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CJCB-DT

CJCB-TV television studio and transmitter tower in 2018.
Sydney, Nova Scotia Canada
Channels	Digital: 25 (UHF) Virtual: 4
Branding	CTV Atlantic (general) CTV News Atlantic (newscasts)
Programming
Network	CTV Atlantic
Affiliations	CTV
Ownership
Owner	Bell Media Inc.
History
First air date	October 9, 1954 (70 years ago) (1954-10-09)
Former call signs	CJCB-TV (1954–2022)
Former channel number(s)	Analogue: 4 (VHF, 1954–2022)
Former affiliations	CBC Television (1954–1972)
Call sign meaning	Canada Jennie Cape Breton (callsign originates with former sister station CJCB/1270)
Technical information
Licensing authority	CRTC
ERP	37 kW
HAAT	190 m (623 ft)
Transmitter coordinates	46°5′53″N 60°18′43″W / 46.09806°N 60.31194°W / 46.09806; -60.31194 (CJCB-DT)
Translator(s)	see § Transmitters
Links
Website	CTV Atlantic

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CJCB-DT (channel 4) is a repeater television station in Sydney, Nova Scotia, Canada, part of the CTV Television Network. Owned and operated by network parent Bell Media, the station has a transmitter in Blacketts Lake southwest of the city. It operated a TV studio in Sydney from 1954 until 2021, with all production and master control work now done in Halifax at CJCH-DT.

On August 1, 2012, CJCB-DT – at the time known as CJCB-TV – became the only terrestrial broadcaster in the market. CBC repeater station, CBIT-TV, was closed the previous evening. CJCB-TV became CJCB-DT in January 2022 when it switched to digital broadcasting.

CJCB-DT is part of the CTV Atlantic regional system in the Maritimes, carrying the same programming as sister station CJCH-DT at all times, except for some commercials and an annual telethon. Mass for Shut-ins is the last original program still associated with the station that is still broadcasting. Currently, it is a two-person news bureau covering Cape Breton Island for CTV News.

History

CBC affiliate

CJCB-TV was the first television station to broadcast in Nova Scotia, when it signed on for the first time on October 9, 1954, beating CBHT-TV in Halifax by two months. Nate Nathanson named the station after his wife and the island he lived on. So, its call sign means "Canada Jennie Cape Breton" (CJCB) which originated at its sister radio station CJCB (AM). It was originally a CBC affiliate. It joined the Trans Canada Microwave network on July 1, 1958, linking all CBC stations between Sydney to British Columbia. Prior to the microwave connection, programming was either from live local studio productions or kinescope 16mm film copies of CBC network shows.

Ownership, CTV affiliation

CJCB was originally owned by the Nathanson family, who also owned CJCB radio at the time. CHUM Limited, owner of CJCH-TV, bought CJCB-TV in 1971 and applied to the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) to switch it to the CTV network. The switch occurred on September 26, 1972, when the CBC put CBIT-TV on the air in Sydney. After the switch occurred, it immediately joined the newly formed Atlantic Television Network (ATV), CHUM's network of CTV affiliates in the Maritimes.

As part of CBIT's licence, it was not allowed to show local advertising, leaving CJCB with a monopoly in local advertising. CJCB's monopoly was reaffirmed in a CRTC decision in 1985 that denied a CBIT request to enter that part of the market. CHUM continued to own CJCB-TV until February 26, 1997, when it swapped the entire ATV group to Baton Broadcasting. The CRTC approved the deal on August 28, 1997. With the deal approved by CRTC, Baton became the majority owner of CTV.

Baton changed its name to CTV Inc. and was bought by Bell Canada Enterprises Inc. (BCE) in 2000 but BCE divested most of its shares in 2005. In October 2005, all CTV owned-and-operated stations stopped using their call sign as their brand name, meaning CJCB-TV became "CTV Sydney". BCE purchased 100 percent of CTV Inc.'s shares in a $1.3 billion CAD deal and changed the name of its division that dealt with CTV and CJCB-TV to Bell Media when the acquisition was finalized on April 1, 2011.

Facilities

CJCB-TV maintained offices, studios and the main transmitter tower at 1283 George Street in Sydney since it opened in 1954. It was the last of the three ATV stations to get colour production equipement. The station fully converted to NTSC colour production in 1975, though it was able to transmit colour programming originated through the network starting in September 1966. The offices and studio were permanently closed in February 2021, after being temporarily closed due to the COVID-19 lockdowns in 2020. After the switch to ATSC digital broadcasting, in January 2022, the old analogue NTSC transmitter was turned off. Bell Media had the unmaintained 98-metre-tall (322 ft) tower demolished in July 2023. The current 190-metre-tall (623 ft) digital transmitter tower is located at 345 McMillan Road, in Blacketts Lake, southwest of Sydney.

