MATV (Quebec)

MAtv
Launched 1970s
Owned by Vidéotron
(Quebecor Media)
Slogan My community's voice by Vidéotron
Country Canada
Broadcast area Provincial
Headquarters Montreal, Quebec
Formerly called Télé communautaire (1970s-1996)
TCV Vidéotron (1996-1998)
Canal Vox (1998-2007)
Vox (2007-2012)
Website matv.ca
Availability
Cable
Vidéotron Channel 9 (SD)
Channel 609 (HD)

MAtv (formerly Vox) is a Canadian community channels operated by the cable provider Vidéotron within the province of Quebec.

History

Towards the years 1970s, the phenomenon of community radio appears in Quebec. A non-commercial radio operated by social groups, in which the population can participate and whose operation is based on a cooperative basis. This radio deals with social issues that are, most of the time, neglected by large networks.

The 1970s also saw the emergence of cable television, which allowed the broadcasting of television programs in the regions.

Community television operates on the same principle as community radio and is hosted by the cable distribution companies, which are governed by a regulation of the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC).

The CRTC wanted the cable companies to reinvest in the sharing of the airwaves by offering a service to subscribers via a community channel. In Quebec, in 1973, the provincial government, through the Ministry of Culture and Communications, promoted the establishment of community television stations by financially supporting their basic operation. For example, citizen groups chose to develop such a community media because they believed in freedom of expression, public speaking and the opportunity to participate in social change. Autonomous Community Television Corporations (ACT) are therefore born of the will of these communities of citizens to equip themselves with a television communication tool. Some considered this means of communication as a place of creation, others chose to make it a place of debate and local public expression.

In 1978, in the Greater Montreal area, Cablevision Nationale (formerly National Cablevision) and CF Cable TV (today CFCF-DT, identified on-air by CTV Montreal) the East and West territories of the Island of Montreal, while Télécâble Vidéotron serves the South Shore and the North Shore of the city. Each cable operator manages its own community channel and broadcasts programs produced by ACT in its schedule. Cablevision Nationale's community television has a large recording studio, located at 90 Beaubien Street West, in Montreal. She also has a reporter's post that covers various events. Several programs are recorded, both by volunteers and professionals. In addition to the more traditional community programs, others such as a series that gives voice to the gay community, another that follows amateur hockey games and even a striptease show at midnight in the evening, is off the beaten path and interest people to subscribe to the cable. For its part Télécable Vidéotron owns several small community studios in several municipalities (Longueuil, Beloeil, Saint-Bruno-de-Montarville, Saint-Hubert, Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Mont-Saint-Hilaire, Saint-Jérôme, Laval, Joliette and north of Montreal).

In 1980, Télécâble Vidéotron acquired Cablevision Nationale. With this acquisition, the four small studios serving different areas of Montreal and Laval, (90 Beaubien Street West, one on Beaubien Street East, one on Louvain Street and one on Saint-Elzéar Boulevard in Laval) will replace unique Montreal studio. Each of the studios will be managed by a community animator who will produce the programs while supervising the groups of volunteers who come to propose their projects. All of these programs produced by these small studios, as well as some produced by other community TVs served by Télécâble Vidéotron, are now broadcast on Cable 9.

In 1985, Télé communautaire was modernized and a large studio was established at 3555 Berri Street in Montreal. Located just above the Sherbrooke metro station, this studio offers better accessibility to the community. The team is growing and now consists of six versatile director-coordinators, who also work alternately as assistant directors, cameramen, lighting technicians, depending on the programs recorded.

Cable 9 broadcasts not only programs produced in the Montreal studio, but also other local programs from ACT in Greater Montreal, the South Shore or other regions of Quebec.

In 1987, Vidéotron moved its head office to 300 Viger Avenue (right next to the Champ-de-Mars metro station and Télé communautaire also installs, prominently, on the ground floor. Télé communautaire then has a very large studio, modern equipment and a larger production team. In November 1996, there are 21 employees: directors, cameramen, a secretary, a receptionist and a video library.

Logo of TCV Vidéotron used from 1996 until 1998

In 1996, Télé communautaire was renamed TCV. TCV Vidéotron's network in Greater Montreal covers the entire island of Montreal, its North Shore (including Saint-Jérôme, Joliette, Sainte-Thérèse, Repentigny), its South Shore (including Boucherville, Beloeil, Longueuil, Saint- Jean-sur-Richelieu and Châteauguay), Laval and the Vaudreuil region.

Logo of Canal Vox used from 1998 until 2004 (the Quebecor Media name was added in 2001 after the sale of Vidéotron at Quebecor)
Logo of Canal Vox used from 2004 until 2007
Logo of Vox used from 2007 until 2012

In 1998, Télé communautaire was renamed Canal Vox, then renamed Vox in 2007. Ten of its flagship programs, including The Confident and ICI et là , saw their audience triple.

On November 19, 2012, Vox was renamed MAtv with a planned focus on more viewer-produced programming.[1]

On September 5, 2013, Vidéotron announced that they filed an application to the CRTC for permission to launch an English-language version of the channel, MYtv. The new channel, similar in format to MAtv, will focus on Greater Montreal's anglophone communities. Vidéotron intends on only having one MYtv channel, which will serve Greater Montreal, but may make that channel available in other Vidéotron service areas with a sizable anglophone population.[2][3] Contemporaneously with the application, a community group called ICTV filed an application to take over management of MAtv, alleging that Vidéotron was failing in its responsibility to provide public access and community programming.[4]

In its final decision, the CRTC agreed with ICTV's position on MAtv's regulatory non-compliance, but declined to transfer the license to ICTV.[4] According to the commission, MAtv's schedule comprised just 30 per cent public access programming compared to its license requirement of 45 per cent, and instead was counting shows hosted and produced by professional broadcasters as public access.[4] In addition, the majority of the channel's schedule comprised general interest programming shared by all of Vidéotron's community channels across Quebec, rather than being specifically oriented toward Montreal.[4] The CRTC authorized the creation of the English language channel, while setting out a number of new regulatory compliance conditions for MAtv.[4]

The programming becomes bilingual because community television also serves the western part of Montreal, which is largely composed of English people. In September 2015, MAtv launched five new English programs to reflect Montreal's community. "The community channel is devoting 20 per cent of its schedule to programming in English, roughly the same as the proportion of Montrealers who are anglophone."[5]

Mission

MAtv is the public space powered by Videotron. Serving the community, the channel is exclusively for Videotron's customers and reflects the diversity of Quebec. It provides access to a space for everyone that fosters participation, expression and distribution of content. Useful, informative and educational, MAtv promotes local interests and supports the emergence of talent.

Markets

References

  1. ↑ "VOX devient MAtv, la chaîne communautaire de Vidéotron". Grenier aux Nouvelles, November 13, 2012. (in French)
  2. ↑ "Vidéotron s’investit dans la création de MYtv". Vidéotron, September 5, 2013. (in French)
  3. ↑ "Videotron applies to create English-language community TV channel for Montreal". Fagstein, September 5, 2013.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 "CRTC says Vidéotron's community TV channel has failed in its mandate, but can become bilingual". Montreal Gazette, February 4, 2015.
  5. ↑ Faguy, Steve (October 20, 2015). "Community TV that speaks to anglophone Montrealers". The Montreal Gazette.
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