johnintx 14 Posted March 27, 2018 Share Posted March 27, 2018 Long time lurker, rare poster. Mods: if there is a better place for this thread, please move it there... I am currently in Calgary for business. I've been here before, but I am curious: Why do Canadian cable and satellite companies bring in signals from Spokane for their subscribers in Alberta? Alberta is in the Mountain Time Zone, an hour behind Spokane. US prime time is from 9 pm-midnight local time (8-11 Pacific). It would make more sense to bring in signals from say, Denver, as MTZ prime time, even from 7-10, is more viable. I know simsub comes into the equation here. I have noticed CTV and Global advertising shows at "8/9 Mountain" to take advantage of simsubbing US shows. Wouldn't they be able to simsub as well from 7-10 local time than from 9 pm-midnight? I know the CRTC highly regulates cable and satellite in Canada. It would just make sense to bring signals from somewhere other than the Pacific Time Zone into the Mountain Time Zone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rkolsen 1675 Posted March 27, 2018 Share Posted March 27, 2018 Just depends on where the cable companies get their signal. Like many Boston stations are used as well.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
10Viewer 319 Posted March 27, 2018 Share Posted March 27, 2018 Weren't the Detroit stations widely carried in the Canadian prairie provinces for many years? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Northerner 32 Posted March 27, 2018 Share Posted March 27, 2018 Long time lurker, rare poster. Mods: if there is a better place for this thread, please move it there... I am currently in Calgary for business. I've been here before, but I am curious: Why do Canadian cable and satellite companies bring in signals from Spokane for their subscribers in Alberta? Alberta is in the Mountain Time Zone, an hour behind Spokane. US prime time is from 9 pm-midnight local time (8-11 Pacific). It would make more sense to bring in signals from say, Denver, as MTZ prime time, even from 7-10, is more viable. I know simsub comes into the equation here. I have noticed CTV and Global advertising shows at "8/9 Mountain" to take advantage of simsubbing US shows. Wouldn't they be able to simsub as well from 7-10 local time than from 9 pm-midnight? I know the CRTC highly regulates cable and satellite in Canada. It would just make sense to bring in signals from outside the Pacific Time Zone into the Mountain Time Zone. No one knows, even the heads of the Canadian networks don't know why either. I've read that KSPS, the PBS affiliate in Spokane does some uplink work for Shaw Broadcast Services, this may have something to do with why it still continues today. I've read that a few stations from Great Falls were carried in the 80s around Alberta and Saskatchewan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ED2 144 Posted March 27, 2018 Share Posted March 27, 2018 The only places in Alberta that get stations from Great Falls are the ones near the border. I stayed in Coutts recently and they had Montana stations on the cable lineup. Shaw gets US stations from Spokane and Detroit (ABC/CBS/NBC/PBS)/Rochester (FOX). Telus gets US stations from Seattle (ABC/CBS/FOX/NBC)/Spokane (PBS) and Boston. I would love to know the reason why we get PT stations here. It would be great to pull signals from Great Falls or even Denver. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnintx 14 Posted March 27, 2018 Author Share Posted March 27, 2018 I know Canadian cable/satellite providers bring in US signals via CANCOM (now Shaw Broadcast Services). These are the signals that come from Boston, Detroit, Buffalo, Rochester, Spokane, and Seattle. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shaw_Broadcast_Services Ironically, providers in Saskatchewan provide signals from Boston and Detroit. Saskatchewan is on Central Standard Time year-round, with no daylight savings time. Therefore, Saskatchewan is effectively on Mountain time from March to November. I have no idea why signals from Spokane are provided to Alberta. There must be a relationship between the Spokane TV stations and Shaw. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Viper550 268 Posted March 27, 2018 Share Posted March 27, 2018 I'm in Saskatchewan, but my provider carries the Boston/Seattle combo (which I think Bell also uplinks); weirdly, because Bell TV used to, there were times when we had simsubs for and only for Bell Media cable channels (particularly TSN) on these feeds. It was ridiculous in my opinion, and it's actually illegal under CRTC rules (only terrestrial channels are allowed to do that). But apparently, randomly substituting U.S. syndicated programming (mainly on the Seattle channels) with Canadian-sold infomercials isn't. