Hamilton Media

[SteelTown]

From the CRTC....

Must air 7 hours minimum of local programming per week. Must reflect Hamilton, Halton and Niagara. Shouldn't be a problem if you are covering news 13.5 hours each day from Mon-Fri.

Primetime schedule movies from 7pm until 9pm, seven days a week. News will air from 5:30am to 7pm on weekdays. Movies replacing news from 1pm until 6pm on weekends.

Channel Zero is also hiring more staff, on air and off air staff to cover the news.

[SteelTown]

Channel Zero has scheduled for CHCH for August 31st-Sept 4th

5:30AM: CHCH Morning Live
9:00AM: CHCH NewsFlow
12:00PM: CHCH News at Noon
1:00PM: Movie
3:30PM: Movie
5:30PM: CHCH Live @ 5:30
6:00PM: CHCH News at 6
7:00PM: Movie
9:00PM: Movie
11:00PM: CHCH News at 11
12:00AM: Movie

As of September 7th........

5:30AM: CHCH Morning Live
9:00AM: CHCH NewsFlow
12:00PM: CHCH News at Noon
1:00PM: CHCH NewsFlow
5:30PM: CHCH Live at 5:30
6:00PM: CHCH News at 6
7:00PM: Movie
9:00PM: Movie
11:00PM: CHCH News at 11
12:00AM: Movie
2:00AM: Movie

[markbarbera]

Quite possibly the best thing to happen for local news coverage in recent memory. Lets hope they have enough viewership in this format to sustain ad revenues.

Good riddance to the sad lineup we had to endure under the E! banner.

[SteelTown]

The first movie for CHCH is suppose to be Rocky, believe there's 5 Rocky movies so each one from Monday to Friday.

Apparently they are keeping "CHCH" as well. Suppose to get a new website shortly.

[SteelTown]

For tomorrow.....

5:30AM: CHCH Morning Live
9:00AM: CHCH NewsFlow
12:00PM: CHCH News at Noon
1:00PM: Movie - Meet John Doe (1941)
3:30PM: Movie - Road To Bali (1952)
5:30PM: CHCH Live @ 5:30
6:00PM: CHCH News at 6
7:00PM: Movie - Parenthood (1989)
9:00PM: Movie - Rocky (1979)
11:00PM: CHCH News at 11
12:00AM: Movie

Apparently there might be Morning Live during the weekends as well but I'm not sure.

Other movies playing this week on CHCH

Life with Farther (1947)
Little Princess Shirly Temple (1939)
The Outlaw (1945)
Made For Eachother (1939)
Bowfinger (1999)
Til The Clouds Roll By (1946)
Great St Louis Bank Robbery (1959)
Mr Mom (1983)

Looks like Channel Zero tapped into the Silver Screen Classics vault.

[matt602]

Holy crap, I gotta say things are looking MUCH better. Looks more like the CHCH we had about 10-15 years ago. So many movies and lots more local stuff.

Good freaking riddance to all of that E! crap.

[SteelTown]

All-day news, movies as CHCH returns to air

August 31, 2009
Steve Arnold
The Hamilton Spectator
http://www.thespec.com/News/Business/article/626198

New owners have taken control of Hamilton's venerable CHCH TV - and they're bringing the movies back.

Effective this morning, ownership of the station has been transferred to an affiliate of Toronto-based specialty TV company Channel Zero.

The new format, which kicked off at 5 a.m., features local news shows through the day until 7 p.m., when movies will dominate the screen.

"We've been preparing for this for the last two months now," said Cal Millar, Channel Zero's president. "The programming is already laid in and the news crew is ready to take it."

Until 11:59 p.m. last night, CH was owned by Winnipeg-based Canwest Global and had been failing fast. Ratings for its E! slate of entertainment gossip shows and U.S. programs were tanking, and advertisers were fleeing. In one regulatory filing, Canwest projected the station would lose $29 million in a single year.

Channel Zero purchased the Hamilton station for a nominal amount with a plan for programming built around local news and movies. The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission approved the transfer of broadcasting licences last week.

