CFAP-DT

On March 4, Four Seasons was given approval to operate a television station in Quebec City, on channel 2, with an effective radiated power of 23,700 watts to rebroadcast in full the programs of CFJP-TV Montreal. It was a condition of licence that no local advertising be carried in Quebec City. Four Seasons was also granted authority to operate a French-language television network to rebroadcast the programs of CFJP-TV Montreal in the major regional markets of the province.

Television Quatre Saisons Inc. (division CFCF Inc.) launched CFAP-TV and the TQS (Television Quatre Saisons) network on September 7. The “AP” in the callsign: the second and last names of TQS founder (and owner) Jean Adélard Pouliot. The Montreal studios and offices were in the CFCF building at 405 Ogilvy Avenue.

TQS Quebec City now had a licence to operate as a local station instead of as a rebroadcaster of Montreal. The company was finishing up construction of studio facilities in that city. The new facilities would be home to a staff of 65. Local programming was expected to begin on September 3 from two studios, one for news and the other for production. Construction of the facility at 500 Rue Bouvier, began in September of 1988.

The station was granted an increase in effective radiated power from 23,700 to 69,000 watts.

CFCF Inc. received approval to have its regional newscasts produced by CFAP-TV Quebec City simulcast on CFLS-AM in Levis. 

On August 22, Consortium Quebecor was authorized to acquire effective control of TQS inc. Communications Quebecor inc. would hold 58.52% in Consortium Quebecor. The other shareholders were Canadian Satellite Communications Inc. (19.49%), Cogeco inc. (19.99%), and the other affiliates of the “Télévision Quatre Saisons” network.

On December 7, Cogeco Radio Television Inc. (60%) and Bell Globemedia Inc. (through subsidiary CTV Television Inc.) (40%) were given approval to acquire TQS Inc. The shares had been held in trust by Mr. Pierre Hébert. The sale of TQS came about because of the purchase of TVA by Quebecor Média Inc. The CRTC imposed a condition precedent requiring that the control of TQS be transferred to a third party not associated with Quebecor. 

On June 26 the CRTC approved the application to change the effective control of TQS inc., licensee of CFJP-TV Montréal, 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. The Commission also renewed the licences for these stations until August 31, 2015. 

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. 

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.