Knowledge Network

Knowledge Network, also branded as British Columbia's Knowledge Network, is a Canadian publicly funded educational cable television network serving the province of British Columbia. It is owned by the Knowledge Network Corporation, a Crown corporation of the Government of British Columbia,[1] and began broadcasting on January 12, 1981. Michelle van Beusekom is the CEO.[2]

Not to be confused with Knowledge Channel.
Knowledge Network
Logo used since 2012
CountryCanada
Broadcast areaBritish Columbia
HeadquartersBurnaby, British Columbia
Programming
Picture format1080i (HDTV)
480i (SDTV)
Ownership
OwnerKnowledge Network Corporation
ParentGovernment of British Columbia
History
LaunchedJanuary 12, 1981 (1981-01-12)
Links
Websitewww.knowledge.ca

Knowledge Network's broadcast licence is for satellite-to-cable programming. The network is available on the Bell Satellite TV satellite service, on channel 268, on Shaw Direct channel 354, and on TELUS Optik TV channel 117 (HD) & 9117 (SD). It has also been broadcast over-the-air in remote locations throughout British Columbia, with these repeater sites being operated by local volunteers in the few areas of the province where cable television is not available. The network used the callsign CKNO,[3] although the transmitters were assigned numeric callsigns with the prefix "CH" due to being low-powered.[4][5]

Knowledge receives funding both from the British Columbia government and from public donations.[6] The station supports lifelong learning for children and adults by providing quality, commercial-free programming through its broadcast channel, websites and apps. Knowledge Network also invests in documentaries and children's programs produced by independent filmmakers and helps to develop skills within the independent production community.[7]

Overview

Knowledge Network is British Columbia's public educational broadcaster and is required to be distributed as part of the basic cable service in British Columbia.

When Knowledge first signed on in 1981, its broadcast schedule originally ran from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. In later years, it broadcast from 7:00 a.m.-12 a.m. until July 2007, when programming hours were expanded to 6:00 a.m.-1:00 a.m. In late 2007, Knowledge Network began changing its logo from the green tree to its new wordmark logo, and as of June 2008 the green tree logo has been removed. The channel is currently a 24-hour broadcaster.

The network obtains an average of 1.5 million viewers, or over one-third of British Columbians per week.[8] Currently, within the province, the station holds the number one position on weekday mornings for kids age two to six. Also, it has experienced an increase in viewers age 29 to 49 for its prime time programs.

In its programming, Knowledge Network covers a range of topics including politics, history and culture, arts and music, health, parenting, and science. It has a children's block, Knowledge Kids, that features characters Luna, Chip and Inkie.[9]

With funding from the provincial government and over 40,000 individual donors, Knowledge Network acquires and commissions over 750 hours of original programming per year.

In 2011, Knowledge Network acquired Shaw Media's stake in the children's television service BBC Kids, and converted it into a commercial-free service.[10]

Knowledge Network launched an HD feed on September 25, 2013.[11] It became available to provincial customers of Shaw Cable and Shaw Direct on October 8, 2013.[12]

Controversy

In February 2022 an internal audit[13] of the Knowledge Network Corporation, conducted by the Castlemain Group, was released to the public. The audit revealed that under former President & CEO Rudy Buttignol's leadership, 98.3% of the Knowledge Network's $2.054 million pre-licence funding was awarded to production companies with "non-diverse" owners. The remaining 1.7% ($34,000) had been awarded to production companies owned by people of colour. Indigenous filmmakers meanwhile had received none of that funding.[14]

The Racial Equity Screen Office, the Vancouver Asian Film Festival and the Documentary Organization of Canada had lobbied the broadcaster for more than a year to conduct the audit and release the results.

In response, Melanie Mark, British Columbia's minister of Culture, appointed three new members to the Network's board. In a statement she directed Buttignol and the board to make improvements. Buttignol meanwhile claimed he had "major reservations" with the audit.[15]

Members of the IBPOC film community claimed that Buttignol's response "contributed to an increased distrust and lack of confidence from filmmakers of colour and other concerned British Columbians".[16] A petition on Change.org was started calling for his replacement.

