Wikipedia

CP24

CP24is aCanadianEnglish-languagespecialtynews channel owned byBell Media,a subsidiary ofBCE Inc.and operated alongside the Bell-ownedCTV Television Network's owned-and-operated television stationsCFTO-DT(CTV Toronto) andCKVR-DT(CTV 2 Barrie). The channel broadcasts from9 Channel Nine Courtin the Toronto borough ofScarborough.

CP24
CountryCanada
Broadcast areaCanada
Headquarters9 Channel Nine Court,Toronto,Ontario,Canada
Programming
Picture format1080iHDTV
(downscaled toletterboxed480ifor theSDTVfeed)
Ownership
OwnerCHUM Limited(1998–2007, 70.1% to 2004)
Sun Media(1998–2004, 29.9%)
CTVglobemedia(CTV Limited)(2007–2011, 80% to 2008)
Rogers Media(2007–2008, 20%)
BCE Inc.(2011–present)
ParentBell Media
Sister channelsTV:BNN Bloomberg,CTV News Channel,Much,CTV Drama Channel,Discovery,CFTO-DT,CKVR-DT(Barrie)
Radio:CFRB,CHUM,CHUM-FM,CKFM-FM
History
LaunchedMarch 30, 1998;26 years ago(1998-03-30)
Former namesCablePulse24
Links
Websitecp24.com

It was first originally launched on March 30, 1998, under the nameCablePulse24by its ownersCHUM LimitedandSun Media.The channel was named as an extension ofCITY-TV(CitytvToronto)'s newscasts, which were then known asCityPulse.CHUM acquired Sun Media's interest in 2004 after acquiring the assets ofCraig Media.In 2006, Bell Globemedia acquired CP24 and its parent CHUM Limited, butregulatory limits in media ownershipforced CHUM to sell off the Citytv stations to avoid conflicts with CTV stations in the same markets. CTVglobemedia retained the ownership of CP24 and the small marketA-Channelstations, but subsequently sold the Citytv stations including CITY-TV, toRogers Mediain mid-2007, which held a 20% stake until 2008.

The channel focuses on local news from theGreater Toronto AreaandSouthern Ontario,while also covering national and international news. It is distributed through cable in Southern Ontario anddirect broadcast satellitenationally.

As of 2023, CP24 streams free worldwide on its website with no subscription required.

History

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Old version of the CP24 logo, used from 1998 to 2003

Under CHUM

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The channel was licensed by theCanadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission(CRTC) in 1996 asPulse 24,described as "a 24-hour-a-day specialty television service devoted to news and information, with a focus on southern Ontario local and regional news and information",[1]and launched on March 30, 1998, asCablePulse 24,under the ownership ofCHUM Limited,the parent company ofCITY-TVand minority partnerSun Media,owner of theToronto Sundaily newspaper. For the first 10 years after its inception, CP24's programming was anchored and featured reports from Citytv personalities, liveCityPulsenews broadcasts were immediately repeated on CP24 after their initial broadcast on CITY-TV (except for breaking news coverage), and special coverage was simulcast between the channel and the television station. Select programming from other CHUM stations would also be featured on the channel, includingThe NewMusicandFashion Television;another program,24Ontario,featured news stories from CHUM'sNewNetstations elsewhere in the province.

Overnight broadcasts on CP24 featured vintageCityPulsenews broadcasts from CITY-TV during the 1970s & 1980s branded asRewind.The rebroadcasts were accompanied by a graphic on the top right corner of the screen that read "Rewind", supplemented with the original airdate below it.

On December 1, 2004, CHUM Limited acquired the remaining interest in CP24 (giving it 100% of its shares), when theSun'sowners sold their 29.9% share in CP24 after acquiring itsindependent broadcast stationCKXT-TV,the same day that CHUM Limited took control ofCraig Mediaand its assets also.

Under CHUM ownership,Mark Daileyof CITY provided continuity voice announcements on CP24.

Under CTV

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See also:2007 Canada broadcast TV realignment
Logo used from 2003 to 2012.

