Yes TV
Yes TV (stylized as yes TV) is an independently owned Canadian nonprofit[1] and Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission-licensed religious broadcasting television system in Canada. It consists of three conventional over-the-air television stations (located in the Greater Toronto Area, Calgary, and Edmonton), two rebroadcast transmitters, and several partial affiliates. Formerly known as the Crossroads Television System (CTS), the Yes TV stations and repeaters air a line-up consisting predominantly of Christian faith-based programming, such as televangelists and Crossroads' flagship Christian talk show 100 Huntley Street, as well as religious programming from other faiths to meet "balance" expectations of Canadian broadcast policy. During the late-afternoon and evening hours, Yes TV broadcasts secular, family-oriented sitcoms, game shows, and reality series; the system's September 2014 re-launch as Yes TV emphasized its newly acquired Canadian rights to a number of major U.S. reality series, which at that point included American Idol and The Biggest Loser.
 | |
| Country | Canada |
|---|---|
| Ownership | |
| Owner | Crossroads Christian Communications |
| Key people | Kevin Shepherd (CEO, Crossroads & YesTV) Glenn Stewart (chief operating officer) Joel Augé (chief growth officer) Melissa McEachern (chief content officer) Robert Melnichuk (director of Western Canada) |
| History | |
| Launched | September 30, 1998 |
| Founder | David Mainse |
| Former names | Crossroads Television System (1998–2014) |
| Links | |
| Website | yestv |
Outside of the three owned and operated Yes TV stations, the system also syndicates acquired programming to other Canadian independent stations through a secondary affiliation network called IndieNet (stylized as indieNET). It is operated out of Crossroads' headquarters in Burlington, Ontario.
History
The Crossroads Television System (CTS) originally consisted of a single television station, CITS-TV in Hamilton, Ontario (also serving Toronto), with rebroadcast transmitters in London and Ottawa. CITS, launched in 1998, was the second religious terrestrial television station launched in Canada, after CJIL-TV in Lethbridge, Alberta.
On June 8, 2007, the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission approved CTS' application for new television stations to serve the Calgary and Edmonton markets. Respectively, these are CKCS-DT, which broadcasts on channel 32, and CKES-DT, which broadcasts on channel 45; both stations launched on October 8, 2007.[2]
On August 12, 2014, CTS announced that it would relaunch as Yes TV on September 1, 2014. Describing the new brand as "embracing positivity and approaching the world with an affirmative position", the re-launch coincided with the announcement that it had picked up several new secular reality and game shows for the 2014–15 season, including America's Funniest Home Videos (formerly aired by Citytv), American Idol (formerly aired by CTV and CTV 2), Judge Judy, Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune (both formerly aired most-recently by CHCH-DT), The Biggest Loser (formerly aired by City), and The X Factor (UK).[3]
On September 13, 2016, Yes TV began airing a 3-hour block (now a 2½-hour block) of Buzzr programs from 1 to 3:30 a.m. (formerly 1 to 4 a.m.).[4] When the block began, the schedule aired original black and white episodes of To Tell the Truth, What's My Line? and I've Got a Secret followed by two episodes of Card Sharks on Tuesdays and Saturdays, Double Dare on Wednesday, Beat the Clock on Thursdays and Sale of the Century on Fridays. The schedule was updated on April 9, 2017, with two episodes of Match Game, episodes of Super Password and Tattletales and concluding with an episode from either Card Sharks, Double Dare, Beat the Clock or Sale of the Century (all four aired on the same day as the previous schedule). The schedule was updated again on October 10, 2017; the current schedule as of now is an episode of Match Game, an episode of Super Password, an episode of Tattletales, an episode of Blockbusters and an episode of Press Your Luck. Body Language briefly replaced the Blockbusters spot on the schedule in December 2017. The Buzzr block was discontinued in September 2018.
Sometime around August 2023, Yes TV announced that they would be streaming live in the 2023-24 season.
