CHNU-TV
Encyclopedia
CHNU-DT is an English language
television station
based in Surrey, British Columbia
, Canada
. The station is licensed to the Fraser Valley
Region, and also serves Metro Vancouver, Victoria
and surrounding areas. CHNU is owned by ZoomerMedia
, and is an owned and operated station of the Joytv
television system
. CHNU broadcasts a variety of multi-faith and family-oriented programming.
CHNU broadcasts on UHF channel 66, and is seen on cable channel 10 in the Lower Mainland
, cable 7 in Victoria
. The station is not carried on cable outside those areas.
CHNU-TV was licensed in July 2000 by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) to Trinity Television Inc. Trinity Television initially requested the callsign be "CFVT" (with "FVT" standing for "Fraser Valley Television"); however, this was denied by Industry Canada
. The station went on air on September 15, 2001 using the CHNU callsign instead. In any case, the call letters had not featured prominently in the station's on-air branding, as the station opted to use the on-air brand "NOWTV
". CHNU relied on television advertisements and donations from viewers for financial support.
On November 1, 2004, Trinity Television announced that it was selling CHNU and the licence for yet to be launched similar television station in Winnipeg
, CIIT-TV
, to Rogers Communications
, subject to CRTC approval. The financial difficulties Trinity experienced with operating CHNU and getting CIIT on the air, combined with the fact that it could not raise capital from outside investors because of its status as a charitable organization, were the main reasons given for the sale. The deal was approved several months later, finally giving Rogers a broadcast television station in the Vancouver market, where it had lost bids to launch one in the past. At the same time, Rogers got approval to place a rebroadcaster
in Victoria on channel 21 with an effective radiated power
of 720 watt
s. In 2006, the transmitter's power was increased to 17.2 kilowatts, with the tower height decreasing to compensate.
After acquiring the station from Trinity Television, Rogers announced in late June 2005 that the station would join the Rogers-owned Omni Television
system. The Omni brand had previously been associated only with multicultural stations. The renaming occurred in September of that year, making CHNU the third station in the Omni television system.
On September 28, 2007, Rogers' purchase of the Citytv
stations formerly owned by CHUM Limited
was approved (although CTVgm sold off the stations a year earlier). As a condition of this approval, Rogers had to sell CHNU and CIIT in Winnipeg due to the CRTC's restrictions on owning multiple television stations broadcasting in the same language in a single market. Rogers had a one-year grace period to find a buyer.
Rogers subsequently announced plans to purchase Vancouver multilingual station CHNM-TV, which the company argues would not violate any ownership restrictions under the CRTC's exemptions for stations broadcasting in different languages. On October 31, 2007, CHNU was rebranded CHNU 10 in order to limit viewer confusion because Rogers' contemporaneous acquisition of the multilingual CHNM-TV
in Vancouver meant that the Omni Television brand would be transferred to that station in 2008.
On November 6, 2007, Rogers announced that CHNU and CIIT would be sold to S-VOX
, with no financial deals being released. The deal was approved by the CRTC on March 31, 2008. The sale was finalized on April 30, 2008 and S-VOX assumed control of the station on May 26 of that year.
S-VOX soon announced that both CHNU and CIIT would rebrand as under a newly created television brand, Joytv. CHNU rebranded on September 1, 2008 using the on-air brand Joytv 10.
In June 2009, S-VOX announced it would sell its broadcasting assets, including CHNU, to ZoomerMedia
, a company controlled by Moses Znaimer
. The sale was approved by the CRTC On March 30, 2010. ZoomerMedia assumed control of S-VOX's broadcasting assets on June 30, 2010.
, or My Name Is Earl
), drama
s (such as Stargate SG-1
) to classic programs (such as Matlock
or Ironside
. The majority of the station's non-religious programming are syndicated. The station also airs a great deal of multicultural religious programming
as well, particularly about Christianity
, Islam
, Hinduism
and Sikhism
.
CHNU also broadcast two American primetime programs, 20/20 and 48 Hours Mystery
.
and The Biography Channel Canada
.
