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CITY-DT (known on-air as Citytv Toronto or simply Citytv) is a television station in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It broadcasts a high-definition digital signal on UHF channel 44 (or virtual channel 57.1 via PSIP) from a transmitter located atop the CN Tower in downtown Toronto. Owned by Rogers Media, CITY is sister to Omni Television outlets CFMT-DT and CJMT-DT (respectively known as OMNI.1 and OMNI.2) as part of Rogers' only conventional television triplestick.

This arrangement also makes the three stations sister to cable-exclusive regional news channel CityNews Channel and all four share studios at 33 Dundas Street East on Yonge-Dundas Square in downtown Toronto. This can also be seen on (corporate sister through parent company Rogers Communications) Rogers Cable channels 7 and 133 and in high definition on digital channel 519.

The station was best known for its unconventional approach to news and local programming, creating the basis upon which the Citytv television system (of which it is the flagship station) was built.

History

CITY signed on air for the first time on September 28, 1972, as an independent station. It originally transmitted a 31 kW signal on UHF channel 79, since all the VHF licences in the Toronto area were taken. The founding ownership group Channel Seventy-Nine Ltd. consisted of Phyllis Switzer, Moses Znaimer, Jerry Grafstein, Edgar Cowan and others. The four principal owners raised over $2,000,000 to help start up the station, with Grafstein raising about 50% of the required funds, Znaimer raising around 25%, and the remainder accrued by Switzer and Cowan. The Channel 79 licence was granted to the company on November 25th, 1971. The studio was located at 99 Queen Street East near Church Street.

The station was in debt by 1975. Multiple Access Ltd. (the owners of CFCF in Montreal) purchased 45% of the station, and sold its stake to CHUM Limited three years later. CITY was purchased outright by CHUM in 1981 with the sale of Moses Znaimer's interest in the station. Znaimer remained with the station as an executive until 2003, when he retired from his management role but continued to work with the station on some production projects.

In 1976, the station began broadcasting at 208 kW from the CN Tower. The station moved from channel 79 to channel 57 on July 1, 1983, because of complaints that it was interfering with mobile radio in the Toronto area, and so that the frequencies used by channels 70 to 83 could be reclaimed for use by new AMPS mobile phones as a result of a CCIR international convention in 1982. On September 1, 1986, a transmitter was put into operation in Woodstock (CITY-TV-2 on channel 31, also serving nearby London), and another was set up in Ottawa in 1996 (CITY-TV-3 on channel 65).

In 1987, CITY and the other CHUM-owned television stations moved to the headquarters at 299 Queen Street West, which became one of the most recognizable landmarks in the city. CITY launched a test broadcast of its digital signal using the ATSC DTV standard on January 16, 2003, and began regular digital transmission on March 3 of the same year, becoming the first digital television station in Canada.

Despite efforts to extend the brand to other major markets, for 30 years CITY was the only Canadian station to identify on-air as "Citytv", making "Citytv" and "CITY" interchangeable names for the station. In 2001, however, CHUM purchased Vancouver's CKVU from Canwest Global. CKVU was re-branded as Citytv in 2002, making Citytv a two-station system (see 2001 Vancouver TV realignment).

In 2005, three more Citytv stations were added in Calgary, Edmonton and Winnipeg after CHUM purchased the A-Channel television stations and the other assets owned by Craig Media, the existing A-Channel brand was revamped and was transferred to CHUM's former NewNet stations. On the day when the three A-Channel stations were rebranded as Citytv, the flagship CityPulse newscast was rebranded CityNews.

On July 12, 2006, CTVglobemedia announced its offer to acquire CHUM Limited and its assets, including the Citytv stations, and related cable properties. Since CTV already owned local stations in all Citytv markets (including Toronto, where CTV owns and operates CFTO), the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) stipulated the sale of the Citytv stations as a condition for the approval of the CHUM purchase. The Citytv stations (including CITY) were subsequently sold to Rogers Communications, with the sale approved by the CRTC on September 28, 2007, and Rogers officially taking ownership on October 31 of the same year. (See 2007 Canada broadcast TV realignment.)

