TFO
Encyclopedia
TFO is a Canadian French language
educational public television network in the province of Ontario
. It is the only French-language television network in Canada
whose operations are based entirely outside of Quebec
.
Formerly owned and operated by TVOntario
, TFO became an independent agency of the provincial government of Ontario in 2007.
TFO is available only on cable in most areas of the province, although the network does also broadcast over the air in some communities in Eastern
and Northern Ontario
with significant Franco-Ontarian
populations. All cable companies in Ontario are required to carry the network regardless of its local broadcast availability. TFO is also carried via satellite on Bell TV channel 137. It was also seen on Star Choice channel 763 until August 28, 2008, when the service dropped the station.
Prior to the launch of La Chaîne, TVOntario broadcast in French on Sundays from noon until sign-off. For the first several years of La Chaîne's operations, this continued and La Chaîne broadcast in English during the same time block, because TFO was only available on cable and the government wanted to ensure that Franco-Ontarian viewers without cable still had access to a block of French-language programming. As transmitters were added in a number of French-speaking communities, the practice was eventually discontinued.
TFO is also available to cable viewers in New Brunswick
, as the government of New Brunswick does not have the financial resources to offer its own French-language public television network. Consequently, all program announcements on TFO provide airtimes for both Ontario and Acadia
. TFO has also applied to the CRTC for mandatory cable carriage in Quebec
, but was refused because Quebec already has a similar service, Télé-Québec
. However, some cable companies in Quebec offer TFO at their own discretion. An example of this is Vidéotron
, which added the station to its "Illico" Digital cable service, on channel 94 on September 30, 2004.
As part of a restructuring of TVOntario announced by the McGuinty
government on June 29, 2006, TFO was taken over by a new, separate provincial Crown corporation, the Ontario French-Language Educational Communications Authority (Office des télécommunications éducatives de langue française de l’Ontario or OTÉLFO) in 2007, with separate management and its own budget.
Although the licence transfer was not officially approved by the CRTC until June 28, 2007, TFO nonetheless announced its autonomy from TVOntario effective April 1.
The network's first independent chair is Gisèle Chrétien.
TFO is also a partner in TV5 Québec Canada, which airs some of TFO's programming.
simulcast of TFO called TFO HD. TFO HD currently only broadcasts as a cable and satellite only feed and does not broadcast over-the-air.
, launched in 2003, and the sitcom Météo+
, launched in 2008, were each the first French language program of their type ever produced for a Franco-Ontarian audience.
as the primary station
. This is presumably because this transmitter is the closest to Montreal
, Canada's primary francophone television market, although the signal just barely reaches the city.
Besides Sudbury, Hawkesbury, Temiskaming Shores and Pembroke
, all other communities that receive TFO on the regular airwaves are isolated communities in Northern Ontario
, many of which also receive the Ontario Parliament Network
over the regular airwaves as well.
In addition to local cable services, TFO is available across Canada on Bell TV.
As part of the transfer of TFO to its own management, the former transmitters in Sultan
, Oba and Jogues
were taken out of service.
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
educational public television network in the province of Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
. It is the only French-language television network in 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...
whose operations are based entirely outside of Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
.
Formerly owned and operated by TVOntario
TVOntario
TVOntario, often referred to only as TVO , is a publicly funded, educational English-language television station and media organization in the Canadian province of Ontario. It is operated by the Ontario Educational Communications Authority, a Crown corporation owned by the Government of Ontario...
, TFO became an independent agency of the provincial government of Ontario in 2007.
TFO is available only on cable in most areas of the province, although the network does also broadcast over the air in some communities in Eastern
Eastern Ontario
Eastern Ontario is a subregion of Southern Ontario in the Canadian province of Ontario which lies in a wedge-shaped area between the Ottawa River and St. Lawrence River...
and Northern Ontario
Northern Ontario
Northern Ontario is a region of the Canadian province of Ontario which lies north of Lake Huron , the French River and Lake Nipissing. The region has a land area of 802,000 km2 and constitutes 87% of the land area of Ontario, although it contains only about 6% of the population...
with significant Franco-Ontarian
Franco-Ontarian
Franco-Ontarians are French Canadian or francophone residents of the Canadian province of Ontario. They are sometimes known as "Ontarois"....
populations. All cable companies in Ontario are required to carry the network regardless of its local broadcast availability. TFO is also carried via satellite on Bell TV channel 137. It was also seen on Star Choice channel 763 until August 28, 2008, when the service dropped the station.
