A
twinstick, in
CanadianCanada 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...
broadcasting, is a term for two television stations, broadcasting in the same market, which are owned by the same company. The term derives from the use of "stick", in broadcasting industry
jargonJargon is terminology which is especially defined in relationship to a specific activity, profession, group, or event. The philosophe Condillac observed in 1782 that "Every science requires a special language because every science has its own ideas." As a rationalist member of the Enlightenment he...
, as a term for a broadcast
transmitterIn electronics and telecommunications a transmitter or radio transmitter is an electronic device which, with the aid of an antenna, produces radio waves. The transmitter itself generates a radio frequency alternating current, which is applied to the antenna. When excited by this alternating...
tower.
In the
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, a broadcast operation of this type is more commonly known as a
duopolyIn United States broadcast television and radio, duopoly is a term used to describe a single company which owns two or more stations in the same city or community....
.
Although broadcasting companies are also permitted to own multiple radio stations in a given market, the term "twinstick" is not generally used in reference to radio.
Policy
Officially, Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) policy mandates that a broadcaster may only own one television station in a particular language in any given market. However, there are two types of exemptions which may be granted:
- small markets, in which one or more stations may be in financial jeopardy due to limited advertising revenue;
- large markets, in which one or more stations may be in financial jeopardy due to audience fragmentation or the cost of programming rights.
The policy does not prevent companies from owning multiple stations in a market provided that the stations broadcast in different languages. In recent years, this has been interpreted as meaning that a single company may own both an English-language station and one or more multicultural stations with some English-language content, which in itself may be considered a form of "exemption".
CBCThe Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly known as CBC and officially as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian crown corporation that serves as the national public radio and television broadcaster...
/Radio-Canada
owned-and-operated stationIn the broadcasting industry , an owned-and-operated station usually refers to a television station or radio station that is owned by the network with which it is associated...
s are also often deployed in pairs in major cities on both television and radio, separated only by language.
Also, the policy is not interpreted as preventing a single company from owning both a "commercial" general-interest station and an educational station in the same market, even if the latter airs advertising, as with
AccessCTV Two Alberta is a Canadian English language entertainment, information, and educational television channel in the province of Alberta...
in Alberta.
Although the small and large market exemptions have a financial criterion in common, there are notable differences between the two. A small market twinstick may involve major network affiliates licensed to the same community, and is not obligated to provide distinct local news programming on the two stations, while in a large market the stations must be licensed to serve different communities or different programming niches, and
cannot merge their news programming into a single operation. Small market twinsticks commonly share their branding across both stations, while twinsticks in large markets generally do not.
As well, while small market twinsticks generally involve private
affiliateAn affiliate is a commercial entity with a relationship with a peer or a larger entity.- Corporate structure :A corporation may be referred to as an affiliate of another when it is related to it but not strictly controlled by it, as with a subsidiary relationship, or when it is desired to avoid...
s, major market twinsticks are virtually always
owned-and-operated stationIn the broadcasting industry , an owned-and-operated station usually refers to a television station or radio station that is owned by the network with which it is associated...
s (O&Os) of their associated networks or systems.
In a few isolated cases, the CRTC has permitted "triple-sticks", or
triopoliesTriopoly can refer to:* Triopoly * An oligopoly with three sellers* A twinstick or duopoly operation to which a third local station under the same common ownership has been added. If programming is the same across three stations in the same market, the cluster is not a tripoly but a trimulcast....
, where a single broadcaster operates
three stations in a market. These are only possible under unusual circumstances which are discussed as they arise below.
History
Twinsticks were first allowed in 1967, as a way to help expand
CTVCTV Television Network is a Canadian English language television network and is owned by Bell Media. It is Canada's largest privately-owned network, and has consistently placed as Canada's top-rated network in total viewers and in key demographics since 2002, after several years trailing the rival...
service to smaller markets. In the original twinstick model, the second station was a rebroadcaster of a CTV station in a larger market, to which the small market's existing
CBCCBC 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...
affiliate would be granted the advertising sales rights.
As the company's advertising revenue grew, the CTV transmitter would eventually become an originating station in its own right, and in theory would eventually be sold to another broadcaster. However, in many cases the subsequent sale never happened, as the community's economic growth failed to lend itself to competition between multiple television broadcasters. In other markets where the CRTC had licensed competing broadcasters, such as
Northern OntarioNorthern Ontario is a region of the Canadian province of Ontario which lies north of Lake Huron , the French River and Lake Nipissing. The region has a land area of 802,000 km2 and constitutes 87% of the land area of Ontario, although it contains only about 6% of the population...
