TVO underwent an image change in 1994, opting for a hipper, fresher, more energetic look both on-screen and off. It worked. Viewing is up significantly.

Next year, tvontario will be celebrating its 25th anniversary. tvo was created by the government of Ontario in September 1970 mandated to make, produce and air educational programming. On Jan. 1, 1987, tvo’s French-language network, La chaine francaise, was created in response to the increasing demand for French educational programming.

Over the years, tvo has shown its strength to be in children’s programming. Perhaps the best example of this is the well-known and loved children’s show, Polka Dot Door, which has been around for 20 years. But tvo’s programming does not end there. It also specializes in documentaries, films and current affairs programming.

More than 450 employees work out of tvo’s downtown Toronto headquarters. The number fluctuates because of the freelance contracts the broadcaster holds. At the beginning of this year, tvo went through a restructuring process, which included offering employees early retirement packages, in order to streamline resources.

Also part of the streamlining process has been layoffs, but more so, position eliminations, departmental mixing, as well as dealing with the social contract and with government cutbacks.

tvo has always rented off-site studio space from Studio Oasis because of the lack of space in its current facilities. To attract more coproduction deals and to produce educational material that it can sell around the world, tvo needs bigger and better production facilities and more studio space.

It has been reported that tvo hopes to clear out of its current offices when its lease expires in 1997 and move to a new location with more space.

The move will be vital in tvo’s strategy to streamline and reduce dependence on government revenues by 15% for the next five years. It plans to do this by browsing for more coproduction deals, increasing corporate sponsorship and expanding its membership base of 65,000.

As Sharon Salphon, tvo’s head of corporate communications, puts it, tvo is trying to ‘get better at what we do. We had to recoup a lot of losses in children’s programming in terms of viewership. Our numbers had gone down precipitously.’

Adrian Mills, the new head of children’s programming, has worked hard at shoring up and creating new programs. He also introduced the TVO Kids, Patty and Kevin, who host live breaks during the afternoon children’s blocks. Their audience share for the 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. period is at 38.4%.

The new image that tvo is trying to project is one of excitement and energy. Updated logos and award-winning promotion spots also help to establish the personality of the network as well as a firm identity that is definitive in the mind of the viewer.

tvo’s fall ratings have shown the new strategy is working. Viewing hours are up 34.5% over the same period last year.

‘We haven’t seen that kind of increase in viewership ever in the history of tvo,’ says Salphon referring to the fact that tvo achieved the largest percentage increase in viewing hours in September of any major broadcaster in Canada. Weeknight primetime viewing was up 55.6% over last year and Saturday primetime viewing was up 48%.

tvo is also starting to attract and hold the attention of the 35-49 year-old audience, which in the past, it has had difficulty with. This viewing group made up more than half of the viewers of the Human Edge presentation of Hookers, Hustlers, Pimps and Their Johns.

tvo’s new science series, Inquiring Minds, has shown particular strength among younger adults, who have been difficult to attract to educational programming. Over half of the 111,000 people who watched this show were between 18 and 34 years old.

As for the future, tvo will face immense challenge in terms of new technologies and the whole concept of an entirely different television universe than the one that everyone currently functions in. Competition within the industry will continue to increase dramatically with the introduction of specialty stations. And because tvo is a public broadcaster, it is dependent on government funding, which is becoming a bigger and bigger problem.

Says Salphon: ‘The place for public programming and broadcasting in this country is absolutely necessary because you simply cannot get this kind of programming on a commercial network.’