CHCO-TV
St. Andrews, New Brunswick | |
---|---|
Branding | CHCO-TV |
Slogan | CHCO-TV lives in Charlotte County |
Channels | Analog: 26 (UHF) / cable 9 |
Affiliations | independent |
Owner | St. Andrews Community Channel, Inc. |
Founded |
March 13, 1993 (on cable) November 1, 2006 (broadcast) |
Call letters' meaning | CHarlotte COunty Television |
Former callsigns | CHCT-TV (2006-2012) |
Transmitter power | 480 W |
Website | CHCO-TV |
CHCO-TV is a Canadian television station, broadcasting in St. Andrews, New Brunswick and serving the Charlotte County area.
History
CHCO-TV launched on March 13, 1993 on Fundy Cable in St. Andrews as the local community access channel. The station subsequently applied for a broadcast license in 2005, which was approved by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) on November 23, 2005, and began operation on UHF channel 26 on November 1, 2006 as CHCT-TV.
Charlotte County did not receive digital cable until August 2010 when community television from Saint John became available on cable 10. August 18, 2010 CHCT-TV was moved from cable channel 10 to channel 9, launching a new on-air image as "Truly Local Television".
On July 28, 2012 CHCT-TV's call sign was changed to CHCO-TV.
Today
Although distributed on cable 9, CHCO-TV is the first community LPTV station in New Brunswick to operate independently from the cable television provider. It is also the only locally owned and operated television station in the Province of New Brunswick. CHCO-TV broadcasts local events, town council meetings, local sports, and produces such programs as Fundy Tidings, Unwound, County Connections, The Etiquette Guy, Charlotte County Artisans, Sunbury Shores: This Week, and On Stage.
With the advent of digital technology came the loss for community television stations in the neighboring communities of St. Stephen and St. George. Long time volunteer-operated channels in those communities were replaced in August 2010 by the cable operator's distant community channel in Saint John some 100 kilometers away. Technically St. George and St. Stephen communities receive cable service originating from St. Andrews, however Rogers blocks CHCO-TV from being watched outside St. Andrews.
On December 20, 2012, CHCO-TV was added to the Bell-TV satellite television service on channel 539 to almost a million subscribers coast to coast.
October 24, 2014, CHCO-TV was added to the Bell FibreOP television service on channel 58 available to most of New Brunswick.