Media in Hamilton, Ontario
Radio
Hamilton has seven FM stations and three AM radio stations. Two of the stations are operated by local post-secondary institutions, one is news/talk and one airs a comedy format.
On September 19, 2007, the CBC organized a meeting in Hamilton at the Hamilton Convention Centre to discuss the idea of bringing a new radio station to the city, citing that "Hamilton was the largest, and most underrepresented city in the country in terms of media coverage."[1] In early 2012, the CBC confirmed its final plans for a new local news service in Hamilton; see "web" section below for further details.
- AM 820 - CHAM, ("Funny 820"), comedy
- AM 900 - CHML, ("AM900 CHML"), news/talk
- AM 1150 - CKOC, ("TSN 1150") Sports radio
- FM 93.3 - CFMU, McMaster University radio
- FM 94.7 - CHKX, ("KX 94.7"), country
- FM 95.3 - CING, ("95.3 Fresh Radio"), hot adult contemporary
- FM 101.5 - CIOI, ("101.5 The Hawk"), Mohawk College radio
- FM 102.9 - CKLH, ("Hamilton's 1029 K-Lite"), adult contemporary
- FM 107.9 - CJXY, ("Y108"), active rock (licensed to Burlington but marketed toward Hamilton)
Most of Toronto's radio stations also cover Hamilton.
To see a list of defunct radio stations in Hamilton, see Canadian Communications Foundation.[2]
Television
Hamilton is part of the Toronto television market and receives most broadcast television from Toronto. CHCH is the only television whose studios and operations are based out of Hamilton, and provides local programming. CITS is an owned & operated of the Yes TV system, but does not air any local programming, and is based out of neighboring Burlington. CBC Television (CBLT-DT), City (CITY-DT), Radio-Canada Télé (CBLFT-DT) and TVOntario (CICA-DT) are received directly from the networks' Toronto transmitters on the CN Tower. CBC once had an affiliate in Hamilton, as CHCH was affiliated with the network from its sign on in 1954, until 1961. Global can be received from CIII-DT's Broadcast relay station in Paris, or the station's Toronto transmitter on the CN Tower; CTV service may be received either from CFTO-DT (Toronto) or CKCO-DT (Kitchener), with both stations available on most local cable systems. CTV Two is provided over-the-air by a local rebroadcaster, due to the distance of the CKVR-DT main transmitter in Barrie from Hamilton.
Television stations based in Hamilton include:
OTA virtual channel (PSIP) | OTA actual channel | Rogers Cable | Cogeco | Source Cable | Call sign | Network | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
11.1 | 15 (UHF) | 12 | 12 | 12 | CHCH-DT | Independent | |
35.1 | 35 (UHF) | 71 | 22 | 18 | CHCJ-DT | CTV 2 | Rebroadcaster of CKVR-DT (Barrie) |
36.1 | 36 (UHF) | 19 | 17 | 35 | CITS-DT | Yes TV | |
– | – | 14 | 14 | 14 | – | Cable 14 | Community channel operated jointly by all Hamilton cable providers |
In addition, many of the Buffalo, New York TV stations reach Hamilton over the air and some are carried on local cable.
Cable service in Hamilton is divided up between two different cable companies: Cogeco and Rogers Cable (the former third independent company, Source Cable, is now a Rogers subsidiary).[3] Each system holds a monopoly in a specific part of Hamilton.
Print
Newspapers
- Hamilton Community News - formerly known as Brabant Newspapers, publishes weekly editions for Mountain News, Ancaster News, Dundas Star, and Stoney Creek News (now owned by Metroland Media Group)
- Hamilton Spectator - the city's main daily newspaper; established in 1846; has a daily circulation over 100,000 and over 300,000 weekly readers; owned by Metroland Media Group, a division of Torstar
- Flamborough Review - weekly community paper; owned by Metroland Media Group
- Presencia Latina - monthly Spanish-language community paper
- Le Régional - weekly French-language community paper
Other publications
- Biz Magazine - published by Town Media
- Coffee News - Ancaster edition
- Coffee News - Dundas/Westdale edition
- Coffee News - Waterdown edition
- Greater Hamilton Musician Annual - a printed compilation of local music news
- Gusto Magazine - free monthly independent wellness magazine for Hamilton Ontario; creator Amy Bonin
- H Magazine
- Hamilton Arts & Letters - online magazine published by Samizdat Press
- Hamilton Magazine - published by Town Media, a division of Sun Media
- Mayday Magazine- a publication of the Sky Dragon Centre
- The Sachem and Glanbrook Gazette
- Unpack Magazine - print and online magazine published by the Immigrant Women's Centre
- Urbanicity - published by Martinus Geleynse; creator Reg Beaudry
- View Magazine - local entertainment weekly
Web
In 2012, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation announced its plans for a new local news service in Hamilton.[4] With the Hamilton area already within the broadcast range of CBC Radio and CBC Television's services in Toronto, it was not financially or technically feasible for the public broadcaster to launch new conventional radio or television stations in Hamilton; accordingly, the corporation has developed a new model, with Hamilton as its test project, to launch a local digital service that would be accessible on the Internet and telecommunications devices such as tablets and smartphones.[4] The project, CBC Hamilton, launched in May 2012.[5]
Local websites include:
- Greater Hamilton Musician - news for musicians and the music trade in Hamilton, Burlington, Oakville and Brantford; reviews, interviews
- Hamilton Scores! - Hamilton amateur sports news
- Hamilton Tigers - dedicated to bringing the NHL back to Hamilton
- Hamilton Music Awards - annual music awards for bands and artists from the Hamilton region
- Here Magazine - dedicated to local news, mostly arts based
- Urbanicity - daily news articles specializing in openings & closures of local spots
- Raise the Hammer - dedicated to sustainable urban revitalization
- Software Hamilton - covers local tech and startups
- THEZine Arts & Events E-Blasts - online arts, entertainment and business promotion covering Hamilton and the Golden Horseshoe regions
References
- "Hamilton at the top of CBC's list". (www.raisethehammer.org). Retrieved 2008-01-25.
- Former Hamilton/Niagara Area Radio Stations - Canadian Communications Foundation.
- Marr, Lisa (24 October 2014). "Source Cable sold to Rogers in $160M deal". Hamilton Spectator. Retrieved 6 September 2015.
- "CBC announces location of Hamilton service" Archived 2013-02-04 at the Wayback Machine. Broadcaster, February 8, 2012.
- Dunphy, Bill (2012-05-09). "CBC Hamilton launches digital service". The Hamilton Spectator. Retrieved 2012-05-09.