, twinstick mergers were subsequently allowed to permit the survival of both television stations after similar economic difficulties were encountered.
With the cross-national
consolidationConcentration of media ownership refers to a process whereby progressively fewer individuals or organizations control increasing shares of the mass media...
of media ownership, many of the original twinstick stations no longer share ownership with their former twin stations. However, the second type of twinstick, involving media consolidation in larger markets, began to arise in the 1990s.
Small markets
Up until February 2010, twinsticks of this type outside of Quebec involved
CTVCTV Television Network is a Canadian English language television network and is owned by Bell Media. It is Canada's largest privately-owned network, and has consistently placed as Canada's top-rated network in total viewers and in key demographics since 2002, after several years trailing the rival...
and
CBCCBC 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...
affiliates. Currently, the Lloydminster stations are CTV and CBC affiliates, while the Thunder Bay stations are
GlobalGlobal Television Network is an English language privately owned television network in Canada, owned by Calgary-based Shaw Communications, as part of its Shaw Media division...
and CBC affiliates.
- Lloydminster
Lloydminster is a Canadian city which has the unusual geographic distinction of straddling the provincial border between Alberta and Saskatchewan...
- CITLCITL-DT is a Canadian television station, broadcasting in Lloydminster. It is an affiliate of CTV. This and CJBN-TV in Kenora, Ontario are the only two CTV stations not owned and operated by the network itself....
/ CKSACKSA-DT is a Canadian television station, broadcasting in Lloydminster. It is a private affiliate of CBC Television and, with the exception of local supper-hour newscasts, broadcasts a primarily CBC schedule. The station is part of a twinstick with sister station CITL-TV, the local CTV...
(Newcap BroadcastingNewfoundland Capital Corporation Limited is a major Canadian broadcasting company, majority-owned by Harold R. Steele. Newfoundland Capital is the parent company of Newcap Inc. . It is currently the number two private-sector radio broadcaster in Canada, just behind Astral Media...
)
- Thunder Bay
-In Canada:Thunder Bay is the name of three places in the province of Ontario, Canada along Lake Superior:*Thunder Bay District, Ontario, a district in Northwestern Ontario*Thunder Bay, a city in Thunder Bay District*Thunder Bay, Unorganized, Ontario...
- CHFDCHFD-DT, channel 4 , is a television station in Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada owned by Dougall Media. It also has a repeater in Armstrong and is available on the Bell TV and Shaw Direct satellite services...
/ CKPRCKPR-DT is a Canadian English language television station. It is a private affiliate of CBC Television licensed to the city of Thunder Bay, Ontario...
(Dougall Media)
Within Quebec, twinsticks may consist of any combination of
SRCTélévision de Radio-Canada is a Canadian French language television network. It is owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, known in French as Société Radio-Canada. Headquarters are at Maison Radio-Canada in Montreal, which is also home to the network's flagship station, CBFT-DT...
, TVA and V affiliates:
- Gatineau
Gatineau is a city in western Quebec, Canada. It is the fourth largest city in the province. It is located on the northern banks of the Ottawa River, immediately across from Ottawa, Ontario, and together they form Canada's National Capital Region. Ottawa and Gatineau comprise a single Census...
- CHOTCHOT-DT is a television station in Gatineau, Quebec, Canada. It is affiliated with the TVA network, and also serves Franco-Ontarians in the neighbouring city of Ottawa, Ontario. Its studios are located in the former city of Hull. The station broadcasts on channel 40, and it is owned by RNC Media...
/ CFGS (RNC Media)
- Rouyn-Noranda - CKRN
CKRN-DT is a television station in Rouyn-Noranda, Quebec. Owned and operated by RNC Media, it is a private affiliate of Radio-Canada and basically functions as a semi-satellite of Montreal Radio-Canada flagship station CBFT-DT due to not having alternative non-network sources of programming...
/ CFEMCFEM-DT is a TVA television affiliate in Rouyn-Noranda, Quebec, and is the youngest of the TVA network affiliates, having launched in 1979. CFEM is owned by RNC Media, which also owns CKRN-DT in Rouyn-Noranda and CFVS-DT in the neighbouring city of Val-d'Or....
