CBWFT-DT
CBWFT-DT, virtual channel 3 (UHF digital channel 51), is an Ici Radio-Canada Télé owned-and-operated station licensed to Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, serving the province's Franco-Manitoban population. The station is owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (known in French as Société Radio-Canada), as part of a twinstick with CBC Television station CBWT-DT (channel 6). The two stations share studios on Portage Avenue and Young Street in Downtown Winnipeg; CBWFT-DT's transmitter is located near Red Coat Trail/Highway 2) in Macdonald. On cable and satellite, the station is available on Shaw Cable and MTS TV channel 10, and Bell TV channel 118. There is a high definition feed offered on Shaw Cable digital channel 214 and MTS TV channel 448.
| Winnipeg, Manitoba Canada | |
|---|---|
| Branding | ICI Manitoba |
| Slogan | Pour toute la vie, ICI Radio-Canada Télé |
| Channels | Digital: 51 (UHF) (to move to 32 (UHF)) Virtual: 3.1 (PSIP) |
| Affiliations | Ici Radio-Canada Télé (O&O) |
| Owner | Société Radio-Canada |
| First air date | April 24, 1960 |
| Call sign meaning | Canadian Broadcasting Corporation Winnipeg Français Télévision |
| Sister station(s) | CBWT-DT |
| Former call signs | CBWFT (1960–2011) |
| Former channel number(s) | Analogue: 6 (VHF, 1960–1964) 3 (VHF, 1964–2011) |
| Transmitter power | 13.6 kW 9.5 kW (CP) |
| Height | 135.1 m (443 ft) |
| Transmitter coordinates | 49°53′43″N 97°8′17″W |
| Licensing authority | CRTC |
| Website | ICI Manitoba |
History
The CBC announced on February 17, 1959 that they would appear before the BBG (predecessor to the CRTC) in Ottawa on March 18 to apply for a license to extend Radio-Canada's television signal into the Winnipeg area.[1]
CBWFT first signed on at 3 p.m. on April 24, 1960, using channel 6 with an EIRP of 2,800 watts. At the same time two VTRs, worth $75,000 each were installed at the station.[2] It was the first francophone television station west of Ontario. Its opening broadcast was a ceremony held at the Notre Dame Auditorium in St. Boniface. Dignitaries included in attendance were Lieutenant-Governor Errick Willis, Premier Duff Roblin, CBC President Alphonse Ouimet, Marcel Ouimet, general manager of Radio-Canada, J. R. Finlay, CBC Prairie Region Director, and Leo Remillard, CBWFT's program director.[3]
At first, CBWFT's broadcast day ran between 6 and 12 hours, with a longer programming day on weekends. Over the years, this was extended to encompass most of the day. Initially, Radio-Canada's microwave link did not reach as far as Winnipeg. Instead, videotapes and films were "bicycled" from Montreal and delayed by one week, except for news and live events like La Soirée du hockey.[4]
On November 15, 1964, it swapped frequencies with CBWT and a higher-powered transmitter was installed at the new site near Starbuck.[5][6] From 1964 till the early 1980s, it referred to itself simply as "CBWFT canal 3 Winnipeg". During the early 1980s, CBWFT was known as "CBWFT 3/10", signifying its position on Channel 3, Cable 10 in Winnipeg. On January 1, 1986, it became known as "Radio-Canada Manitoba".
By October 31, 1966, CBWFT was connected to the Radio-Canada microwave signal, allowing the live feed of Le Téléjournal at 6 p.m. Prior to this the newscast consisted of Radio-Canada's radio news with locally inserted images.[7] Several months after the first Anik A satellite was launched in 1972, CBWFT switched to the satellite feed of Radio-Canada and dropped the microwave feed, except to distribute its signal within its coverage area, Manitoba and Northwestern Ontario, and part of Saskatchewan. In 1976, a rebroadcaster of CBWFT programming in Regina became CBKFT. In 1985, CBKFT was issued a separate license to broadcast its own Ce Soir regional news program.
Transmitters
CBWFT operated 11 analogue television retransmitters in Manitoba (e.g. Brandon) and Northwestern Ontario (in the parts of that region which fall in the Central Time Zone, e.g. Kenora). 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.[8] None of CBC or Radio-Canada's television rebroadcasters were converted to digital.
Manitoba
| City of license | Callsign | Channel |
|---|---|---|
| Brandon | CBWFT-10 | 21 (UHF) |
| Flin Flon | CBWFT-2 | 3 (VHF) |
| Oak Lake | CBWFT-12 | 32 (UHF) |
| Pine Falls | CBWFT-6 | 11 (VHF) |
| St. Lazare | CBWFT-3 | 13 (VHF) |
| Ste-Rose-du-Lac | CBWFT-4 | 3 (VHF) |
| The Pas | CBWFT-1 | 6 (VHF) |
| Thompson | CBWFT-5 | 5 (VHF) |
Northwest Ontario
| City of license | Callsign | Channel |
|---|---|---|
| Dryden | CBWFT-9 | 6 (VHF) |
| Fort Frances | CBWFT-11 | 15 (UHF) |
| Kenora | CBWFT-7 | 2 (VHF) |
News operation
In 2005, the long-running Ce Soir news program was renamed to Le Téléjournal, which is the same name of the French national news program on Radio-Canada. The Téléjournal local edition is normally 30 minutes in length, however the Wednesday edition is 60 minutes. The program is also rebroadcast at 11 p.m.
Digital television
Digital channel
| Channel | Video | Aspect | PSIP Short Name | Programming[9] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.1 | 720p | 16:9 | Main CBWFT-DT programming / Ici Radio-Canada Télé |
Analogue-to-digital conversion
CBWFT switched from analogue to digital television broadcasting on December 9, 2011, from its Winnipeg transmitter atop the Richardson Building, after several delays, due to an "unforeseen delay that is outside of the Corporation's control," involving antenna erection.[10] CBWFT's digital signal operates on UHF channel 51. Through the use of PSIP, digital television receivers will display CBWFT's virtual channel as 3.1.[11]
References
- Phillips, Bruce (February 17, 1959). "CBC Asks to Build TV in St. Boniface". Winnipeg Tribune. p. 1.
- "Viewers To Get Choice Of Channels This Year". Winnipeg Free Press. April 26, 1960. p. 31.
- "French TV Channel Here Now Operating Full-Scale". Winnipeg Tribune. April 25, 1960. p. 15.
- "French TV On April 24". Winnipeg Tribune. April 8, 1960. p. 5.
- "October Set As Target Date For Change In CBC Channels". Winnipeg Free Press - TV-Radio. April 15, 1964. p. 15.
- "CBWT Will Switch to Channel 6". Winnipeg Free Press. November 5, 1964. p. 3.
- "French Newscast Direct". Winnipeg Free Press - TV-Radio. October 29, 1966. p. 6.
- Speaking notes for Hubert T. Lacroix regarding measures announced in the context of the Deficit Reduction Action Plan
- RabbitEars TV Query for CBWFT-DT
- CBC (n.d.), "CBC Television Winnipeg Archived 2011-11-21 at the Wayback Machine" at cbc.radio-canada.ca, accessed 2011-10-04, 2011-12-09.
- Digital Television - Office of Consumer Affairs (OCA) Archived 2008-09-16 at the Wayback Machine