E! (CANADA)

'E!' is a Canadian English language privately owned television system owned by CanWest MediaWorks Inc., a division of CanWest Global Communications. Currently the system consists of six local television stations located in Quebec, Ontario, Alberta and British Columbia, including five stations owned by CanWest and one affiliate owned by Jim Pattison Group.
E! is a secondary service parallel to CanWest's larger Global Television Network, and frequently airs "leftover" foreign programs that cannot fit on Global's primetime schedule. Until fall 2007, the system was known as 'CH'; the change in name coincided with the acquisition of various programming rights from the American-based E!: Entertainment Television, which now supplies a significant portion of the Canadian system's schedule.

Contents

History

Programming

E! stations

Affiliate stations

Slogans

See also

External link

History

Most of E!'s component stations have been around for decades as affiliates of other networks. However, E! itself was only formed in early 2001 after CanWest bought out most of these stations, which were previously owned by Western International Communications, and branded them as "CH". Over the years, WIC had formed various types of "twinsticks", or ownership of two stations serving one market, specifically in the B.C. Lower Mainland, Alberta, Montreal, and Kelowna markets. The second stations were, respectively, CHEK, CKRD, CJNT, and CHBC. However, WIC was an ownership group, and not a network unto itself. The company was rarely able to co-ordinate the programming of its first-string stations, much less the second-string outlets, due to the stations' different network affiliations.
Despite strong opposition from competitors and advocacy groups, CanWest was allowed to keep all of the WIC stations save CFCF in Montreal. By promising to continue to support the "underserved" communities these stations were originally intended to serve – support which, in CanWest's view, no competing broadcaster could provide – it was able to maintain the B.C. and Alberta twinsticks, re-align CJNT with CKMI, and most importantly secure a new twinstick in the major market of Ontario with both its own CIII and WIC's independent station CHCH.

CHCH was the first to adopt the CH brand in February 2001, followed by CHEK (newly disaffiliated from CTV) and multicultural station CJNT that September. CKRD, now CHCA, joined in 2005. All four now cross-promote heavily with the local Global stations. CHBC joined in February 2006, as did the independently-owned CFJC (Kamloops), a requirement of the two stations' joint sales agreement. During CHBC and CFJC's time as a CH station, they did not use the CH branding, but CHBC was rebranded as E! on the same days as the rest of the CanWest owned CH stations were rebranded. CHCA, CHBC, and CFJC are all former CBC affiliates.
While CH briefly used the slogan "'C'loser to 'H'ome" when it launched, the letters "CH" were derived from the call sign of flagship CHCH, which Global had promised to re-focus on local programming after the station's traditional audience was turned off by the "ONtv" era. CJNT in Montreal referred to the initials as Canal Horizon, or CH Horizon, until 2002.
Published reports in early 2006^[1] suggested the imminent end of the CH brand. However, the brand remained in use for the rest of the year. In April 2007, CanWest announced that the CH stations will be relaunched as E! by the fall, the changes took effect on September 7, 2007. E! (U.S.) owner Comcast will license the brand but will not have any ownership in the Canadian E! Network.

Programming

E! airs several hit U.S. programs, sharing a library of programs with Global. It is not uncommon for Global, which is carried in more cities nationwide than E!, to cherry-pick some of E!'s hits and air them on the main network. Conversely, Global programs are sometimes sent "down" to E! if two programs aired by Global begin to air simultaneously on separate U.S. networks, so CanWest can maximize its simulcasting opportunities.
This notwithstanding, E! generally targets an older audience than the Global network. For instance, one of CBS's more popular series, ''NCIS'', has older demographics than most of Global's other series and hence has remained on E!. However, NCIS premiered on Global and, effective Fall 2007, will air on Global.
While E! is allowed to timeshift a limited amount of programming also aired on Global, in practice it has rarely done so.
Starting on September 7, 2007, E! content started to air throughout the system's daytime, late night, and weekend schedule. That included Canadian-produced series to be aired on E! channels internationally. Primetime programming would be continuing to be sourced primarily from the major U.S. broadcast networks. Local programming would continue, under the branding of each station's call sign (e.g. "CHCH News" in Hamilton; "CJNT Montreal" for multicultural programming on the Montreal station).

E! stations

E! stations display an E! logo on the right corner of the TV screen during E! programming, otherwise the stations will use it's callsigns for local programming.

★ CJNT - (Montreal, Quebec)

★ CHCH - (Hamilton, Ontario)

★ CHCA - (Red Deer, Alberta)

★ CHEK - (Victoria, British Columbia)

★ CHBC - (Kelowna, British Columbia)

Affiliate stations

★ CFJC - Kamloops, British Columbia (owned by Jim Pattison Group)

★
★ Airs nearly all of CHBC's non-local programming and has a joint sales agreement with CHBC. The local "CFJC TV7" brand remains predominant.
Many Global stations in non-E! markets, plus other stations not owned by CanWest Global, also broadcast programs usually seen on the E! system, mainly CJON, private CBC affiliates such as CHEX, CHAT and CKWS, and the Thunder Bay Television twinstick of CKPR and CHFD.

Slogans

★ 2001-2005: CH Has It All!

★ 2005-2007: Closer to You!

★ 2007-present: Everything Entertainment

See also

★ List of programs broadcast by E! Canada

★ 2007 Canada broadcast TV realignment

★ E!

External link

★ Official E! website