CBC Parliamentary Television Network
Encyclopedia
CBC Parliamentary Television Network is a now defunct Canadian
cable television
specialty channel
that broadcast the Canadian House of Commons
proceedings
via Anik
satellite
to Canadian cable television
headends between September 1979 and 1992.
For most of the network's history, John Warren
hosted a preview monologue
before the beginning of and provided a short summary after the daily proceedings.
In 1992, the Cable Public Affairs Channel (CPAC), a consortium of many Canadian cable companies, took over responsibility for broadcasting the Canadian House of Commons
proceedings.
During the summer of 1984, Pope John Paul II
toured Canada
. The network was used to carry live coverage as he visited several cities.
In October 1984 it was used to simulcast
coverage from NASA TV
of Canada's first astronaut in space, Marc Garneau
aboard Space Shuttle Challenger
.
In 1986, it was used to air CBC's The National and The Journal at 10 p.m. Eastern when it was pre-empted on the main CBC network by the NHL hockey playoffs. This prompted complaints from the cable services and the CBC's privately owned affiliates and the network was rebuked by the CRTC for not having first asked for the authorization from the CRTC. Commission chairman Andre Bureau
commented "We're not against the CBC using the parliamentary channel for special events if they are authorized to do so by the CRTC, but they should respect the regulations and come to us first." The experiment was not repeated.
. However when they applied to the CRTC for this network, they denied it for that purpose.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
cable television
Cable television
Cable television is a system of providing television programs to consumers via radio frequency signals transmitted to televisions through coaxial cables or digital light pulses through fixed optical fibers located on the subscriber's property, much like the over-the-air method used in traditional...
specialty channel
Specialty channel
A specialty channel can be a commercial broadcasting or non-commercial television channel which consists of television programming focused on a single genre, subject or targeted television market at a specific demographic....
that broadcast the Canadian House of Commons
Canadian House of Commons
The House of Commons of Canada is a component of the Parliament of Canada, along with the Sovereign and the Senate. The House of Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 308 members known as Members of Parliament...
proceedings
Proceedings
In academia, proceedings are the collection of academic papers that are published in the context of an academic conference. They are usually distributed as printed books either before the conference opens or after the conference has closed. Proceedings contain the contributions made by researchers...
via Anik
Anik (satellite)
The Anik satellites are geostationary communications satellites launched by Telesat Canada for television in Canada. In Inuktitut, Anik means "little brother".-The Satellites:-Anik A:...
satellite
Satellite
In the context of spaceflight, a satellite is an object which has been placed into orbit by human endeavour. Such objects are sometimes called artificial satellites to distinguish them from natural satellites such as the Moon....
to Canadian cable television
Cable television
Cable television is a system of providing television programs to consumers via radio frequency signals transmitted to televisions through coaxial cables or digital light pulses through fixed optical fibers located on the subscriber's property, much like the over-the-air method used in traditional...
headends between September 1979 and 1992.
Origins
The House of Commons Broadcast Service was set up in October 1977 to be responsible to maintain the video and audio equipment. It was CBC's responsibility to take that signal and transmit it to the Anik satellite to be received by Canadian cable companies.For most of the network's history, John Warren
John Warren (CBC)
John Warren is a retired journalist and the English language anchor of the CBC Parliamentary Television Network from 1979 to 1992. In the 1980s and 1990s he wrote a weekly column for the Ottawa Citizen newspaper called Commons Sense...
hosted a preview monologue
Monologue
In theatre, a monologue is a speech presented by a single character, most often to express their thoughts aloud, though sometimes also to directly address another character or the audience. Monologues are common across the range of dramatic media...
before the beginning of and provided a short summary after the daily proceedings.
In 1992, the Cable Public Affairs Channel (CPAC), a consortium of many Canadian cable companies, took over responsibility for broadcasting the Canadian House of Commons
Canadian House of Commons
The House of Commons of Canada is a component of the Parliament of Canada, along with the Sovereign and the Senate. The House of Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 308 members known as Members of Parliament...
proceedings.
Hours of operation
| Day | Time Period |
|---|---|
| Monday | 1:55 p.m. to 6 p.m.; 7:55 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. |
| Tuesday | 1:55 p.m. to 6 p.m.; 7:55 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. |
| Wednesday | 1:55 p.m. to 6 p.m. |
| Thursday | 1:55 p.m. to 6 p.m.; 7:55 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. |
| Friday | 10:55 p.m. to 1 p.m.; 1:55 p.m. to 5 p.m. |
Other uses
At times of special occasions, the network was used to carry coverage of Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) hearings, as happened in the fall of 1981 to license Canada's first pay television services.During the summer of 1984, Pope John Paul II
Pope John Paul II
Blessed Pope John Paul II , born Karol Józef Wojtyła , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church and Sovereign of Vatican City from 16 October 1978 until his death on 2 April 2005, at of age. His was the second-longest documented pontificate, which lasted ; only Pope Pius IX ...
toured Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. The network was used to carry live coverage as he visited several cities.
In October 1984 it was used to simulcast
Simulcast
Simulcast, shorthand for "simultaneous broadcast", refers to programs or events broadcast across more than one medium, or more than one service on the same medium, at the same time. For example, Absolute Radio is simulcast on both AM and on satellite radio, and the BBC's Prom concerts are often...
coverage from NASA TV
NASA TV
NASA TV is the television service of the United States government agency NASA. NASA TV is broadcast by satellite with a simulcast over the Internet. Local cable television systems across the U.S. and amateur television repeaters may carry NASA TV at their discretion, as NASA-created content is...
of Canada's first astronaut in space, Marc Garneau
Marc Garneau
Joseph Jean-Pierre Marc Garneau, CC CD FCASI MP is a Canadian retired military officer, former astronaut, engineer and politician.Garneau was the first Canadian in space taking part in three flights aboard NASA Space shuttles...
aboard Space Shuttle Challenger
Space Shuttle Challenger
Space Shuttle Challenger was NASA's second Space Shuttle orbiter to be put into service, Columbia having been the first. The shuttle was built by Rockwell International's Space Transportation Systems Division in Downey, California...
.
In 1986, it was used to air CBC's The National and The Journal at 10 p.m. Eastern when it was pre-empted on the main CBC network by the NHL hockey playoffs. This prompted complaints from the cable services and the CBC's privately owned affiliates and the network was rebuked by the CRTC for not having first asked for the authorization from the CRTC. Commission chairman Andre Bureau
André Bureau
André Bureau, O.C. is a Canadian lawyer and communications executive.Born in Trois-Rivières, Quebec, he received an LL.B. from Université Laval in 1958 and a D.E.A. from the University of Paris I: Panthéon-Sorbonne in 1960. He was called to the Quebec Bar in 1959.From 1960 to 1968, he was a...
commented "We're not against the CBC using the parliamentary channel for special events if they are authorized to do so by the CRTC, but they should respect the regulations and come to us first." The experiment was not repeated.
CBC-2
For a while during the 1980s, CBC suggested that its broadcast day could be expanded into a second CBC network, CBC-2CBC-2
CBC Television 2 and Télé-2 were proposed second television services to be operated by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation /Société Radio-Canada ....
. However when they applied to the CRTC for this network, they denied it for that purpose.