1 of 1- RadioActive
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Whatever Happened To Canadian TV Call Letters?
This won’t be the most important question you’ll be asked today – or this month or year, or ever for that matter - but whatever happened to Canadian TV station call letters? If I’m not mistaken (and I often am) there used to be a regulation that required over-the-air television outlets in this country to ID themselves at the top of the hour - or at least once a day - by their call letters.
Yet, I can’t recall the last time I heard anyone refer to “CFTO” or “CBLT.” I’m not sure Global ever went by the name “CIII” (or their old moniker of "CKGN") or TVO mention they began life as “CICA.” And forget about the OMNIs. Only City TV (which is as much a branding issue as anything else) and CHCH regularly give out their call letters or have them on a mic flash.
I realize times have changed and the dial positions (remember “Channel 9, Cable 8?”) are often different on various satellite and cable systems, but the call letters remain the same. Isn’t there any federal law that requires these stations to publicly identify themselves at least once in 24 hours? If not, when and why did that change?
- markow202
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Re: Whatever Happened To Canadian TV Call Letters?
Well...the good part is it shows on the display on the tv when tuned to the channel in the top corner! 
- Retaw
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Re: Whatever Happened To Canadian TV Call Letters?
No point for station individualism when the vast majority of locals are O&O by the networks and have identical schedules (exception being local news) nation wide.
Last edited by Retaw (January 17, 2018 3:57 pm)
- RadioActive
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All that is certainly true. But I was wondering if there ever was a CRTC rule that mandated at least one legal ID during a broadcast day and if so, when that stopped. If there's a specific regulation, it doesn't matter what a station wants for its branding - it was required to do it.
I think there may be a reg that forces radio stations here to use their calls at least once an hour. Certainly outlets like NewsTalk 1010, GNR 640 (which I still think should stand for "Guns 'N Roses 640!") and AM 740 all do it, despite using other methods to do what we once euphemistically called "breaking the station."
And then there was that odd rule in the U.S. that forced radio stations there to announce once a day (usually at midnight) what the studio-to-transmitter link was. That one I could never quite figure out.
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Thread Starter- Radiowiz
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Even so, the funny thing about the regulation in the States was/is that it only has to be said. Nobody regulated speed of voice or anything.
The Voice over station id could sound like an auctioneer all they want.
Kinda defeats the purpose of regulating that any mention be made at all.
RadioWiz & RadioQuiz are NOT the same person.
RadioWiz & THE Wiz are NOT the same person.
- AMFM
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Re: Whatever Happened To Canadian TV Call Letters?
This may not be a part of this thread; but it gives me an opportunity to gripe about the Channel logo in the lower right hand side of the screen. The bigger the HD TV the bigger the logo. It's not even all the way over to the right side. It's a couple of inches above and to the left of the side of the screen. Eventually you stop paying attention to it; but it sure is distracting at times. Why can't it come on screen for a few seconds then just bloody disappear. Annoying. You notice the Channel LOGO is never on screen when there is a commercial. Oh No. Can't have that.
If I may one other gripe today. Since Rogers changed Navigator a year or so ago; why can't they mention the channel your taping on? Also the plot lines go like this....Tonight we find Bill has decided to........ That's right just dots. They never finish the thought. Why bother putting half a description up there?
Last edited by AMFM (January 17, 2018 5:40 pm)
- Don
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Re: Whatever Happened To Canadian TV Call Letters?
Retaw wrote:
No point for station individualism when the vast majority of locals are O&O by the networks and have identical schedules (exception being local news) nation wide.
True. Completely meaningless unless they ARE the brand. Even more-so now that much of the same programming is on the networks and cable-only channels, which don't have call-letters to begin with.
- TomTV
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This may not be a part of this thread; but it gives me an opportunity to gripe about the Channel logo in the lower right hand side of the screen. The bigger the HD TV the bigger the logo. It's not even all the way over to the right side. It's a couple of inches above and to the left of the side of the screen. Eventually you stop paying attention to it; but it sure is distracting at times. Why can't it come on screen for a few seconds then just bloody disappear. Annoying. You notice the Channel LOGO is never on screen when there is a commercial. Oh No. Can't have that.