"Our folks have been working like crazy," Millar said. "We've done a transition in six weeks that would take most companies six months."

The E! sign on the station's Jackson Street broadcast centre is already gone, Millar said.

"That sign isn't part of anything that we want to be part of," he said.

The new owner's plan will keep the existing 5:30 to 9 a.m. show hosted by Annette Hamm and Bob Cowan on the air. At 9 a.m. they'll slide right into a new local news show called News Now, alternating in the anchor chair until noon. The midday news show will be expanded to one hour.

For the first week the afternoon slots will be filled by movies until another news show is ready. That will run to 5:30 p.m. when an existing dinner-hour news program takes over. At 7 p.m., it's movies again until the 11 p.m. news, followed by a repeat of the Live at 5:30 p.m. show.

"We're keeping the existing news shows because they are doing quite well. Our programming will be very much like CP 24, but it's going to be focused on Hamilton, Halton, Niagara and Peel," Millar said.

To staff the new format Millar said 15 new jobs have been created, some of them going to former CH staff laid off in the relentless rounds of job cuts ordered by Canwest.

"There's nothing like being able to earn some brownie points with your people," he said.

Millar said they "decided to go back to what worked before" -- a strong mix of local shows and big name movies -- the kind of pictures Millar grew up watching on CHCH. There are few such options for viewers who don't have pay TV, digital TV or satellite, he said.

Channel Zero was formed in 2000. Operations include several digital specialty networks such as Movieola -- The Short Film Channel and Silver Screen Classics. In 2006, Channel Zero created Ouat Media Inc., a film and new media content distribution company.

The Hamilton station will be owned by a Channel Zero affiliate called 2185220 Ontario Limited. It is owned equally by Christopher J. Fuoco and Kimberly S. Train, and by three minority shareholders including Romen Podzyhun, Anthony D'Andrea and C.J. (Cal) Millar (respectively holding 23.4 per cent and 23.3 per cent of voting shares).

[LikeHamilton]

Maybe the CBC has noticed CHCH?

CBC-TV launches 90-minute supper hour news

Last Updated: Monday, August 31, 2009 | 9:00 AM ET

CBC-TV's supper hour newscasts expand to 90 minutes on Monday, part of the public broadcaster's efforts to increase local coverage.

The extended newscasts will feature new hosts in Saskatchewan, New Brunswick, Montreal, Halifax, Calgary and Toronto.

The news will run from 5 p.m. to 6.30 p.m., with stories updated throughout the 90 minutes.

"This is designed so that busy people at that time of day can join whenever they can and they'll still get a big dose of the top news stories of the day at 5 and 5:30 and 6," said Liz Hughes, CBC's director of news for the centres, said in an interview.

"It has been close to two decades since this much local news was offered by the CBC on television."

The 90-minute program is essentially three half-hour newscasts that include a mix of international, national and local stories, with an emphasis on breaking local news.

"For the brand overall, CBC News, part of what we're trying to push in our relationship with Canadians is that we're there for them locally, especially on television, to the same extent that we are on radio," said Jennifer McGuire, general manager and editor in chief of CBC News.

"It's a huge priority for people."

The new format, she said, is "consistent to how people are more and more using news — they graze. Most people don't start at the beginning and go to the end."

CBC is launching this critical part of its news renewal process in a year when resources are tight and $7 million has been cut from the English-language news service.

The new thrust to local news has meant changing the way resources are used, McGuire said.

The changes varied market to market, with some cities getting more resources for live local coverage and some extending the range of their coverage. It's also meant juggling existing resources.

"We're fully integrating news gathering resources. Instead of having a radio newsroom and a television newsroom and an online newsroom in terms of news gathering. It is an integrated assignment process that looks at … how to tell the story across platforms and that will extend our reach," McGuire said.

A restructured syndication service will have reporters who can do local versions of national stories — shorter than items they might create for The National, and with a focus on the local angle if there is one.

"What you'll see from the inside is an investment in a syndicated service supporting local news with much more tailored content, content more in line with the values of local news," she said.

