On Friday, television viewers using bunny ears in Valemount will see CBC from Vancouver instead of from Edmonton.
McBride viewers using over-the-air TV (bunny ears) have already been enjoying CBC Vancouver for a few weeks on Channel 6. The Robson Valley Entertainment Association manages the McBride area.
In Valemount, the Valemount Entertainment Society Coordinator and VCTV Station Manager Gord Peters explains that this change has been in the works for a while.
“We have actually been in negotiations with the CBC for some time, trying to secure the British Columbia CBC signal for our viewers,” said Peters.
The Society went with CBC Edmonton earlier this year as their station had signed an agreement with the Canadian Cable Systems Alliance (of which VES is a member), which kept the rebroadcasting rates affordable. He says that initially, the monthly rebroadcasting fees that CBC BC were asking greatly exceeded the Entertainment Society budget. Fortunately, CBC BC recently inked a similar contract with the Alliance and VCTV is now able to pick up the BC signal for the same rate they were paying for CBC Edmonton.
Valemount and McBride both lost the CBC over-the-air signal in 2012 when the network ceased over-the-air broadcasting. In Valemount, the station initially signed up with CBC Edmonton, which was welcomed by many in the community without satellite television. “The only downside is that the news and information from CBC Edmonton is Alberta based,” said Peters. “This affects us adversely during certain events, such as the recent provincial election, where BC coverage would have been more appropriate.”
For Valemount viewers CBC British Columbia (CBUT) will replace CBC Edmonton (CBXT) on Channel six beginning on Nov. 1st.