(RNC Media)
From 1997 to 2002, CTV directly owned several CBC twinstick stations it had inherited from Baton Broadcasting (
CKNCCKNC-TV was a television station in Sudbury, Ontario. In operation from 1971 to 2002 as a private affiliate of CBC Television, it is now a repeater of the network's station in Toronto, CBLT.-History:...
,
CHNBCHNB-TV was a television station in North Bay, Ontario. In operation from 1971 to 2002 as a private affiliate of CBC Television, it is now a repeater of the network's station in Toronto, CBLT.-History:...
,
CJICCJIC-TV was a television station in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. In operation from 1955 to 2002 as a private affiliate of CBC Television, it now operates only a repeater of the network's flagship station in Toronto, CBLT.-History:...
and
CFCLCFCL-TV was a television station in Timmins, Ontario. In operation from 1956 to 2002 as a private affiliate of CBC Television, it now operates only as a rebroadcaster of Toronto's CBLT with the call sign CBLT-7.-History:...
in
Northern OntarioNorthern Ontario is a region of the Canadian province of Ontario which lies north of Lake Huron , the French River and Lake Nipissing. The region has a land area of 802,000 km2 and constitutes 87% of the land area of Ontario, although it contains only about 6% of the population...
, which were part of the
MCTVCTV Northern Ontario, formerly known as MCTV, is a system of four television stations in Northern Ontario, Canada, owned and operated by the CTV Television Network, a division of Bell Media.These stations are:...
system, and
CKBICKBI-TV was a television station in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan. In operation from 1958 to 2002 as a private affiliate of CBC Television, it is now a repeater of the network's station in Saskatoon, CBKST.-History:...
and
CKOSCKOS-TV was a television station in Yorkton, Saskatchewan. In operation from 1958 to 2002 as a private affiliate of CBC Television, it now exists only as a repeater of the network's station in Regina, with the call sign CBKT-6....
in
SaskatchewanSaskatchewan is a prairie province in Canada, which has an area of . Saskatchewan is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, and on the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North Dakota....
), but these were sold to the CBC in 2002.
One "triple stick" also exists, in which a single company,
Télé Inter-RivesTélé Inter-Rives is a broadcasting company based in Rivière-du-Loup, Quebec. The company operates three stations in Rivière-du-Loup in a rare "triple-stick" :* CKRT 7/5/13...
, operates all three licensed stations in Rivière-du-Loup:
CKRTCKRT-TV is a television station in Rivière-du-Loup, Quebec. Owned and operated by Télé Inter-Rives, it is a private affiliate of the Radio-Canada network....
,
CIMTCIMT-TV is a television station. It is the TVA affiliate in Rivière-du-Loup, Quebec.-History:The station was launched on September 17, 1978...
and
CFTFCFTF-TV is a French-language television station in Rivière-du-Loup, Quebec, and an affiliate of V, a commercial television network in Quebec. The station is owned by Télé Inter-Rives, which also owns Radio-Canada affiliate CKRT-TV and TVA affiliate CIMT-TV, making the station part of a so-called...
. An unofficial triple stick also exists in the Rouyn-Noranda area, as RNC Media, the licensed owner of that city's twinstick, also operates
CFVSCFVS-DT is the callsign for V's television station in Val-d'Or, Quebec, serving Quebec's Abitibi-Témiscamingue region.The station's main signal in Val-d'Or is on channel 15 with a virtual channel of 25.1, while its Rouyn-Noranda repeater is located on channel 20...
, the sole station licensed to the nearby city of Val-d'Or. These unusual situations arise because of the unique circumstances of francophone television stations in Quebec: with virtually no sources for syndicated programming, the stations are effectively constrained to network programming at all times, and both
TVATVA is a privately owned French language television network in Canada. The network is currently owned by Groupe TVA Inc. , a publicly traded subsidiary of Quebecor Media...
and
Radio-CanadaTélévision de Radio-Canada is a Canadian French language television network. It is owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, known in French as Société Radio-Canada. Headquarters are at Maison Radio-Canada in Montreal, which is also home to the network's flagship station, CBFT-DT...
maintain direct editorial control of local newscasts on all of their affiliates — meaning that despite being owned by a single company, the stations are still able to meet the guiding principles behind the CRTC's policies on media ownership.
