Media in London, Ontario
Television
London pioneered in the establishment of cable television in Canada, being either the first or second city in Canada with cable service, when Ed Jarmain and others wired the first 15 homes, and had to purchase TV sets for 14 of them. London's first cable system, established in 1952, broadcast American signals that crossed the border, including WICU from Erie, Pennsylvania. Shortly afterward, another cable operator, named Community Television was also established serving southwestern London and a "gentleman's agreement" set a boundary, convoluted in the old London South (Wortley Road) area; Community Television was later purchased by Maclean Hunter Cable TV, and Maclean Hunter was ultimately purchased by Rogers Cablesystems. London Cable TV later merged with Canadian Cablesystems, a cable operator owned by the Famous Players Theatre chain, with Jarmain remaining as chief executive. Canadian Cablesystems was acquired by Rogers in 1978, and Rogers purchased Maclean Hunter in 1993. Rogers TV Cable 13, brings around 60 of the 76 home and away games of the London Knights of the Ontario Hockey League. In the 2009 OHL Playoffs Rogers TV carried all home and away games in the London Knights schedule. This was the first time games from the Tulio Arena in Erie, PA and The Dow Event Centre in Saginaw, MI were broadcast on Canadian television. Rogers TV also has exclusive coverage of the Western Mustangs.
London had the second private local television station in Canada, CFPL (on-air November 28, 1953), and CFPL was the first Canadian local channel to broadcast in colour (1966). As part of CHUM Limited's NewNet system was branded as The New PL. In August 2005, CFPL was re-branded as A-Channel. In August 2008, A-Channel was re-branded to A, effectively re-branding the CFPL station once more and in August 31, 2011, A was re-branded as CTV Two. Several other stations from neighbouring cities have established retransmitters or are otherwise available in London, as follows:
| OTA virtual channel (PSIP) | OTA actual channel | Rogers Cable | Call sign | Network | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6.1 | 17 (UHF) | 3 | CIII-DT | Global | Transmitted from Paris; rebroadcaster of CIII-DT-41 (Toronto) |
| 10.1 | 10 (VHF) | 9 | CFPL-DT | CTV Two | |
| 13.1 | 13 (VHF) | 12 | CKCO-DT | CTV | Transmitted from Kitchener |
| 16.4 | 14 (UHF) | 16 | CITS-DT-2 | Yes TV | Rebroadcaster of CITS-DT (Hamilton) |
| 18.1 | 18 (UHF) | 2 | CICO-DT-18 | TVOntario | Rebroadcaster of CICA-DT (Toronto) |
| 20.1 | 20 (UHF) | 14 | CJMT-DT-1 | Omni Television (OMNI 2) | Rebroadcaster of CJMT-DT (Toronto) |
| 31.1 | 31 (UHF) | 7 | CITY-DT-2 | City | Transmitted from Woodstock; rebroadcaster of CITY-DT (Toronto) |
| 51.1 | 51 (UHF) | 11 | CHCH-DT-2 | Independent | Transmitted from Alvinston; rebroadcaster of CHCH-DT (Hamilton) |
| 69.1 | 48 (UHF) | 4 | CFMT-DT-1 | Omni Television (OMNI-1) | Rebroadcaster of CFMT-DT (Toronto) |
| – | – | 13 | – | Rogers TV | Community channel for Rogers Cable subscribers |
Both the English- and French-language television services of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC Television and Ici Radio-Canada Télé, respectively) and French-language provincial broadcaster TFO are only available via pay television in London.
On cable, television stations from Detroit, Michigan are available, along with several stations from the Cleveland, Ohio, Erie, Pennsylvania and Buffalo, New York markets.
From late 1970 to the mid-1980s, Erie dominated as its four network affiliates were the only American stations available on the basic cable dial of two-thirds of Londoners, and Londoners came to know Erie fairly well, familiar with Mayor Louis Tullio, Millcreek Mall, the Miracle Mile and other Erie landmarks. Londoners were contributors to WQLN-TV, the public broadcasting station. Erie stations have since been mostly shuffled to the expanded cable dial (WQLN on cable channel 8, WICU on cable channel 61 and WJET on cable channel 62. WSEE was dropped altogether).