On July 12, 2006, Bell Globemedia (the latter which became CTVglobemedia in 2007) announced a friendly bid to take over CHUM Limited for an estimated $1.7 billion. One year later on June 8, 2007, the CRTC approved the CTV takeover of CHUM. However, the CRTC made the deal conditional on CTV selling the Citytv stations. On June 12, 2007, Rogers announced that it had agreed to buy the Citytv stations (including Citytv Toronto) for $375 million. The deal was finalized later that year, with a stipulation that CTV maintain ownership of CHUM's299 Queen Street Westheadquarters and studios. CTV chose to keep CP24, and the rest of CHUM assets (including theA-Channelstations) it had said it would sell.

As a result of the ownership changes, CP24 began to separate its operations from those of CITY-TV. This process began in 2008, with the introduction of new CP24-only personalities (which meant they were no longer seen anchoring/reporting on the CityNews side), new live eye trucks (also known as Breaking News Vehicles) which were outfitted with white and black design bearing the CP24 and red "Breaking News" decals, the establishment of a new studio and newsroom on the second floor of the 299 Queen Street West building in November of that year,[2]and the removal of nearly all Citytv's news simulcasts from its schedule few weeks later on December 10 of that year, (excludingBreakfast Television), and replacing the 6 p.m.CityNewssimulcast withCFTO'sCTV News Toronto at Six.[a]

On March 26, 2009,Breakfast Televisionwas replaced with the launch of its own new morning show,CP24 Breakfast,which marked the completion of CP24's separation from Citytv. Also coinciding with the launch, included the rebranding of itsoldies musicradio station1050 CHUM(another station which was acquired in the CTV/CHUM acquisition) to anews talkradio format which operated as an audio simulcast of CP24 called "CP24 Radio 1050". The move was intended to broaden the network's reach as a multi-platform news source, but did not prove successful;Toronto SuncolumnistTed Woloshynin particular pointed out that the station was simply airing a straight simulcast of CP24 television content that was not properly formatted for radio.[b][9]

Following the layoffs and cost-cutting measures that took place at theCitytvstations across Canada (including the cancellation ofCitytvToronto'sCityNews at Fiveannounced on January 19, 2010), CP24 immediately expanded itsLive at 5newscast (which had been airing for 15 minutes since its launch in 2008) to 30 minutes along with the launch of another half-hour newscast,Live at 5:30.[10][11]As a result, CP24's late-afternoon talk shows, such asAnimal House CallsandHot Property,which had been seen weekdays at 5:15 p.m. were moved to a new 7:15 p.m. time slot on January 26, 2010.[12]

Under Bell

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CP24 was based out of 299 Queen Street West in Downtown Toronto from 1998 until 2024

On September 10, 2010,BCE(a minority shareholder in CTVglobemedia) announced that it planned to acquire 100% interest in CTVglobemedia for a total debt and equity transaction cost of $3.2 billion CAD.[13]The deal which required CRTC approval, was approved on March 7, 2011[14]and closed on April 1 of that year, on which CTVglobemedia was rebranded Bell Media.[15]

On March 19, 2011, CP24 introduced a weekend edition ofCP24 Breakfast,hosted by Pooja Handa and Gurdeep Ahluwalia, George Lagogianes is the remote host and Nneka Elliott (who resigned on May 2, 2011, and was replaced by Jamie Gutfreund) delivers the weather forecasts. The show runs from 7:00–10:15 a.m.[16]

CP24 andMuchare the two remaining surviving CHUM-branded channels that maintained its name, since a number of former CHUM-owned sister networks were either rebranded, sold or ceased operations.

On June 20, 2024, Bell announced that CP24 would move studios from 299 Queen Street West, where it was based since its inception, to Bell Media's9 Channel Nine Courtbuilding inScarborough(which houses the operations of several Bell-operated television stations such asCTV News Channel,TSN,Discovery Channel Canadaand the local news operations forCTV Toronto) in the fall of that same year.[17]

On November 25, 2024, the last newscast broadcast from 299 Queen Street West was "Live at 11", anchored by Phil Perkins with the end of the program being marked by the studio lights turning off and a live shot of the CP24 breaking news truck art installation from their Queen Street parking lot.[18]The move officially took place on November 26, 2024 with "CP24 Breakfast", anchored by Nick Dixon.

Location and format

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As of November 26, 2024, CP24 is based out of9 Channel Nine Courtin Scarborough at Highway 401 and McCowan Road which is also home to several other Bell-owned television stations such asCTV Toronto,Discovery Channel CanadaandTSN.

