CBC - Future Expansion?... to Waterloo Region?

[UrbanWaterloo]

Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
Corporate Site (http://www.cbc.radio-canada.ca/home.asp)
Digital TV Kitchener (http://cbc.radio-canada.ca/dtv/kitchener_cbc.shtml) | Ontario Coverage Map (http://cbc.radio-canada.ca/tvn/pdf-maps/TN-0015_TVE_ON.pdf)

http://cbc.radio-canada.ca/images2/_template/logo_75_e.gif

[UrbanWaterloo]

CBC presence here would not only be fair but symbolic
November 27, 2007 | MARTIN DeGROOT | The Record | Link (http://news.therecord.com/article/274922)


What would be the best way to convince our elected representatives in Ottawa that a relatively inexpensive plan to extend CBC Radio One service to some six million Canadians deserves support?

That includes this area, the 700,000 or so Canadians who live in the cities and towns of the Grand River watershed, where there has never been a CBC radio or television presence to tell our stories and to talk to our citizens.

The roughly equal number of our neighbours in Hamilton, Burlington and so forth -- are also part of the plan, as are the more than half a million who live in and around London.

The intention to extend the coverage of our national broadcasting system to these and about a dozen other urban centres is serious and fully-developed. Ted Kennedy, chief of staff for CBC English radio, has come to this area a couple of times to share the details. We're actually at the top of the list, with London and Hamilton.

If the expansion goes ahead, it would likely happen here first, and it would be a full-fledged production centre -- one that would produce local programming in the morning and late afternoon time slots, as well as programming that would be heard on the national network.

Any day now, a report outlining the plan will be presented to the parliamentary standing committee on Canadian heritage.

What happens to the proposal after that will be up to the Government of Canada, but also, to a certain extent, up to us.

We have to let it be known that we want a regional CBC Radio presence that would tell our stories, here among ourselves and to other Canadians from coast to coast.

The most obvious argument in favour of such a development is one of simple equity or fairness.

Taken together, Hamilton, London and the cities of the Grand Valley come close to surpassing Greater Vancouver, the third largest city in the nation. For the last 70-plus years, we've helped pay for our national broadcasting system just as all Canadians have. But, except for London, which has a television and a radio station (but no local radio programming), the CBC has never had a presence here.

It has been that way for so long it has become something we have come to expect and almost accept: As one respondent to the insidethecbc.com blog put it: "K-W is in a black hole. The entire city would have to burn down before CBC decided to cover it."

As a result -- and it's not just the CBC that tends to overlook Canada's non-metropolitan centres -- we may not have the confidence to stand up and voice such a demand.

Ideally, we should be speaking together -- not only with Guelph, Brantford, Hamilton and London, but also with Kingston, Barrie, Kelowna, Nanaimo and all the other communities that are included in the expansion plan.

But again, because lateral channels of communication have been almost non-existent, it is difficult to imagine developing and articulating a sense of common interest.

Beyond the obvious immediate and practical benefits that a CBC presence would bring to the various communities involved, there is also something profoundly symbolic: It's almost a new conception of Canada as a nation. It is possible to imagine non-metropolitan centres, especially in Ontario and the West, not as a hinterland, but as a kind of frontier that is open and ripe for discovery and development.

A Canada in which places like Kitchener and Waterloo, Cambridge and Guelph, Kingston and Peterborough, London and Hamilton, Saskatoon and Red Deer, and Chilliwack and Kamloops play a more prominent role will be a culturally richer, more vibrant and more interesting place.

But in the end, practical political considerations are likely to carry the most weight. The current government includes almost no representation from Canada's largest cities. When the next election comes, it is likely to be mid-sized cities, especially in Ontario, that will be the deciding factor.

While strengthening the CBC may not be a Conservative party priority, support for a plan like this would certainly be politically astute, as well as consistent with a diversified, decentralized view of Canada.

If we really want this to happen, we should not only let our members of Parliament know, but also let all the individuals who have been nominated to run as a candidate in the next federal election know that there is an opportunity here to make a great contribution to our communities, and to Canada.

