C Channel
Encyclopedia
C Channel was a Canadian
premium television service specialising in arts programming. It was one of Canada's first licensed "pay TV" channels when it began in 1983 but it ended in failure within months.
companies. The company's offering, C Channel, would feature artistic content such as theatrical, opera and ballet performances. This format was distinct from the other new pay-movie services, First Choice (now The Movie Network
) and Superchannel (now Movie Central
).
C Channel, First Choice and Superchannel began their broadcasts on 1 February 1983. C Channel's President Edgar Cowan predicted 200,000 subscribers and financial equilibrium within a year.
C Channel held a two-night preview of its programming on 20 and 21 January, cablecast on most cable systems, such as Greater Winnipeg Cablevision
, which was actually not able to carry the real service due to the dispute with MTS
.
On the first night there were only two programs, beginning at 8 p.m. (Eastern Standard Time): Swan Lake
, performed by the Royal Ballet at the Royal Opera House
in London, England. The other was a movie originally released in 1980, The Last Metro
.
One of the programs featured was a Bach
-themed concert performed by flautist James Galway
and violinist Kyung-wha Chung
, while jazz enthusiasts could watch performances from the Montreal International Jazz Festival.
Stereo audio broadcasts using available cable FM channels were permitted by the CRTC on 11 February 1983. C Channel immediately activated its stereo audio feed when it received this approval.
One of its marquee presentations was the Royal Shakespeare Company
's 8½ hour production of The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby
acquired from Britain's Channel 4
. The program ran on 13 March 1983 from 1 p.m. to midnight with breaks for lunch, tea and dinner.
C Channel's cultural offerings, similar to the type of programming occasionally seen on PBS
and CBC Television
, failed to attract the expected number of subscribers. In April 1983, station president Ed Cowan admitted that "we always knew we were underfinanced", noting that $5 million in financing was raised, when double that capital amount was deemed "safe". Also, during the round of private financing in December 1982, share prices were cut to $3 each from $10 in order to sell.
On 17 June 1983, the broadcaster was in receivership
with $9 million in debt and only gaining 27,000 subscribers where 60,000-100,000 were expected and well short of its break even point of 175,000 subscribers. As a result, C Channel's broadcasts ended on 30 June 1983.
which was planning to establish a national faith-based television service.
C Channel's demise was one part of a troubled start to Canada's subscription television industry. The remaining premium movie channels were forced to restructure into regional monopolies for survival; these monopolies still exist despite the current profitability of this sector.
About 10 years later, a second attempt at launching an arts-oriented cable network in Canada as made when the CRTC heard an application by CHUM Limited
of Toronto for a Canadian version of the Bravo television network that had been in operation in the United States since December 1980. Bravo! signed on 1 January 1995 and was considerably more successful and continues to broadcast. Unlike C Channel, Bravo! does not charge an individual fee for service, but rather is included in various "bundles" or "tiers" offered by the country's cable and satellite service providers.
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...
premium television service specialising in arts programming. It was one of Canada's first licensed "pay TV" channels when it began in 1983 but it ended in failure within months.
History
Toronto-based company Lively Arts Market Builders Inc. was one of several companies that received a licence from the CRTC to provide a subscription television service for Canadian cableCable television
Cable television is a system of providing television programs to consumers via radio frequency signals transmitted to televisions through coaxial cables or digital light pulses through fixed optical fibers located on the subscriber's property, much like the over-the-air method used in traditional...
companies. The company's offering, C Channel, would feature artistic content such as theatrical, opera and ballet performances. This format was distinct from the other new pay-movie services, First Choice (now The Movie Network
The Movie Network
The Movie Network is a Canadian English language Category A premium television service, owned by Astral Media. The service is licensed to operate east of the Ontario-Manitoba border, excluding the territories...
) and Superchannel (now Movie Central
Movie Central
Movie Central is a Canadian English language Category A premium television service. Movie Central is designated to operate west of the Ontario-Manitoba border, including the territories...
).
C Channel, First Choice and Superchannel began their broadcasts on 1 February 1983. C Channel's President Edgar Cowan predicted 200,000 subscribers and financial equilibrium within a year.
Programming
C Channel was required as a condition of licence from the CRTC to spend no less than 20% of its revenues and 50% of its expenditures on Canadian produced programming. The channel had planned to spend $4 million in production during its initial seven months of broadcasting.C Channel held a two-night preview of its programming on 20 and 21 January, cablecast on most cable systems, such as Greater Winnipeg Cablevision
Shaw Communications
Shaw Communications is Canada's largest telecommunications company that provides telephone, Canada's fastest Internet and television services as well as broadcasting and soon Wifi. Shaw is headquartered in Calgary, Alberta...
, which was actually not able to carry the real service due to the dispute with MTS
Manitoba Telecom Services
Manitoba Telecom Services Inc. , or MTS , formerly Manitoba Telephone System, is the primary telecommunications carrier in the Canadian province of Manitoba and the fourth largest telecommunications provider in Canada with 7000 employees...
.
