Media in Windsor, Ontario
 | This articleneeds additional citations forverification.(February 2008) |
Windsor, Ontariois the fourth-largest border citymedia marketin Canada, afterToronto,VancouverandMontreal.It is also the only one of those four markets to exist within the shadow of a larger American media market. While Toronto, Vancouver and Montreal are all the dominant media markets in their regions and are adjacent to significantlysmallerAmerican markets, Windsor is located directly across the border fromDetroit,the 11th largest television market and ninth-largest radio market in the United States. Thus, it is considered part of the Detroit television and radio market for purposes of territorial programming rights. It can also receive radio and television signals fromToledo,Flint,Lansingand evenCleveland.
Since Windsor is considered part of one large Americanmedia market(Detroit) and close to two others (Cleveland and Toledo), the city's media outlets (radioand television stations, and newspaper) have a special status designated by theCanadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission,exempting them from many of theCanadian content( "CanCon" ) requirements that most other broadcasters in Canada are legally required to follow. These CanCon requirements, mandating that a minimum of 35% of the broadcast material of a station must be of Canadian artists, actors, or shows in/about Canada, have been blamed in part for the decline of the popular Windsor radio station,CKLW,a 50,000-wattAM radiostation that in the late 1960s, prior to the advent of CanCon, had been the number one radio station not only in Detroit and Windsor, but also in the Toledo and Cleveland markets.
Windsor has also been exempt from the CRTC'sconcentration of media ownershiprules.[1]The CRTC formally established this exemption in 1993, when the commission allowedCHUM Limitedto acquire the radio stations owned by competitorCUC Broadcasting.[1]Blackburn Radiooperates one station and has a rebroadcaster of itsChathamstation in Windsor, but all other commercial broadcast outlets in the city are owned byBell Media,which bought CHUM in 2006.
Radio
[edit]In addition to Windsor's own radio stations, virtually all radio stations in theDetroitmarket are also available in the city, as well as some fromToledo.
Television
[edit]Windsor is not directly served by Canada's major commercial networks. Any commercial stations operating in Windsor would be required to purchase program rights at Detroit market rates, which are higher than any market in Canada. Additionally, the commercial networks air a large amount of American programming, and would be forced to black most of it out in Windsor to protect the broadcast rights of the Detroit stations. The city is served only by theCanadian Broadcasting Corporation'sEnglish networkand the provincially ownedpublic broadcasterTVOntario,both of which air almost entirely Canadian-produced programming, and by the smallerCTV 2system.
Both CTV and Global put only marginal signals into Windsor itself. The nearest CTV rebroadcaster isCKCO-DT'sSarnia-area repeater nearOil Springs,while the nearest Global transmitter isCIII-DT-22betweenLeamingtonand Wheatley, nearPoint Pelee(though its city of license isStevenson,northeast of Wheatley). CIII-DT-22 is highly directional, aimed towardsChatham-Kentto the northeast, and Leamington and Kingsville to the west, with a strongnulltowards Windsor and Detroit (however, it is still receivable with a strong rooftop antenna), presumably to protect the Detroit stations. Both CKCO and CIII are available on cable.
Even the CTV 2 station,CHWI-DT,is officially licensed toWheatleyrather than Windsor. While the station's studios and operations are based in Windsor, CHWI only has a low-power UHF repeater in downtown Windsor itself, which broadcasts from a directional antenna specifically designed to minimize the station's reception area in Michigan.
| Channel | PSIP | Call sign | Network | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | 9.1 | CBET-DT | CBC | |
| 16 | 16.1 | CHWI-DT | CTV 2 | Main CHWI-DT signal,Stevenson, Ontario |
| 17 | 26.1 | CHWI-DT-60 | CTV 2 | Windsor repeater of CHWI-DT |
| 19 | 19.1 | CICO-DT-32 | TVOntario | Repeater of CICA-DT, Toronto |
| 33 | 22.1 | CIII-DT-22 | Global | Repeater ofCIII-DT,Toronto; broadcasts from Stevenson |
Windsor was previously served byCBEFT,a localRadio-Canadaoutlet that later became a repeater ofCBLFTin Toronto. The transmitter for this station shut down permanently on July 31, 2012, due to budget cuts affecting the CBC.[2][3]
See alsoTVstations in the Detroit,Toledo,andClevelandmarkets.
Out-of-market stations
[edit]In addition to the Detroit stations, Windsor and most ofEssex County, Ontarioalso receive television stations from Toledo (WTOL,WTVG,WNWO-TV,WGTE-TVandWUPW), and the southern part of the county receives some of Cleveland's television stations (WKYC,WEWS-TV,WJW,WOIO,WVIZ,WUABandWBNX-TV). Only WTOL, WTVG, and WNWO were carried oncableservices, having been dropped in 2009 during theAmerican DTV transition.In the past, however, WKYC, WEWS, and WJW were all carried onTrillium Cable(and later,Shaw Cable,its successor) inKingsvilleandLeamington,and nearby parts of Southern Essex County until 2000, whenCogecodisplaced Shaw as the cable provider for the region, and merged the Leamington and Windsor cable services back into one county-wide system.
