On the heels of its announced $375-million purchase of the five Citytv stations, Rogers Media says there are no major changes in store for the former CHUM channels, which it acquired after the CRTC on June 8 ordered CTVglobemedia to sell them as a condition of its purchase of CHUM.

‘There are no plans right now to change the brand…We’re very excited about the profile of the stations and by their persona,’ Rogers Media spokesperson Jan Innes tells Playback, adding that the City stations in Toronto, Vancouver, Winnipeg, Edmonton and Calgary ‘really complement our other media assets.’

Of the five, Citytv Toronto stands to see the most immediate change from the deal, since it will have to eventually move out of the flagship CHUMCity Building on Queen Street in downtown Toronto, pending CRTC approval of the transaction.

‘We will have to find a new home for the City station in Toronto, since CTVglobemedia owns that building,’ Innes says. ‘It’s different in each center. In some cases they’re just leases, so it depends on whether real estate is owned or not.’ She notes that Rogers is not planning any staff changes at the Citys at this time.

Industry analyst Ian Morrison of watchdog group Friends of Canadian Broadcasting favors Rogers’ purchase of the City stations, and says the Toronto channel’s move from the CHUM building is largely irrelevant in the overall scope of things.

‘If the Citytv stations had been taken over by CTV…that would have been the biggest change to their culture,’ he says. ‘It doesn’t matter what building they’re in – there are still three private TV networks [CTV, Global and Rogers] in Canada, and there would’ve been only two.’

The City stations are the latest acquisition for Rogers Communications, which also owns Rogers Cable and Telecom – Canada’s largest cable operator – as well as numerous publications, the Toronto Blue Jays, Rogers Sportsnet and Omni Television, which operates stations in regions including Victoria, Winnipeg and Toronto.

The new owner sees little crossover between the Omnis and Citys.

‘The Citytv station [in Toronto] is an English station and quite different from the other two [Omni] stations that we currently have in the market,’ says Innes, noting that the Omni stations in Toronto air in different languages.

Morrison believes that Rogers will eventually want to rebrand the City stations, as it did when it acquired Rogers Sportsnet, formerly CTV Sportsnet, and the Rogers Centre, formerly known as SkyDome.

‘They might well want to get the Rogers name out there,’ he says, though he doesn’t foresee any other major alterations to the brand.

‘Rogers is a sophisticated company and I don’t think they would muck around with a successful brand,’ Morrison adds. ‘They spent money on it so they’re going to want to make it work.’

CHIMING IN ON THE DEAL

It ‘gives Rogers an instant and significant television presence in the largest markets in the country and is a natural complement to our existing television broadcasting and specialty assets.’
Rogers Broadcasting president Rael Merson

‘We will continue on with the same traditions that the City stations have previously done, and we are strong supporters of the CTF. Rogers has been, as a distributor, a strong supporter. And we also, through Rogers Cable, have our funds for various film and television sectors.’
Rogers Media spokesperson Jan Innes, on what the new ownership means to Canadian production

The deal ‘creates another strong broadcasting presence in the country, which we sorely needed because it had turned, certainly in English Canada, into a duopoly.’
David Campbell, president of media agency MBS

‘My big hope would be that they would maintain the culture of the City stations and their approach to business, which has in the past been quite different in many respects from that of other broadcasters.’
Hugh Dow, president of media agency M2 Universal

With files from Media in Canada