The final host of the series was CBS' "60 Minutes" producer Peter Klein. Before him they were done by Randall Mark, Andrew Dawson, Rafe Mair, Mark Schneider, Russ Froese, and Salimah Ebrahim. The field interviewer position was held by Shannon Nelson, and previously Laura-Lynn Tyler.
Following an initial three-year run that included feature interviews with the likes of Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe
, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper
, author Salman Rushdie, Nobel Peace Prize winner Dr. Shirin Ebadi
, and HRH Prince Edward
, the program was replaced in June 2008 with The Daily when S-VOX took over ownership of the station from Rogers. The last broadcast was June 6, 2008. It relaunched in September 2009 as a weekly program hosted by Klein.
The program was co-created in 2005 by producer Jonathan Roth and station general manager Terry Mahoney. Roth remained as senior producer throughout "The Standard's" run.
CHNU was approved by the CRTC to broadcast in digital on channel 47 with a stronger transmitter from Abbotsford that would cover most of the Lower Mainland, doubling the population served compared to its analog transmitter. The station did not broadcast in digital until August 31, 2011 as channel 47 was occupied by CKVU-DT
. The station was approved to broadcast in digital on channel 21 in Victoria, also with a greater coverage area.
Although the station is based out of Surrey, BC, the transmitter tower is in Abbotsford, BC and analog broadcasts were at an insufficient power level to be viewed in many Greater Vancouver municipalities, including Vancouver, BC. According to the station's website, the target station's audience is the Fraser Valley, Vancouver, and Victoria.
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
television station
Television station
A television station is a business, organisation or other such as an amateur television operator that transmits content over terrestrial television. A television transmission can be by analog television signals or, more recently, by digital television. Broadcast television systems standards are...
based in Surrey, British Columbia
Surrey, British Columbia
Surrey is a city in the province of British Columbia, Canada. It is a member municipality of Metro Vancouver, the governing body of the Greater Vancouver Regional District...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. The station is licensed to the Fraser Valley
Fraser Valley Regional District
The Fraser Valley Regional District is a regional district in British Columbia, Canada. The FVRD covers an area of 13,361.74 km²...
Region, and also serves Metro Vancouver, Victoria
Victoria, British Columbia
Victoria is the capital city of British Columbia, Canada and is located on the southern tip of Vancouver Island off Canada's Pacific coast. The city has a population of about 78,000 within the metropolitan area of Greater Victoria, which has a population of 360,063, the 15th most populous Canadian...
and surrounding areas. CHNU is owned by ZoomerMedia
ZoomerMedia
ZoomerMedia Limited is a group of Canadian media operations controlled by Moses Znaimer. According to Znaimer, these media outlets primarily target what he calls "zoomers" or "baby boomers with zip", defined as people in their 50s, 60s and 70s who want to remain socially and culturally engaged and...
, and is an owned and operated station of the Joytv
Joytv
Joytv is a privately held Canadian television system owned by ZoomerMedia. Joytv airs a mix of multi-faith and family-oriented programming in the form of dramas, comedies, news magazines, talk shows and more.-History:...
television system
Television system
A television system is a Canadian term for a group of television stations which share common ownership, branding, and programming, but are not considered a full television network....
. CHNU broadcasts a variety of multi-faith and family-oriented programming.
CHNU broadcasts on UHF channel 66, and is seen on cable channel 10 in the Lower Mainland
Lower Mainland
The Lower Mainland is a name commonly applied to the region surrounding and including Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. As of 2007, 2,524,113 people live in the region; sixteen of the province's thirty most populous municipalities are located there.While the term Lower Mainland has been...
, cable 7 in Victoria
Victoria, British Columbia
Victoria is the capital city of British Columbia, Canada and is located on the southern tip of Vancouver Island off Canada's Pacific coast. The city has a population of about 78,000 within the metropolitan area of Greater Victoria, which has a population of 360,063, the 15th most populous Canadian...
. The station is not carried on cable outside those areas.
History
Industry Canada
Industry Canada is the department of the Government of Canada with responsibility for regional economic development, investment, and innovation/research and development. The department employs 6104 FTEs across Canada....
