Another local Canadian television station has been tossed on the auction block, and could be shut down if a buyer isn’t found by next month.
This time it’s CTV Television Inc. that’s putting CKX-TV Brandon in western Manitoba up for sale, while warning that it will pull the plug on the station if another broadcaster doesn’t fork over the sufficient cash.
The announcement follows a decision by Canwest Global Communications Corp. to place five of its local E! network stations on the market after eroding advertising sales dashed its profits.
“Whether we like it or not, we are seeing the beginning of the end for small market TV stations in Canada,” said Kaan Yigit, a media analyst at Solutions Research Group in an e-mail.
“They are costly to run and maintain and were having difficulty providing a decent return on investment even in good times.”
A representative for CTV said that tough economic times are only part of the reason that the company is selling its Brandon operations.
“This situation is complicated by the regulatory restrictions that we face and exacerbated by the current global situation,” said spokeswoman Bonnie Brownlee.
The CBC has been buying airtime on CKX-TV, but has told CTV it no longer wishes to do so and can’t afford to buy the station itself.
The station was founded in 1955 and provides the only local television news coverage in its area. About 40 employees work at the operations.
CTV said it’s willing to sell the business to anyone prepared to continue operating the station, subject to approval from the CRTC.
But the private broadcaster says if no buyer comes forward within 30 business days, the station will close once its licences expire at the end of August.
The Brandon station airs both a one-hour midday newscast and another hour in the evening and also carries various CBC programing including Hockey Night in Canada and the National.
