CFRS-DT

CFRS-TV was authorized to increase effective radiated power from 24,550 to 27,600 watts. 

On January 23, the CRTC approved the application to amend the licence for CFRS-TV by adding to the licence the following condition of licence: In addition to the 12 minutes of advertising material permitted by subsection 11(1) of the Television Broadcasting Regulations, 1987, the licensee may broadcast more than 12 minutes of advertising material in any clock hour in a broadcast day, in order to broadcast infomercials as defined in Public Notice CRTC 1994-139 and in accordance with the criteria contained in that public notice, as amended.

Cogeco Radio-Télévision inc. acquired CFRS-TV and CKRS-TV from Radio Saguenay ltée.

On June 26, the CRTC approved the application to change the effective control of TQS inc. (TQS), licensee of CFJP-TV / CFJP-DT Montréal, CFAP-TV Québec, CFKM-TV Trois-Rivières, CFKS-TV Sherbrooke and CFRS-TV Saguenay, and of the TQS network, through the transfer of all of the issued and outstanding shares of 3947424 Canada Inc., the parent corporation of TQS, currently held by Cogeco Radio-Télévision inc. (60%) and CTV Television Inc. (40%), to Remstar Diffusion inc., a corporation owned and controlled by Julien and Maxime Rémillard. 

On August 15, the CRTC approved the application by V Interactions inc. to amend the licence for CFRS-TV to add a post-transition digital transmitter to serve the population of Saguenay. The new post-transition digital transmitter, CFRS-DT Saguenay, would operate on channel 13 with an average effective radiated power of 493 watts (maximum ERP of 1,175 watts with an effective height of antenna above average terrain of 593.8 metres).

The deadline for the conversion of analog television to digital in mandatory markets was August 31. CFRS-TV was scheduled to make the transition on that date – moving from analog channel 4 to digital channel 13 (virtual 4.1). 

On April 26, the CRTC reviewed certain conditions of licence for V Interactions inc.’s television stations (CFJP-DT Montréal, CFAP-DT Québec, CFKM-DT Trois-Rivières, CFKS-DT Sherbrooke and CFRS-DT Saguenay) and network. The Commission noted that this process represented a review solely of V Interactions’ conditions of licence regarding local programming and priority programming. In light of the expectation set out in Broadcasting Decision 2008-129 that the licensee could improve its news offering for the remainder of its licence terms, the Commission maintained the same conditions of licence with respect to local programming and priority programming until August 31, 2015. 

On May 31, the CRTC approved the application by V Interactions inc. to change the authorized contours of CFRS-DT by increasing the average effective radiated power from 493 to 1,824 watts (maximum ERP from 1,175 to 4,344 watts). All other technical parameters would remain unchanged. The licensee indicated that following the station’s conversion from a low-VHF, analog channel (channels 2-6) to a high-VHF, digital channel (channels 7-13), a loss of coverage was noted. The Commission was of the view that approval of the application was appropriate since it aimed to improve CFRS-DT’s signal coverage in Saguenay.

In November, Henri Audet, founder of Cogeco cable died at age 94. Trained as an engineer, Audet left a job at the CBC to launch a TV station in Trois-Riviéres. He sold his house and raised $100,000 from friends and other investors as seed money. From that single television station the company became Canada’s fourth-largest cable company and one of Quebec’s largest media companies. Audet served as president of the Canadian Association of Broadcasters from 1961 to 1964, and was appointed a Member of the Order of Canada in 1984. Control of Cogeco Inc. and its direct and indirect subsidiaries was held by Gestion Audem Inc., a holding company whose shares were held entirely by the members of the family of Henri Audet.