As noted above, historically twinstick operations were locally owned. With the cross-national consolidation of media ownership in Canada, however, most twinstick operations are now owned by major media conglomerates. The
Thunder Bay TelevisionDougall Media is a Canadian media company, which has several television, radio and publishing holdings in Northwestern Ontario.-Television:Thunder Bay Television is the name under which CKPR, a CBC affiliate in Thunder Bay, Ontario operates. It is co-owned with CHFD, a Global affiliate in the same...
stations (CHFD/CKPR) are the sole remaining locally-owned twinstick anywhere in English Canada. The aforementioned Télé Inter-Rives is similarly unique in Quebec, although it is itself
partially owned by
QuebecorQuebecor Inc. is a communications company based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It was founded by Pierre Péladeau, and remains run by his family. Quebecor Inc. owns 55% of Quebecor Media Inc...
.
Until August 2008, Cogeco owned three twinsticks in Quebec:
CKTVCKTV-DT is a television station in the Canadian city of Saguenay, Quebec. It is an owned-and-operated station of the Radio-Canada network in the Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean region...
/
CFRSCFRS-DT is the callsign for V's television station in Saguenay, Quebec. Studios are located in the old city of Jonquière, with its transmitter atop Mount Valin....
in
SaguenaySaguenay is a city in the Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean region of Quebec, Canada, on the Saguenay River, about north of Quebec City....
,
CKSHCKSH-TV is a television station in Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada. It is an owned-and-operated station of the Radio-Canada network in the Estrie region.-History:...
/
CFKSCFKS-DT is the callsign for V's television station in Sherbrooke, Quebec. It is owned by Remstar Corporation.The station went to air on September 7, 1986. It was originally launched by Cogeco as a private affiliate of TQS, which was then owned by Jean Pouliot. It became an O&O of the network in...
in Sherbrooke and
CKTMCKTM-DT is a television station in Trois-Rivières, Quebec, Canada. It is an owned-and-operated station of the Radio-Canada network in the Mauricie region.-History:...
/
CFKMCFKM-DT is the callsign for V's television station in Trois-Rivières, Quebec. It is owned by Remstar Corporation.The station went to air on September 7, 1986. It was originally launched by Cogeco as a private affiliate of TQS, which was then owned by Jean Pouliot. It became an O&O of the network in...
in
Trois-RivièresTrois-Rivières means three rivers in French and may refer to:in Canada*Trois-Rivières, the largest city in the Mauricie region of Quebec, Canada*Circuit Trois-Rivières, a racetrack in Trois-Rivières, Quebec...
. These twinsticks were dissolved when Radio-Canada decided to acquire its former affiliates (CKTV, CKSH and CKTM), while the V affiliates (CFRS, CFKS and CFKM) were acquired by
Remstar CorporationRemstar Corporation is a Canadian media corporation with operations in broadcasting, production and distribution. The company is based in Montreal, Quebec and was founded in 1998 by brothers Julien and Maxime Rémillard.-Assets:...
, the new owner of V (then known as TQS).
Major markets
In the mid-1990s, the CRTC also began to allow private companies operating in large markets to acquire smaller stations. In all such cases, the twinsticks are permitted because a diversity of broadcast voices already exists in the market, and the stations are normally licensed to serve different communities in the metropolitan market or different programming niches. The stations must also be operated independently of each other, although they are permitted to cross-promote each other's programming. They may also air a very limited amount of common programming, although in practice this privilege is rarely used.
Currently Bell Media operates twinsticks in three major markets, using the
CTVCTV Television Network is a Canadian English language television network and is owned by Bell Media. It is Canada's largest privately-owned network, and has consistently placed as Canada's top-rated network in total viewers and in key demographics since 2002, after several years trailing the rival...
and CTV Two brands:
- Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
: CJOHCJOH-DT is a television station serving Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, and the surrounding region. Owned by Bell Media, it is part of the CTV Television Network....
/ CHROCHRO-TV is a television station serving the National Capital and Ottawa Valley regions of Ontario, Canada. Owned by Bell Media, it is part of the CTV Two television system....
- Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
-BarrieBarrie may refer to:* Barrie, city in Ontario, Canada* Barrie , Canadian federal electoral district* Barrie , provincial electoral district* Barrie—Simcoe—Bradford, former Canadian electoral district...
