CTV to shut down two A stations
By Adnews Staff
CTV will not seek to renew the licences of Ontario television stations CKNX-TV Wingham and CHWI-TV Wheatley when they expire at the end of August. The company will instead shut down the stations, which are part of the A-branded chain, as well as a rebroadcaster in Windsor. CTV cited structural problems in the Canadian conventional television sector and the global economic crisis as factors in its decision. "This decision was difficult but necessary," said Paul Sparkes, executive vice-president of corporate affairs at CTVglobemedia. "The traditional economic model for Canadian television is broken. The financial pressures facing our conventional television operations are further compounded by the commission's decision to turn down requests to implement a fee-for-carriage regime for local television in October 2008. Unfortunately, we may need to consider similar actions in other local markets given the current regulatory framework."