W Network
| W Network | |
|---|---|
W Network logo.
|
|
| Launched | January 1, 1995 |
| Owned by |
Moffat Communications (1995–2001) Corus Entertainment (2001–present) |
| Picture format |
480i (SDTV) (1995–present) 1080i (HDTV) (2011–present) |
| Country | Canada |
| Broadcast area | National |
| Headquarters | Toronto, Ontario |
| Formerly called | Women's Television Network (1995–2002) |
| Sister channel(s) |
Cosmopolitan TV Oprah Winfrey Network Cooking Channel ABC Spark CMT Food Network HGTV YTV Treehouse TV Teletoon |
| Timeshift service | W Network East W Network West |
| Website | W Network |
|
Availability
|
|
| Satellite | |
| Bell TV | Channel 602 (SD) Channel 1705 (HD) |
| Shaw Direct | 567, 568 (SD) 79 / 597 (HD) |
| Cable | |
| Available on most Canadian cable systems | Check local listings, channels may vary |
| IPTV | |
| Bell Aliant Fibe TV | Channel 274 (SD) Channel 426 (HD) |
| Bell Fibe TV | Channel 602 (SD) Channel 1602 (HD) |
| MTS | Channel 132 (East) (SD) Channel 133 (West) (SD) Channel 1132 (East) (HD) |
| Optik TV | Channel 9329 (West) (SD) Channel 329 (East) (HD) |
| SaskTel | Channel 100 (West) (SD) Channel 400 (East) (HD) |
| VMedia | Channel 34 (HD) |
| Zazeen | Channel 126 (HD) |
W Network (often referred to only as W) is a Canadian English language Category A specialty channel owned by Corus Entertainment. W Network broadcasts lifestyle and entertainment programming aimed at women.
The channel is available in two time shifted feeds, East (operating from the Eastern Time Zone) and West (operating from the Pacific Time Zone).
In June 1994, Linda Rankin, on behalf of a corporation to be incorporated, (later incorporated as Lifestyle Television (1994) Limited, principally owned by Moffat Communications) was granted a television broadcasting licence by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) to operate a channel called Lifestyle Television, described as offering "information and entertainment programming of particular interest to women."
The channel subsequently launched on January 1, 1995 as Women's Television Network (WTN). Like Moffat's other cable television operations, WTN was headquartered in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Linda Rankin served as the president of the network from its launch.
Programming on the network was originally largely focused on lifestyle programming that many had suggested was "feminist" in nature. Such programming included female takes on traditionally male-dominated activities such as fishing and mechanics, with Natural Angler and Car Care, respectively. While other programs, such as Go Girl!, took a comedic approach at parodying typical female-targeted talk shows that discussed subjects such as beauty, fashion, etc. Other programs included films, current affairs, and occasionally sports.
The channel suffered from low ratings in the beginning. Of the slew of new channels launched on January 1, WTN was initially the lowest rated channel on average. Linda Rankin later resigned in August 1995 citing "differences in management philosophy".
In December 2000, Shaw Communications announced it intended to purchase Moffat. The deal was later closed in early 2001. Shaw announced in March 2001 that it would sell WTN to Corus Entertainment, a company that it spun off in 1999, for $205 million CAD (Shaw had primarily acquired Moffat for its cable television systems). Once Corus took ownership of the channel, it moved operations from Winnipeg to Toronto in mid-January 2002, laying off 50 employees in the process. Subsequently, Corus relaunched the network as "W" on April 15, 2002 with a more entertainment-oriented mix of recent dramas and movies. On the same date, Corus launched the west coast feed.
...
Wikipedia