The Southern Ontario/WNY Radio-TV Forum / CKVR Barrie Tower Cam

**Posted by markow202** April 3, 2025 10:38 am

Stumbled on A live link to the camera on the CKVR Tower in Barrie. Comes in handy for weather!

https://www.youtube.com/live/HrV6TtCy0qU?si=NMm-ZdaqocLm3uCK

**Posted by Forward Power** April 3, 2025 11:07 am

'VR has had a camera up there, nearly 400 feet up, since about 1993; the station's retro photos online show an in-studio event for when the Tower Cam first went live and was sponsored by a local tire dealer. Also recall from the New VR days, when master control would sometimes take the camera to air as filler very early in the morning, with a simulcast of CHUM FM for the audio, before the 6am reroll of the 11pm news; CKVR didn't have a local radio sister since the TV station and CKBB parted ways. Has me wondering if the Tower Cam was ever live on the air during a nasty thunderstorm... would have made for some wild TV with lots of lightning over Kempenfelt Bay.

**Posted by markow202** April 3, 2025 12:02 pm

Forward Power wrote:
'VR has had a camera up there, nearly 400 feet up, since about 1993; the station's retro photos online show an in-studio event for when the Tower Cam first went live and was sponsored by a local tire dealer. Also recall from the New VR days, when master control would sometimes take the camera to air as filler very early in the morning, with a simulcast of CHUM FM for the audio, before the 6am reroll of the 11pm news; CKVR didn't have a local radio sister since the TV station and CKBB parted ways. Has me wondering if the Tower Cam was ever live on the air during a nasty thunderstorm... would have made for some wild TV with lots of lightning over Kempenfelt Bay.

Yes seen clips of storms rolling thru the area on their news broadcasts before. I remember when the camera went up back in the end of the Total News days. I wonder if Bell now who owns the station still does maintenance properly on the tower especially after this winter and last weeks ice.

**Posted by haydenmatthews14** April 3, 2025 4:27 pm

Forward Power wrote:
'VR has had a camera up there, nearly 400 feet up, since about 1993; the station's retro photos online show an in-studio event for when the Tower Cam first went live and was sponsored by a local tire dealer. Also recall from the New VR days, when master control would sometimes take the camera to air as filler very early in the morning, with a simulcast of CHUM FM for the audio, before the 6am reroll of the 11pm news; CKVR didn't have a local radio sister since the TV station and CKBB parted ways. Has me wondering if the Tower Cam was ever live on the air during a nasty thunderstorm... would have made for some wild TV with lots of lightning over Kempenfelt Bay.

CFPL-TV in London also has a Tower Cam as well. Don't know when they started to use it. But you can see the whole city of London. They sometimes use the Tower Cam during the 6PM newscasts. I remember CFPL-TV had a live cam on top of City Hall during the newscasts as well. I am not sure if it is still up there or if they have removed it.

**Posted by andysradio** April 3, 2025 8:23 pm

As does Global Peterborough. Used in the weather forcasts.

**Posted by DeepTracks** April 4, 2025 8:22 am

markow202 wrote:
Stumbled on A live link to the camera on the CKVR Tower in Barrie. Comes in handy for weather!

https://www.youtube.com/live/HrV6TtCy0qU?si=NMm-ZdaqocLm3uCK

The link only takes you to a two hour segment of video dated four months ago. The "uploader" provide no details, allows no comments, and appears to have only ever done this the one time.

Last edited by DeepTracks (April 4, 2025 8:23 am)

**Posted by markow202** April 4, 2025 8:39 am

DeepTracks wrote:
markow202 wrote:
Stumbled on A live link to the camera on the CKVR Tower in Barrie. Comes in handy for weather!

https://www.youtube.com/live/HrV6TtCy0qU?si=NMm-ZdaqocLm3uCK
The link only takes you to a two hour segment of video dated four months ago. The "uploader" provide no details, allows no comments, and appears to have only ever done this the one time.

Try it again later, it does that sometimes

**Posted by DeepTracks** April 4, 2025 8:48 am

markow202 wrote:
DeepTracks wrote:
markow202 wrote:
Stumbled on A live link to the camera on the CKVR Tower in Barrie. Comes in handy for weather!

https://www.youtube.com/live/HrV6TtCy0qU?si=NMm-ZdaqocLm3uCK
The link only takes you to a two hour segment of video dated four months ago. The "uploader" provide no details, allows no comments, and appears to have only ever done this the one time.
Try it again later, it does that sometimes

I got this prompt on my second attempt. There's a Blue Mountain camera I sometimes see this and yet there's a Collingwood street cam that always seems to work.

Here's the Wasaga Beach "sunset" cam. and a view of the Beach Drive (whhich has been down now for weeks)

I'll check the tower cam again a few more times - thanks!

Last edited by DeepTracks (April 4, 2025 9:02 am)

**Posted by Forward Power** April 4, 2025 9:02 pm

Speaking of remote cameras, out here in the Ottawa area, CJOH/CTV Ottawa has had a PTZ camera atop the Westin downtown for many years now, now in HD. Until the 2010 fire at the station's Merivale Road studios, CJOH also had a camera at the east end ballpark, usually looking east at the Queensway and the Belfast Road overpass; that shot was used most often for traffic hits during the local inserts on Canada AM.

During the "New RO" era on CHRO, that station often aired live feeds from the handful of MTO COMPASS cameras on the 417, as well as the City of Ottawa cameras, much like how Citytv picked up the MTO feeds and also Toronto's RESCU camera network.