The “A Network” is dead. Will anyone miss it?


I used to watch the local “A Channel”, back when it wasn’t called the “A Channel” and actually had semi-decent broadcasting. Then CTV got a hold of it. Then CTV started slowly eating away at it. Then CTV started opening stations in markets that used to be primarily served by the “A Network”. Now, after pretty much weakening the network to the point where I’ve lost interest in watching it, CTV’s killing it off, rebranding it CTV Two. It’s supposedly going to be primarily reality/comedy series, with its news broadcasts being renamed CTV news–which begs the question, what’s happening to the original CTV news? Question has to be asked, though. With the exception of the occasional passable programming that airs at odd hours when nothing else good happens to be on, will anyone actually miss the “A Network” as it is? Will anyone happen to switch to that network for their news source, assuming CTV kills its news broadcasts on their primary stations/network? CTV Ottawa and/or A-Channel Ottawa, I’m staring right at you. We don’t need two CTV Ottawa’s. Just sayin’.

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5 responses to “The “A Network” is dead. Will anyone miss it?”

  1. Well I’ve been looking over the mid-summer and fall sched’s. Looks like ctv2 is pretty packed. Not a lot of shows I’m in to but a lot of shows that I know are quite popular with the masses.
    As far as the news situation in Ottawa, it’s going to be interesting. Some other markets where their are a stations, London for example is the only local news station in that market. I doubt they will take news off of CJOH in the capital, it’s news programming has historically had more than double the ratings numbers of cbc and ckro/the new ro/a combined.
    It shall be interesting.

    • Yeah, I’m not sure how into a lot of those shows I’ll be either. Now, if they move something like the Big Bang Theory over there, then we’ll have to talk about that. But as it stands now? It’ll get about as much of my attention as it does now.

  2. Maybe something has changed, but as I recall back when CTV first bought the Chum group, one of the conditions put on the sale was that the CTV and A brands had to maintain separate newscasts and departments. I’ll have to do some digging around to see if that’s still the case, but if memory serves there was no time limit to that provision.

      • For the time being it sounds like it will. I found an announcement on the switch that mentioned rebranding of the newscasts to CTV News. It said that the name was changing, but made reference to those broadcasts maintaining their “editorial independence.” Translated, that pretty much means it’s CTV news in name, but we can’t come right out and fire all you people or reassign those of you we want to keep to the main network stations.

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