"If I'm telling the big parliamentary story of the day and sending it to Vancouver, it's not the pan-Canada version, it's the Vancouver version."

An important part of the change is what CBC is calling integration — in which local radio reporters might do hits for TV and television reporters might contribute to radio.

This is a growing trend in the way reporting is done, Hughes said, and new technologies are making it easier.

"It doesn't take much for reporters who are already crafting a story for radio to sit in front of a camera and give Newsworld the benefit of their expertise on a story. The efficiencies of integration in that way are enormous," Hughes said.

While CBC has more changes coming in October, the launch of the 90-minute supper hour newscasts is a big step in its news renewal process.

New hosts include:

Toronto: Aaron Saltzman joining Diana Swain.
Montreal: Jennifer Hall and Andrew Chang.
Calgary: Nirmala Naidoo.
Halifax: Amy Smith joining Tom Murphy.
New Brunswick: Terry Seguin and Genevieve Tomney.
Saskatchewan: Kaveri Bittira joining Costa Maragos.

[SteelTown]

From E! Everything Entertainment to CHCH: Canada's Superstation

http://www.chchnews.ca/

[matt602]

Wow... what a turnaround.

[realcity]

good format news and old movies. I could see old movies being a good niche, like TVO's 'Saturday Nite At The Movies'. (best four hours on TV)

covering PEEL is a stretch tho. I'd rather they focussed more on this end of the GH. Poor Niagara has lots of news and no coverage. The locals have to read the Buff News. It even has an Ontario/Niagara section.

As far as radio goes, it's 610 am and two US 930am and 98.5 that locals listen too.

[bigguy1231]

Originally Posted by SteelTown

From E! Everything Entertainment to CHCH: Canada's Superstation

http://www.chchnews.ca/

The superstation reference is nothing new for CHCH. Years ago they were on satellite and considered themselves Canada's superstation. Problem was not many had satellite dishes then, so they dropped the idea.

[SteelTown]

Channel Zero aims to revive CHCH-TV's glory days

September 05, 2009
Brent Lawson
The Hamilton Spectator
http://www.thespec.com/News/Local/article/629386

Cal Millar grew up watching CHCH-TV as an unabashed fan.

Now, he runs the show.

He's president of Channel Zero, the company that has purchased Hamilton's venerable TV station and saved the money-losing operation from an uncertain fate.

So popular was the station at his home, Millar's parents wanted him to appear on Bill Lawrence's Tiny Talent Time.

"I was tiny, but I didn't have the talent," Millar jokes today. He's juggling phone calls and meetings at CHCH as it launches its first week under new ownership.

There have been some lurches along the way in this inaugural week -- so many that news anchor Nick Dixon has made apologies to viewers for several out-of-sync segments and the signal accidentally fading to black.

Dixon jokingly asked viewers to stop sending him e-mails about the gaffes.

Viewers have also noticed a lack of paid advertising, with public service announcements and station promos in heavy rotation.

So far it's been hard to get an accurate assessment of how CHCH-TV will perform in its daytime all-news format when all hands are on deck. ("All news. All day. And double feature movies at night," viewers are constantly reminded.)

But growing pains and the occasional glitch, while embarrassing, are to be expected from a rapid six-week turnaround that Millar says would take most stations six months to accomplish.

"The awareness is good. We got the first overnight ratings for the first few days we have been on the new format, and they're good. They're right on target, all the numbers are strong." (Specific details of ratings and other metrics gathered for media outlets are typically kept private.)

And Millar has ambitious plans for the ambitious city's TV station as the wrinkles get ironed out.

In the short term, the station will unveil an additional news anchor next week as News Now PM is launched. It's the afternoon version (1-4:30 p.m.) of News Now AM, which follows the popular morning show. Millar says a key element for the news desk will be its ability to "evolve" or develop the top stories through the day.

In the long term, Millar hopes to rebuild CHCH into a true superstation. He says it has a head start thanks to its distribution across Canada and brand recognition.

He said U.S. superstations like TBS and KTLA have a strong local focus during the day, then in prime time offer programming to appeal to a national audience. "Usually movies, sometimes syndicated comedy shows -- which we're not interested in -- and sports.

