CBWFT-DT

CBWFT-DT, virtual channel 3 (UHF digital channel 32), is an Ici Radio-Canada Télé owned-and-operated station licensed to Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, serving the province's Franco-Manitoban population. The station is owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (known in French as Société Radio-Canada), as part of a twinstick with CBC Television station CBWT-DT (channel 6). The two stations share studios on Portage Avenue and Young Street in Downtown Winnipeg; CBWFT-DT's transmitter is located atop the Richardson Building. On cable and satellite, the station is available on Shaw Cable and MTS TV channel 10, and Bell Satellite TV channel 118. There is a high definition feed offered on Shaw Cable digital channel 214 and MTS TV channel 448.

CBWFT-DT
Winnipeg, Manitoba
Canada
ChannelsDigital: 32 (UHF)
Virtual: 3.1 (PSIP)
BrandingICI Manitoba
SloganPour toute la vie, ICI Radio-Canada Télé
Programming
AffiliationsIci Radio-Canada Télé (O&O)
Ownership
OwnerSociété Radio-Canada
CBWT-DT
History
First air date
April 24, 1960 (1960-04-24)
Former call signs
CBWFT (1960–2011)
Former channel number(s)
Analogue:
6 (VHF, 1960–1964)
3 (VHF, 1964–2011)
Digital:
51 (UHF, 2011–2020)
Call sign meaning
Canadian
Broadcasting Corporation
Winnipeg
Français
Télévision
Technical information
Licensing authority
CRTC
ERP9.5 kW
HAAT135.1 m (443 ft)
Transmitter coordinates49°53′43″N 97°8′17″W
Links
WebsiteICI Manitoba

History

The CBC announced on February 17, 1959 that they would appear before the BBG (predecessor to the CRTC) in Ottawa on March 18 to apply for a license to extend Radio-Canada's television signal into the Winnipeg area.[1]

CBWFT logo from 1977.

CBWFT first signed on at 3 p.m. on April 24, 1960, using channel 6 with an EIRP of 2,800 watts. At the same time two VTRs, worth $75,000 each were installed at the station.[2] It was the first francophone television station west of Ontario. Its opening broadcast was a ceremony held at the Notre Dame Auditorium in St. Boniface. Dignitaries included in attendance were Lieutenant-Governor Errick Willis, Premier Duff Roblin, CBC President Alphonse Ouimet, Marcel Ouimet, general manager of Radio-Canada, J. R. Finlay, CBC Prairie Region Director, and Leo Remillard, CBWFT's program director.[3]

At first, CBWFT's broadcast day ran between 6 and 12 hours, with a longer programming day on weekends. Over the years, this was extended to encompass most of the day. Initially, Radio-Canada's microwave link did not reach as far as Winnipeg. Instead, videotapes and films were "bicycled" from Montreal and delayed by one week, except for news and live events like La Soirée du hockey.[4]

CBWFT logo from 1986 to 1992.

On November 15, 1964, it swapped frequencies with CBWT and a higher-powered transmitter was installed at the new site near Starbuck.[5][6] From 1964 till the early 1980s, it referred to itself simply as "CBWFT canal 3 Winnipeg". During the early 1980s, CBWFT was known as "CBWFT 3/10", signifying its position on Channel 3, Cable 10 in Winnipeg. On January 1, 1986, it became known as "Radio-Canada Manitoba".

By October 31, 1966, CBWFT was connected to the Radio-Canada microwave signal, allowing the live feed of Le Téléjournal at 6 p.m. Prior to this the newscast consisted of Radio-Canada's radio news with locally inserted images.[7] Several months after the first Anik A satellite was launched in 1972, CBWFT switched to the satellite feed of Radio-Canada and dropped the microwave feed, except to distribute its signal within its coverage area, Manitoba and Northwestern Ontario, and part of Saskatchewan. In 1976, a rebroadcaster of CBWFT programming in Regina became CBKFT. In 1985, CBKFT was issued a separate license to broadcast its own Ce Soir regional news program.

Transmitters

CBWFT operated 11 analogue television retransmitters in Manitoba (e.g. Brandon) and Northwestern Ontario (in the parts of that region which fall in the Central Time Zone, e.g. Kenora). Due to federal funding reductions to the CBC, in April 2012, the CBC responded with substantial budget cuts, which included shutting down CBC's and Radio-Canada's remaining analog transmitters on July 31, 2012.[8] None of CBC or Radio-Canada's television rebroadcasters were converted to digital.

Manitoba
City of license Callsign Channel
Brandon CBWFT-10 21 (UHF)
Flin Flon CBWFT-2 3 (VHF)
Oak Lake CBWFT-12 32 (UHF)
Pine Falls CBWFT-6 11 (VHF)
St. Lazare CBWFT-3 13 (VHF)
Sainte Rose du Lac CBWFT-4 3 (VHF)
The Pas CBWFT-1 6 (VHF)
Thompson CBWFT-5 5 (VHF)

Northwest Ontario
City of license Callsign Channel
Dryden CBWFT-9 6 (VHF)
Fort Frances CBWFT-11 15 (UHF)
Kenora CBWFT-7 2 (VHF)

News operation

In 2005, the long-running Ce Soir news program was renamed to Le Téléjournal, which is the same name of the French national news program on Radio-Canada. The Téléjournal local edition is normally 30 minutes in length, however the Wednesday edition is 60 minutes. The program is also rebroadcast at 11 p.m.

Digital television

Digital channel
Channel Video Aspect PSIP Short Name Programming[9]
3.1720p16:9Main CBWFT-DT programming / Ici Radio-Canada Télé

Analogue-to-digital conversion

CBWFT switched from analogue to digital television broadcasting on December 9, 2011, from its Winnipeg transmitter atop the Richardson Building, after several delays, due to an "unforeseen delay that is outside of the Corporation's control," involving antenna erection.[10] CBWFT's digital signal operates on UHF channel 51. Through the use of PSIP, digital television receivers will display CBWFT's virtual channel as 3.1.[11]

References
  1. Phillips, Bruce (February 17, 1959). "CBC Asks to Build TV in St. Boniface". Winnipeg Tribune. p. 1.
  2. "Viewers To Get Choice Of Channels This Year". Winnipeg Free Press. April 26, 1960. p. 31.
  3. "French TV Channel Here Now Operating Full-Scale". Winnipeg Tribune. April 25, 1960. p. 15.
  4. "French TV On April 24". Winnipeg Tribune. April 8, 1960. p. 5.
  5. "October Set As Target Date For Change In CBC Channels". Winnipeg Free Press - TV-Radio. April 15, 1964. p. 15.
  6. "CBWT Will Switch to Channel 6". Winnipeg Free Press. November 5, 1964. p. 3.
  7. "French Newscast Direct". Winnipeg Free Press - TV-Radio. October 29, 1966. p. 6.
  8. Speaking notes for Hubert T. Lacroix regarding measures announced in the context of the Deficit Reduction Action Plan
  9. RabbitEars TV Query for CBWFT-DT
  10. CBC (n.d.), "CBC Television Winnipeg Archived 2011-11-21 at the Wayback Machine" at cbc.radio-canada.ca, accessed 2011-10-04, 2011-12-09.
  11. Digital Television - Office of Consumer Affairs (OCA) Archived 2008-09-16 at the Wayback Machine
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