VRAK.TV
Encyclopedia
VRAK.TV is a Canadian
French language
Category A specialty channel
aimed at youth
audiences. VRAK.TV is currently owned by Astral Media
.
which itself was already owned by Astral at the time.
Le Canal Famille, name translated as The Family Channel, which was the name of another Canadian youth channel that also began airing in 1988 and is, today, the channel's Astral-owned English language
counterpart.
Le Canal Famille rebranded as VRAK.TV on January 2, 2001.
as well as light dramas. Many of them are French translations of existing programs such as Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Charmed
, What I Like About You
, Degrassi: The Next Generation
, Gilmore Girls
, One Tree Hill
, The O.C.
, Life with Derek
, Smallville
, SpongeBob SquarePants
, That '70s Show
, 90210
, Gossip Girl
, and many others. However, the channel also features local Quebec French language productions, such as Il était une fois dans le trouble and Une grenade avec ça?
. Other series that the channel popularized were Dans une galaxie près de chez vous
and Radio Enfer
. VRAK.TV rarely airs feature movies, except on holiday
s.
Initially, as required by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC), the channel carried no commercials, except for promotional messages, interstitial program
s (such as help segments known as R-Force ), as well as public service announcement
s. However, since the renewal of its licence in 2006, the channel is able to air product advertisements. VRAK.TV does frequently join forces with various companies (mainly grocery products) to present special promotions related to its programming.
Unlike most other specialty channels, VRAK.TV is only on the air daily from 6 a.m. to midnight. When the station was Le Canal Famille, the station would close down at 7 p.m. (8 p.m. on weekends), sharing time with a scrambled Super Écran
channel (also owned by Astral). In 2001, when the channel was revamped as VRAK.TV, its hours were increased to 10 p.m. (Super Écran followed on most systems). VRAK.TV's current close down time, at midnight, went into effect in mid-2005.
On October 30, 2006 Astral Media launched an HD
simulcast of VRAK.TV called VRAK.TV HD.
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...
French language
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...
Category A 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....
aimed at youth
Youth
Youth is the time of life between childhood and adulthood . Definitions of the specific age range that constitutes youth vary. An individual's actual maturity may not correspond to their chronological age, as immature individuals could exist at all ages.-Usage:Around the world, the terms "youth",...
audiences. VRAK.TV is currently owned by Astral Media
Astral Media
Astral Media Inc. is a Canadian media corporation. It is Canada's largest radio broadcaster with 83 radio stations in eight provinces, and is a major player in premium and specialty television in Canada, including The Movie Network, Super Écran, Family, Teletoon, Canal D, Canal Vie, VRAK.TV,...
.
History
Licensed by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) in 1987, Le Canal Famille launched on September 1, 1988 as a replacement to the youth channel TVJQ (Télévision des Jeunes du Québec, otherwise known simply as Télé des Jeunes). Canal Famille was created by Premier Choix TVECSuper Écran
Super Écran is a Canadian French language Category A premium television service that broadcasts nationally via satellite or cable subscribers. The network is owned by Astral Media...
which itself was already owned by Astral at the time.
Le Canal Famille, name translated as The Family Channel, which was the name of another Canadian youth channel that also began airing in 1988 and is, today, the channel's Astral-owned English language
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
counterpart.
Le Canal Famille rebranded as VRAK.TV on January 2, 2001.
Programming
Since its creation as Le Canal Famille, the channel airs animated series and teenage sitcomsSituation comedy
A situation comedy, often shortened to sitcom, is a genre of comedy that features characters sharing the same common environment, such as a home or workplace, accompanied with jokes as part of the dialogue...
as well as light dramas. Many of them are French translations of existing programs such as Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Charmed
Charmed
Charmed is an American television series that originally aired from October 7, 1998, until May 21, 2006, on the now defunct The WB Television Network. The series was created in 1998 by writer Constance M...
, What I Like About You
What I Like About You (TV series)
What I Like About You is an American television sitcom set mainly in New York City, following the lives of two sisters, Valerie Tyler and Holly Tyler . The series ran on The WB Television Network from September 20, 2002, to March 24, 2006, with a total of 86 episodes produced...
, Degrassi: The Next Generation
Degrassi: The Next Generation
Degrassi: The Next Generation is a Canadian teen drama television series set in the Degrassi universe, which was created by Linda Schuyler and Kit Hood in 1979. Degrassi is the fourth fictional series in the Degrassi franchise, and follows The Kids of Degrassi Street, Degrassi Junior High, and...
, Gilmore Girls
Gilmore Girls
Gilmore Girls is an American family comedy-drama series created by Amy Sherman-Palladino, starring Lauren Graham and Alexis Bledel. On October 5, 2000, the series debuted on The WB and was cancelled in its seventh season, ending on May 15, 2007 on The CW...