Programming

One of Canada's longest-running TV programs, Mass for Shut-ins, originates at CJCB-TV. It premiered on March 3, 1963. Since before the closure of the TV studio, in 2021, the show is recorded at various churches in Cape Breton and on the eastern mainland. The program continues to be telecast across the CTV Atlantic system.

Shantytown was another TV program that originated at CJCB-TV; it was aimed at children and ran from 1978 to 1984. Like Mass for Shut-ins, it was also telecast to all three Maritime provinces. Characters include Sam the Sailor, Katie the Craft Lady, Marjorie the Music Lady and their puppet friends.

Local broadcaster, and occasional CBC-TV Front Page Challenge panelist, Anne Terry, worked on many programs from the station's debut, until she left broadcasting in August 1972. She was known for hosting "women's feature" and interview programs at CJCB.

CJCB had an evening weekday newscast until 1980, when all newscasts were centralized at ATV’s studios in Halifax. Until the pandemic, the CJCB studio was used for filing reports from the various reporters that worked on Cape Breton stories. When Bell Media closed the Sydney studio, in 2021, it only had two reporters remaining. Bell went through many rounds of layoffs in January and February 2024, and that caused CTV Sydney to lose reporter Kyle Moore. The remaining reporter is Ryan MacDonald, and a producer.

Technical information

Subchannel

Analogue-to-digital conversion

The station ceased broadcasting in analogue NTSC on January 28, 2022, and began broadcasting in digital ATSC on the same date.

Transmitters

The station has analogue rebroadcast transmitters in the following communities:

The station originally operated CJCB-TV-4 (channel 2) in New Glasgow, until that transmitter closed in late 2010. The transmitter was closed down for years, as the area was also being served by the CJCB-TV-2 transmitter in nearby Antigonish.

During the CRTC's licence renewal period in 2016, Bell Media applied for its regular license renewals, which included applications to delete 40 rebroadcast transmitters, including CJCB-TV-5. Bell Media's rationale for deleting these analog repeaters was they were costly to operate and maintain; they did not generate much revenue; and viewers mostly had direct-to-home satellite subscriptions that carried these same signals.

On July 30, 2019, Bell Media was granted permission to close down an additional transmitter as part of Broadcasting Decision CRTC 2019-268. The transmitter for CJCB-TV-3 was shut down in 2021.

