Montreal, Quebec | |
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Branding | Radio-Canada Montréal |
Slogan | Ici comme dans la vie |
Channels | Digital: 19 (UHF) Virtual: 2.1 (PSIP) |
Translators | see below |
Affiliations | Radio-Canada |
Owner | Société Radio-Canada |
First air date | September 6, 1952 |
Call letters' meaning | Canadian Broadcasting Corporation Français Télévision |
Sister station(s) | CBMT-DT, CBME-FM, CBM-FM, CBF-FM, CBFX-FM |
Former channel number(s) | Analog: 2 (VHF) (1952-2011) |
Former affiliations | CBC (secondary, 1952-1954) |
Transmitter power | 250 kW (digital) |
Height | 300 m (digital) |
Transmitter coordinates | 45°30′19″N 73°35′29″W / 45.50528°N 73.59139°W |
Website | Radio-Canada Montréal |
CBFT-DT is the Télévision de Radio-Canada owned-and-operated station in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, serving as the flagship of the French language broadcast network. It broadcasts a high-definition digital signal on UHF channel 19 (or virtual channel 2.1 via PSIP) from a transmitter located at Mont Royal.
Owned by the Société Radio-Canada arm of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, it is sister to CBC Television outlet CBMT-DT and both stations share studios and master control facilities based at Maison Radio-Canada on René Lévesque Boulevard East in Downtown Montreal. This station can also be seen on Vidéotron Montreal cable channel 2, Charter Plattsburgh channel 5 and Comcast Burlington channel 22. There is also a high definition feed available on Vidéotron digital channel 602. It is also seen on direct broadcast satellite throughout Canada.
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History
It was the first permanent television station in Canada, launching on September 6, 1952 at 4 p.m., the channel went on the air with the movie Aladdin and His Lamp, followed by a cartoon, and then a French film, a news segment and a bilingual variety show.[1] (An experimental station VE9EC, had been on the air in Montreal in 1931) The station aired programming in both French (60 percent) and English (40 percent) until January 10, 1954, when CBMT was launched on Channel 6 providing a fulltime, full power English language service. At that time CBFT began telecasting exclusively in French, becoming flagship of the Télévision de Radio-Canada network for francophone viewers.
Through its translator network, CBFT can be seen in most of Quebec, parts of Ontario, and most of northern Canada (Northwest Territories and Nunavut).
For all intents and purposes, most Radio-Canada affiliates are semi-satellites of CBFT, carrying identical programming, other than commercials and regional news.
Transmitters
Due to budget cuts handed down on the CBC in April 2012, the CBC has announced several austerity measures to keep the corporation solvent and in operation; this included the closure of the CBC and Radio-Canada's remaining analogue transmitters, including those listed below, by July 31, 2012.[2]
Semi-satellites are in bold italics
In addition to the transmitters listed above, the Radio-Canada transmitters on the island of Newfoundland (CBFJ-TV St. John's and CBFNT Port au Port) are licensed as transmitters of CBFT, and indeed carried that station's signal until the mid-1990s due to technical issues preventing the network's station in Atlantic Canada, CBAFT Moncton, from reaching the province. Since then they have effectively served as rebroadcasters of CBAFT, although the CBC did not apply to formally transfer those transmitters until 2010.[3] (The status of the two transmitters in Labrador, CBFT-11 and CBFT-12, which would theoretically also fall under CBAFT's mandate but were not included in the amendment application, is not entirely clear.)
In Whitehorse, Yukon, CBFT-15 transmits Vancouver's CBUFT, though still licensed to carry CBFT.[4]
Digital television and high definition
After the analog television shutdown and digital conversion, which takes place on August 31, 2011,[5] CBFT will continue digital broadcasts on its current pre-transition and post-transition channel number, 19. However, through the use of PSIP, digital television receivers will display CBFT's virtual channel as 2.1.
Transition standards and procedures will vary for CBFT's repeaters; however, the CBC announced that they have no intention to upgrade any of their repeaters to digital.[6]
CBFT has been broadcasting a digital signal over-the-air since March 22, 2005.[7]
See also
References
- ^ "CBC Television debuts". CBC.ca. 2011-01-19. http://archives.cbc.ca/arts_entertainment/media/clips/11983/.
- ^ CBC/Radio-Canada Speech Transcript: "Speaking notes for Hubert T. Lacroix, President and CEO, CBC/Radio-Canada, regarding measures announced in the context of the Deficit Reduction Action Plan (DRAP)", April 4, 2012.
- ^ Broadcasting Notice of Consultation CRTC 2010-271, 13 May 2010
- ^ Sign-off clip for CBUFT on YouTube
- ^ http://www.ic.gc.ca/epic/site/oca-bc.nsf/en/ca02336e.html
- ^ [1], Q&A: CBC/Radio-Canada’s Digital Transition Plan
- ^ Télévision de Radio-Canada Montreal (CBFT-TV)
External links
- Radio-Canada Montréal (French)
- Canadian Communications Foundation - CBFT History
- CBFT at TV Hat
- Query the REC's Canadian station database for CBFT
- Query TV Fool's coverage map for CBFT
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