This article is about the television channel in Alberta. For the American infomercial channel, please see Access Television Network.
| Call Letters: | CJAL-TV / CIAN-TV |
| Station Slogan: | The Education Station Combining education with great entertainment |
| Station Branding: | ACCESS |
| Analog: | CJAL: 9 (VHF) CIAN: 13 (VHF) |
| Digital: | CJAL: allocated 31 (UHF) CIAN: allocated 51 (UHF) |
| Affiliations: | Educational programming A (selected primetime programming only) |
| Airdate: | CJAL: June 30, 1973 CIAN: ? |
| Location: | CJAL: Edmonton, Alberta CIAN: Calgary, Alberta |
| Callsign Meaning: | CJAL: CJ ALberta CIAN: CI Access Network |
| Owner: | CTVglobemedia, Inc. |
| Licensee: | CTV Limited |
| ≪!-- Access Media Group Has Been Wound Up Per Http://Crtc.Gc.Ca/Eng/Archive/2008/Db2008-141.Htm --≫ Sister Stations: | CFRN-TV, CFCN-TV |
| Effective Radiated Power: | CJAL: 15 kW CIAN: 9.9 kW |
| Haat: | CJAL: 168.1 m CIAN: 246.3 m |
| Coordinates: | CJAL: CIAN: |
| Homepage: | ACCESS |
Access (styled ACCESS) is a Canadian English language, privately owned educational television channel in the province of Alberta. It is owned by CTVglobemedia.
The channel is a "satellite-to-cable undertaking" [1] with two terrestrial transmitters, CJAL-TV (channel 9) in Edmonton, where the channel's main studios are located, and CIAN-TV (channel 13) in Calgary. Access is also available throughout Alberta on cable, on the Bell TV satellite service on Channel 267, and on Star Choice Channel 351.
Access airs a variety of educational and informative programs along with entertainment programs all of which include children's programs, documentaries, feature films, talk shows, dramas, comedies and more. Since August 2008, Access has officially been considered part of the A system during selected primetime hours (its logo was also modified to a closer resemblance of the A logo), although it has retained the "Access" name, and its educational mandate limits the amount of A programming it can air.
Access produces, promotes and delivers television-based multimedia learning opportunities to learners of all ages, in partnership with Alberta Learning, educational institutions and educators. Many of the programs, including all of the dramas, are connected to and promote formal courses of study offered by the province's universities and colleges or the formal learning objectives of Alberta Learning.
The above programming includes primetime series from A, as well as syndicated shows, much of which must be related to some sort of educational aim. For example, as of fall 2008, Access's broadcasts of Mad Men and Pushing Daisies are tied to an English course at Mount Royal College titled "Reading the Popular",[2] while Fringe is part of Lethbridge Community College's "Basic Television Production" course.[3]
Starting March 9, 2009, Access will start airing a province-wide news and current affairs magazine program called "Alberta Prime Time", from the CTV/Access studios in Edmonton. Resources from CFRN-TV and CFCN-TV will be used to produce the program. [4]
Access was launched on June 30, 1973 by the Alberta government through the Alberta Educational Communications Corporation (AECC). At this time Access was only available through cable and not over-the-air.
On January 9, 1984, AECC was granted a licence from the CRTC for a television station in Calgary (CIAN) and on December 1, 1986, AECC was granted another licence for a television station in Edmonton (CJAL) to rebroadcast the programs from CIAN.
In 1993, the Government of Alberta undertook a re-evaluation of all provincially-funded activities, and announced that it would not provide direct funding for Access beyond 1994.
In 1995, Access was privatized and sold to Learning and Skills Television of Alberta Limited (60% owned by CHUM Limited) and in February 2005, CHUM Limited acquired the remaining 40% interest in Learning & Skills Television of Alberta Ltd. (and renamed it access media group), giving the company 100% of its shares including Access.
On July 12 2006, CTVglobemedia announced that it would make a friendly takeover bid to buy CHUM Limited.[5] Due to CTVgm's plans to keep CTV and Citytv, Rogers Communications was expected to purchase Access (along with CHUM's A-Channel stations, CKX-TV in Brandon, Canadian Learning Television and ) as announced on April 9, 2007, pending Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) approval (and approval of CTV's purchase). With the CRTC electing to force CTV to sell the Citytv stations instead, the Rogers deal was rendered void and as such CTV retained Access along with CHUM's A-Channel stations, CKX-TV in Brandon and all of CHUM's specialty channels, and sold the Citytv stations to Rogers. The takeover transaction was finalized on June 22, 2007.
After the analog television shutdown and digital conversion, which is tentatively scheduled to take place on August 31, 2011 [6] , CIAN-TV is required to begin digital broadcasts on its current assigned and analog channel number, 13, however should the station sign-on before the analog shut off date, the station will broadcast on channel 51. However, through the use of PSIP, digital television receivers will display CIAN-TV's virtual channel as 13.1. In Calgary, CJAL-TV will broadcast its digital signal on channel 26, but will broadcast on channel 31, if its digital signal is activated prior to 2011. However, receivers will display CJAL-TV's virtual channel as 9.1 with PSIP.
As of January 2009, neither station has begun broadcasting in digital.