"Sports is something we'll investigate as the years go by."

Millar said Channel Zero is "honoured" to be involved with CH.

"It's very cool and, in some ways, a little bit humbling actually, to be charged with helping it regain its former glory."

Many viewers are thankful the station has been saved. But another key to survival will be attracting advertising revenue to pay the bills. Millar said advertisers are excited about the new format.

"The local advertisers will get more opportunity to talk to a local audience. And national advertisers were very receptive."

So where are they?

"They're coming on every week. Next week you'll see more, the week after you'll see more again."

Millar said the station lost valuable selling time due to the change in ownership. Normally, ads for this week would have been sold in June. But the new ownership deal wasn't announced until June 30.

"We just booked a big order with GM, and they're all starting to roll in now."

On the programming side the "comfortable favourites" -- well-known movies CHCH-TV will broadcast in the evening -- have a proven track record.

It's no coincidence that Rocky's inspiring series is on this week.

"It's nice we could do a week of Rocky, and play with the idea that we're the upstarts and come out swinging...

"Our programming folks were picking movies that had significant ratings, and they said we could run a week of Rocky. And everyone started humming the theme song. It started as a joke, but that actually is a good idea

[SteelTown]

With days like this it shows how great it is to have this new format at CHCH. They've been broadcasting Live from Scott Park and Labour Day parade.

[markbarbera]

New development in Mountain Cablevision buyout. As posted on bloomberg.com:

Rogers Seeks to Block Shaw From Buying Cable Provider

Sept. 9 (Bloomberg) -- Rogers Communications Inc., Canada’s biggest cable-television provider, sued to block its largest rival, Shaw Communications Inc., from expanding into eastern Canada with the purchase of a Hamilton, Ontario, cable company.

Rogers asked an Ontario judge today to halt Shaw’s purchase of Mountain Cablevision Ltd. for about C$300 million ($278 million) until a trial. Ontario Superior Court Judge Frank Newbould reserved his decision on the request following a hearing today in Toronto.

“I’ll get you something as quickly as possible,” Newbould told lawyers from the two companies at the conclusion of the four-hour hearing.

Rogers, based in Toronto, argued that Calgary-based Shaw is reneging on the companies’ nine-year-old agreement to divide Canada in half, letting Rogers provide services east of Manitoba and restricting Shaw to western Canada.

Shaw said July 16 it would buy Mountain Cablevision, which has about 41,000 TV subscribers, 28,000 Internet subscribers and 27,000 telephone customers in the Hamilton area, about 40 miles (60 kilometers) southwest of Toronto. Terms of the agreement weren’t released at the time.

3 Percent

Charles F. Scott, a lawyer at Lax O’Sullivan Scott LLP representing Shaw, said at today’s hearing the difference between Rogers’s offer for Mountain Cablevision and what Shaw bid was about C$10 million, or 3 percent. That would suggest a price of around C$300 million, he said after the hearing.

“Mountain isn’t a one-off deal,” Tim Pinos, a lawyer for Rogers with Cassels, Brock & Blackwell LLP, told the judge. “Shaw intends to acquire further assets in eastern Canada.”

Shaw claims any deal restricting each company to a portion of the country is illegal and unenforceable because it unfairly restricts competition.

The “intent is to create two monopolies,” Scott said. “It’s not a matter of undue competition. It’s a matter of eliminating competition.”

The case is Rogers Communications v. Shaw Communications, 09-8305-00CL, Ontario Superior Court of Justice (Toronto).

To contact the reporter on this story: Joe Schneider in Toronto at [email protected]

[matt602]

You know, I actually thought about this when I first read that Shaw had been trying to purchase Mountaincable. I knew that Rogers wouldn't be happy to see a very major independent competitor within close range of their area get bought by a big name like Shaw.

I wonder how this would affect the sale, possibly Rogers even taking over the sale?

[realcity]

Two companies can't just divide up the country. What is this feudalism? O ya it is in Canada when it comes to telecom.

