Rogers Media will launch a 24-hour news channel focused on the Greater Toronto Area on Oct. 3.
The station, CityNews Channel, will draw content from the company’s television, radio, magazine and online holdings.
CityNews Channel will feature content and personalities from Toronto radio station 680News, Rogers Sportsnet, Maclean’s and Hello! Canada as well as Citytv programming such as Breakfast Television and local newscasts.
“[The station] brings together the wealth of experience and the wealth of content that exists among the Rogers brands,” said Tina Cortese, vice-president, news and general manager, Citytv Toronto for Rogers Media. “You bring all of these groups together and it’s a real news powerhouse.”
Cortese said CityNews Channel will appeal to advertisers seeking local exposure in the GTA market.
“Advertisers know that when there’s anything local happening in the GTA, immediately the viewers turn to Citytv,” said Cortese. “That has to be an attraction to advertisers, knowing that they’re going to get the Toronto and GTA eyeballs.”
CityNews Channel will broadcast live from Citytv’s headquarters at Yonge and Dundas Square in Toronto. In addition to the television station, content will be accessible live online and via iPhone and iPad apps.
The station’s launch comes just days before the Ontario election, timing that Cortese said would showcase its value.
The station brings Citytv back into the 24-hour news market 13 years after one-time owner CHUM Ltd. and minority stakeholder Sun Media launched CablePulse 24. Its name later abbreviated to its current incarnation, CP24.
That station – which will now compete with CityNews Channel – was included in CTVglobemedia’s purchase of CHUM in 2007. CTV’s parent company, Bell Media, still owns CP24.