History
TFO launched in 1987 as La Chaîne Française (also known on-air as La Chaîne), and was renamed "TFO" (short for Télé-Française d'Ontario) in 1994.Prior to the launch of La Chaîne, TVOntario broadcast in French on Sundays from noon until sign-off. For the first several years of La Chaîne's operations, this continued and La Chaîne broadcast in English during the same time block, because TFO was only available on cable and the government wanted to ensure that Franco-Ontarian viewers without cable still had access to a block of French-language programming. As transmitters were added in a number of French-speaking communities, the practice was eventually discontinued.
TFO is also available to cable viewers in New Brunswick
New Brunswick
New Brunswick is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the only province in the federation that is constitutionally bilingual . The provincial capital is Fredericton and Saint John is the most populous city. Greater Moncton is the largest Census Metropolitan Area...
, as the government of New Brunswick does not have the financial resources to offer its own French-language public television network. Consequently, all program announcements on TFO provide airtimes for both Ontario and Acadia
Acadia
Acadia was the name given to lands in a portion of the French colonial empire of New France, in northeastern North America that included parts of eastern Quebec, the Maritime provinces, and modern-day Maine. At the end of the 16th century, France claimed territory stretching as far south as...
. TFO has also applied to the CRTC for mandatory cable carriage in Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
, but was refused because Quebec already has a similar service, Télé-Québec
Télé-Québec
Télé-Québec is a French language public educational television network in the Canadian province of Quebec. Known legally as Société de télédiffusion du Québec , it is a provincial crown corporation owned by the Government of Quebec...
. However, some cable companies in Quebec offer TFO at their own discretion. An example of this is Vidéotron
Vidéotron
Vidéotron GP is a Canadian integrated telecommunications company active in cable television, interactive multimedia development, video on demand, cable telephony, wireless communication and Internet access services. Currently, the company primarily serves Quebec, as well as the francophone...
, which added the station to its "Illico" Digital cable service, on channel 94 on September 30, 2004.
As part of a restructuring of TVOntario announced by the McGuinty
Dalton McGuinty
Dalton James Patrick McGuinty, Jr., MPP is a Canadian lawyer, politician and, since October 23, 2003, the 24th and current Premier of the Canadian province of Ontario....
government on June 29, 2006, TFO was taken over by a new, separate provincial Crown corporation, the Ontario French-Language Educational Communications Authority (Office des télécommunications éducatives de langue française de l’Ontario or OTÉLFO) in 2007, with separate management and its own budget.
Although the licence transfer was not officially approved by the CRTC until June 28, 2007, TFO nonetheless announced its autonomy from TVOntario effective April 1.
The network's first independent chair is Gisèle Chrétien.
TFO is also a partner in TV5 Québec Canada, which airs some of TFO's programming.
TFO HD
On March 31, 2009, TFO launched an HDHigh-definition television
High-definition television is video that has resolution substantially higher than that of traditional television systems . HDTV has one or two million pixels per frame, roughly five times that of SD...
simulcast of TFO called TFO HD. TFO HD currently only broadcasts as a cable and satellite only feed and does not broadcast over-the-air.
Programming
Current programs include a range of children's programming, documentaries, and films. Due to the limited commercial media service available to Franco-Ontarians, TFO has also invested in drama and comedy programming. The drama series FrancoeurFrancoeur
Francoeur was a Canadian television series, first aired by TFO in 2003. It was the first Franco-Ontarian téléroman. The series has produced 44 episodes to date....
, launched in 2003, and the sitcom Météo+
Météo+
Météo+ is a Canadian television sitcom which began airing on TFO, the French language public broadcaster in Ontario, on February 14, 2008.-Overview:...
, launched in 2008, were each the first French language program of their type ever produced for a Franco-Ontarian audience.
Children's programming
A partial list of the children's programs includes:- French versions of animated children’s series such as ArthurArthur (TV series)Arthur is an American/Canadian animated educational television series for children, created by Cookie Jar Group and WGBH for the Public Broadcasting Service...
, FranklinFranklin (TV series)Franklin is a Canadian animated television series, based on the Franklin the Turtle books by Brenda Clark and Paulette Bourgeois. The television series was named after its main character, Franklin the Turtle...