What a scam. I hate to see it sold to anyone. Another corp. loss for Hamilton and its legal, office lease, accounting, and advertising services go with it, back to Calgary. Not too mention more vacant office space on the market.

A service-based economy can't exist without other companies that manufacture or provide a product. This is what nobody understood when they protested Maple Leaf's new proposed pork plant in Hamilton. Just bc they didn't eat meat they thought that no one should benefit from the eating of meat too. *think about this veggies, the most environmentally sustainable culture in the world -- the Inuit -- only eat meat*

BTW
Where's Cogeco in all this?

[markbarbera]

I wouldn't be surprised to see cogeco seek intervenor status and make its own offer. Mountain Cable may find itself the object of desire in a bidding war, assuming the court rules in favour of Rogers' motion.

[SteelTown]

"Sports is something we'll investigate as the years go by."

Anyone else find that interesting? I'm assuming CHCH might want to try getting some possible NHL coverage from Copps.

[SteelTown]

All eyes on CHCH experiment
Hamilton TV station could show struggling industry the way

October 08, 2009
Steve Arnold
The Hamilton Spectator
http://www.thespec.com/News/Business/article/649566

Hamilton television is in the national spotlight as the industry watches its bold local news and movies format, hoping it shows the struggling business a way into the future.

Analysts say CHCH TV's new format certainly has the potential to do just that.

Six weeks after the once-struggling station shed its roster of American entertainment gossip shows for a package of local news through the day and movies in the evening, analysts see at least the promise of future success.

"So far it's what I expected it to be," said analyst Carmi Levy of AR Communications Inc. "They're making the best of a bad situation.

"I think CHCH is going to continue to be a viable local operation."

In Levy's analysis, the new owners of the Hamilton station are making the right decision by adding staff and resources to the local news operation when many other outlets are taking them away.

"For the most part it looks like it has been business as usual with no substantial job losses," he said. "New resources are being devoted to content where others are taking them away, so I expect the results to be quite positive.

"The new owners seem to have a much better sense of how to build a viable local organization."

That effort has seen about 15 jobs created under the new format, with some of them going to former staff fired during Canwest's relentless rounds of cuts.

Once part of the Canwest Global communications empire, CHCH was sold at the end of August to Toronto-based Channel Zero, owner of digital specialty networks such as Movieola -- The Short Film Channel and Silver Screen Classics and distributor of The Fight Network and adult channels.

Once Canada's largest media empire, Canwest faces the prospect of being broken up under court-supervised bankruptcy protection. The restructuring, which includes the National Post newspaper and the Global Television network, will mean the biggest sale of media assets Canada has ever seen. The process is expected to take four to six months.

In the days following the sale, new president Cal Millar spoke of ambitious plans, comparing the Hamilton operation to American superstations such as TBS and KTLA -- heavily local through the day and national in the evening with movies and sports.

Alan Sawyer, of Toronto-based Two Solitudes Media Consulting, also likes CHCH's chances -- it's a small station by Toronto standards, but with a wide reach through the Golden Horseshoe area.

"The breadth of its distribution might just make it viable," he said. "It's a hybrid local-national operation and in a market like Hamilton, that's a workable model."

Millar has said overnight ratings for the new format have been good. A full weighing of viewer opinions won't be available until January, when the next Bureau of Broadcast Measurement survey results are released. The study starts next Thursday and runs through Nov. 18.

Good numbers in that survey will help the station attract advertisers -- the critical piece to paying for the recovery.

The analysts think that's also a fair bet to succeed.

"CHCH was just priced out of the local market by Canwest, but Channel Zero seems to speak another language on pricing and it's a language local businesses want to hear," Levy said.

"I think Hamilton is going to be a template for how local television should be done."

Sawyer agrees, noting customers such as car dealers need local television exposure that they couldn't afford under the old regime.

"A local car dealer can't afford time on a Toronto station, even at the lower end," he said. "I think they're going to come back to local television because CH's rates are going to be lower than any Toronto station.

"I think this experiment has potential and it's going to be fascinating to watch over the next year or so."