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JCB4TV 330 Posted March 28, 2018 Share Posted March 28, 2018 If you want to be geographically correct, USA stations in Canada would order as follows: British Columbia & Yukon: Seattle Alberta & Northwest Territories: Billings, MT and/or Denver Saskatchewan: Bismark, ND and/or Denver Manitoba & Nunavut (West): Fargo, ND and/or Minneapolis Ontario: Duluth, MN and/or Minneapolis (Thunder Bay); Traverse City, MI and/or Detroit (Sault Ste Marie & Sudbury); Buffalo (Toronto); Detroit (Windsor); Watertown, and/or Syracuse, NY (Ottawa) Quebec & Nunavut (East): Burlington, VT and/or Boston; Portland, ME (Quebec City) New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, and Newfoundland & Labrador: Portland, ME and/or Boston Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scrabbleship 427 Posted March 28, 2018 Share Posted March 28, 2018 Alberta gets Spokane because back at the advent of cable it was the closest market that could give a reliable lineup of ABC/NBC/CBS/PBS. The smaller Montana markets couldn't provide ABC or PBS at that time which put them at a disadvantage minus the areas closest to the border that could tap into Great Falls for some US television. Also, the Spokane stations were in a better position to maintain the microwave connections to the border than any Montana market ever could. Prior to then-CANCOM uplinking the 3+1 from Detroit in the 1980s, getting some of those smaller markets across the border was a bit of a mess given the distances involved. A good read is the 1986 CRTC decision that allowed the cable system in Thunder Bay to drop WDIO/KBJR/KDLH/WDSE via multiple translator and microwave hops for WXYZ/WDIV/WJBK/WTVS via satellite. This repeated itself in Saskatchewan with Minot/Fargo, in most of Manitoba with then-KXJB/KTHI, the non-New Brunswick Maritimes with Bangor, and so on. Also, microwave links can get expensive which is why some, namely the link that brought the Rochester VHF's to the Ottawa area, were shut off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnintx 14 Posted March 29, 2018 Author Share Posted March 29, 2018 Alberta gets Spokane because back at the advent of cable it was the closest market that could give a reliable lineup of ABC/NBC/CBS/PBS. The smaller Montana markets couldn't provide ABC or PBS at that time which put them at a disadvantage minus the areas closest to the border that could tap into Great Falls for some US television. Also, the Spokane stations were in a better position to maintain the microwave connections to the border than any Montana market ever could. Prior to then-CANCOM uplinking the 3+1 from Detroit in the 1980s, getting some of those smaller markets across the border was a bit of a mess given the distances involved. A good read is the 1986 CRTC decision that allowed the cable system in Thunder Bay to drop WDIO/KBJR/KDLH/WDSE via multiple translator and microwave hops for WXYZ/WDIV/WJBK/WTVS via satellite. This repeated itself in Saskatchewan with Minot/Fargo, in most of Manitoba with then-KXJB/KTHI, the non-New Brunswick Maritimes with Bangor, and so on. Also, microwave links can get expensive which is why some, namely the link that brought the Rochester VHF's to the Ottawa area, were shut off. That makes sense. I guess the people in Alberta are used to US prime time from 9-12 MST, and CTV/Global have adjusted simsubs and their lineups accordingly. I know the technology now exists to bring in signals from Mountain Time Zone/Denver. I guess old habits die hard. And, the Spokane PBS station is apparently heavily dependent on donations from Alberta. Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mvcg66b3r 97 Posted March 29, 2018 Share Posted March 29, 2018 But apparently, randomly substituting U.S. syndicated programming (mainly on the Seattle channels) with Canadian-sold infomercials isn't. Maybe those syndicated shows haven't been picked up by a Canadian station? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bhratbrat 423 Posted March 29, 2018 Share Posted March 29, 2018 Calgary is about 8 hours to Spokane Proper by car..probably only in reality 4-5 hours to the Spokane DMA. Also probably because of the reliability of getting all the affiliates. Also remember that the Spokane stations do heavily market towards Calgary and Edmonton for this very reason. I bet for them its a way bigger coverage area than their area in the states. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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