References

1. ^ Dulmage, Bill (October 2019). "Nova Scotia, (CJCB-TV), Sydney, CTV Television Network". Television Station History. Toronto: Canadian Communications Foundation. Archived from the original on February 18, 2019. Retrieved October 9, 2019.
2. ^ Jala, David (December 12, 2016). "Cape Breton radio icon Norris Nathanson dead at age 84". Cape Breton Post. Sydney, Nova Scotia: TC Transcontinental. Archived from the original on December 14, 2016. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
3. Bonneville, S. (November 1957). "The Trans-Canadian Microwave System". Electrical Engineering. 76 (11): 967. doi:10.1109/ee.1957.6442806. S2CID 5163577.
4. Parker, Bill (August 26, 1954). "In Tune With The Times". The Times Colonist. Victoria, British Columbia. p. 19. Archived from the original on June 24, 2024. Retrieved June 24, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
5. MacDonald, L. Ian (September 9, 1972). "CBC wants Hill, Plummer for CPR film roles". The Gazette. Montreal, Quebec, Canada. p. 46. Retrieved June 19, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
6. ^ Dulmage, Bill (October 2019). "Nova Scotia CBIT-TV (CBC-TV), Sydney, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation". Television Station History. Toronto: Canadian Communications Foundation. Archived from the original on October 10, 2019. Retrieved October 9, 2019.
7. ^ Brehl, Robert (February 26, 1997). "Baton's Power Play". Toronto Star. pp. C1, C12. Retrieved June 17, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
8. Enchin, Harvey (February 27, 1997). "Baton picks up CTV web". Variety. Los Angeles: Penske Media Corporation. Archived from the original on August 22, 2018. Retrieved June 17, 2024.
9. CRTC Staff (August 28, 1997). "Decision CRTC DB97-527: Baton Broadcasting Incorporated and certain of its subsidiaries, CHUM Limited and CTV Television Network Ltd. - Across Canada". Queen's Printer for Canada. Archived from the original on October 4, 2023. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
10. "Baton Broadcasting takes over CTV network". The Hamilton Spectator. Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. Canadian Press. August 30, 1997. p. E10. Retrieved June 19, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
11. CBC Staff (March 7, 2011). "BCE's takeover of CTV approved". CBC News. Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Archived from the original on May 10, 2024. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
12. Dulmage, Bill (October 2019). "CTV Network". Television Station History. Toronto: Canadian Communications Foundation. Archived from the original on June 3, 2024. Retrieved June 19, 2024.
13. CTV News Staff (September 10, 2010). "Bell Canada parent BCE buys CTV Inc. for $1.3B". CTV News. Toronto: CTV Inc. Archived from the original on October 21, 2012. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
14. Krashinsky, Susan (April 2, 2011). "BCE gets its TV content--and sets up a payment plan". The Globe and Mail. Toronto. p. B7. Retrieved June 20, 2024 – via ProQuest.
15. ^ Dulmage, Bill (May 2019). "CJCH-DT, CTV, Halifax". Television Station History. Toronto: Canadian Communications Foundation. Archived from the original on May 28, 2019. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
16. Post Staff (February 13, 2021). "Bell Media to close CTV office in Sydney". Cape Breton Post. Sydney, Nova Scotia: Saltwire. Retrieved June 17, 2024.
17. ^ CTV Staff (2022). "Over-The-Air Transmitter Channel Changes". CTV.ca. Bell Media. Archived from the original on January 24, 2022. Retrieved June 17, 2024.
18. MacDonald, Ryan (July 25, 2023). "Landmark CJCB-TV television tower in Sydney being taken down after nearly 70 years". CTV News Atlantic. Halifax, Nova Scotia: Bell Media. Archived from the original on July 27, 2023. Retrieved June 17, 2023.
19. ^ "Digital TV Market Listing for CJCB". RabbitEars. Archived from the original on October 9, 2023. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
20. MacDonald, Ryan (March 1, 2013). "Mass for Shut-ins celebrates 50 years". CTV News Atlantic. Archived from the original on October 9, 2023. Retrieved June 19, 2024.
21. "Mass for Shut-Ins 2015". St. Ninian Cathedral Parish. Antigonish, Nova Scotia: Roman Catholic Diocese of Antigonish. Archived from the original on September 13, 2018. Retrieved June 19, 2024.
22. "Mass for Shut-Ins to honour the Congregation of Notre Dame Sisters and Associates". Congregation of Notre Dame Sisters and Associates. Sydney, Nova Scotia: Roman Catholic Diocese of Antigonish. January 5, 2024. Archived from the original on June 19, 2024. Retrieved June 19, 2024.
23. "Mass for Shut-Ins". Roman Catholic Diocese of Antigonish. Sydney, Nova Scotia. May 27, 2024. Archived from the original on June 19, 2024. Retrieved June 19, 2024.
24. "Shantytown". TV Archive.ca. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved June 19, 2024.
25. "Leaves radio, TV for tourism". The Ottawa Journal. The Canadian Press. June 22, 1972. p. 40. Retrieved June 17, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
26. Post Staff (February 9, 2024). "REPORT: CTV reporter in Cape Breton among Bell layoffs this week". Cape Breton Post. Sydney, Nova Scotia: SaltWire. Archived from the original on February 12, 2024. Retrieved June 19, 2024.
27. ^ CRTC Staff (July 30, 2019). "Broadcasting Decision CRTC 2019-268: Bell Media Inc. – Deletion of transmitters". Queen's Printer for Canada. Archived from the original on October 4, 2023. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
28. ^ "Canadian Television Stations: Nova Scotia Repeater Stations" (PDF). Television & Cable Factbook. 61. Washington, D.C.: Warren Publishing, Inc.: B-263 1993. ISSN 0732-8648. Retrieved June 20, 2024 – via World Radio History.
29. ^ CRTC Staff (April 6, 2011). "Broadcasting Information Bulletin CRTC 2011-231: Applications processed pursuant to streamlined procedures". Ottawa: Queen's Printer for Canada. Archived from the original on January 27, 2023. Retrieved June 18, 2024. Information about the transmitter already being non-operational can be found in this link as a download of a PDF version of CRTC correspondence 2010-1813-5
30. ^ CRTC Staff (May 15, 2017). "Broadcasting Decision CRTC 2017-149: Bell Media Inc. – Licence renewals for English-language television stations and services" (PDF). Ottawa: Queen's Printer for Canada. pp. 8–10, 14. Archived from the original on May 22, 2017. Retrieved June 18, 2024.

External links

• CTV Atlantic
• CJCB-TV in the REC Canadian station database
• View from the top of the former analogue transmitter tower as it is dismantled

• 1954 establishments in Nova Scotia
• CTV Television Network stations
• Mass media in the Cape Breton Regional Municipality
• Television channels and stations established in 1954
• Television stations in Nova Scotia