|BCE Inc.]], and [[Shaw Direct]], which is a division of Shaw. ''[[Grey market]]'' DBS dishes can also be obtained from American services such as [[DirecTV]] and [[Dish Network]], but as these are not licensed Canadian providers, stores that sell those packages&mdash;and users who buy them&mdash;are at risk of criminal charges.{{Citation needed|date=January 2021}}

In some remote communities in the Territories ([[Yukon]], [[Northwest Territories]], [[Nunavut]]), cable delivery is prohibitively costly. As such, similar services are offered through [[MMDS]] technology.

An English-language 'basic cable' package in Canada traditionally includes:{{Citation needed|date=January 2021}}

* [[CTV Television Network|CTV]], [[CTV Two]], [[Global Television Network|Global]], [[City (TV network)|City]] – the major English-language Canadian commercial networks;
* [[CBC Television]] and [[Ici Radio-Canada Télé]] – the English- and French-language CBC networks;
* a provincial educational broadcast undertaking (e.g. [[TVOntario|TVO]] in Ontario), if available (not all provinces have one);
* a [[Community channel (Canada)|community channel]], produced by the particular cable company, which usually includes [[Public affairs (broadcasting)|public affairs]] and information programming as well as community events listings (cf. [[public-access television]] in the United States);
* [[Aboriginal Peoples Television Network|APTN]] – a network devoted to [[Aboriginal peoples in Canada|Aboriginal]] programming;
* [[TVA (Canadian TV network)|TVA]] – one of the two private French-language broadcasters in Quebec;<ref group="lower-roman">The other French-language broadcaster in Quebec, [[Noovo]], does not have mandatory national carriage rights, although some cable companies in [[Ontario]] and [[New Brunswick]] offer the network on a discretionary basis, and the network does have mandatory carriage in Quebec.</ref>
* nearby independent channels or channels from smaller television systems such as [[Omni Television]] or [[Yes TV]];
* [[CPAC (TV channel)|CPAC]] – a channel that broadcasts [[parliamentary session]]s and committee meetings, along with some political public-affairs programming;
* a similar channel to CPAC, but broadcasting the proceedings of the provincial legislature;
* [[network affiliates]] (typically from the nearest major American city) of [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]], [[CBS]], [[Fox Network|Fox]], [[NBC]], and [[Public Broadcasting Service|PBS]];<ref group="lower-roman">Under CRTC rules, American networks are offered on a "4 + 1" basis, meaning that a cable company may offer any four American commercial networks and [[Public Broadcasting Service|PBS]] on basic cable; other American networks can only be offered on a pay tier. In most cities, this means that [[The CW]] and [[MyNetwork TV]] are not available on basic cable because of lower demand for those networks. However, cable providers in border cities have been allowed to offer all American networks on basic cable that are available over the air in that market, even if that means more than four commercial networks are provided. American network affiliates are usually provided from the nearest available American market. However, signals distributed by [[Shaw Broadcast Services]] (particularly affiliates from [[Detroit]] and [[Rochester, New York|Rochester]]) are frequently substituted where cost or technical limitations prevent use of a closer signal.</ref>
* a mixture of Canadian and American special-interest channels (e.g. [[The Sports Network|TSN]], [[MuchMusic]], [[CNN]], [[CTV News Channel (Canada)|CTV News Channel]], [[Showcase (Canadian TV channel)|Showcase]]).<ref group="lower-roman">Under CRTC rules, cable companies cannot offer a new American service if a comparable Canadian service already exists. However, if a Canadian equivalent begins operations after an American service has already been added to cable packages, the cable company is not required to discontinue the American service. (For example, Canadian cable companies cannot offer [[MTV]], as the station was not yet available in Canada when MuchMusic began broadcasting in 1984. However, cable companies can offer CNN, as they were already offering that service when CBC Newsworld first aired in 1989.) The rules formerly required that the American service be removed if a Canadian equivalent is launched; this caused controversy when the US version of [[Country Music Television|CMT]] was removed from the lineup when [[CMT (Canada)|a new Canadian country music channel]] called the ''New Country Network'' launched. CMT had contested that this was a violation of the [[North American Free Trade Agreement]]. Ultimately, Viacom purchased a minority share in the network, and rebranded it under the CMT name.</ref>