: CFTOCFTO-DT, broadcast on channel 9 and cable 8, is a television station in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, owned by Bell Media. Currently branded as CTV Toronto, it is the flagship station of the CTV Television Network, and was one of the charter members of the network when it was launched in 1961. It...
/ CKVRCKVR-DT, is a television station in Barrie, Ontario, Canada, owned by Bell Media, it serves as the flagship station of Bell Media's secondary television service, CTV Two, with facilities located at 33 Beacon Road in Barrie...
- Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
-VictoriaVictoria 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...
: CIVTCIVT-DT is a television station in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Owned by Bell Media, it is part of the CTV Television Network...
/ CIVICIVI-DT, also known as CTV Two Vancouver Island, is a television station based in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. Currently owned by Bell Media, the station serves the Vancouver Island area, and operates as part of the CTV Two system...
In addition to these "true" twinsticks, in some areas, Bell Media has taken a twinstick-type approach with two stations deemed to be in
adjacent media markets, but which in practice serve both markets. For example, Bell operates both CTV station
CKCO-TVCKCO-DT is a television station broadcasting on channel 13 in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada. Owned and operated by Bell Media, it is a part of the CTV Television Network and has been branded CTV Southwestern Ontario since 2005.-History:...
in
Kitchener, OntarioThe City of Kitchener is a city in Southern Ontario, Canada. It was the Town of Berlin from 1854 until 1912 and the City of Berlin from 1912 until 1916. The city had a population of 204,668 in the Canada 2006 Census...
and CTV Two station
CFPL-TVCFPL-DT is a television station based in London, Ontario, Canada, owned by Bell Media. Part of the CTV Two television system, the station serves London, Sarnia and much of southwestern Ontario north of London, including Wingham since its former sister station, CKNX-TV which ceased operations and...
in
LondonLondon is a city in Southwestern Ontario, Canada, situated along the Quebec City – Windsor Corridor. The city has a population of 352,395, and the metropolitan area has a population of 457,720, according to the 2006 Canadian census; the metro population in 2009 was estimated at 489,274. The city...
, about 100 km away. Both have been carried on the VHF band of basic cable throughout much of
southwestern OntarioSouthwestern Ontario is a subregion of Southern Ontario in the Canadian province of Ontario, centred on the city of London. It extends north to south from the Bruce Peninsula on Lake Huron to the Lake Erie shoreline, and east to south-west roughly from Guelph to Windsor. The region had a population...
for several decades. Hence, presumably as a result of this duplicated coverage, their current owner has elected to continue airing distinct programming on both stations. (On the other hand, Kitchener is also about 100 km from Toronto; nevertheless both CKCO and Toronto's CFTO operate as CTV stations.)
Finally, in some markets, Bell Media operates both a local over-the-air CTV station, and a provincial or regional cable channel that broadcasts CTV Two programming. In Alberta, CTV stations
CFCNCFCN-DT is a Canadian television station, broadcasting in Calgary, Alberta. Owned and operated by Bell Media, it is a part of the CTV Television Network. The station also operates a semi-satellite in Lethbridge....
CalgaryCalgary is a city in the Province of Alberta, Canada. It is located in the south of the province, in an area of foothills and prairie, approximately east of the front ranges of the Canadian Rockies...
and
CFRNCFRN-DT is a Canadian television station, broadcasting in Edmonton, Alberta. It is an owned and operated station of the CTV Television Network....
EdmontonEdmonton is the capital of the Canadian province of Alberta and is the province's second-largest city. Edmonton is located on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Capital Region, which is surrounded by the central region of the province.The city and its census...
co-exist with CTV Two Alberta, which is officially licensed as the provincial educational broadcaster and is therefore technically exempt from the CRTC's common ownership policy. (Prior to September 2011, CTV Two Alberta also operated over-the-air transmitters in Calgary and Edmonton.) In the Maritime Provinces, Bell Media operates both the over-the-air
CTV AtlanticCTV Atlantic is a system of four television stations in the Canadian Maritimes, owned and operated by the CTV Television Network, a division of Bell Media...
group of stations and the cable-only CTV Two Atlantic, which have been jointly owned (under various parent companies) since the latter's launch in 1983.
