Timmins, Ontario Canada |
|
---|---|
Branding |
CTV Northern Ontario CTV News Northern Ontario (newscasts) |
Slogan | News for the North |
Channels | Analog: 3 (VHF) |
Translators | see below |
Affiliations | CTV |
Owner | Bell Media |
First air date | April 1, 1971 |
Call letters' meaning | CI Timmins, Ontario |
Former callsigns | CKSO-TV-2 (1971-1980) |
Transmitter power | 100 kW |
Height | 147.6 m |
Transmitter coordinates | 48°32′49″N 80°57′9″W / 48.54694°N 80.95250°W |
Website | CTV Timmins |
CITO-TV is the CTV owned-and-operated television station in Timmins, Ontario, Canada. It broadcasts an analogue signal on VHF channel 3 from a transmitter near Highway 101 (just west of Connaught Road) in Timmins with rebroadcasters in Kapuskasing (channel 10), Kirkland Lake (channel 11, also serving Rouyn-Noranda, Quebec), Hearst (channel 4) and Chapleau (channel 9).
Owned by Bell Media, it is part of the network's CTV Northern Ontario sub-system and its studios are located on Pine Street North (near Hendry Avenue) in Timmins. This station can also be seen on EastLink TV channel 4. Effective November 29, 2012, Bell TV customers will also be able to view CITO-TV on channel 589.
CITO was established in 1971 as CKSO-TV-2, originally rebroadcasting CKSO in Sudbury. Unlike CKSO and CKNY in North Bay, which were established in the 1950s as CBC affiliates and then reaffiliated with CTV in 1971 when J. Conrad Lavigne established new CBC stations in those markets, in Timmins Lavigne's existing station CFCL retained its CBC affiliation and CTV service was provided by a rebroadcast transmitter of CKSO.
Until 1980, CKSO-2 and CFCL aggressively competed with each other for advertising dollars, leaving both in a precarious financial position due to the Timmins market's relatively small size. In 1980, the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission approved the merger of Cambrian Broadcasting and Lavigne's Mid-Canada Communications into the MCTV twinstick. The station's callsign changed to CITO-TV at that time and it began operating as a standalone station.