(as Benjamin), Timothy Goes To SchoolTimothy Goes to SchoolTimothy Goes to School is a cartoon series based on the books by Rosemary Wells.It features a young raccoon, Timothy, who attends a fictional primary school kindergarten. The series aired on PBS Kids as part of the PBS Kids Bookworm Bunch from 2000 until 2004. It was later broadcast on Discovery...
and The Magic School BusThe Magic School BusThe Magic School Bus is a series of children's books about science written by author Joanna Cole. They feature the antics of Ms. Valerie Frizzle, an elementary school teacher, and her class, who board a magical school bus which takes them on field trips to impossible locations such as the solar...
. - Bon appétit les enfants (the title means “Have a good meal, kids”) is a show about food and eating customs around the world.
- C’est pas sorcier (the title means “It’s not magic”) is a series about two children who travel the world to learn about science. Each show depicts simple activities and observations that enable children to learn about a major scientific theory.
- École est finie (L’) (the title means “School's Out”) shows what activities children around the world do after school, such as games, sports, chores, family activities, and individual activities.
- Coups de génies (the title means “Genius’ Ideas”) is about two students that have special superpowers that allow them to become scientific geniuses.
- Montre-moi ton école (the title means “Show me your school”) is a series that takes a world tour of different schools, with 26 children leading a tour of their local schools.
Documentary series
Documentary programs and series include:- Sciences et nature (“Science and Nature”) is a documentary series that demystifies the world around us and presents new discoveries. Specific documentaries have featured topics such as wolves and bison.
- Sciences humaines (“Life sciences”) is a documentary series that looks at various aspects of human life and experience, such as laughter, pain, crying, sleep, breathing, death, etc.
Other programming
Other programs that have aired on TFO include:- Méga TFO
- RelieFReliefRelief is a sculptural technique. The term relief is from the Latin verb levo, to raise. To create a sculpture in relief is thus to give the impression that the sculpted material has been raised above the background plane...
- Les Bleus de RamvilleLes Bleus de RamvilleLes Bleus de Ramville is a Canadian television series, currently in production and slated to premiere on TFO in 2012.Set in the fictional town of Ramville near North Bay, Ontario, the series focuses on Gordie, Julie, Maureen and Christian, four members of the fan club for the town's senior hockey...
- Volt
TFO transmitters
All of the station's broadcast transmitters have the call sign CHLF, followed by a number to denote their status as rebroadcasters. The network's first broadcast transmitter was added in Sudbury in 1989. The Sudbury transmitter is the network's most powerful, and is numbered as the primary transmitter, although the CRTC recognises the transmitter CHLF-2 in HawkesburyHawkesbury, Ontario
Hawkesbury is a town in the Eastern portion of Southern Ontario, Canada, on the Ottawa River, near the Quebec-Ontario border.It lies on the south shore of the Ottawa River about halfway between Downtown Ottawa and Downtown Montreal in Prescott and Russell Counties. The Long-Sault Bridge links it...
as the primary station
City of license
A city of license or community of license, in American and Canadian broadcasting, is the community that a radio station or television station is officially licensed to serve by that country's broadcast regulator....
. This is presumably because this transmitter is the closest to Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
, Canada's primary francophone television market, although the signal just barely reaches the city.
Besides Sudbury, Hawkesbury, Temiskaming Shores and Pembroke
Pembroke, Ontario
Pembroke is a city in the province of Ontario, Canada, at the confluence of the Muskrat River and the Ottawa River in the Ottawa Valley...
, all other communities that receive TFO on the regular airwaves are isolated communities in Northern Ontario
Northern Ontario
Northern Ontario is a region of the Canadian province of Ontario which lies north of Lake Huron , the French River and Lake Nipissing. The region has a land area of 802,000 km2 and constitutes 87% of the land area of Ontario, although it contains only about 6% of the population...
, many of which also receive the Ontario Parliament Network
Ontario Parliament Network
The Ontario Parliament Network is a television network in the Canadian province of Ontario, established in 1986 to broadcast the parliamentary proceedings of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario...
over the regular airwaves as well.
In addition to local cable services, TFO is available across Canada on Bell TV.
As part of the transfer of TFO to its own management, the former transmitters in Sultan
Sultan, Ontario
Sultan is an unincorporated community in the Unorganized North Part of Sudbury District in northeastern Ontario, Canada.The local economy is based primarily on hunting and related tourism. In the past the logging industry formed the mainstay of the economy...