Previous examples
Canwest operated the
CIIICIII-DT-41 is a television station owned by Shaw Communications that serves much of the population of the Canadian province of Ontario. It is a flagship station of the Global Television Network...
/
CHCHCHCH-DT, channel 11, is a television station originating in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, with transmitters located throughout Ontario. CHCH currently operates as an independent station, having previously served as a CBC Television affiliate, and more recently as the flagship station of the...
twinstick in Toronto-
HamiltonHamilton is a port city in the Canadian province of Ontario. Conceived by George Hamilton when he purchased the Durand farm shortly after the War of 1812, Hamilton has become the centre of a densely populated and industrialized region at the west end of Lake Ontario known as the Golden Horseshoe...
and the
CHANCHAN-DT is a television station in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, broadcasting over-the-air on digital channel 22, and available via cable providers in the area on channel 11. Owned by Shaw Communications as a part of its Shaw Media division, it is the West Coast flagship station of the...
/
CHEKCHEK-DT, channel 6.1, is a television station based in Victoria, British Columbia and broadcasting to all of southwestern BC...
twinstick in Vancouver-Victoria until 2009, under the
GlobalGlobal Television Network is an English language privately owned television network in Canada, owned by Calgary-based Shaw Communications, as part of its Shaw Media division...
and E! brands. These two sets of twinsticks were separated as a result of E!'s demise in August 2009, with Canwest retaining the Global O&Os (CIII and CHAN) and selling off the E! stations (CHCH and CHEK). Additionally, Canwest previously owned the now-defunct
CHCACHCA-TV was a television station in Red Deer, Alberta, Canada. It was owned by Canwest, and was part of the E! television system. The station was seen on VHF channel 6 and cable channel 11 in Red Deer...
in
Red DeerRed Deer is a city in Central Alberta, Canada. It is located near the midpoint of the Calgary-Edmonton Corridor and is surrounded by Red Deer County. It is Alberta's third-most-populous city – after Calgary and Edmonton. The city is located in aspen parkland, a region of rolling hills...
, which was available on cable and via rebroadcast transmitters in both Calgary and Edmonton, where Canwest already owned
CICTCICT-DT is a Canadian television station, licensed to and serving Calgary, Alberta. It is owned by Shaw Media, and is an owned-and-operated station of the Global Television Network...
and
CITVCITV-DT is a television station in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Known on air as Global Edmonton, the station is owned by Shaw Media, and is an owned-and-operated station of the Global Television Network. It transmits on channel 13 and cable 8 in Edmonton, and is carried on the Bell TV and Shaw...
respectively. This was not considered a true twinstick as CHCA was not based in the larger markets, and did not have permission to solicit local advertising in those markets. It did, however, have
simultaneous substitutionSimultaneous substitution is a practice mandated by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission requiring Canadian cable, direct broadcast satellite and multichannel multipoint distribution service television distribution companies to substitute the signal of a foreign or...
rights.
CHUM Television operated the
CITYCITY-DT, Channel 57 , is a television station based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada owned and operated by Rogers Media...
/ CKVR twinstick in Toronto-Barrie and the
CKVUCKVU-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...
/ CIVI twinstick in Vancouver-Victoria under the
CitytvCitytv is a Canadian English language television system owned and operated by Rogers Communications under its Rogers Broadcasting Ltd. division...
and A-Channel brands prior to its acquisition by CTVglobemedia in 2006. Following this acquisition,
Rogers MediaRogers Media Inc is a subsidiary of Rogers Communications Inc., which owns Canada's largest publishing company, Rogers Publishing Limited, which has more than 70 consumer and business publications. Rogers Media Inc...
briefly held twinsticks in Vancouver (CKVU /
CHNUCHNU-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...
) and Winnipeg (
CHMICHMI-DT is a television station licensed to Portage la Prairie, Manitoba, Canada, with most of its operations in Winnipeg. It is part of the Citytv system, and the only Rogers TV station not part of any duopoly ever since CIIT-TV was sold to S-VOX in 2008.-History:The station was licensed by the...
/
CIITCIIT-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...
), formed from its newly-acquired Citytv stations and its
OmniOmni 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...
-branded religious stations; these two sets of twinsticks were dissolved in 2008 following the sales of CHNU and CIIT to
S-VOXS-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...
.
