History

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CANCOM History

CANCOM was established as a Satellite Relay Distribution Undertaking to expand television programming choices for underserved and remote communities across Canada. The service was originally formed as a consortium of broadcasting companies, including Allarcom, WIC, Maclean-Hunter, Selkirk, and Telemedia. Over time, CANCOM underwent several ownership changes, culminating in Shaw Communications acquiring a controlling interest by late 2000. This timeline covers the period from CANCOM’s early development and pre-launch phase through to the introduction of its consumer direct-to-home satellite service, Star Choice, in 1997.

CANCOM Timeline

CANCOM began test operations in July 1981, with full-time service commencing in January 1982. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, additional television signals were progressively added, significantly expanding the range of programming choices available to the communities served by CANCOM

April 1981

CRTC decision 81-252 approved an application by Canadian Satellite Communications Inc (CANCOM) to provide television signals to underserved areas of Canada

July 15, 1981

CANCOM begins test operations with the following signals

  • CHAN (BCTV | CTV - Vancouver)
  • CITV (ITV - Edmonton)
  • CHCH (Ind. - Hamilton)

November 1981

CFTM (TVA - Montreal)* replaced CHCH (Ind. - Hamilton)

January 1, 1982

CANCOM began full-time service with the following signals.

  • CHAN (BCTV | CTV - Vancouver)
  • CITV (ITV - Edmonton)
  • CHCH (Ind. - Hamilton)
  • CFTM (TVA - Montreal)*

*CFTM (TVA - Montreal) was often listed as TCTV Montreal up until 1990

March 8, 1983

CRTC decision 83-126 approved an application by Canadian Satellite Communications Inc (CANCOM) to distribute the following signals (3 commericial + 1 non-commercial) signals from Detroit.

  • WXYZ (ABC - Detroit)
  • WJBK (CBS - Detroit)
  • WDIV (NBC - Detroit)
  • WTVS (PBS - Detroit)

September 1, 1983

CANCOM adds the following US signals from Detroit.

  • WXYZ (ABC - Detroit)
  • WJBK (CBS - Detroit)
  • WDIV (NBC - Detroit)
  • WTVS (PBS - Detroit)

August 1, 1986

CRTC public notice 1986-183 issued a revised list of eligible service which added the following signals from Seattle

  • KOMO (ABC - Seattle)
  • KIRO (CBS - Seattle)

September 1, 1987

CANCOM begins distributing the following signals from Seattle.

  • KOMO (ABC - Seattle)
  • KIRO (CBS - Seattle)

September 1, 1988

CANCOM discontinues distributing the following signals from Seattle.

  • KOMO (ABC - Seattle)
  • KIRO (CBS - Seattle)

December 28, 1990

CRTC public notice 1990-115 removed the following signals to be distributed by CANCOM.

  • KOMO (ABC - Seattle)
  • KIRO (CBS - Seattle)

December 28, 1990

CANCOM begins dstributing the following signal to northern Canada communities upon channel launch.

  • TV Northern Canada