CMT (Canada)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Country Music Television (CMT) | |
|---|---|
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| CMT logo | |
| Launched | January 1, 1995 |
| Owned by | Corus Entertainment (90% & managing partner) Viacom (10%) |
| Country | Canada |
| Broadcast area | National |
| Headquarters | Toronto, Ontario |
| Formerly called | New Country Network (NCN) (1995-1996) |
| Website | CMT |
| Availability | |
| Satellite | |
| Bell TV | Channel 575 |
| Shaw Direct | Channel 583 |
| Cable | |
| Available on most Canadian cable systems | Check local listings, channels may vary |
CMT is a Canadian English language cable television specialty channel which airs country music and entertainment oriented programs in the form of music videos, award shows, concerts, sitcoms and more. CMT is owned by Corus Entertainment (90%) and Viacom (10%).
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[edit] History
Before the launch of CMT Canada, the American service, Country Music Television had been available in Canada since 1984.
In 1994, the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) licensed a series of new Canadian specialty channels and among them was New Country Network (NCN). The licence was originally granted to the partnership of Maclean-Hunter and Rawlco Communications. However, because of its policy that foreign services could not directly compete with Canadian services, the CRTC removed CMT from the list of eligible foreign services on June 6, 1994.
By the time of NCN's launch, Maclean-Hunter had been purchased by Rogers Communications.
NCN launched on January 1, 1995 and on that date, cable operators were no longer allowed to offer CMT. In retaliation, CMT launched a complaint under the North American Free Trade Agreement and threatened to cease carriage of videos by Canadian artists.
After months of negotiations, the matter was settled when it was announced that CMT would purchase a minority stake in the service. NCN relaunched as CMT Canada on October 31, 1996 with a similar format to the American service. The majority interest was acquired by Shaw Communications at the same time; Shaw subsequently transferred its ownership stake to Corus Entertainment, a separate company owned by the same shareholders, in 1999.
The controversy also resulted in an effective change to CRTC policy — if a foreign channel is already available in Canada and a new Canadian equivalent is subsequently licensed, cable companies are no longer required to drop the foreign service.
[edit] Programming
When CMT launched as NCN on December 31, 1994, the CRTC required that 90% of the station's programming consist of music videos.[1] The CRTC dropped that requirement to 70% on February 28, 2001.[2] The percentage was further reduced to 50% on February 28, 2006.[3]
Currently, CMT airs music videos throughout the day in blocks titled My CMT Morning, CMT Music, Pure Country, CMT Rewind, Wide Open Country and CMT Spotlight, along with the weekly programs Dedicated, CMT Ultimate and the Chevy Cross Canada Countdown. In the evening, CMT airs the syndicated TV series' Reba, According to Jim, and Home Improvement along with country music-related series such as The Ultimate Coyote Ugly Search, Texas Cheer Moms and Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders: Making the Team. Like its American counterpart, CMT also airs country/rural lifestyle movies on the weekend.
[edit] Hosts/presenters
[edit] Current hosts
- Casey Clarke (Chevy Cross Canada Countdown)
- Elissa Lansdell (CMT Dedicated, Saturday Night Movie)
- Beverley Mahood (CMT Ultimate, Project Mom & Project Dad)
- Paul McGuire (The Show, CMT's Greatest, Karaoke Star)
- Lindsay Stone (CMT Music, My CMT Top 5, Chevy Cross Canada Countdown)
[edit] Past hosts
- Cliff Dumas (Now at KSON Country 97.3 FM in San Diego)
- Shannon Gaye
- Gnarley Charley (Now at Kiss Country 93.7 FM in Fresno)
- Stu Jeffries
- Nicola Jones
- Ashley Kranz (winner of CMT Canada's "CMT Casting Call 2007" competition)
- Melissa Parrott (winner of CMT Canada's "CMT Casting Call 2009" competition)
- Colleen Rusholme (Now at EZ Rock 97.3 FM in Toronto)
- Greg Shannon (Now at KG Country 95.5 FM in Alberta)
- Nancy Sinclair
- Tamara Stanners
[edit] See also
- CMT (US)
[edit] References
[edit] External links
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