, Oba and Jogues
Jogues, Ontario
Jogues is a community in the Canadian province of Ontario, located in the unincorporated geographic township of Way in Cochrane District. The community is located along Highway 583 and the Algoma Central Railway, a few kilometres south of Hearst This village is mainly french and there is a church...
were taken out of service.
| Station | City of licence City of license A city of license or community of license, in American and Canadian broadcasting, is the community that a radio station or television station is officially licensed to serve by that country's broadcast regulator.... |
Analog channel Channel (broadcasting) In broadcasting, a channel is a range of frequencies assigned by a government for the operation of a particular radio station, television station or television channel. In common usage, the term also may be used to refer to the station operating on a particular frequency.-See also:*Broadcast... |
Digital channel Channel (broadcasting) In broadcasting, a channel is a range of frequencies assigned by a government for the operation of a particular radio station, television station or television channel. In common usage, the term also may be used to refer to the station operating on a particular frequency.-See also:*Broadcast... |
ERP Effective radiated power In radio telecommunications, effective radiated power or equivalent radiated power is a standardized theoretical measurement of radio frequency energy using the SI unit watts, and is determined by subtracting system losses and adding system gains... |
HAAT Height above average terrain Height above average terrain is used extensively in FM radio and television, as it is actually much more important than effective radiated power in determining the range of broadcasts... |
Transmitter Coordinates | Notes | CRTC Decisions |
| CHLF-TV-1 | Sudbury | 25 (UHF Ultra high frequency Ultra-High Frequency designates the ITU Radio frequency range of electromagnetic waves between 300 MHz and 3 GHz , also known as the decimetre band or decimetre wave as the wavelengths range from one to ten decimetres... ) |
20 | 282.5 kW | 171.9 m | 46°25′29"N 81°0′53"W | First transmitter, launched January 1, 1987 | 87-737 |
| CHLF-TV-2 | Hawkesbury Hawkesbury, Ontario Hawkesbury is a town in the Eastern portion of Southern Ontario, Canada, on the Ottawa River, near the Quebec-Ontario border.It lies on the south shore of the Ottawa River about halfway between Downtown Ottawa and Downtown Montreal in Prescott and Russell Counties. The Long-Sault Bridge links it... |
39 (UHF Ultra high frequency Ultra-High Frequency designates the ITU Radio frequency range of electromagnetic waves between 300 MHz and 3 GHz , also known as the decimetre band or decimetre wave as the wavelengths range from one to ten decimetres... ) |
31 | 10 kW | 100 m | 45°30′7"N 74°41′16"W | Put into service on March 1, 1989 | |
| CHLF-TV-3 | Evanturel Evanturel, Ontario Evanturel is a township in Timiskaming District, Ontario, Canada. It almost completely surrounds the town of Englehart. The main settlement in Evanturel is the community of Heaslip.... |
22 (UHF Ultra high frequency Ultra-High Frequency designates the ITU Radio frequency range of electromagnetic waves between 300 MHz and 3 GHz , also known as the decimetre band or decimetre wave as the wavelengths range from one to ten decimetres... ) |
0.02 kW | NA | 47°47′55"N 79°49′18"W | near Englehart Englehart, Ontario Englehart is a town in the Canadian province of Ontario, located on the Englehart River in the Timiskaming District.-History:... |
90-266 | |
| CHLF-TV-4 | Harris Harris, Ontario Harris is a township in the Timiskaming District in the Canadian province of Ontario.Harris is located directly east of the city of Temiskaming Shores on the northern shore of Lake Timiskaming. The township had a population of 512 in the Canada 2006 Census... |
16 (UHF Ultra high frequency Ultra-High Frequency designates the ITU Radio frequency range of electromagnetic waves between 300 MHz and 3 GHz , also known as the decimetre band or decimetre wave as the wavelengths range from one to ten decimetres... ) |
0.02 kW | NA | 47°31′1"N 79°36′33"W | near Temiskaming Shores | 90-267 | |
| CHLF-TV-5 | Hawk Junction Hawk Junction, Ontario Hawk Junction is a community with a local services board in the Canadian province of Ontario, located just north of Highway 101, about east of Wawa.... |
