CFTO-DT facts for kids
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| Toronto, Ontario Canada |
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|---|---|
| Channels | Digital: 8 (VHF) Virtual: 9 |
| Branding | CTV Toronto or CTV (general) CTV News Toronto (newscasts) |
| Programming | |
| Affiliations | CTV (1961–present) |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | Bell Media Inc. |
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Sister stations
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TV: CP24, CKVR-DT (Barrie) Radio: CFRB, CHUM (AM), CHUM-FM, CKFM-FM |
| History | |
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First air date
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December 31, 1960 |
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Former call signs
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CFTO-TV (1960–2011) |
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Former channel number(s)
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Analogue: 9 (VHF, 1960–2011) Digital: 40 (UHF, 2004–2011) 9 (VHF, 2011–2019) |
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Former affiliations
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Independent (1960–1961) |
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Call sign meaning
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"Canada's Foremost, Toronto's Own" |
| Technical information | |
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Licensing authority
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CRTC |
| ERP | 10.2 kW |
| HAAT | 467.0 m (1,532 ft) |
| Transmitter coordinates | 43°38′33″N 79°23′14″W / 43.64250°N 79.38722°W |
| Translator(s) | See below |
CFTO-DT (channel 9) is a television station in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is the main station, also called the "flagship station," for the CTV Television Network. This means it's one of the most important stations for CTV.
The station is owned by Bell Media. It works alongside another CTV 2 station, CKVR-DT, which is based in Barrie. CFTO-DT's main studios are located at 9 Channel Nine Court in Agincourt. Its transmitter, which sends out the TV signal, is on top of the famous CN Tower in Downtown Toronto. Many of CTV's main offices and studios for national news shows are also in the Agincourt building.
Contents
History of CFTO-DT Television
CFTO-DT first started broadcasting on December 31, 1960, at 10:00 p.m. Its first full day of TV shows was on January 1, 1961. The very first program was a special fundraising event called a telethon. It helped raise money for the Ontario Association for Community Living.
How CFTO-DT Started Broadcasting
The station was created by a group called Baton Aldred Rogers Broadcasting. This was a partnership between several families and companies. The 'Baton' part of the name came from the Telegram Corporation. The station's first studio and transmitter were at 1550 McCowan Road. This address was later renamed 9 Channel Nine Court, which is still where the studios are today.
In March 1961, one of the founders, Joel Aldred, sold his share. On October 1, 1961, CFTO became one of the first stations to join the CTV network. It also became CTV's main "flagship" station. In 1970, some of the original owners exchanged their shares.
CFTO-DT's Growth and Changes
On May 31, 1976, CFTO started sending its signal from the CN Tower. This helped its signal reach more people. In 1985, CFTO began broadcasting in stereo, which made the sound much better.
In 1991, CFTO joined with other stations in Ontario to form Ontario Network Television. This group later became the Baton Broadcast System. It was a smaller network within the larger CTV network. In 1995, CFTO added more transmitters in Orillia and Bobcaygeon to reach even more viewers.
For a long time, CFTO was the biggest and most successful station in the CTV network. This led to some concerns that it might have too much power. However, the station owners agreed that everyone would have an equal vote. Eventually, in 1997, the Baton group bought most of CTV. They changed the company name to CTV Inc. in 1998.
In January 1998, the Eaton family sold their share in CTV. On the same day, the Baton Broadcast System officially joined CTV. Later, in March 2000, Bell Canada decided to buy CTV Inc. for a large amount of money. This deal was approved in December 2000.
By February 2005, CFTO stopped using its call letters (CFTO) in its on-air name. Instead, it started using just the "CTV" name. This change became official for many CTV stations across Canada in October 2005. Bell Canada later sold most of its share in CTV. But in 2011, Bell Inc. bought back full control of CTV's assets. The company was then renamed Bell Media.
Programming on CFTO-DT
Since CFTO is CTV's main station, its TV schedule is almost the same as the main CTV network schedule. Other CTV stations in Southern Ontario, like CJOH in Ottawa and CKCO in Kitchener, often show the same programs. This is because CFTO helps manage the broadcasts for these stations. Any small differences usually involve local commercials or religious shows on Sunday mornings.
