CBAFT-DT

Sydney Kennedy was appointed CBC director for the Maritimes, succeeding Capt. W.E.S. Briggs. Kennedy had been program director for the Maritime region since 1952. He started in broadcasting in 1937 at CFCY and joined CBC Halifax in May of 1941 as an operator. He later became an announcer in Sackville, moved back to Halifax in 1942 as chief announcer, became a producer in 1944 and then station manager in 1948. Briggs started in radio in 1935. He moved to CBC Ottawa in 1937, as special events producer, actuality commentator and subsequently station manager. In 1938, he became assistant manager for the Maritimes and manager for that region in 1945. In 1948, he opened CBI, CBAF and CBHT in 1954, CBHT’s three satellites in 1958, and CBAFT in 1959.

CBAFT channel 11 had an effective radiated power of 10,060 watts video and 5,030 watts audio.

CBAFT was operating from a new 433 foot tower and effective radiated power had increased from 18,000 watts video / 9,000 watts audio to 325,000 watts video / 65,000 watts audio. The upgrades would help the station reach another 15,000 French-speaking viewers in the counties of Westmorland, Albert, Kent, southern Northumberland, Sunbury, Kings, Queens and Saint John, in addition to Moncton viewers. It also meant viewers in Cumberland County, Nova Scotia and the northwest part of Prince Edward Island would now receive CBAFT programming.

CBAFT moved to studios and offices on Archibald Street on September 1.

CBAFT was authorized to add transmitters at Neguac (channel 3) and Fredericton-Saint John (channel 5).

As of 2000, CBAFT operated the following transmitters: New Brunswick – CBAFT-1 Fredericton/Saint John, CBAFT-2 Edmundston, CBAFT-3 Neguac/Allardville, CBAFT-4 Grand Falls, CBAFT-7 Campbellton, CBAFT-8 Saint Quentin, CBAFT-9 Kedgwick and CBAFT-10 Fredericton. Nova Scotia – CBHFT Halifax, CBHFT-1 Yarmouth, CBHFT-2 Mulgrave, CBHFT-3 Sydney, CBHFT-4 Cheticamp, CBHFT-5 Middleton, CBHFT-6 Digby, CBHFT-7 New Glasgow and CBHFT-8 Weymouth. Prince Edward Island – CBAFT-5 Charlottetown and CBAFT-6 St. Edward/St. Louis.

On November 16, CBAFT-2 Edmundston was grant an increase in effective radiated power from 8,500 watts to 19,500 watts. The change would improve coverage to the west of the city in the communities of Clair, Lac Baker and St-François-de-Madawaska.

CBAFT operated the following transmitters – New Brunswick: CBAFT-1 Fredericton/Saint John, CBAFT-10 Fredericton, CBAFT-2 Edmundston, CBAFT-3 Neguac, CBAFT-4 Grand Falls, CBAFT-7 Campbellton, CBAFT-8 Saint-Quentin and CBAFT-9 Kedgwick. Prince Edward Island: CBAFT-5 Charlottetown and CBAFT-6 St. Edward/St. Lewis. Nova Scotia: CBHFT Halifax, CBHFT-1 Yarmouth, CBHFT-2 Mulgrave, CBHFT-3 Sydney, CBHFT-4 Cheticamp, CBHFT-5 Middleton, CBHFT-6 Digby, CBHFT-7 New Glasgow and CBHFT-8 Weymouth.

On July 28, the CRTC approved the applications by the CBC to amend the licences for CBAFT Moncton by adding the transmitters CBFNT Port-au-Port and CBFJ-TV St. John’s and for CBFT Montréal by removing the transmitters CBFNT and CBFJ-TV. CBFNT and CBFJ-TV will rebroadcast the programming of CBAFT instead of that of CBFT in order to adequately serve the population of Port-au-Port and St. John’s.

On March 29, the CRTC administratively renewed the licence for CBAFT-TV until August 31, 2012. The Commission noted that it did not intend to renew authorizations for full-power analog transmitters operating in the mandatory markets or on channels 52 to 69 outside the mandatory markets beyond August 31, 2011. By that time, the Commission expected licensees to have the necessary authority to broadcast in digital. In addition, the Commission imposed the following condition of licence on stations that operated in mandatory markets or on channels 52 to 69 outside the mandatory markets: Unless otherwise authorized by the Commission, the licensee shall not transmit analog television signals after 31 August 2011 in mandatory markets designated as such by the Commission in Broadcasting Regulatory Policy 2011-184 or transmit television signals on channels 52 to 69. The CRTC also noted that pursuant to Broadcasting Regulatory Policy 2010-69, it did not intend to renew authorizations to operate transitional digital transmitters included in these licences, beyond August 31, 2011.

The CRTC approved the amendment to the licence of CBAFT-TV to add a post-transition digital television transmitter, operating on channel 11 with a maximum effective radiated power of 17,650 watts (7,480 watts average). A directional antenna would be used at the existing CBC site with effective antenna height of 227.5 metres.

On August 16, the CRTC approved applications by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation to continue to operate 22 analog television rebroadcasting transmitters until August 31, 2012 in markets that the Commission identified as mandatory for conversion to digital transmission, and to make associated technical changes. This approval included CBAFT-1 Saint John, CBAFT-10 Fredericton, CBAFT-5 Charlottetown and CBFJ-TV St. John’s. Approval of the CBC’s proposal, and related technical amendments, would provide additional time for affected households that rely on over-the-air service in mandatory markets to find other means to access the CBC’s television services. Approval of the proposal would also provide an opportunity for the Commission to discuss the CBC’s plans for its over-the-air transmitter system at the time of the CBC’s licence renewal hearing, now scheduled for June 2012.

August 31 was the deadline for the conversion of analog to digital for television stations in mandatory markets. CBAFT-TV made the change on that date. It continued to broadcast on channel 11 (virtual 11.1) in digital – the same channel it had used for analog broadcasting.