On June 17, 2022, the Knowledge Network's board released a statement that Buttignol's contract had been terminated.[17][18]

Logos
  • Logo used from 2007 to 2008
    Logo used from 2007 to 2008
  • Alternate logo, now used as the on-air bug. Was the main logo from 2008 to 2010.
    Alternate logo, now used as the on-air bug. Was the main logo from 2008 to 2010.
  • Logo used from 2010 to 2012
    Logo used from 2010 to 2012
  • British Columbia's Knowledge Network 2012. Current logo.
    British Columbia's Knowledge Network 2012. Current logo.

See also

References
  1. "Knowledge.ca". www.knowledge.ca. Archived from the original on 2018-03-03. Retrieved 2018-03-02.
  2. "Michelle van Beusekom named new CEO of B.C.'s Knowledge Network". Archived from the original on 2023-04-18. Retrieved 2023-04-18.
  3. (CRTC), Government of Canada, Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission. "Call for licence renewal applications". crtc.gc.ca. Archived from the original on 16 November 2018. Retrieved 17 November 2018.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  4. (CRTC), Government of Canada, Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission. "ARCHIVED - Decision CRTC 94-444". crtc.gc.ca. Archived from the original on 17 November 2018. Retrieved 17 November 2018.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  5. "BRITISH COLUMBIA – TV Reception By Location" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on March 27, 2014.
  6. "Knowledge Partners". Archived from the original on 2018-03-03. Retrieved 2018-03-02.
  7. "Knowledge.ca". www.knowledge.ca. Archived from the original on 2018-03-03. Retrieved 2018-03-02.
  8. "TV network rebrands and alters programming". Vancouver Sun. 2008-09-17. Archived from the original on 2013-01-19. Retrieved 2009-10-29.
  9. kkadmin (4 November 2015). "About Us". Knowledge Kids. Archived from the original on 17 November 2018. Retrieved 17 November 2018.
  10. "BBC Worldwide and Knowledge Network Corporation Enter Joint-venture for BBC Kids Channel" (Press release). Knowledge Network Corporation. 2011-01-17. Archived from the original on April 22, 2012. Retrieved May 22, 2012.
  11. "Annual Report 2011–2012" (PDF). Knowledge Network Corporation. p. 14. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 21, 2012. Retrieved October 20, 2012.
  12. "K: HD starts Sept. 25. Will Shaw carry it?". Shaw Communications. Archived from the original on September 28, 2013. Retrieved September 23, 2013.
  13. "BC Knowledge Network Prelicenses 2014-2021 Independent Equity Audit Report" (PDF). www.knowledge.ca. Knowledge Network Corporation. Archived (PDF) from the original on 24 May 2022. Retrieved 19 June 2022.
  14. Griffiths, Nathan (9 February 2022). "Audit shows deep racial inequities at B.C.'s Knowledge Network". Vancouver Sun. Archived from the original on 10 February 2022. Retrieved 19 June 2022.
  15. Britten, Liam (9 February 2022). "Audit finds 'clear disparity' in Knowledge Network funding for filmmakers of colour". CBC. Archived from the original on 19 June 2022. Retrieved 19 June 2022.
  16. "Joella Cabalu, Kris Anderson, and Meghna Haldar: Sound of silence". The Georgia Straight. 1 April 2022. Archived from the original on 19 June 2022. Retrieved 19 June 2022.
  17. "A Message From The Board – June 17, 2022". www.knowledge.ca. Knowledge Network Corporation. Archived from the original on 20 June 2022. Retrieved 19 June 2022.
  18. Schmunk, Rhianna (17 June 2022). "Knowledge Network drops longtime CEO, months after diversity audit". CBC. Archived from the original on 19 June 2022. Retrieved 19 June 2022.
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