MSNBC Canada

MSNBC Canada was a Canadian English language category 2 digital cable specialty channel owned and operated by Rogers Media in partnership with Shaw Communications and MSNBC.

MSNBC Canada
MSNBC Canada logo
LaunchedSeptember 7, 2001
ClosedDecember 1, 2004
Owned byRogers Media (33.34%)
Shaw Communications (33.33%)
NBCUniversal (33.33%)
Picture format480i SDTV
CountryCanada
Broadcast areaNational
HeadquartersToronto, Ontario

MSNBC Canada was a national news television service that consisted of programs featuring news headlines, breaking news coverage, analysis, and information; news magazines, and documentaries. The channel shared its branding and the majority of its programming with its American counterpart, MSNBC. In addition to MSNBC programs such as Hardball, MSNBC Investigates, and Imus in the Morning,[1] the channel consisted of repeated programs from the CBC and CPAC, as its way to fulfill its Canadian content requirements. The channel also occasionally aired informercials.

History

In November 2000, Rogers Broadcasting Limited (on behalf of a corporation to be incorporated) (later incorporated as MSNBC Canada Corp. in partnership with Shaw and MSNBC) was granted approval for a television broadcasting licence by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) called MSNBC Canada, described as "a national English-language Category 2 specialty television service consisting of an innovative hybrid of Canadian and US breaking-news coverage, in-depth news analysis and long-form actuality programming."[2]

The channel was launched on September 7, 2001 as MSNBC Canada. However, after over two years on the air, the channel's owners announced its decision to shutter the service citing difficulties in operating a 24-hour breaking news service, which relied primarily on MSNBC programs, with then-current CRTC mandated Canadian content requirements, calling them "disruptive to subscribers and have proven to be financially burdensome beyond expectation".[3] MSNBC Canada owners wished to shutter the service and replace it with the American feed instead, a process that would require CRTC approval.[3] On December 18, 2003, a Rogers and Shaw application requesting MSNBC to be allowed to broadcast in Canada was made public[3] and was approved on September 16, 2004.[4]

On December 1, 2004, MSNBC Canada was discontinued and replaced by the direct American feed, MSNBC.[5] The MSNBC Canada licence was revoked at the request of its owners by the CRTC on December 2, 2005.[6]

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References
  1. Internet Archive of MSNBC Canada's website retrieved on 2011-10-21
  2. Decision CRTC 2000-650 CRTC 2000-12-14
  3. Broadcasting Public Notice CRTC 2003-67 CRTC 2002-12-18
  4. Broadcasting Public Notice CRTC 2004-71 CRTC 2004-09-16
  5. MSNBC now 100% American programming in Canada Archived 2012-04-04 at the Wayback Machine Channel Canada 2005-02-02
  6. Broadcasting Decision CRTC 2005-571 CRTC 2005-12-05
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