 | |
| |
|---|---|
| Channels | |
| Branding |
|
| Programming | |
| Affiliations | Global |
| Ownership | |
| Owner |
|
| CKPR-DT,CKPR-FM,CFNO-FM,CJSD-FM | |
| History | |
First air date | October 14, 1972 (53 years ago) (1972-10-14) |
Former call signs | CHFD-TV (1972–2011) |
Former channel numbers |
|
| CTV (1972–2010) | |
Call sign meaning | Hector Fraser Dougall |
| Technical information | |
Licensing authority | CRTC |
| ERP | 1.2kW |
| HAAT | 366.2 m (1,201 ft) |
| Transmitter coordinates | 48°31′25″N89°6′55″W / 48.52361°N 89.11528°W /48.52361; -89.11528 |
| Links | |
| Website | globalthunderbay.tbtv.com |
CHFD-DT (channel 4) is atelevision station inThunder Bay, Ontario, Canada, affiliated with theGlobal Television Network. It is owned by locally basedDougall Media alongsideCTV affiliateCKPR-DT (channel 2). Both stations share studios on Hill and Van Norman Streets in central Thunder Bay, while CHFD-DT's transmitter is located inShuniah, Ontario.
Since February 12, 2010, CHFD carries the vast majority of Global's programming schedule and brands itself on-air asGlobal Thunder Bay in the manner of the network'sowned-and-operated stations.[1]
CHFD went on the air for the first time on October 14, 1972, as a CTV affiliate. The station is part of the Thunder Bay Television twinstick with the then-CBC affiliate CKPR. From 2002 to 2009, it was among three CTV-affiliated stations in Canada not owned and operated directly by CTV.
As a CTV affiliate, CHFD also aired selected programming purchased from Global, such asSaturday Night Live andBrothers & Sisters, as well as religious programming commonly aired on Global stations, including100 Huntley Street and theHour of Power. It has also aired programs which do not air on other broadcast channels in Canada, such asChannel 4'sA Place in the Sun.
In January 2010, theCanadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) published an application filed by CHFD to disaffiliate from CTV as of February 28, after not being able to negotiate an acceptable new programming agreement with the network, indicating it had instead reached an expanded program supply agreement with Global.[2] However, on February 12, just before CTV's coverage of the2010 Winter Olympics began, and before the CRTC was able to rule on the application, CHFD began carrying Global programming full-time. It had attempted to get broadcast rights for the Olympics—which the station said was a separate matter from the network affiliation—but was again unable to reach an acceptable agreement.[1] After affiliating with Global, CHFD rebranded fromThunder Bay Television to Global Thunder Bay, and adopted a new logo and website similar to Global's owned and operated stations (this differs from most Canadian television stations that are not under common ownership with a television system or national television network; such stations typically use their callsigns as their on-air branding).
Local cable companyShaw Cable advised customers who wish to continue to watch CTV programming to subscribe to theirdigital cabletimeshifting package;[3] the company did, however, addCTV Toronto to its basic lineup on channel 23 for the duration of the Olympics.[4]
In June 2014, Dougall Media announced that sister station CKPR would switch its affiliation from CBC to CTV in September.[5] The affiliation switch took effect on September 1, 2014.
On January 27, 2016, Dougall Media officials revealed that CKPR and CHFD are both being sustained by the payouts from life insurance policies on former owner Fraser Dougall and a former general manager who both died in 2015, and said that the stations were likely to shut down by September 1, barring a favourable change in CRTC policies on local television funding.[6] Both stations, however, are still in operation.
Currently the station clears the majority of Global programming, with some preemptions in the daytime schedule for a local morning newscast at 9 a.m. andinfomercials as well as the weekend edition ofGlobal National since fall 2011.
Locally produced programs includeOfficially Rugged,TBClassifieds, and the nightlyHeadline News (no relation to theCNN-owned channel). CHFD also airs a Saturday evening newscast and repeats CKPR's 11 p.m.TB News Late Edition at 11:30 on weeknights, along with a simulcast ofGlobal Toronto'sGlobal News Morning on weekday mornings from 6–9 a.m., and alsoNews at Noon on weekday noon at 12–12:30 p.m.[7]
| Channel | Res. | Aspect | Short name | Programming |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4.4 | 1080i | 16:9 | CHFD-DT | Global |
CHFD-DTflash cut to digital in early August 2011 alongside sister station CKPR.
Through the use ofPSIP, digital television receivers display CHFD-DT'svirtual channel as 4.1.[9]
In January 2011, Dougall Media applied with the CRTC to broadcast its digital signal instead on channel 4.[10]
CHFD-TV had operated ananalog rebroadcaster inArmstrong (CKAR-TV, channel 8). It is believed that the Armstrong transmitter had been shut down as there are little or no sources and references from the CRTC, historical information and technical databases regarding this rebroadcast transmitter. On February 18, 1993, Armstrong Resources Development Corporation submitted an application to the CRTC to operate a television rebroadcast transmitter at Armstrong on channel 7 with a power of 10 watts, to retransmit the signal of CHFD-TV in Thunder Bay.[11]