CBXFT-DT, virtual channel 11 (UHF digital channel 27), is an Ici Radio-Canada Télé owned-and-operated station licensed to Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, serving the province's Franco-Albertan population. The station is owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (known in French as Société Radio-Canada), as part of a twinstick with CBC Television station CBXT-DT (channel 5). The two stations share studios on 75th Street West at the Edmonton City Centre (across from Churchill Square) in Downtown Edmonton; CBXFT-DT's transmitter is located in Sherwood Park. On cable, the station is available on Shaw Cable channel 12. On satellite, it is carried on Bell Satellite TV channel 119 and in high definition on channel 1830. Telus TV subscribers can currently access CBXFT via channel 2001.
 | |
| Channels | |
|---|---|
| Branding | ICI Alberta |
| Programming | |
| Affiliations | Ici Radio-Canada Télé (O&O) |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | Société Radio-Canada |
| CBXT-DT, CBX, CBX-FM, CBRT-DT | |
| History | |
First air date | March 1, 1970 |
Former call signs | CBXFT (1970–2011) |
Former channel number(s) | Analogue: 11 (VHF, 1970–2011) Digital: 47 (UHF, until 2021) |
| MEETA (weekdays, 1970–1973) | |
Call sign meaning | Canadian Broadcasting Corporation X Français Télévision |
| Technical information | |
Licensing authority | CRTC |
| ERP | 18.475 kW |
| HAAT | 234 m (768 ft) |
| Transmitter coordinates | 53°30′48″N 113°17′6″W / 53.51333°N 113.28500°W |
| Links | |
| Website | ICI Alberta |
History
The station first signed on the air on March 1, 1970. For its first three years, 1970 to 1973, CBXFT also aired weekday English-language educational programming from the Metropolitan Edmonton Educational Television Association (MEETA). This ended when Access (CJAL-TV) began in 1973.
A former semi-satellite in Calgary (using the callsign CBRFT) aired separate commercials, but otherwise aired identical programming prior to its shutdown in 2012.
Newscasts
The local newscast at 6:00 p.m. is called Le Téléjournal/Alberta and is anchored by Jean-Emmanuel Fortier.
Former transmitters
CBXFT operated ten analog over-the-air television rebroadcasters broadcasting throughout the province of Alberta including transmitters in Bonnyville, Falher, Fort McMurray, Grande Prairie, Hinton, Red Deer, Jean Côté, Lac La Biche, Lethbridge, Medicine Hat, and Peace River.
Due to federal funding reductions to the CBC, in April 2012, the CBC responded with substantial budget cuts, which included shutting down CBC's and Radio-Canada's remaining analog transmitters on July 31, 2012.[1] None of CBC or Radio-Canada's rebroadcasters were converted to digital.
CBC had originally decided that none of its rebroadcasters will transition to digital. Also, the CBC had originally planned to not convert any non-originating stations in mandatory markets to digital, which would have forced CBRFT in Calgary and CBXFT-3 in Lethbridge to sign off on the transition date. (Lloydminster, another mandatory market, had no local Radio-Canada transmitter.) On August 16, 2011, the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) granted the CBC permission to continue operating 22 repeaters in mandatory markets, including CBRFT and CBXFT-3, in analog until August 31, 2012, by which time the transmitters had to convert to digital or shut down. The remaining transmitters were shut down in 2012.
| City of license | Callsign | Channel |
|---|---|---|
| Bonnyville | CBXFT-1 | 6 (VHF) |
| Calgary | CBRFT | 16 (UHF) |
| Falher | CBXFT-2 | 6 (VHF) |
| Fort McMurray | CBXFT-6 | 12 (VHF) |
| Grande Prairie | CBXFT-8 | 19 (UHF) |
| Hinton | CBXFT-7 | 3 (VHF) |
| Lethbridge | CBXFT-3 | 23 (UHF) |
| Medicine Hat | CBXFT-11 | 34 (UHF) |
| Peace River | CBXFT-5 | 9 (VHF) |
| Plamondon/Lac Labich | CBXFT-9 | 22 (UHF) |
| Red Deer | CBXFT-4 | 31 (UHF) |
Digital television
Digital channel
| Channel | Video | Aspect | PSIP Short Name | Programming[2] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11.1 | 720p | 16:9 | CBXFT-D | Main CBXFT-DT programming / Ici Radio-Canada Télé |
Analogue-to-digital conversion
On August 31, 2011, when Canadian television stations in CRTC-designated mandatory markets transitioned from analogue to digital broadcasts,[3] the station flash cut its digital signal on UHF channel 44. Through the use of PSIP, digital television receivers will display CBXFT's virtual channel as 11.1. As part of the UHF spectrum repack, CBXFT-DT moved its signal from channel 47 to 27 in March 2021.
See also
References
- ^ Speaking notes for Hubert T. Lacroix regarding measures announced in the context of the Deficit Reduction Action Plan
- ^ RabbitEars TV Query for CBXFT
- ^ "Digital Television - Office of Consumer Affairs (OCA)". Archived from the original on 2013-11-19. Retrieved 2013-06-29.
External links
- ICI Alberta (in French)
- Template:History of Canadian Broadcasting
- CBXFT in the REC Canadian station database