Martin DeGroot is executive director of the Waterloo Regional Arts Council. He comments on arts and culture Tuesdays in The Record.

[UrbanWaterloo]

Impact of CBC/Radio-Canada on the Canadian Economy
June 15, 2011 | CBC | News Article (http://www.cbc.ca/news/arts/story/2011/06/15/cbc-economic-impact.html) | Section Link (http://www.cbc.radio-canada.ca/about/value.shtml)

Summary
PDF (http://www.cbc.radio-canada.ca/about/Deloitte_Summary.PDF)

Deloitte and Touche LLP was commissioned by CBC/Radio-Canada to provide a measure of the impact of CBC/Radio-Canada on the Canadian economy. The study uses a standard economic impact assessment methodology and data from CRTC submissions, Statistics Canada publications, industry reports and interviews with CBC/Radio-Canada to estimate the economic value generated by CBC/RadioCanada’s expenditure and activities.

It also identifies some of the additional economic benefits to the independent production sector, other broadcasters and wider creative economy in Canada from CBC/Radio-Canada’s role as a public service broadcaster.

Key findings

We find that CBC/Radio-Canada has a substantial positive impact on the Canadian economy, supporting jobs and businesses across the country. We estimate that, in 2010, CBC/Radio-Canada’s expenditure of $1.7 billion in Canada generated $3.7 billion gross value added, a measure of overall contribution to the Canadian economy.

CBC/Radio-Canada’s net value added, the net contribution to the economy in 2010 is estimated to be $1.3 billion. In the context of the parliamentary appropriation this means that the direct government funding of $1.1 billion not only contributed to the gross value added for CBC/Radio-Canada of $3.7 billion, but also created additional value of $1.3 billion to the Canadian economy compared to an alternative use of the funding and a media sector in which CBC is only supported by commercial revenue streams.

CBC/Radio-Canada commissioning of independent productions in 2010 lead to an estimated $1.1 billion in independent TV production gross value added and a net value added of $492, of which $245 million is additional to the net value added estimate above.

In addition to the estimates of quantified dollar impacts, we find that:


CBC/Radio-Canada helps create diversity and depth in the Canadian independent production sector through commissioning a wide range of genres and committing substantial funds for program development.
CBC/Radio-Canada provides a consistent revenue source for independent producers, helping to drive investment in the sector, increase competitiveness in international markets, and indirectly helping to drive export growth.
CBC/Radio-Canada’s regional and local activities contribute to local economies and creative clusters. In particular, CBC/Radio-Canada’s commitment to French services is recognized as having been important to the formation of a creative sector cluster in Montreal. CBC/Radio-Canada contributes to the vibrancy of the other main media clusters in Toronto and Vancouver, as well as having been instrumental in establishing production capabilities in smaller media markets, such as in Halifax, Winnipeg and Moncton.
CBC/Radio-Canada creates additional economic value for other broadcasters and the wider creative sector in Canada as it often leads the implementation of new technologies, promoting digital content and distribution in Canada through its own net portals and third party distributors, as well as by its support to Canadian artists.

Full Report: PDF (http://www.cbc.radio-canada.ca/about/Economic-Impact-Deloitte.pdf)

[BuildingScout]

Given that CBC has three centers in New Brunswick (Fredericton, Moncton and Saint John) with about the same population as KWC surely we can justify one centre here.

[UrbanWaterloo]

The CBC should be available across the land
July 12, 2011 | Globe and Mail Editorial | Link (http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/opinions/editorials/the-cbc-should-be-available-across-the-land/article2094848/)


Over $1-billion taxpayer dollars a year help fund the CBC, but on Sept. 1, some taxpayers could be forced to pay twice for it. It’s a bureaucratic crack into which Canadians in Saskatoon or Kitchener, Ont. – to name just two affected communities – should not have to fall.

