This article needs additional citations for verification .(May 2010) |
Country | Canada |
---|---|
Broadcast area | National |
Headquarters | Toronto, Ontario |
Programming | |
Picture format | 1080i (HDTV) (2017-present) 480i (SDTV) (1988-present) |
Ownership | |
Owner | S-VOX Foundation (1998–2009) ZoomerMedia (2009–present) |
History | |
Launched | September 1, 1988 |
Links | |
Website | VisionTV |
VisionTV is a Canadian English language Category A specialty channel that broadcasts multi-faith, multicultural, and general entertainment programming aimed at the 45 and over demographic.
VisionTV is currently owned by ZoomerMedia, a company controlled by Moses Znaimer. VisionTV's funding comes from cable subscription fees, viewer donations, advertising revenues and the sale of airtime to faith groups.
Licensed in December 1987 by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC), the channel was launched on September 1, 1988 under the ownership of a nonprofit organization that eventually evolved into S-VOX. It was initially one of Canada's more popular cable channels. However, with the proliferation of new cable channels, it has been moved up the dial by carriers and become less available to audiences, causing a drop in its viewership. VisionTV lacked clout with cable carriers as it was then a one-channel operation owned by a not-for-profit organization rather than a large commercial entity operating many channels.
Notably, Rogers Cable was criticized in 1997 for moving Vision to Channel 59 on its Toronto system, rendering it inaccessible to many apartment residents because 59 is the channel most commonly overridden by the lobby camera service in apartment buildings. After Vision protested, Rogers offered to put Vision on channel 78 as well, but Vision turned that down because many of its viewers' sets can't reach that far. [1]
Network vice-president Rita Deverell, who hosted interstitial segments between programs, was the network's most prominent on-air personality from its launch until she left in 2002 to work for APTN.
In June 2009, S-VOX announced it would sell its broadcasting assets to ZoomerMedia, a company controlled by Moses Znaimer. [2] The sale was approved by the CRTC on March 30, 2010. [3] ZoomerMedia assumed control of S-VOX's broadcasting assets on June 30, 2010. [4]
In December 2010, ZoomerMedia introduced a new logo and on-air identity for the channel with the tagline, "Zoomer Television" (Zoomer being a word coined by Znaimer meaning "boomers with zip"), emphasizing its focus on more general entertainment programming for the 45 and older demographic.
In August 2013, the Canadian Radio-television Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) denied Vision's application to continue mandatory carriage which had required all Canadian cable systems to carry the channel. [5]
In the spring of 2021, a similarly branded and programmed channel, Zoomer TV, launched in the United States [6] on the online streaming service, Distro TV. The channel broadcasts programming aimed at the 45 and over demographic.
VisionTV's programming consists of two programming streams: Mosaic and Cornerstone.
Its Mosaic block consists of faith related programming representing 75 faith groups within various religious denominations, including Catholics, Protestants, Muslims, Sikhs and Hindus. While the station sells time to several television evangelists, most of its Christian programming tends to originate from more mainstream denominations such as the United Church of Canada and the Catholic Church - although United Church of Canada stopped producing its weekly program in 2008 due to a poor time slot, high costs of airtime and lack of viewership.
VisionTV's Cornerstone programs include music, feature films, dramas, comedies, documentaries and programming on social issues that explore spirituality, morality, and cultural diversity as well as other general entertainment programming.
The network also sponsors an annual Canadian drama competition, which solicits television series proposals revolving around faith and cultural diversity and then funds a pilot episode for the winning proposal. Two noted Canadian series, Lord Have Mercy! and Da Kink in My Hair , have been developed from pilots commissioned by VisionTV. VisionTV also commissioned and aired 2010 comedy series She's the Mayor .
On March 23, 2017, ZoomerMedia launched VisionTV HD, a 1080i high definition simulcast of the standard definition feed. The HD feed is currently available on Bell Satellite TV, Bell Fibe TV, Bell Aliant Fibe TV, Rogers Cable, Optik TV, and Shaw Direct.
Moses Znaimer is a Tajik-born Canadian media executive of Jewish descent. He is the co-founder and former head of Citytv, the first independent television station in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, and the current head of ZoomerMedia.
CHUM Limited was a Canadian media company based in Toronto, Ontario in operation from 1945 to 2007. The company was founded in 1945 as York Broadcasters Limited when it launched CHUM-AM 1050 but was acquired by salesman Allan Waters in 1954. CHUM had expanded to and owned 33 radio stations across Canada under its CHUM Radio Network division and also owned other radio stations.