19 (UHF Ultra high frequency Ultra-High Frequency designates the ITU Radio frequency range of electromagnetic waves between 300 MHz and 3 GHz , also known as the decimetre band or decimetre wave as the wavelengths range from one to ten decimetres... ) |
0.02 kW | NA | 48°5′16"N 84°33′43"W | 90-268 | ||
| CHLF-TV-6 | Lac-Sainte-Thérèse Lac-Sainte-Thérèse, Ontario Lac-Sainte-Thérèse is a community in the Canadian province of Ontario.-Location:It is located at the northern terminus of Highway 583 in the Cochrane District of Northern Ontario, approximately 15 kilometres north of Hearst.... |
32 (UHF Ultra high frequency Ultra-High Frequency designates the ITU Radio frequency range of electromagnetic waves between 300 MHz and 3 GHz , also known as the decimetre band or decimetre wave as the wavelengths range from one to ten decimetres... ) |
0.02 kW | NA | 49°47′30"N 83°39′10"W | |||
| CHLF-TV-7 | Mishkeegogamang Mishkeegogamang First Nation Mishkeegogamang First Nation, also known as New Osnaburgh, Osnaburgh House, Osnaburgh or "Oz" for short, is an Ojibwa First Nation in the Canadian province of Ontario. It is located on Highway 599 in the Kenora District, approximately 20 kilometres south of Pickle Lake... (New Osnaburgh) |
20 (UHF Ultra high frequency Ultra-High Frequency designates the ITU Radio frequency range of electromagnetic waves between 300 MHz and 3 GHz , also known as the decimetre band or decimetre wave as the wavelengths range from one to ten decimetres... ) |
0.02 kW | NA | 51°13′57"N 90°14′1"W | 90-270 | ||
| CHLF-TV-9 | Brethour Brethour, Ontario Brethour is a township in the Canadian province of Ontario, located within the Timiskaming District.The township had a population of 117 in the Canada 2006 Census.-Demographics:Population trend:... |
26 (UHF Ultra high frequency Ultra-High Frequency designates the ITU Radio frequency range of electromagnetic waves between 300 MHz and 3 GHz , also known as the decimetre band or decimetre wave as the wavelengths range from one to ten decimetres... ) |
0.02 kW | NA | 47°42′34"N 79°34′1"W | 90-264 | ||
| CHLF-TV-10 | Longlac | 17 (UHF Ultra high frequency Ultra-High Frequency designates the ITU Radio frequency range of electromagnetic waves between 300 MHz and 3 GHz , also known as the decimetre band or decimetre wave as the wavelengths range from one to ten decimetres... ) |
0.04 kW | NA | 49°46′38"N 86°31′41"W | 90-931 | ||
| CHLF-TV-12 | Summer Beaver | 11 (VHF Very high frequency Very high frequency is the radio frequency range from 30 MHz to 300 MHz. Frequencies immediately below VHF are denoted High frequency , and the next higher frequencies are known as Ultra high frequency... ) |
0.005 kW | NA | 52°45′1"N 88°30′48"W | |||
| CHLF-TV-13 | Pembroke Pembroke, Ontario Pembroke is a city in the province of Ontario, Canada, at the confluence of the Muskrat River and the Ottawa River in the Ottawa Valley... |
17 (UHF Ultra high frequency Ultra-High Frequency designates the ITU Radio frequency range of electromagnetic waves between 300 MHz and 3 GHz , also known as the decimetre band or decimetre wave as the wavelengths range from one to ten decimetres... ) |
39 | 113.8 kW | 188 m | 45°50′2"N 77°9′49"W | 91-291 | |
| CHLF-TV-14 | Kirby's Corner | 51 (UHF Ultra high frequency Ultra-High Frequency designates the ITU Radio frequency range of electromagnetic waves between 300 MHz and 3 GHz , also known as the decimetre band or decimetre wave as the wavelengths range from one to ten decimetres... ) |
0.04 kW | NA | 46°42′49"N 84°16′39"W | 91-846 | ||
| CHLF-TV-15 | Kaboni | 28 (UHF Ultra high frequency Ultra-High Frequency designates the ITU Radio frequency range of electromagnetic waves between 300 MHz and 3 GHz , also known as the decimetre band or decimetre wave as the wavelengths range from one to ten decimetres... ) |
0.04 kW | NA | 45°40′15"N 81°45′31"W | 92-295 | ||
| CHLF-TV-16 | Val Rita | 28 (UHF Ultra high frequency Ultra-High Frequency designates the ITU Radio frequency range of electromagnetic waves between 300 MHz and 3 GHz , also known as the decimetre band or decimetre wave as the wavelengths range from one to ten decimetres... ) |
0.02 kW | NA | 49°26′47"N 82°32′19"W | 95-789 | ||
| CHLF-TV-18 | Nakina | 9 (VHF Very high frequency Very high frequency is the radio frequency range from 30 MHz to 300 MHz. Frequencies immediately below VHF are denoted High frequency , and the next higher frequencies are known as Ultra high frequency... ) |
0.01 kW | NA | 50°10′43"N 86°42′23"W | |||
External links
- TFO (data for all TFO repeaters)