. The station went on air on September 15, 2001 using the CHNU callsign instead. In any case, the call letters had not featured prominently in the station's on-air branding, as the station opted to use the on-air brand "NOWTV
NOWTV
NOWTV was the previous on-air name of CHNU in Surrey, British Columbia and CIIT-TV in Winnipeg, which launched on September 15, 2001. Owned by Trinity Television, NOWTV was a Christian station which aired a blend of religious programming and classic family sitcoms.NOWTV relied on television...
". CHNU relied on television advertisements and donations from viewers for financial support.
On November 1, 2004, Trinity Television announced that it was selling CHNU and the licence for yet to be launched similar television station in Winnipeg
Winnipeg
Winnipeg is the capital and largest city of Manitoba, Canada, and is the primary municipality of the Winnipeg Capital Region, with more than half of Manitoba's population. It is located near the longitudinal centre of North America, at the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers .The name...
, CIIT-TV
CIIT-TV
CIIT-DT is a Canadian English language television station based in and licensed to Winnipeg, Manitoba. The station is owned by ZoomerMedia and is an owned and operated station of the Joytv television system. CIIT broadcasts a variety of multi-faith and family-oriented programming.-History:In...
, to Rogers Communications
Rogers Communications
Rogers Communications Inc. is one of Canada's largest communications companies, particularly in the field of wireless communications, cable television, home phone and internet with additional telecommunications and mass media assets...
, subject to CRTC approval. The financial difficulties Trinity experienced with operating CHNU and getting CIIT on the air, combined with the fact that it could not raise capital from outside investors because of its status as a charitable organization, were the main reasons given for the sale. The deal was approved several months later, finally giving Rogers a broadcast television station in the Vancouver market, where it had lost bids to launch one in the past. At the same time, Rogers got approval to place a rebroadcaster
Broadcast relay station
A broadcast relay station, relay transmitter, broadcast translator , rebroadcaster , or repeater is a broadcast transmitter which relays, repeats, or reflects the signal of another radio station or television station, usually to an area not covered by the signal of the originating station...
in Victoria on channel 21 with an effective radiated power
Effective radiated power
In radio telecommunications, effective radiated power or equivalent radiated power is a standardized theoretical measurement of radio frequency energy using the SI unit watts, and is determined by subtracting system losses and adding system gains...
of 720 watt
Watt
The watt is a derived unit of power in the International System of Units , named after the Scottish engineer James Watt . The unit, defined as one joule per second, measures the rate of energy conversion.-Definition:...
s. In 2006, the transmitter's power was increased to 17.2 kilowatts, with the tower height decreasing to compensate.
After acquiring the station from Trinity Television, Rogers announced in late June 2005 that the station would join the Rogers-owned Omni Television
OMNI Television
Omni Television, corporately styled as OMNI Television, is a Canadian television system owned and operated by Rogers Communications. It consists of the company's conventional television stations in Ontario, British Columbia and Alberta which are licensed as multicultural stations...
system. The Omni brand had previously been associated only with multicultural stations. The renaming occurred in September of that year, making CHNU the third station in the Omni television system.
On September 28, 2007, Rogers' purchase of the Citytv
Citytv
Citytv is a Canadian English language television system owned and operated by Rogers Communications under its Rogers Broadcasting Ltd. division...
stations formerly owned by CHUM Limited
CHUM Limited
CHUM Limited was a media company based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada from 1945 to 2007. Immediately prior to its acquisition, it held full or joint control of two Canadian television systems — Citytv and A-Channel — comprising 11 local stations, and one CBC Television affiliate, one...
was approved (although CTVgm sold off the stations a year earlier). As a condition of this approval, Rogers had to sell CHNU and CIIT in Winnipeg due to the CRTC's restrictions on owning multiple television stations broadcasting in the same language in a single market. Rogers had a one-year grace period to find a buyer.