M3 was a Canadian English language Category A cable and satellite specialty channel owned by Bell Media. Established in 1998 as MuchMoreMusic, the network began as a spin-off of the youth-oriented MuchMusic, targeting an older demographic with adult contemporary and classic music videos, along with music news programs, concert specials, and pop culture programming.
CHNU-DT is a religious independent television station serving southwestern British Columbia, Canada, including Greater Vancouver, Victoria, the Fraser Valley and surrounding areas. Licensed to the Fraser Valley Regional District, the station is owned by ZoomerMedia and is branded on air as Joytv. CHNU-DT's studios are located on 192 Street/Highway 10 in Surrey, and its transmitter is located on Mount Seymour.
CIIT-DT is a religious independent television station in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, owned by ZoomerMedia. The station's studios are located on Osborne Street and Wardlaw Avenue in Winnipeg, and its transmitter is located near Courchaine Road in southern Winnipeg.
Investigation Discovery is a Canadian Discretionary service owned by Bell Media. Based of the U.S. cable network of the same name, the channel focuses on true crime programming.
One is a Canadian English language discretionary cable and satellite specialty channel owned by ZoomerMedia. It offers lifestyle and entertainment programming devoted to programming on yoga and meditation, weight loss and fitness, sex and relationships, natural health and nutrition, and alternative medicine. Additionally, it provides general entertainment programming during primetime.
Community television in Canada is a form of media that carries programming of local community interest produced by a cable television company and by independent community groups and distributed by a local cable company.
Viceland was a Canadian pay television channel. It was owned by Vice Network Canada, Inc., which was owned by Rogers Media with minority ownership by Vice Media. It was a Canadian version of Viceland, broadcasting lifestyle-oriented documentary and reality series aimed towards a young adult demographic.
History2 is a Canadian English language discretionary specialty channel owned by Men TV General Partnership, a subsidiary of Corus Entertainment dedicated to airing historic and non-historical programming of military, science, and technology interest.
CFMZ-FM is an FM radio station that is licensed to Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Broadcasting on 96.3 MHz, the station is owned by ZoomerMedia and airs a classical music radio format. CFMZ's studios are located on Jefferson Avenue in Liberty Village, while its transmitter is located atop First Canadian Place in downtown Toronto.
CFZM is a commercial AM radio station in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is owned by ZoomerMedia, headed by Canadian broadcaster Moses Znaimer. It airs an oldies and adult standards radio format, branded as Zoomer Radio, with the slogan "The Original Greatest Hits". The studios and offices are on Jefferson Avenue in the Liberty Village neighbourhood.
S-VOX Foundation was a Canadian non-profit media organization dedicated to producing content on spirituality.
In 2007, significant ownership changes occurred in Canada's broadcast television industry, involving nearly every private English-language network and television system. In addition to the shuffling of network affiliations and mergers involving various networks, several new television stations and rebroadcast transmitters also signed on the air.
CFMX-FM is a commercial radio station in Cobourg, Ontario, and serving the Peterborough area. It is owned by ZoomerMedia and airs a classical music format branded as Classical 103.1. It is a semi-satellite of Toronto's 96.3 CFMZ-FM. All music programming originates from Toronto, although 24 hours per week of locally oriented talk, news and spoken word programming broadcasts from radio studios in Cobourg. During the simulcast music shows, CFMX-FM inserts local commercials.
Discovery Science is a Canadian English language discretionary specialty channel owned by CTV Specialty Television Inc. in partnership with Warner Bros. Discovery airing science-related programming.
Joytv is a Canadian television brand owned by ZoomerMedia. Joytv was formerly a television system formed in September 2008, comprising two religious independent stations acquired from Rogers Media by S-VOX. The stations carried a mixture of multi-faith religious programming, as well as secular, family-oriented entertainment programming.
ZoomerMedia Limited is a Canadian media company controlled by Moses Znaimer, the founder of the Citytv network. Originally focusing on properties targeting what the company calls "zoomers", or the 45+ demographic, in 2022, the company began expanding the company's target audience by acquiring youth-focused properties BlogTO and Daily Hive.
Bollywood Times was a Canadian Hindi language specialty channel owned by Channel Zero.
Mehndi TV was a Canadian Hindi language specialty channel owned by Channel Zero.