Stations and affiliates
Owned and operated
| City of license/market | Call sign | Channel TV (RF) |
|---|---|---|
| Hamilton, Ontario (Greater Toronto Area) | CITS-DT | Hamilton: 36.1 (36) CITS-DT-1/Ottawa: 15.1 (15) CITS-DT-2/London: 19.1 (19) |
| Calgary, Alberta | CKCS-DT | 32.1 (32) |
| Edmonton, Alberta | CKES-DT | 45.1 (30) |
Secondary affiliates (indieNET)
Alongside the CTS O/A YES TV stations, the system sublicenses some of its commercial programs to other independent broadcasters in Ontario, British Columbia, and Newfoundland and Labrador. The arrangement was first referred to in advertising sales information as "Net5", referring to the three Yes TV stations and two secondary affiliates: CHEK-DT and CJON-DT.[5] Starting with the 2016-2017 broadcast season, Net5 rebranded as "indieNET" following the addition of CHCH-DT and CHNU-DT.[6] ZoomerMedia and CHNU-DT have since withdrawn from indieNET. The partnership continues with the remaining six stations.[7]
| City of license | Call sign | Channel TV (RF) |
Owner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hamilton, Ontario | CHCH-DT | 11.1 (15) | Channel Zero |
| Victoria, British Columbia | CHEK-DT | 6.1 (49) | CHEK Media Group |
| St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador | CJON-DT | 21.1 (21) | Stirling Communications International |
Programming
Removal of Word TV
In December 2010, CTS removed Word TV, a program hosted by televangelist Charles McVety, from their schedule, following a decision by the Canadian Broadcast Standards Council (CBSC) over statements that he disparaged gay people while commenting on Toronto's gay pride parade (which he called a "sex parade") and Ontario's sex education curriculum for public schools (which he charged that children would go to school not to learn, but to become gay). The CBSC has ordered CTS to announce the ruling at least twice on the air, and to take steps that incidents like this do not happen again.[8][9] In January 2011, CTS cancelled Word TV, leading McVety to announce his intention to sue CTS for political persecution.[10] CTS responded in a press release that McVety was asked many times to cease his distorting and polarizing behaviour, and to comply with broadcasting guidelines, yet he refused to do so.[11]
Logos
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 |
|
|---|---|---|---|
| 1998–2002 | 2002–2005 | 2005–2014 | 2014–present |
See also
- Joytv, a former television system with affiliates in the provinces of British Columbia and Manitoba carrying similarly styled multi-faith religious and secular programming
- 2007 Canada broadcast TV realignment
References
- "Federal Corporation Information - 301399-5 - Online Filing Centre - Corporations Canada - Corporations - Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada". Government of Canada. Archived from the original on February 15, 2023. Retrieved June 22, 2020.
- "Archived - Religious television stations in Calgary and Edmonton". Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission. June 8, 2007. Archived from the original on September 30, 2022.
- "Say "Yes" to YES TV - YES TV Set to Launch This Fall". CTS Television. Crossroads Christian Communications. August 12, 2014. Archived from the original on August 12, 2014. Retrieved August 13, 2014.
- Paul, Jonathan (September 8, 2016). "Multicaster Buzzr expands internationally". Real Screen. Brunico Communications. Retrieved April 14, 2017.
- "Net5 Profile 2015" (PDF). Yes TV. Crossroads Christian Communications. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 4, 2016.
- "indieNET Coverage Map Fall 2016" (PDF). Yes TV. Crossroads Christian Communications. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 10, 2017.
- "indieNET 2020 Upfront". indienet2020.com. Archived from the original on October 26, 2020. Retrieved June 22, 2020.
- Weisblott, Marc (December 9, 2010). "Television evangelist Charles McVety censured for claims of gay government agenda". Daily Brew. Yahoo News Canada. Archived from the original on February 4, 2011. Retrieved July 18, 2017.
- Lewis, Charles (December 10, 2010). "Evangelical TV show pulled from the air". National Post. Archived from the original on December 14, 2010.
- Minsky, Amy (January 31, 2011). "Pastor claims censorship after TV show cancelled due to anti-gay remarks". Vancouver Sun. Postmedia News. Archived from the original on February 4, 2011. Retrieved July 18, 2017.
- Innis, Carolyn (July 17, 2012). "CTS Refutes Comments made by Charles McVety and Word TV". News/Press. CTS Television. Archived from the original on July 17, 2012. Retrieved July 18, 2017.