CTV kept ownership of 299 Queen Street West, where CHUM's specialty television channels now owned by CTV (such as CP24, MuchMusic, Star!, Bravo! and Space) would remain. As such, Rogers had to find a new home for CITY-TV. Rogers subsequently purchased 33 Dundas Street East, the former Olympic Spirit building located at the edge of Dundas Square, for the use of its Toronto television stations, and CITY-TV moved into the new facility on September 8, 2009.

On October 3, 2011, Rogers Media launched CityNews Channel, a 24-hour regional news channel for the Toronto area utilizing the resources of CITY-DT, and other Rogers-owned news and media properties such as 680 News radio and Maclean's magazine. The channel uses the same news wheel format as 680News with traffic and weather reports on the :1s of every hour, sports news at :15 and :45 past the hour and business news at :26 and :56 past the hour. In addition to rolling news programming, CityNews Channel airs simulcasts of Citytv Toronto's news programming, as well as audio feed from 680News during the overnight hours.

Programming

Citytv has traditionally pursued a programming strategy targeting hip, young and urban audiences, as well as science fiction series, such as the Stargate and Star Trek franchises, with significant cult followings. The system has also sometimes aired more adult-oriented fare than most television stations, including Baby Blue Movies and the television edition of Naked News, both very late at night. Citytv also aired The Oprah Winfrey Show from its debut in 1986 until the start of the 1992-1993 season when the show's broadcasting rights were bought by CTV and its local affiliate CFTO-TV, which aired the show until the end of its run in 2011.

The station has also historically produced much more local programming than most other Canadian television stations, including the daily talk show CityLine (hosted first by Dini Petty, then Marilyn Denis, and now Tracy Moore); magazine series such as The New Music, Toronto Rocks, FashionTelevision, Life on Venus Ave. and MovieTelevision; and interactive series such as Speakers' Corner. As well, the station often pursued synergies with its sister cable networks, sharing programming with MuchMusic, Bravo!, Space and CP24.

Shortly after its takeover by Rogers, Citytv's Great Movies block was cancelled in favour of more series. Late night reruns of the Great Movies block were replaced by infomercials.

On March 2, 2008, CITY aired its first Toronto Blue Jays baseball game, a spring training game against the Cincinnati Reds. Citytv and the Blue Jays share common ownership by Rogers Media. This is not the first time that a live sport event has aired on a Citytv network station, it also was the Canadian broadcaster for ABC's Monday Night Football until its move to ESPN in 2006. Beginning in the 2007 NFL season as part of Rogers Media's broadcast rights with the NFL; two late regular season games are shown by CITY and Vancouver sister station CKVU-TV weekly, the opposite games air regionally on their respective Rogers Sportsnet feed. As a part of a series of games played at the Rogers Centre, CITY also became a part of the television network of the Buffalo Bills, adding their pre-season games to its lineup in the 2008 season.

News operation

This section needs expansion with: history of CITY-TV's news department. You can help by adding to it. (August 2011)

CITY-DT currently produces a total of 32 hours of local newscasts each week (with six hours on weekdays and one hour on weekends). It is the only remaining owned-and-operated station of the Citytv system that operates a full-fledged news department, as local midday and evening newscasts on its Winnipeg, Edmonton, Calgary and Vancouver sister stations were cancelled between 2006 and 2010; outside of Toronto, locally-produced programming on Citytv's O&O sister stations is now limited to local versions of morning news and talk program franchise Breakfast Television (a program that originated on CITY in September 1989).

On January 19, 2010, Rogers Media announced the cancellation of CityNews at Noon, CityOnline, CityNews at Five, Citytv's national and international newscast CityNews International, and the weekend newscasts, effective immediately as part of massive restructuring and layoffs at the Citytv stations. Among those laid off were long-time 6 p.m. co-anchor Anne Mroczkowski and reporters Farah Nasser, Jee Yun Lee, Laura Di Battista, Marianne Dimain, Merella Fernandez and Michael Serapio; Pam Seatle was also let go but returned one month later.

