CBOFT-DT

H.G. Walker was appointed CBC assistant director for Ontario by the province’s director, Ira Dilworth.
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation marked the opening of CBOFT, power increase for CBOT and the start of separate language transmissions on a regular basis with a special inaugural program on June 24. The program was seen in Quebec City, Montreal and on both Ottawa stations. It included a short address in both languages by the Hon. James J. McCann, Minister of National Revenue; A.D. Dunton, CBC chairman, and Alphonse Quimet, CBC general manager. The program was produced by Pierre Normandin and presented Ottawa area artists in a series of vocal and instrumental selections, accompanies by Cammie Howard and his orchestra. The opening program was preceded at 8:00 p.m. by a half hour salute to CBOFT from Montreal’s CBFT.

CBOFT-TV operated on channel 9 from a transmitter site located at Camp Fortune, Quebec. Studios and offices were at 250 Lanark Street in Ottawa. The CBC had operated CBOT Channel 4 in Ottawa since 1953. Until this time, CBOT had operated in English and French. With CBOFT on the air, CBOT switched to full-time English programming.

When CBOFT signed on the air, Georges Huard was in charge of the station. He had been manager of CBAF Radio in Moncton and came to Ottawa earlier this year as supervisor of CBC television operations in the city. He was also assistant to Charles Wright, manager of CBOT-TV.

CBOFT had an effective radiated power of 31,000 watts video and 17,000 watts audio.

According to Elliott-Haynes CBOFT reached a total of 152,902 adult viewers every day.

H.G. Walker was named director for Ontario and for English networks, succeeding Ira Dilworth who became director of program evaluation.

Effective radiated power was unchanged from 1957.

Effective radiated power increased to 128,000 watts video and 25,600 watts audio.

On January 12, the CRTC approved a new transmitter to rebroadcast CBOFT at Rapides-des-Joachims, Quebec. An additional CBOFT transmitter at Chapeau, Quebec was approved on January 18.

CBOFT-3 Notre-Dame-du-Laus, Quebec signed on the air on December 15.

On December 5, 1990, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation announced its intention to implement, effective immediately, various reductions in service and other measures intended to address an estimated budget shortfall of approximately $108 million for the coming fiscal year. Among the reductions was to change the status of CBLFT-TV Toronto (and its rebroadcasters, including CBEFT Windsor) to that of a full-time rebroadcaster of CBOFT-TV Ottawa. The CRTC approved these changes June 28, 1991.

On June 10, CBOFT-TV was authorized to change the channel for transmitter CBLFT-7 Espanola from 11 to 4 and increase the transmitter power from 8.9 watts to 10 watts. This was the result of Global Communications Limited receiving approval for a transmitter at Sudbury using channel 11. Once the new Global transmitter was on the air, CBLFT-7 would move to channel 4.

CBOFT received permission on April 25 to decrease effective radiated power for CBLFT Toronto from 1,760,000 watts to 615,600 watts. The change would result in a small reduction in the station’s coverage contours with virtually no effect on the service provided to populated areas. Those areas that would not be covered by CBLFT would receive a good quality signal from CBLFT-8 Kitchener, CBLFT-11 Barrie or CBLFT-12 Peterborough.

On August 28, CBOFT received approval to change the channel of its transmitter CBLFT-21 Gogama, from 23 to 12 and decrease effective radiated power from 4,400 watts to 468 watts. This would be a replacement of the existing UHF transmitter with a lower power VHF transmitter which would reduce operating costs while maintaining coverage area.

As of this year, the following Ontario rebroadcast the programming of CBOFT: CBEFT Windsor, CBLFT Toronto, CBLFT-1 Sturgeon Falls, CBLFT-2 Sudbury, CBLFT-3 Timmins, CBLFT-4 Kapuskasing, CBLFT-5 Hearst, CBLFT-6 Elliot Lake, CBLFT-7 Espanola, CBLFT-8 Kitchener, CBLFT-9 London, CBLFT-10 Chatham, CBLFT-11 Barrie, CBLFT-12 Peterborough, CBLFT-13 Belleville, CBLFT-14 Kingston, CBLFT-15 Penetanguishene, CBLFT-17 Sarnia, CBLFT-18 Thunder Bay, CBLFT-19 Nipigon, CBLFT-20 Sault Ste. Marie, CBLFT-21 Gogama, CBLFT-22 Chapleau, CBLFT-23 Wawa, CBLFT-24 Dubreuilville, CBLFT-25 Manitouwadge, CBLFT-26 Geraldton, and CBLFT-27 Mattawa. Quebec transmitters: CBOFT-1 Chapleau, CBOFT-2 Rapides-des-Joachims, CBOFT-3 Notre-Dame-du-Laus, and CBFST-2 Témiscaming.

On September 13, CBC/SRC Ottawa began broadcasting from new studios and offices at 181 Queen Street. Facilities had been scattered around the city. Radio had been in the Chateau Laurier and Television had operated from Lanark Street.

On October 21, CBOFT was given approval to operate a transitional digital television station at Ottawa with a transmitter in Toronto. The Ottawa transmitter would operate from Camp Fortune, Quebec, on channel 22VU with an average effective radiated power of 36,300 watts. The transmitter in Toronto would operate from the CN Tower on channel 24C with an ERP of 2,500 watts. The CBC would surrender the authority granted for CBLFT Toronto to operate a transitional digital television station as the Toronto station would now operate as a rebroadcaster of CBOFT.

CBOFT-DT began transmissions on September 1.