CP24's Breaking News truck at299 Queen Street West.This was originally painted in theCityPulselivery.
CP24's reporter report outsideOld Toronto City Hall

Previously, CP24 was based at299 Queen Street West,at the corner of John Street and Queen Street West which at one point shared the newsroom with CITY-TV on the ground floor (which are now the facilities of Bell Media's 24-hour business news channel,BNN Bloomberg) when both CITY-TV and CP24 were co-owned by CHUM Limited. As with CITY-TV, CP24 had no news desk for the most part while anchors read the news standing up.

In November 2008, CP24 moved its operations to a new studio and newsroom on the second floor of the complex. Coinciding with the new studio, CP24 also adopted an updated on-air appearance, replacing the previous blue and gold colour scheme with a red, white and black design.[2][19]

CP24 van.

CP24's screen format uses a window in the top-left of the screen to show the current program, which is surrounded with a sidebar with weather and traffic reports, scrolling news headlines and local entertainment/event information, and tickers for stocks and sports. This format has been described[by whom?]as more closely resembling a website than a conventional television channel, and has been replicated with a similar look of CP24's enriched screen on its website. This format was referred to as "NewStyle NewsFlow" during the CHUM era.

On September 27, 2012, CP24 again updated its on-air appearance as the channel began broadcasting inhigh definition.The relaunched enriched screen includes several changes such as:

  • the entertainment and concert listings were reallocated from the bottom screen to the right-hand corner between the weather and traffic boxes,
  • the weather scroll was expanded to a "five-day" contrast (which previously only displayed in "four-day" contrast) on which the scroll displays the forecast breakdown for the next 24-hours (e.g., "MORN" for both the current morning and the next morning, "AFT", for afternoon, "EVE" for evening and "NITE" for overnight), and
  • a larger sports headline news scroll was added at the bottom, in which business news from Canada'sToronto Stock Exchangeand the AmericanNew York Stock Exchangetakes over the sports headline scroll Monday-Friday.[20]

Programming

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Former Programming

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Other affiliations

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CP24 shares news resources with other Bell Media-owned outlets, including the news/talk radio affiliateCFRB "Newstalk 1010",sports updates withTSN(andCHUM "TSN Radio 1050"), business news updates withBNN Bloombergand entertainment news updates witheTalk.From its inception prior to its acquisition by CTV, CP24 was closely integrated withCITY-DT's newsroom, which had shared programming, anchors and hosts at the time. CP24, is now available oniHeartRadioCanada effective December 2017.

Carriage and popularity

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CP24 is seen on cable channel 24 on most cable providers that carry the channel. It is not carried on any analogue cable system outside ofCentralorSouthern Ontario,although it is available ondirect broadcast satelliteandIPTVtelevision providers in some markets. The channel is available across Canada onBell Satellite TV,on which the station is part of the service's "News" package. It is also available in the "FYI" package provided toShaw Directcustomers.

Because of its diverse, localized and partially text-based content, the channel is among the most popular choices in theGreater Toronto Areaand much of Southern Ontario (outside ofOttawa) for screening in public places such as waiting areas, train stations, restaurants, and lounges.

Remote camera use

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In addition to theFreeway Management System– COMPASS andRESCUcameras, CP24 operates EYES cameras located at:

Chopper 24

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Since 2008, CP24 has leased aBell 206L-4 Long Ranger (C-FCTV) news helicopter which can broadcast live at 1500 feet above land; nicknamedChopper 24,which is supplied by its sister station,CTV Torontoand is painted with CTV's colouring and logo.

Remote truck use

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CP24 operates a fleet of remote transmission trucks that use digitalmicrowaveandsatellite uplinksystems to do live news reports throughout the region. Known as "Breaking News Vehicles" the custom-built 2008Chevrolet Suburbanswere outfitted by Frontline Communications ofClearwater, Florida,USA. The vehicles use a red, white and black paint scheme with the channel's logo and the "Breaking News!" slogan also included in the design.

