Citytv has grown again thanks to a new deal in which Rogers Media plans to buy a 100% stake in Saskatchewan Communications Network (SCN) and create Citytv Saskatchewan.
Rogers Broadcasting, a division of Rogers Media, already operates Citytv stations in Toronto, Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary and Winnipeg.
This news comes soon after Rogers Media signed a multi-year affiliate agreement with SCN in December.
Rogers’ intent to acquire SCN was announced on Tuesday. The deal is still subject to regulatory approval, but a decision is expected in the spring.
Scott Moore, president, broadcast at Rogers Media, said in a release that the acquisition was prompted by Rogers’ desire to expand the national reach for Citytv’s content. It will allow Rogers “to more effectively compete with other national broadcasters,” he said.
In an interview with Marketing , Moore said that as Rogers explored the affiliate agreement last year, SCN became increasingly attractive as an acquisition. The affiliate agreement became a “insurance policy… If we were not able to conclude a deal to buy the station, we knew we had distribution in Saskatchewan nonetheless.”
Rogers Media will support SCN’s longstanding role of broadcasting educational programming, and, as Moore stated, “provide ownership stability and financial resources needed to maintain and grow this service for Saskatchewan residents.”
From 6 a.m. until 3 p.m., Citytv Saskatchewan will still broadcast commercial-free educational content. It will air a mix of local, original and acquired Citytv shows for the rest of the day. This will include everything from 2 Broke Girls to CityLine to Modern Family.
Citytv Saskatchewan will be based in Regina, and Moore said the management team and structure that Bruce Claassen‘s Bluepoint Investment Corporation, which owns SCN, had in place will remain as is. The Saskatchewan team will also receive support from the other Citytv stations and Rogers Media.
Being on the ground in Saskatchewan will give Citytv the ability to work directly with local producers and also “source projects for a national audience,” according to the release.
Rogers Media will also invest significantly in production upgrades for the launch of Citytv Saskatchewan, including the launch of an HD signal and upgraded traffic equipment. “All of our programming is now HD, so in order to get simultaneous substitution on the HD signals for U.S. programming we had to be available in HD,” said Moore. “It just made sense that we were able to make that financial commitment to the station.”
In an e-mail to employees, Rogers Media president Keith Pelley, wrote “We see the purchase of SCN as a win-win. It allows us to hit the ground running with an existing station that already has a presence in the province and its two largest markets, while simultaneously maintaining SCN’s role as a designated educational broadcaster ensuring residents don’t lost out on this important service.”
Rogers Media is a division of Rogers Communications and operates Rogers Broadcasting and Rogers Publishing (which produces Marketing).