Along with WKYC, WEWS, and WJW, WOIO and WUAB were frequently also listed in the TV Guides for Windsor and area, though all Toledo and Cleveland locals have since been "dropped" from the listings, with only WTOL, WTVG, and WUAB remaining listed. No Cleveland stations (in either analog or digital) push pastCottam, Ontariooutside oftropospheric skipevents, let alone reaching downtown Windsor, over the air (mainly due toadjacent channel interferencefrom the Detroit channels), and Toledo stations barely make it over the air to downtown Windsor.Simultaneous substitutionrules are generally in effect for cable and satellite audiences.
While not listed in TV guides, the northern edge of Essex County and most of Windsor were within reception range ofFlint'sWCMZ-TV(thanks to its transmitter's relatively close location in southernGenesee County, Michigan) prior to it going off the air on April 23, 2018, and the October 16, 2009 issue ofThe Windsor Starhad stated readers in theBelle Riverarea were able to add Flint'sWJRT-TVto their lineups, albeit with very weak signal strength. In place of WCMZ-TV, the southern edge of Essex County, including Leamington, receives WUAB from Cleveland.
Bally Sports Detroitis not carried in Windsor, although games seen on the network can be viewed via out of market sports packages. Until the 2014-15 season, CBET also chose to prioritizeHockey Night in Canadaregional games involving theDetroit Red Wingsover the default game for Ontario (typically theToronto Maple Leafs) if they were playing a Canadian team or were in a playoff series allotted to CBC. This no longer occurs, asHNICnow airs the same game nationally on all CBC stations.Toronto Blue Jaysgames on CBC were once blacked out in Windsor, but was later lifted (the CBC no longer carries Blue Jays games on the network).
Prior to the 2009US analog television shutdown and digital conversion,in certain weather conditions,WILX-TVfromLansing, Michigancould also be seen, albeit weakly, in Windsor (along withCFPL-DTfrom London, both on VHF 10,WLMB-TVon UHF 40, now VHF 5 /PSIP40.1, andCBLNUHF 40). Theoretically, Lansing'sWLNS-TVcould also be receivable to a degree, as its coverage area reaches the Detroit River. However, both analog channels were adjacent to CBET and WXYZ, respectively, which hindered reception. Since the switchover, WILX's digital signal (VHF 10) remained adjacent to CBET (VHF 9), though WLNS's digital signal moved from VHF 6 to UHF channel 36; however, reception of WLNS would become an issue again for a brief period when CBEFT relocated to UHF channel 35 after the Canadian switchover, the issue becoming moot after that station closed down in 2012.
As mentioned above, the city gets a marginal analogue signal fromCKCO-TV-3in Sarnia. It also gets very weak digital signals fromCHCH-DTandCFMT-DT's London transmitters.
Windsor and its surrounding area has been served by theWindsor Starsince 1888. The regional newspaper is the only daily in Windsor and Essex County and is owned byPostmedia Network.It has attracted the highest readership per capita in its circulation range of any Canadian metropolitan newspaper. Windsorite.ca is an online news publication, featuring up-to-date news stories, arts, culture, food and local event listings.Biz X Magazineis a business/lifestyle monthly print publication serving both Windsor and Detroit.
The city's francophone community is served by the weekly newspaperLe Rempart.
Film
[edit]The 2000 filmBorderline Normal,featuringRobin Dunne,Stephanie Zimbalist,Corbin BernsenandMichael Ironside,is set in Windsor. Many exterior locations, such as Ouellette Avenue, Dieppe Park and the Ambassador Bridge were featured.
Several scenes inMichael Moore's 2002 filmBowling for Columbinewere also filmed in Windsor. Moore later returned to Windsor to film scenes for his 2007 filmSicko.
Windsor was the setting of the television seriesAcross the River to Motor City,a crime drama whose plot incorporated many aspects of Windsor's cross-border relationship with Detroit.
A number of scenes featuringHarrison Fordin the 1990 filmPresumed Innocentwere filmed in Windsor'sCoventry Gardens.The house in the film is located on Riverside Dr. just east of the Hiram Walker Distillery. The scenes of theRenaissance Centerin the film were shot from Windsor.
It is featured in the backdrop ofTony Scott's 1993 filmTrue Romance.Windsor can clearly be seen in the background during theChristian Slater/Dennis Hoppertrailer scene along theDetroit River.
The 2007 filmBaby Blueswas shot throughout Windsor.
The studio segments of the 2009NBCandGlobalcomedy seriesHowie Do Itwere taped atCaesars Windsor.
The 2013 filmThe Bird Menwas shot almost entirely in Windsor utilizing Ojibway Park and Ojibway Nature Centre, as well as several house locations around the University of Windsor. The film production crew worked out of the now closed St. Anne's Highschool building in Tecumseh.
Online
[edit]In addition to tradition media formats, Windsor is served by a number of online-only news publications.
OurWindsor.ca is an online publication owned byMetroland Media Group.[4]
windsoriteDOTca News, is a locally-owned, online news site covering news, arts and events. It was founded in 2010.[5]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ab"Radio rules waived for Windsor".The Globe and Mail,January 30, 1993.
- ^Speaking notes for Hubert T. Lacroix regarding measures announced in the context of the Deficit Reduction Action Plan
- ^Broadcasting Decision CRTC 2012-384, July 17, 2012.
- ^"About Windsor".www.ourwindsor.ca.RetrievedMay 27,2021.
- ^"About windsoriteDOTca | windsoriteDOTca News - windsor ontario's neighbourhood newspaper windsoriteDOTca News".RetrievedMay 27,2021.