I made this exact same complaint many, many years ago when the "bug" (logo) first started appearing on TV. I suspect the reason why the logo doesn't just fade away is because there are people who are channel hopping at all times during the hour and it's a quick convenient way to be able to look at the bottom of the screen to see what station you jumped to.
Annoying, but yeah you do eventually stop paying attention to it. Some stations even fade it to half-transparent after a few seconds on return from commercial.
- RadioActive
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Re: Whatever Happened To Canadian TV Call Letters?
This may not be a part of this thread; but it gives me an opportunity to gripe about the Channel logo in the lower right hand side of the screen. The bigger the HD TV the bigger the logo. It's not even all the way over to the right side. It's a couple of inches above and to the left of the side of the screen. Eventually you stop paying attention to it; but it sure is distracting at times. Why can't it come on screen for a few seconds then just bloody disappear. Annoying. You notice the Channel LOGO is never on screen when there is a commercial. Oh No. Can't have that.
They're called "bugs" (how appropriate) and you will be hard pressed to find a single channel that doesn't use them (well, except maybe for Turner Classic Movies.) I first saw them go into widespread use a number of years ago, when they started during local newscasts, presumably to help those with the old ratings diaries have no trouble identifying who they were watching. (I remember my old news director calling "where's my bug?" at the top of his lungs in the control room when they first went into effect.)
From there, these insidious video insects spread to the entire daypart. And with an exploding channel universe, they're not likely to disappear anytime soon.
Far worse, though, are those increasingly common moving ad ribbons that appear during a show, extending advertising right into the middle of your favourite show. CTV is especially annoying, but a lot of the U.S. networks have started using them to promote upcoming shows. (If I see one more Olympics mountain or Jimmy Fallon visual at the bottom of my screen on NBC, I may throw something at the TV.)
Yesterday, I was watching a show on the CW and right after a four minute commercial break came a 15 sec. banner for "Cellino & Barnes," the lawyers whose two owners are actually suing each other. It aired during the show and I found it extremely irritating. But get used to it. As stations lose viewers (possibly because of clutter like that) they're desperate for every cent and there are likely to be more of them.
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Thread Starter- Retaw
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Re: Whatever Happened To Canadian TV Call Letters?
Re: bugs
Just be happy watermarking shows with hashtags was a very shortlived thing.
- RadioActive
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Re: bugs
Just be happy watermarking shows with hashtags was a very shortlived thing.
I don't know. I still see them on shows like "This Is Us." And they usually get put up at a key emotional point in the broadcast, as if someone in the publicity department decided this is the highlight. It always bugs (there's that word again!) me and I wish they'd stop it.
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Thread Starter- mic'em
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Re: Whatever Happened To Canadian TV Call Letters?
I hate that banner ads are now appearing across the bottom of the screen, large enough at times to cover up names of actors in the show.
- Dan Sys
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Re: Whatever Happened To Canadian TV Call Letters?
Radioactive said:
"Isn’t there any federal law that requires these stations to publicly identify themselves at least once in 24 hours? If not, when and why did that change?"
It hasn;t changed, but usually ISEDC will look the other way when it comes to legal ID's on TV stations (or on CBC radio for that matter). Much more strict for private radio with a legal ID required once an hour, but ISEDC will just give violators a slap on the wrist as opposed to south of the border where the FCC routinely issues fines to legal ID offenders.
Last edited by Dan Sys (January 18, 2018 2:14 am)
- radiokid
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Re: Whatever Happened To Canadian TV Call Letters?
With digital, the call letters are normally sent out with the OTA data.
CTV Toronto for example shows CFTO on there HD signal.
To be honest.... Does it really matter? Does anyone care who isn't a broadcaster/broadcast geek?
Most people just turn to their local CTV or Global station, and don't care about anything else, other than maybe the local news for what is left of it. NOT once have I ever heard talk about calls outside conversation with broadcasters or broadcast geeks for TV or Radio... It's just not the thing people care about... in fact MOST people just refer to the stations by frequency or channel number.
Sometimes you have to take a step back in this conversations and ask... does the normal public care?.
Last edited by radiokid (January 18, 2018 12:58 pm)