Blame the switch from analog to digital TV transmission. The CRTC is requiring the shift in most communities, forcing the shutdown of some analog transmitters. But the CBC is building only 27 digital transmitters – not enough to fill the gap. Without a fix, hundreds of thousands of Canadians who don’t want to splurge on cable or satellite will go without.

There are several options. The federal government could direct some of the money from a forthcoming auction of spectrum – airwaves becoming available because of the transition – to the CBC, so that they can install more digital transmitters. The CRTC could relax its rule and some analog transmitters to stay open. Or the CBC could buy more digital transmitters on its own.

All of these institutions should work together, to ensure that Canadians are not deprived of their national broadcaster.

[markster]

Come on, CBC, you know the answer:

Internet streaming! Coupled with an initiative by the Feds to get 99% of Canadians broadband capable of watching it. The spectrum that's going up for auction is exactly what could be used to facilitate that.

[zanate]

This is the first I've heard that CBC will shut down its Kitchener transmitters and not replace them with digital. I'm really disappointed by this! I was looking forward to the switchover, and probably watch more on CBC than any other broadcast channel.

The typical antenna will not pick up Toronto broadcasts from here, unless you're in truly ideal circumstances.

[Section ThirtyOne]

I wasn't even aware that there was a CBC transmitter here. AFAIK, it is only CTV and Global.

They may be referring to the fact that digital signals have a shorter range than analog. With digital signals, you either lock on to the signal and get a picture or you don't at all. There are no snowy fringe areas like in the past. Given that, I really doubt the Toronto signal will be strong enough anymore.

[garthdanlor]

We don't have a CBC transmitter here. With CBC Toronto switching to digtal and CBC London being shut altogether, it will be pretty damn difficult to pick-up an OTA CBC digital signal locally.

[markster]

I get CBC over the air currently.
I have a hard time believing that we don't currently have a transmitter. Perhaps there's one in Guelph? Hamilton?


I once managed to see some vague blurry images of Global.
And I even saw a 4th channel once! I have no clue what it was. It was a blur of static.
CTV works the best.

[KevinL]

Back when I was on antenna (it's been some time, I'll grant) Global somehow always came in the best, followed by CTV, CFPL (AKA 'A' London), CBC and CITY.

[Razzie]

I get CBC over the air currently.
I have a hard time believing that we don't currently have a transmitter. Perhaps there's one in Guelph? Hamilton?

What channel do you get it on? if it's 5 or 5.1 its Toronto. If it's 56 its from outside of Ayr. That one won't survive the transition.

The only way you'll be getting CBC with an antenna is if you have the height and direction to get Toronto signals

[garthdanlor]

What channel do you get it on? if it's 5 or 5.1 its Toronto. If it's 56 its from outside of Ayr. That one won't survive the transition.

The only way you'll be getting CBC with an antenna is if you have the height and direction to get Toronto signals

Didn't realize that there was a CBC rebroadcaster in Ayr. I can only get CBC on channel 5, and many years ago on channel 10 (when CFPL London was a CBC station). Can't get any digital channels at my house (Belmont Village area) though I've never tried a roof mounted antenna, just attic mounted.

I'm a staunch supporter of the CBC but I wonder how/why the National Broadcaster will be able to avoid building digital transmitters in population rich areas such as KWC, Hamilton, London, etc.?

[Razzie]

Can't get any digital channels at my house (Belmont Village area) though I've never tried a roof mounted antenna, just attic mounted.

Try a roof mount - you'll at least get CHCH in digital, and once August 31st comes and goes I've heard existing digital transmitters are due to boost their power dramatically.

FYI I live in Kitchener and get 17 digital channels on a bad day. Then again I'm up 18 floors facing both Toronto and Buffalo, but I've done my research :)

[garthdanlor]

Try a roof mount - you'll at least get CHCH in digital, and once August 31st comes and goes I've heard existing digital transmitters are due to boost their power dramatically.