A further set of Canadian and American special-interest channels are offered as 'extended cable' packages, which are available for additional fees. In the past, cable companies have engaged in the controversial practice of [[negative option billing]], in which a subscriber is automatically given and billed for the new services unless he or she specifically declines them, but this is now illegal.{{Citation needed|date=January 2021}}

A package of '[[Pay television|pay TV]]' channels is also available for additional fees, including movie networks such as [[Crave (TV network)|Crave TV]], [[Movie Central]], [[Super Channel (Canadian TV channel)|Super Channel]], and [[Super Écran]]; and American [[superstation]]s such as [[WSBK-TV|WSBK]], [[WPIX]], [[WGN America|WGN]], and [[KTLA]] (which are often affiliated with [[The CW Television Network|The CW]] and [[MyNetworkTV]].) These services, however, require a [[Cable converter box|descrambler box]].

A study in 2006 said that the CRTC had licensed 44 digital specialty services and 5 ethnic specialty- and pay-television services across the country.<ref name=ojo/>

Cable companies now offer [[digital cable]] packages in most Canadian cities, including a number of channels which have been licensed exclusively for digital package distribution. Digital cable also typically includes a range of audio broadcast services such as [[Galaxie (radio)|Galaxie]] and [[Max Trax]]. In some markets, digital cable service may also include local radio stations; where this is offered, it has largely ''replaced'' the availability of [[cable FM]] service. Digital cable, however, is provided only if a customer chooses to subscribe to that package. As of 2016, cable companies are also now required to offer a "skinny basic" option, whereby a small selection of channels{{snd}} typically the main over-the-air networks, along with "public service" channels such as [[The Weather Network]] and [[CPAC (TV channel)|CPAC]]{{snd}} are packaged for a maximum fee of $25 with additional channels available on a [[A la carte pay television|pick and pay]] basis at the subscriber's discretion.<ref>[https://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/skinny-basic-tv-consumers-explainer/article28951724/ "The skinny on skinny basic TV"]. ''[[The Globe and Mail]]'', March 1, 2016.</ref> Although this package has had some popularity, the traditional larger and more expensive cable packages remain the dominant subscription mode.<ref>[http://www.torontosun.com/2016/04/15/skinny-basic-cable-packages-popular-crtc "'Skinny basic' cable packages popular: CRTC"]. ''[[Toronto Sun]]'', April 15, 2016.</ref>

Although this is sometimes controversial, Canadian cable companies are required by the CRTC to practise [[simultaneous substitution]] when a Canadian channel and a non-Canadian channel (which is usually American) are airing the same program at the same time.<ref>{{cite web|title=Super Bowl TV commercials – why are the ads different?|url=http://www.crtc.gc.ca/eng/info_sht/tv12.htm|work=crtc.gc.ca|publisher=[[Canadian Radio and Telecommunications Commission]]|access-date=September 10, 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121011015823/http://www.crtc.gc.ca/eng/info_sht/tv12.htm|archive-date=October 11, 2012}}</ref> Programming on an American service may also be blocked if it has significant bearing on a Canadian legal matter (e.g., one episode of ''[[Law & Order]]'', inspired by the trials of [[Paul Bernardo]] and [[Karla Homolka]], was blocked in Canada) or if it interferes with a Canadian channel's broadcast rights (such as ''[[James Bond]]'' movies airing on [[Spike TV]]; the Canadian broadcast rights are held by [[Bell Media]].)

Many cable companies also offer high speed [[Cable Internet access|cable Internet]] service.{{Citation needed|date=January 2021}}

=== Notes ===
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