Radio
London also had radio since 1922 when CJGC was established. It joined a Windsor station in early 1933 to become CKLW, but a local station was reestablished late that year, CFPL. A sister FM station was established in 1948, and is now owned by Corus Entertainment. Competitor CKSL started in 1956; a third station, CJOE, was founded by Joe McManus in 1967, changing to CJBK in 1973. In addition to one station each with Fanshawe College (CIXX) and the University of Western Ontario (UWO) (CHRW-FM), other stations are associated with existing stations.
CBC Radio One operates a local news bureau in London, but the city does not have a full CBC production centre — except for local weekday morning newscasts, the station carries programming from Toronto's CBLA. Before 1978 CBC programming was carried on CFPL-AM, as well as on CFPL-FM prior to 1972. The CBC continues to operate rebroadcast transmitter CBBL for CBC Radio 2, relaying the signal of Toronto's CBL-FM.
The following stations broadcast in London:
Radio stations from other nearby cities can also be heard in London. Those stations are:
| Frequency | Call sign | Branding | Format | Owner | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FM 91.5 | CKBT-FM | The Beat | top 40/CHR | Corus Entertainment | Heard in London via their Paris, ON Transmitter |
| FM 94.1 | CKZM-FM | MyFM | adult contemporary | My Broadcasting Corporation | Licensed in October 2010; signed on May 20, 2011 |
| FM 96.7 | CHYM-FM | CHYM FM | adult contemporary | Rogers Radio | Provides City Grade Coverage in London |
| FM 101.3 | CKOT-FM | Easy 101 | soft adult contemporary/easy listening | Tillsonburg Broadcasting | |
| FM 103.1 | CFHK-FM | Fresh FM | hot adult contemporary | Corus Entertainment | Operates from Corus Entertainment's studios in London even though its city of license legally remains in St. Thomas |
| FM 103.9 | CKDK-FM | Country 104 | country music | Corus Entertainment | Based in Woodstock with a London office, and advertises for concerts and stores in London. Previously known as 1039 FM with a classic hits format. |
| FM 104.7 | CIHR-FM | Heart FM | adult contemporary | Byrnes Communications | Recent Power Increase provides city grade coverage in London |
| FM 105.3 | CFCA-FM | KOOL-FM | hot adult contemporary/classic hits | Bell Media | Has City Grade coverage in London |
Notes
There is also a First Nations/community radio station in Oneida Nation of the Thames which operates at 89.5 FM. This unlicensed station is branded as Oneida Radio 89.5 FM The Eagle or Eagle Radio 89.5 and has no call sign.
Newspapers
Until 1937, London had two daily newspapers: the London Free Press (established 1849) and the London Advertiser. The Advertiser folded in 1937. The Free Press, formerly owned by the Blackburn family, is now owned by Sun Media, a subsidiary of Quebecor Media Inc.
Sun Media's subsidiary Bowes Publishing also owns and publishes The Londoner, a community-focused weekly started by Controller Gord Hume and former Free Press editor-in-chief Philip R. McLeod in 2002.
Scene, founded in 1989 by Bret Downe, is published every two weeks, on a Thursday.
Telecommunications
The independent London Telephone Company (established 1879) was bought by the Bell Telephone Company of Canada in 1881; the Byron Telephone Company, serving areas annexed by London in 1961 and 1993, was purchased in August 1960. Bell Canada continues to be the incumbent local exchange carrier for London.
Personal communication
Canada Post has a large presence in the London area. The postal region that London is located in is the Huron-Rideau Region. The London Mail Processing Plant (LMPP) is located at 951 Highbury Avenue and coordinates and processes all the mail for the N Code area from Kitchener to Windsor. Canada Post has several other administration offices, as well as six depots.
Alternative media
Londoners also may take part in London-based online publishing at Butch McLarty's AltLondon, Breaking News and Views, Blog London, From My Bottom Step, and London Fuse.