Beat the Traffic

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In 2009, CP24 became the first station in Canada to introduce a newBeat the Trafficsystem showing a three-dimensional animated map displaying traffic flow, roadwork, accidents and current highway travel times.[21]

CP24 HD

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The CRTC approved an application by then-ownersCHUM Limitedin June 2007 to launch ahigh-definitionsimulcast of CP24. On September 27, 2012, CP24 began broadcasting inHD(with the SD feedletterboxed) initially onBell Fibe TVcoinciding with it, a new enhanced on-air appearance. The HD feed was also added on theBell Satellite TVservice in December 2012. On June 25, 2013, CP24 began broadcasting in HD onRogers Cable,shortly after the competingRogers Media-ownedCityNews Channel,which had been available in HD on Rogers Cable since launch, announced it would be shutting down. On March 1, 2017,Shaw Directadded the HD version to its lineup, it was only available inSDuntil then on that provider.Bell MTShas not yet launched the feed in HD.

CP24 GO

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In December 2013, CP24 (along with several otherBell Mediatelevision channels) launched aTV Everywhereservice known asCP24 GO,which is offered for free to Bell TV customers. It can be accessed from acomputeror on amobile appsuch as atabletorsmartphone.However, CP24 continues to offer its occasional free live streaming of some major news events on its website.

Notable on-air staff

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Former

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Notes

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  1. ^Critics had speculated that the latter change was likely as a response to the announcement of the CRTC granting approval to an application byRogers Mediafor its own regional news channel focusing on the Greater Toronto Area, theCityNews Channel.[3][4][5][6]
  2. ^This arrangement ended on April 13, 2011, with the launch of a newTSN-brandedsports talkformat, "TSN Radio1050 ", (which became the first station of the new nationalTSN Radionetwork) few weeks after Bell Canada took control of CTVglobemedia's assets including CP24, with the latter company becoming known as Bell Media.[7][8]

References

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  1. ^CRTC Decision 96-609
  2. ^abCP24.com Exciting times as CP24 launches cutting-edge newsroom
  3. ^CP24 broadcasts Toronto's Number One Local 6pm Newscast
  4. ^CRTC Broadcasting Notice 2008-9
  5. ^"ARCHIVED – CITY News (Toronto) – Category 2 specialty service".December 10, 2008.
  6. ^"What Happened To CityNews On That Cable Channel?".Archivedfrom the original on December 14, 2008.RetrievedDecember 11,2008.
  7. ^"Ground shifting as broadcasters brace for sports war".Toronto Star,January 21, 2011.
  8. ^"TSN Radio a reality".The Globe and Mail,January 21, 2011.
  9. ^Ted Woloshyn,"CP24 Radio is a disaster".Toronto Sun,March 28, 2009.
  10. ^CP24 Now Offers Toronto Viewers More Early News With LIVE AT 5 and LIVE AT 5:30ArchivedJuly 19, 2011, at theWayback MachineCTVglobemedia press release, January 19, 2010,
  11. ^CP24 now offering more news at 5 p.m.CP24.com, published January 19, 2010
  12. ^TalkTV shows move to better time-slotCP24.com, puiblished January 26, 2010
  13. ^Bell Canada (September 10, 2010)."Bell to acquire 100% of Canada's No.1 media company CTV".CNW Group.RetrievedSeptember 10,2010.
  14. ^CRTC approves BCE's purchase of CTVglobemediaArchivedJune 29, 2011, at theWayback Machine
  15. ^Bell completes acquisition of CTV, launches Bell Media business unitArchivedApril 4, 2011, at theWayback MachineCNW April 1, 2011
  16. ^CP24 BREAKFAST Served Fresh Seven Days A WeekArchivedMarch 17, 2011, at theWayback MachineCTV press release, March 14, 2011
  17. ^Takagi, Andy (June 20, 2024)."CP24 leaving Queen Street, moving to Bell Media's Scarborough studios in October".Toronto Star.RetrievedJune 21,2024.
  18. ^Emarsee (November 25, 2024).CP24 Live at 11 - [Last Newscast from 299 Queen St. West] November 25, 2024.RetrievedNovember 27,2024– via YouTube.
  19. ^"CP24 November 18 press release for new on-air look and new cutting-edge newsroom".Archived fromthe originalon July 6, 2011.RetrievedNovember 18,2008.
  20. ^CP24 launches enhanced HD screenwww.cp24.com, published on September 27, 2012
  21. ^"CP24's Beat The Traffic system online".Archived fromthe originalon January 6, 2010.RetrievedOctober 13,2009.
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