Unlike the situation in smaller markets, this type of "
consolidationConcentration of media ownership refers to a process whereby progressively fewer individuals or organizations control increasing shares of the mass media...
" twinstick had been increasingly common up to the late 2000s, concurrently with the rise of secondary
television systemA 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....
s (e.g. CH/E! and A-Channel) launched by their parent companies to complement their primary networks or systems (e.g. Global and Citytv). This trend was partially reversed in 2009 with the demise of E! and the subsequent dissolution of the Global / E! twinsticks.
Multiple languages
In many major markets, the
Canadian Broadcasting CorporationThe Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly known as CBC and officially as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian crown corporation that serves as the national public radio and television broadcaster...
operates both
CBC TelevisionCBC 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...
(English) and
Radio-CanadaTélévision de Radio-Canada is a Canadian French language television network. It is owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, known in French as Société Radio-Canada. Headquarters are at Maison Radio-Canada in Montreal, which is also home to the network's flagship station, CBFT-DT...
(French) stations. (In numerous other markets not listed, both networks are available over-the-air, but one or both of the transmitters is a rebroadcaster of a station originating in a different city; these are not usually considered true twinsticks.)
- Edmonton
Edmonton is the capital of the Canadian province of Alberta and is the province's second-largest city. Edmonton is located on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Capital Region, which is surrounded by the central region of the province.The city and its census...
- CBXTCBXT-DT is the television call sign for the CBC's television station in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.- History :The station first went on-air on October 1, 1961 as Edmonton's second television station; the previous CBC affiliate, CFRN, switched to the newly-established CTV on the same day. Initially,...
/ CBXFTCBXFT-DT is Radio-Canada's television station serving Franco-Albertans in Edmonton and some parts of Alberta.The station also has rebroadcast transmitters in Bonnyville, Falher, Fort McMurray, Grande Prairie, Hinton, Red Deer, Jean Côté, Lac la Biche, Lethbridge, Medicine Hat and Peace River.The...
- Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
- CBMTCBMT-DT is the CBC's television station in Montreal, Quebec. Programming on CBMT is seen on a network of more than 50 rebroadcasters throughout Quebec and in three communities in northern Manitoba: Brochet, Poplar River, and Shamattawa.-History:...
/ CBFTCBFT is the flagship station of Télévision de Radio-Canada, the French language television network of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Its studios and master control are located at Maison Radio-Canada in Montreal....
- Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
- CBOTCBOT-DT is a Canadian Broadcasting Corporation television station in Ottawa, Ontario. The station's studios are located in the CBC Ottawa Broadcast Centre.-History:...
/ CBOFTCBOFT-DT is the Radio-Canada station serving Franco-Ontarians in Ottawa and Eastern Ontario, and the Québécois in the Outaouais region of Quebec.-History:CBOFT went to air in 1955 as the first French language television station in Ontario...
- Regina
Regina is the capital city of the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. The city is the second-largest in the province and a cultural and commercial centre for southern Saskatchewan. It is governed by Regina City Council. Regina is the cathedral city of the Roman Catholic and Romanian Orthodox...
- CBKTCBKT-DT is the CBC's television station in Regina, Saskatchewan. It is located in the CBC Regina Broadcast Centre at 2440 Broad Street in downtown Regina, alongside CBK-AM-FM....
/ CBKFTCBKFT-DT is a Canadian French language television station in the province of Saskatchewan. It is owned and operated by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation and is an affiliate of Radio-Canada...
- Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
- CBLT / CBLFTCBLFT-DT is the Radio-Canada television station providing French-language television in Toronto and most of Ontario, including the Western, Central and Northeastern regions.-History:...
- Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
- CBUTCBUT-DT is the CBC's television station in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, and the flagship CBC Television station for the Pacific Time Zone. The station transmits its main terrestrial signal from a tower atop Mount Seymour....
/ CBUFTCBUFT-DT is Radio-Canada's television station in Vancouver, serving the French-speaking population of British Columbia.The station also has rebroadcast transmitters in Chilliwack, Dawson Creek, Kamloops, Kelowna, Kitimat, Lillooet, Logan Lake, Prince George and Terrace.CBUFT was launched on...
- Windsor
Windsor is the southernmost city in Canada and is located in Southwestern Ontario at the western end of the heavily populated Quebec City – Windsor Corridor. It is within Essex County, Ontario, although administratively separated from the county government. Separated by the Detroit River, Windsor...