FYI I live in Kitchener and get 17 digital channels on a bad day. Then again I'm up 18 floors facing both Toronto and Buffalo, but I've done my research :)
Little hope of me getting that many channels in my location even with a tall antenna. I even get a lousy CKCO signal and I just live on the other side of the hospital from the station. To pick-up all of those digital signals did you need a dual antenna set-up with one pointing to Buffalo and the other to Toronto or are you able to get everything with one antenna? If I was able to get that many channels, I would give up Bell in a heartbeat.

[IEFBR14]

I even get a lousy CKCO signal and I just live on the other side of the hospital from the station.
Their transmitter and antenna aren't located there. They're at Baden Hill (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baden_Hill).

At least you're in a house where you can erect an antenna. Some of us live in condos where any external antenna is a violation of by-laws and our only option is to pay the Robbers barons.

[Section ThirtyOne]

Some of us live in condos where any external antenna is a violation of by-laws and our only option is to pay the Robbers barons.
I've often considered petitioning the condo board here to allow a bi-directional antenna on our roof. (~11 floors) We would have amazing line of sight to Toronto and Buffalo!

Question, can the antenna be shared by multiple units? Or would a separate antenna be required for each unit that wanted to use it?

[Section ThirtyOne]

I was able to answer my own question: http://www.digitalhome.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=57242

Looks like I need to do some more investigation within my building.

[IEFBR14]

Question, can the antenna be shared by multiple units? Or would a separate antenna be required for each unit that wanted to use it?
Assuming the condo board was interested, you'd have to clear at least one major legal hurdle. Often when a condo is built the local cable company will offer to install CATV wiring to all the units from a central distribution point, free of charge, in exchange for a contract that gives them exclusive rights to use that cabling. Builders usually jump at such offers because it costs them nothing. They don't care that it obligates future unit owners to get CATV from that cable company for decades or even forever. IOW this is a sweetheart deal for everyone but us. If that's how your building was wired then I think you're out of luck.

Assuming that's not an issue, you'd probably need to engage an MATV installation company to look at your premises and give you an estimate of the costs involved, both up-front capital costs and ongoing maintenance.

You'd then have to take a proposal to the condo board and convince them, as well as all the owners, that MATV will be better than CATV. Even if costs are lower, expect objections from owners who like to watch the local cable community channel, want pay-per-view, etc.

[Razzie]

To pick-up all of those digital signals did you need a dual antenna set-up with one pointing to Buffalo and the other to Toronto or are you able to get everything with one antenna? If I was able to get that many channels, I would give up Bell in a heartbeat.

I only need a single antenna, but on the ground and especially in the north end of the region that wouldn't be the case. I've seen a few setups in backyards around town that have an antenna facing each city, so it must be working for them. Believe me if you live in a place that lets you get this many channels OTA its worth it. I'm saving $45/month with an antenna I made myself for $12

Back on topic though - I've always found it odd how we're at the forefront of new and advanced technology, and yet our local media in no way reflects that. CKCO holds out for digital til the last possible moment, The Record releases its first smartphone app only last week, and the CBC doesn't think we're worth the expense of a digital transmitter.

[Brenden]

What digital antenna channels will we get in KW come the switch over and what ones do we get now? Just dropped cable in favor of shows on the internet, I had not considered getting an antenna.

[Waterlooer]

Ya, I know most young people just like to watch shows online nowadays.

[Razzie]

www.tvfool.com is a good place to hunt for the answer, but once the transition is complete and stations boost their transmission power you'll likely get Citytv, Global, TVO, CKCO, CHCH, CTS, CW from Buffalo, and possibly CFPL from London. Again its not easy to do with an indoor antenna and you'd likely need either a roof mount or a good view for anything decent here in Waterloo Region.

[UrbanWaterloo]

CBC continues “Everyone, Every way” promise with new services across Canada
September 26, 2011 | CBC | Link (http://www.cbc.radio-canada.ca/newsreleases/20110926.shtml)

CBC today announced significant new initiatives to improve local services for thousands of Canadians across the country, continuing its “Everyone, Every Way” strategic plan unveiled earlier this year. New radio and internet services will be introduced for the London and Kitchener-Waterloo areas of Ontario and new weekend news programming will be introduced in Edmonton, Ottawa, the Maritimes and St. John’s through the spring and fall of 2012.