On the first night there were only two programs, beginning at 8 p.m. (Eastern Standard Time): Swan Lake
Swan Lake
Swan Lake ballet, op. 20, by Pyotr Tchaikovsky, composed 1875–1876. The scenario, initially in four acts, was fashioned from Russian folk tales and tells the story of Odette, a princess turned into a swan by an evil sorcerer's curse. The choreographer of the original production was Julius Reisinger...
, performed by the Royal Ballet at the Royal Opera House
Royal Opera House
The Royal Opera House is an opera house and major performing arts venue in Covent Garden, central London. The large building is often referred to as simply "Covent Garden", after a previous use of the site of the opera house's original construction in 1732. It is the home of The Royal Opera, The...
in London, England. The other was a movie originally released in 1980, The Last Metro
The Last Metro
The Last Metro is a 1980 film made by Les Films du Carrosse, written and directed by the French filmmaker François Truffaut, and starring Catherine Deneuve and Gérard Depardieu....
.
One of the programs featured was a Bach
Bạch
Bạch is a Vietnamese surname. The name is transliterated as Bai in Chinese and Baek, in Korean.Bach is the anglicized variation of the surname Bạch.-Notable people with the surname Bạch:* Bạch Liêu...
-themed concert performed by flautist James Galway
James Galway
- External links : IMGArtists.com 15 September 2008. AllAboutJazz.com 5 August 2008.*...
and violinist Kyung-wha Chung
Kyung-wha Chung
Kyung-wha Chung is a Korean violinist.- Biography :Kyung-wha Chung's musical career began at the age of three. Her fame in the seventies and eighties was at the top level, and ranked alongside the great violinists Pinchas Zukerman and Itzhak Perlman...
, while jazz enthusiasts could watch performances from the Montreal International Jazz Festival.
Stereo audio broadcasts using available cable FM channels were permitted by the CRTC on 11 February 1983. C Channel immediately activated its stereo audio feed when it received this approval.
One of its marquee presentations was the Royal Shakespeare Company
Royal Shakespeare Company
The Royal Shakespeare Company is a major British theatre company, based in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England. The company employs 700 staff and produces around 20 productions a year from its home in Stratford-upon-Avon and plays regularly in London, Newcastle-upon-Tyne and on tour across...
's 8½ hour production of The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby
The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby (play)
The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby is an eight-hour stage play, presented over two performances, adapted from the Charles Dickens novel of the same name by David Edgar. Directed by John Caird and Trevor Nunn, it opened on 5 June 1980 at the Aldwych Theatre in London. The music and lyrics...
acquired from Britain's Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
. The program ran on 13 March 1983 from 1 p.m. to midnight with breaks for lunch, tea and dinner.
Hours
C Channel initially broadcast approximately 8 hours per day, beginning at 7 p.m. (Eastern) with the children's programming block and ended approximately 11 p.m. or midnight. The station planned to expand the schedule by May 1983 with an earlier daily on-air time with the broadcast day ending approximately 3:30 a.m.. C Channel president Ed Cowan had hoped to implement a 24-hour schedule later that year.Demise
The three Canadian premium channels, at a steep $16 per channel per subscriber at a time when a basic cable subscription was $10–12, would ultimately appeal to only to a small percentage of the many existing Canadian cable TV subscribers.C Channel's cultural offerings, similar to the type of programming occasionally seen on PBS
Public Broadcasting Service
The Public Broadcasting Service is an American non-profit public broadcasting television network with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. Its headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia....
and CBC Television
CBC Television
CBC Television is a Canadian television network owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the national public broadcaster.Although the CBC is supported by public funding, the television network supplements this funding with commercial advertising revenue, in contrast to CBC Radio which are...
, failed to attract the expected number of subscribers. In April 1983, station president Ed Cowan admitted that "we always knew we were underfinanced", noting that $5 million in financing was raised, when double that capital amount was deemed "safe". Also, during the round of private financing in December 1982, share prices were cut to $3 each from $10 in order to sell.
On 17 June 1983, the broadcaster was in receivership
Bankruptcy
Bankruptcy is a legal status of an insolvent person or an organisation, that is, one that cannot repay the debts owed to creditors. In most jurisdictions bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the debtor....
with $9 million in debt and only gaining 27,000 subscribers where 60,000-100,000 were expected and well short of its break even point of 175,000 subscribers. As a result, C Channel's broadcasts ended on 30 June 1983.
Epilogue
Following the receivership, the production facility and other studio assets were sold to Crossroads Christian CommunicationsCITS-TV
CITS-DT is a Canadian English language religious broadcasting television station based in Ontario. It is licensed to the city of Hamilton, although its studios are located in Burlington. CITS uses the on-air brand of CTS...
which was planning to establish a national faith-based television service.
C Channel's demise was one part of a troubled start to Canada's subscription television industry. The remaining premium movie channels were forced to restructure into regional monopolies for survival; these monopolies still exist despite the current profitability of this sector.
About 10 years later, a second attempt at launching an arts-oriented cable network in Canada as made when the CRTC heard an application 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...
of Toronto for a Canadian version of the Bravo television network that had been in operation in the United States since December 1980. Bravo! signed on 1 January 1995 and was considerably more successful and continues to broadcast. Unlike C Channel, Bravo! does not charge an individual fee for service, but rather is included in various "bundles" or "tiers" offered by the country's cable and satellite service providers.