- CBETCBET, channel 9, is the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation's owned-and-operated television station in Windsor, Ontario. The station's signal also covers the Detroit, Michigan area across the international border in the United States, and is counted as a Detroit station for the purposes of...
/ CBEFTCBEFT is Radio-Canada's transmitter serving Franco-Ontarians in Windsor. Previously licensed as a standalone television station, it is currently a semi-satellite of CBLFT-DT in Toronto.-History:...
- 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...
- CBWTCBWT is the CBC's television station in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. It is the only CBC station in Manitoba, since Brandon's CKX-TV closed on October 2, 2009....
/ CBWFTCBWFT is Radio-Canada's French language television station in Winnipeg, Manitoba. It is broadcast locally on channel 3 cable 10, and on Bell TV channel 118.-History:...
In Toronto, Edmonton and
CalgaryCalgary is a city in the Province of Alberta, Canada. It is located in the south of the province, in an area of foothills and prairie, approximately east of the front ranges of the Canadian Rockies...
,
Rogers MediaRogers Media Inc is a subsidiary of Rogers Communications Inc., which owns Canada's largest publishing company, Rogers Publishing Limited, which has more than 70 consumer and business publications. Rogers Media Inc...
's acquisition of the
CitytvCitytv is a Canadian English language television system owned and operated by Rogers Communications under its Rogers Broadcasting Ltd. division...
system put those stations in twinsticks with the multilingual
Omni TelevisionOmni 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...
stations. In Toronto, Omni Television has its own twinstick, giving the company a nominal "triple-stick" in that market. The two Omni stations in Toronto each serve different segments of the market's multicultural audience, and thus are
also permitted under the language exemption.
- Calgary - CKAL
CKAL-DT is a television station based in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. It is part of the Citytv system as of August 2, 2005, and was previously branded as A-Channel. The station is owned by Rogers Media through its Rogers Broadcasting, Ltd. division...
/ CJCOCJCO-DT, branded as OMNI Calgary, is a television station in Calgary, Alberta. The station is owned by Rogers Communications, and broadcasts a multicultural programming format as part of Rogers' Omni Television system...
- Edmonton - CKEM
CKEM-DT is a television station based in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Owned and operated by Rogers Media, it is part of the Citytv system and was formerly the flagship station of Craig Media's A-Channel system between 1997-2005...
/ CJEOCJEO-DT, branded as Omni Alberta, is a television station in Edmonton, Alberta. The station is owned by Rogers Communications, and broadcasts a multicultural programming format as part of Rogers' Omni Television system...
- Toronto - CFMT
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...
/ CJMTCJMT-DT is a Canadian television station, which broadcasts multicultural programming in Toronto, Ontario. As one of the Omni Television stations owned by Rogers Media, it uses the on-air brand OMNI.2, and is a sister station to CFMT ....
/ CITYCITY-DT, Channel 57 , is a television station based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada owned and operated by Rogers Media...
- Vancouver - CKVU
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...
/ CHNMCHNM-DT, channel 20 , is a television station based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada...
In Montreal, Canwest owned both Global station
CKMICKMI-DT-1 is the Global Television Network owned-and-operated station in Quebec.Originally a privately owned CBC Television affiliate in Quebec City, the station moved most of its operations to Montreal in 1997 after launching a rebroadcaster there and becoming a Global affiliate as Global Quebec...
and multicultural station
CJNTCJNT-DT is a Canadian multicultural television station in Montreal, Quebec. The station is owned and operated by Channel Zero and uses the on-air brand Metro 14.-History:...
until August 2009.
CTV was formerly a part owner of the francophone V network (formerly TQS) in Quebec, meaning that V's owned-and-operated
CFJPCFJP-DT is the callsign for V's flagship television station in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.The station was originally owned by the family of Jean Pouliot, then-owner of CFCF. It was acquired by Cogeco in 2001 concurrently with Cogeco's acquisition of the network...
in Montreal was a partial twinstick with CTV's
CFCFCFCF-DT is a CTV-owned and operated station located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada...
for most of the 2000s. CFCF was, in fact, the original
owner of TQS, meaning that the stations were once a true twinstick under the language exemption, although the two stations went through very different sequences of ownership changes after 1995.