CHMI-TV

Infobox_Broadcast
call_letters = CHMI-TV
city =
station_
station_slogan = Everywhere!
station_branding = Citytv Winnipeg
analog = 13 (VHF)
digital = "allocated 32 (UHF)"
other_chs =
affiliations = Citytv
network =
airdate = October 17, 1986
location = Portage la Prairie/Winnipeg, Manitoba
callsign_meaning = C
H
Manitoba's
Independent
former_callsigns =
former_channel_numbers =
owner = Rogers Communications, Inc.
licensee = Rogers Broadcasting, Ltd.
sister_stations =
former_affiliations = independent (1986-1999)
A-Channel (1999-2005)
effective_radiated_power = 325 kW
HAAT = 324.3 m
coordinates = coord|49|52|26|N|97|44|27|W|type:landmark
homepage = [http://www.citytv.com/winnipeg/ Citytv Winnipeg]

CHMI-TV 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. While CTVglobemedia was slated to acquire CHMI along with other four Citytv stations as part of its purchase of most CHUM operations, the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission's (CRTC) decision approving the sale was made conditional on CTV selling the Citytv stations to Rogers Media. The CRTC approved the sale on September 28 2007. Rogers took control of CHMI effective October 31.

History

The station was licensed by the CRTC on May 8, 1986 and went on the air on October 17, 1986 [ cite news | last = | first = | title = Glitches mar MTN debut; viewers give warm welcome
pages = | publisher = Winnipeg Free Press | date = October 18, 1986 ] where it was originally branded as the "Manitoba Television Network" or "MTN". The station was originally licensed to Portage la Prairie, Manitoba but focused primarily on Winnipeg. Originally, MTN was not allowed to sell advertising in Winnipeg.

MTN was well-known for its "Prairie Pulse News" (later retitled "MTN Pulse News", and then "MTN News"), "MTN Kids Club", and "Prime Ticket Movies", the last of which would carry over to the A-Channel system. Its slogan was "Very independent".

In the fall of 1999, Craig Media moved the station to the refurbished former Canadian National Railway Power House at The Forks in Winnipeg and rebranded the station as A-Channel, joining CKEM in Edmonton, Alberta and CKAL in Calgary, Alberta. Technical operations for the station remained in Portage la Prairie.

In 2004, Craig Media announced a deal to sell the A-Channel stations to CHUM Limited. The sale was approved by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission on November 19, 2004, and became official on December 1.

On February 3 2005 CHUM announced that the A-Channel stations including CHMI will be relaunched as Citytv by that fall, the changes took effect on August 2.

CTVglobemedia announced its takeover of CHUM Limited in July 2006, pending regulatory approval. CTV intended to retain CHMI and the other four Citytv stations. However, CTV stated at the CRTC public hearing for the deal that the rationale to buy the Citytv stations was "weakest" in the case of CHMI; unlike the other Citytv markets, there has never been any sort of twinstick allowed in Winnipeg. CTV subsequently informed the CRTC, on May 7, that it would be prepared to sell CHMI "if the Commission determined this was in the public interest". The CRTC rejected this proposal and ultimately made the takeover conditional on the sale of "all" Citytv stations to another broadcaster. [http://support.crtc.gc.ca/applicant/docs.aspx?pn_ph_no=2007-3&call_id=54937&lang=E&defaultName=CBC/Radio-Canada&replyonly=&addtInfo=&addtCmmt=&fnlSub= Record of CBC interventions and CTV replies re CHUM acquisition] on CRTC website; these commitments are in document marked "Second Reply"] Days later, it was announced that Rogers Communications would buy the stations of the Citytv system. The transaction was approved by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission on September 28.

On July 12, 2006, the same day as the CTVglobemedia takeover was announced, the local "CityNews" program was immediately cancelled. It was expected to be replaced with a weekly half-hour newsmagazine called "your City" starting in January 2007. However, the program has not began airing as of yet. Technical operations for the station have been moved to Calgary CKAL (as of January 2007), Citytv Calgary. [ [http://www.cbc.ca/canada/manitoba/story/2006/07/12/citytv-cuts.html] , [http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/July2006/12/c9578.html] , [http://www.cbc.ca/story/business/national/2006/07/12/chum-bell.html] ]

Former station logos

Current CHMI-TV hosts

* Jon Ljungberg, co-host, "Breakfast Television"
* Terri Apostle, co-host, "Breakfast Television"
* Jimmy Mac, LiveEye, "Breakfast Television"
* Heather Steele, "Breakfast Television" weather specialist
* Jenna Khan, and Mark Jardine, Citytv reporters
* Brian Yasui, "Breakfast Television" news anchor

Former MTN hosts

* Kevin 'Bundy' Dunn, host of "Bundy's Late Night Revue" and puppeteer of Buckley on "MTN Kids Club"
* Adam Rickner, puppeteer of Beave on "Bundy's Late Night Revue" and "MTN Kids Club"

Retransmitters

* CHMI-2
* CHMI-3 (Dauphin) channel 6

References

External links

* [http://www.citytv.com/winnipeg/ Citytv Winnipeg]
* [http://www.broadcasting-history.ca/listings_and_histories/television/histories.php?id=82&historyID=113 Canadian Communications Foundation - CHMI-TV History]
*RecnetCanada|CHMI-TV