The weekend newscasts returned in March 2011, followed by the return of the weekday CityNews at Five and the half-hour expansion of Breakfast Television (with its start time moved up to 5:30 a.m., and expanding to 3½ hours as a result) on September 5, 2011.

CityNews Channel simulcasts all of Citytv Toronto's daily news programs, the station also produces half-hour extensions of its weekday morning program Breakfast Television and nightly 11 p.m. newscast, CityNews Tonight, that are exclusively broadcast on the channel. On April 14, 2012, Citytv Toronto began simulcasting CityNews Channel's weekend morning news programming from 7-8 a.m. on Saturday mornings and from 7-9 a.m. on Sunday mornings. On August 13, 2012, CITY-TV expanded their nightly 11 p.m. newscast, CityNews Tonight, to one hour, making the program the only hour-long late evening newscast in the Toronto market.

Newscasts

Weekdays

• BT Early Start – 5:30-6 a.m.
• Breakfast Television – 6-9 a.m.
• CityNews at Five – 5-6 p.m.
• CityNews at Six – 6-7 p.m. (repeats at 7 p.m. on CityNews Channel)
• CityNews Tonight – 11 p.m.-midnight (repeats at midnight on CityNews Channel)

Saturdays

• CityNews Channel Live – 7-8 a.m.
• CityNews at Six – 6-7 p.m.
• CityNews Tonight – 11 p.m.-midnight

Sundays

• CityNews Channel Live – 7-9 a.m.
• CityNews at Six – 6-7 p.m.
• CityNews Tonight – 11 p.m.-midnight

News/station presentation

Newscast titles

• CityPulse (1972–2005)
• CityPulse Tonight (1972–2005; 11 p.m. newscast)
• Breakfast Television (1989–present; morning newscast)
• CityNews (2005–present)
• CityNews Tonight (2005–present; 11 p.m. newscast)

Station slogans

• "Everywhere!" (1972–present)
• "Toronto's News" (newscast slogan; 1972–2002 and 2005–present)
• "What Toronto's Talking About Today" (newscast slogan; 2002–2005)

News music packages

• Masterpiece by The Temptations (1972–early 1980s)
• Gotta Fly Now by Bill Conti (Rocky II version)/Maynard Ferguson (1979–1990)
• Pentatus by Graham Shaw (mid 1980s–1994)

News team

Anchors

• Francis D'Souza - weeknights at 5 p.m.; also reporter
• Tom Hayes - weeknights at 5:30 p.m.; also reporter
• Kevin Frankish - Breakfast Television (weekday mornings, 5:30-9 a.m.)
• Gord Martineau - weeknights at 6 p.m.
• Roger Petersen - CityNews Tonight (weeknights at 11 p.m.)
• Dina Pugliese - Breakfast Television (weekday mornings, 7-9 a.m.)
• Pam Seatle - weekends at 6 and 11 p.m.; also weeknight reporter

Weather team

• Adam Stiles (NWA Seal of Approval) - meteorologist; CityNews at Five, CityNews at 5:30 and CityNews Tonight (weeknights at 11 p.m.)
• Frank Ferragine - weather specialist; Breakfast Television (weekday mornings, 5:30-9 a.m.), also gardening specialist
• Sangita Patel - weather specialist; weekends at 6 and 11 p.m.
• Natasha Ramsahai (CMOS-endorsed weathercaster) - meteorologist; weeknights at 6 p.m.

Sports team

• Kathryn Humphreys - lead sports anchor; weeknights at 5, 6 and 11 p.m.
• Hugh Burrill - sports anchor/reporter

Traffic

• Russ Holden - traffic specialist; weekday mornings Breakfast Television
• Jessica Martin - 680 News traffic specialist; weekday mornings Breakfast Television
• Stella Aquisto - traffic specialist; weekends
• Yvonne Schalle - traffic specialist; weekends
• Jennifer Young - traffic specialist; weeknights at 5 p.m.