Rogers subsequently announced plans to purchase Vancouver multilingual station CHNM-TV, which the company argues would not violate any ownership restrictions under the CRTC's exemptions for stations broadcasting in different languages. On October 31, 2007, CHNU was rebranded CHNU 10 in order to limit viewer confusion because Rogers' contemporaneous acquisition of the multilingual CHNM-TV
CHNM-TV
CHNM-DT, channel 20 , is a television station based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada...
in Vancouver meant that the Omni Television brand would be transferred to that station in 2008.
On November 6, 2007, Rogers announced that CHNU and CIIT would be sold to S-VOX
S-VOX
S-VOX Foundation is a Canadian non-profit media organization dedicated to producing content on faith and spirituality.The organization is the successor to the non-profit entity that operated VisionTV, and later other related Canadian specialty channels, from 1988 to 2010...
, with no financial deals being released. The deal was approved by the CRTC on March 31, 2008. The sale was finalized on April 30, 2008 and S-VOX assumed control of the station on May 26 of that year.
S-VOX soon announced that both CHNU and CIIT would rebrand as under a newly created television brand, Joytv. CHNU rebranded on September 1, 2008 using the on-air brand Joytv 10.
In June 2009, S-VOX announced it would sell its broadcasting assets, including CHNU, to ZoomerMedia
ZoomerMedia
ZoomerMedia Limited is a group of Canadian media operations controlled by Moses Znaimer. According to Znaimer, these media outlets primarily target what he calls "zoomers" or "baby boomers with zip", defined as people in their 50s, 60s and 70s who want to remain socially and culturally engaged and...
, a company controlled by Moses Znaimer
Moses Znaimer
Moses Znaimer, M.A., O.Ont is a co-founder and former head of Citytv, the first independent television station in Toronto, Canada, and the current head of ZoomerMedia.-Early life and career:...
. The sale was approved by the CRTC On March 30, 2010. ZoomerMedia assumed control of S-VOX's broadcasting assets on June 30, 2010.
Programming
The station airs a very diverse selection of programming, ranging from sitcoms (such as RebaReba (TV series)
Reba is an American sitcom starring Reba McEntire, which ran from 2001 to 2007. For the show's first five seasons, it ran on The WB, with the show transitioning to The CW in its last year.-Synopsis:...
, or My Name Is Earl
My Name Is Earl
My Name Is Earl is an American television comedy series created by Greg Garcia that was originally broadcast on the NBC television network from September 20, 2005, to May 14, 2009, in the United States...
), drama
Drama
Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance. The term comes from a Greek word meaning "action" , which is derived from "to do","to act" . The enactment of drama in theatre, performed by actors on a stage before an audience, presupposes collaborative modes of production and a...
s (such as Stargate SG-1
Stargate SG-1
Stargate SG-1 is a Canadian-American adventure and military science fiction television series and part of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's Stargate franchise. The show, created by Brad Wright and Jonathan Glassner, is based on the 1994 feature film Stargate by Dean Devlin and Roland Emmerich...
) to classic programs (such as Matlock
Matlock
Matlock is the county town of Derbyshire, England. It is situated at the south eastern edge of the Peak District, and forms part of the Sheffield City Region. The town is twinned with the French town Eaubonne. The former spa resort Matlock Bath lies immediately south of the town on the A6. Matlock,...
or Ironside
Ironside
-Entertainment and literature:*Ironside , an American television series starring Raymond Burr*Ironside: A Modern Faery's Tale, an urban fantasy novel by Holly Black-People:...
. The majority of the station's non-religious programming are syndicated. The station also airs a great deal of multicultural religious programming
Religious broadcasting
Religious broadcasting refers to broadcasting by religious organizations, usually with a religious message. Many religious organizations have long recorded content such as sermons and lectures, and have moved into distributing content on their Internet websites.While this article emphasises...
as well, particularly about Christianity
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
, Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
, Hinduism
Hinduism
Hinduism is the predominant and indigenous religious tradition of the Indian Subcontinent. Hinduism is known to its followers as , amongst many other expressions...
and Sikhism
Sikhism
Sikhism is a monotheistic religion founded during the 15th century in the Punjab region, by Guru Nanak Dev and continued to progress with ten successive Sikh Gurus . It is the fifth-largest organized religion in the world and one of the fastest-growing...
