| Television System |
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| canadian media regulation | |
| canadian television systems | |
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In current practice, a television system may be either a small group of independent stations with common branding, such as CH , A-Channel or Citytv , or a group of affiliates of a larger network, such as CTV Atlantic or CTV Northern Ontario , which are legally licensed as multiple stations but effectively act as a single station for programming, branding and advertising sales purposes. HISTORY The term likely originated in the early 1990s when CanWest Global Communications , then a fledgling owner of Independent Station s airing common programming, began using "CanWest Global System" as a secondary brand for its various stations. Soon after, the Baton Broadcasting System launched as a secondary "affiliation" linking another station group. In that sense the term "system" was intended to give the impression of a full network service without any of the additional regulatory responsibilities, such as enhanced Canadian content requirements, associated with a CRTC-issued network licence. Much like today's systems, however, both CGS and BBS operated in relatively few markets compared to full "networks" such as CBC or CTV . Today neither the Global Television Network , the successor of CGS, nor CTV, which absorbed BBS and surrendered its own network licence in 2001, operate as licensed national networks, as under Canada's Broadcasting Act a "network" is an operation whereby the programming of a station is controlled by a different company {Link without Title} . Both Global and CTV now own stations serving virtually all markets, making this concept redundant. However, such "station groups" are now regulated in much the same way networks were regulated in the past. |
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