Reporters

• Audra Brown - videojournalist
• Kevin Carrington - general assignment reporter
• Avery Haines - general assignment reporter
• Shauna Hunt - general assignment reporter
• Peter Kim - general assignment reporter
• Saphia Khambalia - general assignment reporter
• Mary Kitchen - entertainment reporter
• Andrew Krystal - general assignment reporter
• Cynthia Mulligan - general assignment reporter
• Andrea Piunno - general assignment reporter
• Galit Solomon - general assignment reporter
• Jennifer Valentyne - "Live Eye" reporter for Breakfast Television
• Anna Vlachos - general assignment reporter

CityLine

• Tracy Moore - host

Notable alumni

• Comedian Dan Aykroyd moonlighted as Citytv's announcer from 1972 until 1975 while working at Toronto's Second City before he moved to New York City to join Saturday Night Live.
• Former CBS News anchor and former co-host of CNN's American Morning John Roberts first got his start at CITY, where he was known on-air as "J.D. Roberts". Roberts also was an entertainment reporter on CityPulse at 6 in the early 1980s and a host of The New Music, before becoming the anchor of CityPulse Tonight in 1987. Now with Fox News Channel
• Afternoon CTV host Dini Petty got her start on Citytv as the co-host of CityPulse and later as host of CityLine.
• Long-time continuity announcer and CityNews Tonight anchor Mark Dailey passed away on December 6, 2010, after a long battle with cancer.

Transmitters

Download coordinates as:

• KML
• GPX (all coordinates)
• GPX (primary coordinates)
• GPX (secondary coordinates)

Digital television and high definition

After the analog television shutdown and digital conversion, which took place on August 31, 2011, CITY-TV moved from its pre-transition channel number, 53, to its post-transition channel number, 44. However, through the use of PSIP, digital television receivers display CITY-DT's virtual channel as 57.1.

References

1. Genesis, Genius and Tumult at Citytv Recalled 40 Years On, Broadcaster Magazine, October 1, 2012.
2. Znaimer steps down as president of CHUM TV, Broadcaster Magazine, April 27, 2003.
3. "Bell Globemedia makes .7B bid for CHUM". CBC News. July 12, 2006.
4. "Rogers to move Citytv from Queen". Toronto Star, June 13, 2007.
5. "Dundas Square new home of Citytv". Toronto Star, October 23, 2007.
6. Rogers Media announces launch of new Toronto 24-hour CityNews Channel, Fall 2011
7. February 19, 2008 press release via CNW Group
8. "Bills preseason game an HD first". Retrieved 2008-08-10.
9. Layoffs, Cancelled Shows At Citytv citynews.ca, published January 19, 2010
10. Citytv Restructures Television Operations To Improve Business and Better Serve Audiences Rogers Media press release via CNW Group, published January 19, 2010.
11. Citytv Launches News at Five and Breakfast Television at 5:30 am
12. Citytv Toronto Expands News on Weekend, TVLoon.ca, April 9, 2012.
13. CityNews Tonight Expands to One Hour, Broadcaster Magazine, August 13, 2012.
14. Citytv / CityPulse 6pm News Open
15. CityPulse Tonight 1996 open
16. CITY News HD at 5 Open
17. CityTV Everywhere 1992
18. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5tcEcExr1Sg
19. Personalities
20. A Legend Lost: Toronto Mourns The Death Of Mark Dailey
21. http://www.ic.gc.ca/epic/site/oca-bc.nsf/en/ca02336e.html

External links

• Citytv Toronto
• Canadian Communications Foundation - CITY-TV History
• Museum of Broadcast Communications: CITY-TV
• CITY-TV in the REC Canadian station database
• Template:TV Fool

43°38′59″N 79°23′25″W / 43.649701°N 79.390233°W / 43.649701; -79.390233

• Television stations in Toronto
• Channel 17 TV stations in Canada
• Channel 31 TV stations in Canada
• Channel 44 TV stations in Canada
• Television channels and stations established in 1972
• Citytv stations