.
CHNU also broadcast two American primetime programs, 20/20 and 48 Hours Mystery
48 Hours (TV series)
48 Hours is a documentary and news program broadcast on the CBS television network since January 19, 1988. The program originally presented documentaries of various events related to a particular subject occurring within a 48-hour period, and is credited as one of the first to air a "reality show"...
.
The Standard
The Standard was a news and current affairs program launched by CHNU in September of 2005. The show focused on national and international issues, but from a religious and spiritual standpoint. Canceled for the final time in August 2010, re-runs of The Standard continue to be seen on CHNU, CIIT and Vision TV, and formerly weekly on CFMTCFMT-TV
CFMT-DT, channel 47, is a television station based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, with rebroadcasters in Ottawa and London. The station broadcasts multicultural programming targeting European and Latin American communities throughout Southern Ontario. Part of the Omni Television group of stations...
and The Biography Channel Canada
The Biography Channel Canada
The Biography Channel is a Canadian English language Category A specialty channel. It primarily features biographies on famous people and events throughout history and today including predominantly celebrities and also politicians, historical figures and more; Other programming includes documentary...
.
The final host of the series was CBS' "60 Minutes" producer Peter Klein. Before him they were done by Randall Mark, Andrew Dawson, Rafe Mair, Mark Schneider, Russ Froese, and Salimah Ebrahim. The field interviewer position was held by Shannon Nelson, and previously Laura-Lynn Tyler.
Following an initial three-year run that included feature interviews with the likes of Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe
Robert Mugabe
Robert Gabriel Mugabe is the President of Zimbabwe. As one of the leaders of the liberation movement against white-minority rule, he was elected into power in 1980...
, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper
Stephen Harper
Stephen Joseph Harper is the 22nd and current Prime Minister of Canada and leader of the Conservative Party. Harper became prime minister when his party formed a minority government after the 2006 federal election...
, author Salman Rushdie, Nobel Peace Prize winner Dr. Shirin Ebadi
Shirin Ebadi
Shirin Ebadi is an Iranian lawyer, a former judge and human rights activist and founder of Defenders of Human Rights Center in Iran. On 10 October 2003, Ebadi was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for her significant and pioneering efforts for democracy and human rights, especially women's,...
, and HRH Prince Edward
Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex
Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex KG GCVO is the third son and fourth child of Elizabeth II and The Duke of Edinburgh...
, the program was replaced in June 2008 with The Daily when S-VOX took over ownership of the station from Rogers. The last broadcast was June 6, 2008. It relaunched in September 2009 as a weekly program hosted by Klein.
The program was co-created in 2005 by producer Jonathan Roth and station general manager Terry Mahoney. Roth remained as senior producer throughout "The Standard's" run.
The Daily
The Daily is a talk show hosted by Mark Washington and Laura-Lynn Thompson. The show's first broadcast was on June 9, 2008. The Daily is also broadcast nationally on VisionTV. The Daily was shot using Shaw facilities in Downtown Vancouver. The show ceased production on April 15, 2009.Digital television and high definition
| Broadcasting in Digital | Yes |
| Programs in HD | No |
| PSIP functioning properly | No |
CHNU was approved by the CRTC to broadcast in digital on channel 47 with a stronger transmitter from Abbotsford that would cover most of the Lower Mainland, doubling the population served compared to its analog transmitter. The station did not broadcast in digital until August 31, 2011 as channel 47 was occupied by CKVU-DT
CKVU-TV
CKVU-DT is a television station based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Owned by Rogers Media , it was the second station to become part of the Citytv system in Canada.-History:CKVU's history dates back to 1975, when Western Approaches Ltd...
. The station was approved to broadcast in digital on channel 21 in Victoria, also with a greater coverage area.
Although the station is based out of Surrey, BC, the transmitter tower is in Abbotsford, BC and analog broadcasts were at an insufficient power level to be viewed in many Greater Vancouver municipalities, including Vancouver, BC. According to the station's website, the target station's audience is the Fraser Valley, Vancouver, and Victoria.