On May 12 the CRTC renewed CBOFT’s licence, including the following rebroadcast transmitters: CBOFT-DT Ottawa, CBOFT-DT-1 Toronto, CBEFT Windsor, CBLFT Toronto, CBLFT-1 Sturgeon Falls, CBLFT-10 Chatham, CHLFT-11 Barrie, CBLFT-12 Peterborough, CBLFT-13 Belleville, CBLFT-14 Kingston, CBLFT-15 Penetanguishene, CBLFT-17 Sarnia, CBLFT-18 Thunder Bay, CBLFT-19 Nipigon, CBLFT-2 Sudbury, CBLFT-20 Sault Ste. Marie, CBLFT-21 Gogama, CBLFT-22 Chapleau, CBLFT-23 Wawa, CBLFt-24 Dubreuilville, CBLFT-25 Manitouwadge, CBLFT-26 Geraldton, CBLFT-27 Mattawa, CBLFT-3 Timmins, CBLFT-4 Kapuskasing, CBLFT-5 Hearst, CBLFT-6 Elliot Lake, CBLFT-7 Espanola, CBLFT-8 Kitchener, and CBLFT-9 London. In Quebec: CBFST-2 Temiscaming, CBOFT-1 Chapeau, CBOFT-2 Rapides-des-Joachims, and CBOFT-3 Notre-Dame-du-Laus.

On April 28, the CRTC approved an application by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation to operate a new regional television station in Toronto. CBLFT-TV Toronto must broadcast a minimum of five hours per week, on average on an annual basis, of local programming intended for television viewers in Toronto and a large part of Ontario. The Commission also approved an application by the CBC to amend the broadcasting licence for CBOFT-TV Ottawa in order to transfer the following transmitters to the new regional television station CBLFT-TV Toronto:

CBLFT-1-TV Sturgeon Falls, CBLFT-2-TV Sudbury, CBLFT-3-TV Timmins, CBLFT-4-TV Kapuskasing, CBLFT-5-TV Hearst, CBLFT-6-TV Elliot Lake, CBLFT-7-TV Espanola, CBLFT-8-TV Kitchener, CBLFT-9-TV London, CBLFT-10-TV Chatham, CBLFT-11-TV Barrie, CBLFT-12-TV Peterborough, CBLFT-13-TV Belleville, CBLFT-14-TV Kingston, CBLFT-15-TV Penetanguishene, CBLFT-17-TV Sarnia, CBLFT-18-TV Thunder Bay, CBLFT-19-TV Nipigon, CBLFT-20-TV Sault Ste. Marie, CBLFT-21-TV Gogama, CBLFT-22-TV Chapleau, CBLFT-23-TV Wawa, CBLFT-24-TV Dubreuilville, CBLFT-25-TV Manitouwadge, CBLFT-26-TV Geraldton, CBLFT-27-TV Mattawa, CBEFT Windsor and CBFST-2-TV Témiscamingue. The Commission also approved the CBC’s application to amend the broadcasting licence for CBOFT-DT Ottawa in order to transfer the transmitter CBLFT-DT Toronto to the new regional television station CBLFT-TV Toronto. The licensee indicated that until 1991 it had operated CBLFT-TV, a regional French-language television station in Toronto. This station was closed at the licensee’s request and converted to a rebroadcasting transmitter for CBOFT-TV Ottawa. The CBC now wished to convert the transmitter CBLFT-TV to a regional station in order to offer local and regional programming to the population of the Toronto region on a regular basis. The CBC stated that it currently offered local programming during station breakaways from CBOFT-TV Ottawa. However, this local programming offering was not the result of a regulatory requirement or a particular condition of licence. The CBC indicated that it wished to increase its commitments to the production of local and regional programming for the Toronto region. In addition, the CBC requested authorization to solicit local advertising in the area served by the regional station and its transmitters. As a condition of licence, CBLFT shall broadcast a minimum of five hours per week, on average on an annual basis, of local programming intended for television viewers in Toronto and a large part of Ontario. For the purposes of this condition of licence, “local programming” means “programming produced by local stations with local personnel or programming produced by locally-based independent producers that reflects the particular needs and interests of residents in the Toronto market and surrounding areas.”

On August 9, the CRTC administratively renewed the licence of CBOFT-DT and CBOFT (and its transmitters) to March 31, 2011.

On March 29, the CRTC administratively renewed the licence for CBOFT-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 CBOFT-TV to add a post-transition digital television transmitter on channel 9 with a maximum effective radiated power of 3,500 watts (1,800 watts average). A directional antenna would be used at the existing Camp Fortune site with effective height of 424.9 metres.

The deadline for conversion from analog to digital in mandatory markets was August 31. CBOFT-DT had been operational on transitional digital channel 22. On August 31, analog channel 9 was shut down and CBOFT moved from transitional channel 22 to post-transitional digital channel 9 (original analog channel) with a virtual channel of 9.1.

On April 5, the CRTC approved the application by the CBC to change the technical parameters for CBOFT-DT Ottawa by increasing the average effective radiated power from 1,800 to 282,000 watts (maximum ERP from 3,500 to 480,000 watts), by decreasing the effective height of antenna above average terrain from 424.9 to 397.7 metres and by changing the channel from 9 to 33. The CBC stated that following the transition to digital, it received many complaints concerning signal reception problems for CBOFT-DT in the Ottawa-Gatineau area. The CBC therefore proposed this amendment to remedy the reception problems.

On July 17, the CRTC approved the request to amend the licences for 23 English- and French-language television stations operated by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation in order that reference to all analog transmitters be deleted. The CBC planned to cease operation of all these transmitters on 31 July 2012. The licences for the following transmitters were removed from the CBOFT-DT licence: CBOFT-1 Chapeau, CBOFT-3 Notre-Dame-du-Laus, and CBOFT-2 Rapides-des-Joachims (all in QC).

On August 9, the CRTC administratively renewed the licence of CBOFT-DT until August 31, 2013.

On May 28, the CRTC renewed CBOFT-DT’s licence for a five year term, to August 31, 2018.