“As we said with our announcements earlier this year, we know that local service is a key requirement with Canadians, so as a public broadcaster, that is one of our objectives,” says Kirstine Stewart, executive vice-president for English Services. “We made a great start with our announcements in Victoria, Kelowna, Kamloops, Calgary and Toronto. With these latest announcements, our momentum continues to build. We look forward to sharing details about our latest projects, and making more announcements in coming months.”

“We know that our new services in London and Kitchener-Waterloo and enhancements to weekend news in Edmonton, Ottawa, the Maritimes and St. John’s are going to add to an already strong news offering in each of those places,” says Jennifer McGuire, general manager and editor in chief of CBC News, with responsibility for CBC centres across the country. “This expansion will help to build upon our reputation as one of the country’s leading news organizations, where Canadians can turn to any platform they choose to find the news and information that’s relevant to them.”

"I'm very happy to see our strategic plan coming to fruition in tangible and exciting ways throughout the country, as laid out in our Everyone, Every way strategy,” says Hubert T. Lacroix, president and chief executive officer of CBC/Radio-Canada. “We remain committed to delivering on our promise of a stronger relationship with Canadians. With new delivery models, CBC/Radio-Canada continues to evolve as a modern and agile public broadcaster.”


CBC to introduce new local service to Kitchener-Waterloo
September 26, 2011 | CNW | Link (http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/September2011/26/c6357.html#.ToDpKCeuEwU.twitter)

Continuing the promise of its five-year strategic plan Everyone, Every Way, CBC announced today it will introduce new radio and internet services for the Kitchener-Waterloo area commencing in fall of 2012.

"Kitchener-Waterloo and the surrounding area, is home to over a half million Ontarians. As the public broadcaster, we're delighted to be able to introduce new on the ground-coverage to the area," says Susan Marjetti, CBC Managing Director of Toronto and Ontario Regions. "The intent is to connect and reflect the cities' in all their richness and diversity. Kitchener-Waterloo is a vibrant urban centre, with much to offer by the way of technology, business, arts and culture, and great quality of life. We're looking forward to sharing all of the details, as we get closer to our launch in 2012."

"I'm delighted CBC is coming to our vibrant community" says Carl Zehr, mayor of Kitchener. "Waterloo Region is one of the fastest growing and economically diverse communities in Ontario. We look forward to a CBC local presence here and the comprehensive voice it will lend to our region."

"I am delighted that the CBC has chosen to expand and have a local presence in our vibrant community," says Brenda Halloran, mayor of Waterloo. "The addition of this news medium allows the residents of the City of Waterloo to access more news and become more engaged in local initiatives. We welcome the CBC to our great City."

"We're very excited about forging a new relationship with the Kitchener-Waterloo community with these latest additions to our service," says Kirstine Stewart, executive vice-president of CBC English Services. "People across the country tell us that local service is what they want. So as a public broadcaster, it's our job to meet that expectation, evolving the ways in which we deliver our services as well as creating new ones. We'll be expanding the kinds of programs we offer. Canada's communities are changing and growing; we know there are millions of Canadians who now live in areas which we aren't serving locally, or aren't serving enough. Our objective is to address that over the next four years."

"I'm very happy to see the momentum continuing for our Everyone, Every way strategy," says Hubert T. Lacroix, president and chief executive officer of CBC/Radio-Canada. "Announcing new local services confirms that we are committed to delivering on our promise of a stronger relationship with Canadians. With new delivery models, CBC/Radio-Canada continues to evolve into a modern and agile public broadcaster."

Details about the new Kitchener-Waterloo service will be announced in coming months, Marjetti says.