Shows Made at CFTO Studios
In the past, CFTO helped create many Canadian TV shows. These included popular programs like The Littlest Hobo, Circus, and The Uncle Bobby Show. However, like many local TV stations today, CFTO now produces fewer non-news shows.
For many years, the CFTO studios at Channel Nine Court have been home to major network shows. These include CTV National News, Canada AM, and W5. Today, many of CTV's special channels also use these studios. For example, shows like TSN's SportsCentre and Discovery Channel's Daily Planet are made there.
The studio complex has also been rented out for other projects. For instance, parts of the 1976 movie Network were filmed there. The drawings for Lotto 6/49 and Lotto Super 7 (now Lotto Max) also took place at CFTO until 2008. Since 2010, CFTO and CP24 have been the TV broadcasters for the Toronto Santa Claus Parade.
News Operation at CFTO-DT
CFTO-DT broadcasts many hours of local news each week. It has 2½ hours on weekdays and 1½ hours on Saturdays and Sundays. The station calls its news shows CTV News Toronto. This name is used by all CTV-owned stations.
The main 6:00 p.m. news show is the most-watched local newscast in Canada. In the 1970s, the news shows had names like World Beat News and Night Beat News. They were renamed CFTO News in 1998 and then CTV News in 2005.
In December 2008, CP24, a 24-hour news channel focused on Toronto, started showing CTV News at Six. This happened because the connection between CP24 and CITY-TV ended. Both CFTO and CP24 are now run by Bell Media. The station's late-night news, CTV News at 11:30, was also added to CP24's schedule in May 2009. On May 12, 2009, CFTO began broadcasting its local news in high definition (HD). With this change, the station also got a new, updated studio.
Since July 2017, CFTO has also been showing CP24's Live at 5 and Live at 5:30. This was part of a plan to add more local news across Bell Media stations.
Current News Reporters and Anchors
- Michelle Dubé – She is a co-anchor for CTV News at Six on weekdays.
Past News Reporters and Anchors
- Christine Bentley – A former anchor and reporter for CTV News at Six.
- Dave Devall – He was a weather specialist reporter.
- Tom Gibney – A former anchor for CTV News at Six.
- Ken Shaw – He was a co-anchor for CTV News at Six and CTV News at Noon for many years.
Technical Information for CFTO-DT
Television stations use different channels to broadcast their signals. CFTO-DT has a main channel and a subchannel.
Digital Channels
| Channel | Video | Aspect | Short name | Programming |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9.1 | 1080i | 16:9 | CFTO | Main CFTO-DT programming / CTV |
| 9.2 | 480i | SD simulcast of 9.1 |
Switching to Digital TV
CFTO started sending a digital signal over the air on January 30, 2004. In mid-2005, CFTO improved its digital signal to broadcast in high definition (HD).
On August 31, 2011, CFTO stopped broadcasting its old analogue signal. This was part of a big change in Canada where TV stations switched from analogue to digital broadcasts. CFTO's digital signal then moved to its old analogue channel, VHF channel 9. On April 29, 2019, CFTO changed its broadcast channel again to channel 8, but it still shows up as virtual channel 9.1 on your TV.
Transmitters for CFTO-DT
Transmitters are towers that send out the TV signal so you can watch the station. CFTO-DT has additional transmitters to reach more areas.
| Station | City of licence | Channel (RF / VC) |
ERP | HAAT | Transmitter coordinates |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CFTO-DT-21 | Orillia | 21 (UHF) 21 |
207.6 kW | 171.3 m (562 ft) | 44°52′4″N 79°35′41″W / 44.86778°N 79.59472°W |
| CFTO-DT-54 | Peterborough | 35 (UHF) 54 |
38 kW | 176.3 m (578 ft) | 44°26′44″N 78°31′59″W / 44.44556°N 78.53306°W |
Some of these transmitters were planned to shut down in 2009. However, after Bell Media took full control of CTVglobemedia, these transmitters continued to operate. On June 23, 2019, the Orillia transmitter was updated to digital.