, One Tree Hill
One Tree Hill (TV series)
One Tree Hill is an American television drama created by Mark Schwahn, which premiered on September 23, 2003, on The WB Television Network. After its third season, The WB merged with UPN to form The CW Television Network, and, since September 27, 2006, the network has been the official broadcaster...
, The O.C.
The O.C.
The O.C. is an American teen drama television series that originally aired on the Fox television network in the United States from August 5, 2003, to February 21, 2007, running a total of four seasons...
, Life with Derek
Life with Derek
Life with Derek is a Canadian television sitcom that aired on Family and VRAK.TV in Canada and on Disney Channel in the United States. The series premiered on Family on September 18, 2005 and ran for four seasons ending on March 25, 2009. The series starred Michael Seater and Ashley Leggat as the...
, Smallville
Smallville (TV series)
Smallville is an American television series developed by writers/producers Alfred Gough and Miles Millar based on the DC Comics character Superman, originally created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. The television series was initially broadcast by The WB Television Network , premiering on October...
, SpongeBob SquarePants
SpongeBob SquarePants
SpongeBob SquarePants is an American animated television series, created by marine biologist and animator Stephen Hillenburg. Much of the series centers on the exploits and adventures of the title character and his various friends in the underwater city of "Bikini Bottom"...
, That '70s Show
That '70s Show
That '70s Show is an American television period sitcom that centers on the lives of a group of teenage friends living in the fictional suburban town of Point Place, Wisconsin, from May 17, 1976, to December 31, 1979...
, 90210
90210 (TV series)
90210 is an American teen drama television series developed by Rob Thomas, Jeff Judah and Gabe Sachs, and the fourth series in the Beverly Hills, 90210 franchise created by Darren Star. 90210 is the first series produced by CBS Productions under the company's re-launch, but is now produced by CBS...
, Gossip Girl
Gossip Girl (TV series)
Gossip Girl is an American teen drama television series based on the book series of the same name written by Cecily von Ziegesar. The series was created by Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage, and premiered on The CW on September 19, 2007...
, and many others. However, the channel also features local Quebec French language productions, such as Il était une fois dans le trouble and Une grenade avec ça?
Une grenade avec ça?
Une grenade avec ça? is a Québécois sitcom for teenagers produced by Zone 3 and aired on VRAK.TV. The name of the series comes from the popular grenade-shaped candies offered by the restaurant in the show. It is now the most watched show on VRAK.TV. The series debuted in 2002 and is currently in...
. Other series that the channel popularized were Dans une galaxie près de chez vous
Dans une galaxie près de chez vous
Dans une galaxie près de chez vous is a Quebec French language television series that aired on Canal Famille from 1998 to 2001, and a movie of the same name, released in 2004. The second movie, Dans une galaxie près de chez vous 2, has been released on April 18, 2008...
and Radio Enfer
Radio Enfer
Radio Enfer was a Québécois sitcom broadcast on Canal Famille and its later incarnation, Vrak.TV, about a group of students at an unidentified high school managing their own high school radio station....
. VRAK.TV rarely airs feature movies, except on holiday
Holiday
A Holiday is a day designated as having special significance for which individuals, a government, or a religious group have deemed that observance is warranted. It is generally an official or unofficial observance of religious, national, or cultural significance, often accompanied by celebrations...
s.
Initially, as required by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC), the channel carried no commercials, except for promotional messages, interstitial program
Interstitial program
In television programming, an interstitial program refers to a short program which is often shown between movies or other events, e.g. a cast interview after movies on premium channels...
s (such as help segments known as R-Force ), as well as public service announcement
Public service announcement
A public service announcement or public service ad is a type of advertisement featured on television, radio, print or other media...
s. However, since the renewal of its licence in 2006, the channel is able to air product advertisements. VRAK.TV does frequently join forces with various companies (mainly grocery products) to present special promotions related to its programming.
Unlike most other specialty channels, VRAK.TV is only on the air daily from 6 a.m. to midnight. When the station was Le Canal Famille, the station would close down at 7 p.m. (8 p.m. on weekends), sharing time with a scrambled Super Écran
Super Écran
Super Écran is a Canadian French language Category A premium television service that broadcasts nationally via satellite or cable subscribers. The network is owned by Astral Media...
channel (also owned by Astral). In 2001, when the channel was revamped as VRAK.TV, its hours were increased to 10 p.m. (Super Écran followed on most systems). VRAK.TV's current close down time, at midnight, went into effect in mid-2005.
VRAK.TV HD
High-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 VRAK.TV called VRAK.TV HD.
Logos
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|---|---|---|---|
| 1988-1996 | 1996–2001 | 2001–2007 | 2007–present |
International distribution
- Saint Pierre and Miquelon (French overseas collectivity) - distributed on the SPM Telecom system.