More than 7 million Canadians live in large population centres that are either unserved or underserved by CBC; the public broadcaster's strategic plan is aimed at reaching approximately 6 million Canadians with new or expanded local services over the next four years. In May, CBC made announcements for weekend news in Toronto and Calgary and unveiled plans for new services in Kelowna, Kamloops and Victoria. Other recent announcements have included Edmonton, Halifax, St. John's, London and Ottawa.

[UrbanWaterloo]

CBC stays the course with announced Local Service Extensions.
April 4, 2012 | CNW | Link (http://www.newswire.ca/en/story/950569/cbc-stays-the-course-with-announced-local-service-extensions)

Earlier today, CBC President Hubert Lacroix and his two executive vice-presidents, Kirstine Stewart and Louis Lalande, spoke to CBC/Radio-Canada's employees at a town hall meeting, to address the impact of last week's federal budget on CBC. Staff were given an overview of how CBC/Radio-Canada will deal with a $115 million shortfall and additional financial pressures that will take that number to $200 million over the next three years.

In order to deal with these challenges CBC will be forced to delay the launch of four new local radio stations announced previously as a part of its Local Service Extension initiative:

The revised time lines are as follows:

Kamloops-delayed from Spring, 2012 to Fall, 2012
The Waterloo Region and London move to late Fall 2012 or Winter, 2013
Saskatoon-Summer of 2013
The launch of a new, local digital service in Hamilton Ontario will not be affected.

With the exception of these minor delays, our commitment to expanding into these communities remains unchanged.

[zanate]

Well, that's encouraging-- CBC is my radio of choice. But I wouldn't hold my breath on seeing the analog CBC TV transmitter upgraded to digital, or in fact broadcasting after this summer. I suspect that will be a place they choose to cut.

[Pheidippides]

...I wouldn't hold my breath on seeing the analog CBC TV transmitter upgraded to digital...

Actually I have read that CBC will accelerate the shutdown of the analog TV transmitters because of their low use (1.7%)

[zanate]

Though I doubt that is the rate of use in KW, where it's either analog or pay. Self-fulfilling prophecy might be in effect here: one year stay of execution on the analog transmitter, only it switches to a new channel at lower power than it was. I know my reception went down the tubes. It's almost unwatchable now, so pulling the plug seems like the logical next step.

That's okay, I'm sure Sun Media or someone else more friendly with our local MP's can step up to replace them. </bitterliberal>

[jallen]

So, they're eliminating analog transmitters in the near future? That'd be quite a shame - we don't get cable: all our television is transmitted through the antenna. The only channel we ever watch is the CBC, and I'm certainly looking forward to its expansion into Kitchener-Waterloo. But does this mean we'd have to subscribe to some sort of cable service to get CBC?

[zanate]

Many of CBC's shows are available online. HNIC is streamed. Don't know about news... so it's either on-demand, buy cable, or get a serious rooftop antenna pointed at Toronto.

[metropolis]

http://www.waterloochronicle.ca/community/waterloo-cbc-launch-delayed/


Wednesday, April, 11, 2012 - 9:09:04 AM

Waterloo CBC launch delayed

CBC will delay the launch of a digital radio station in Waterloo until late fall or early 2013 in the wake of federal funding cuts announced in last week’s budget.
The Toronto Star reported the CBC will cut 650 jobs over the next three years, including 475 this fiscal year, in response to last week’s federal budget, which reduced funding to the public broadcaster by $115 million.
CBC staff were given an overview of how CBC/Radio-Canada will deal with a $115 million shortfall and additional financial pressures that will take that number to $200 million over the next three years.
In order to deal with these challenges CBC will be forced to delay the launch of four new local radio stations announced previously as a part of its Local Service Extension initiative.

[panamaniac]

Where did they get the information that the CBC would locate in Waterloo? I had assumed a Downtown location would be more logical.

[markster]

"Waterloo" is also the region that Kitchener is in. It is likely referring to Waterloo Region.

[panamaniac]

"Waterloo" is also the region that Kitchener is in. It is likely referring to Waterloo Region.

I wondered about that, but using "Waterloo" when meaning Region of or K-W seemed too boneheaded to me, even for the Chronicle.