YTV (TV channel)

YTV
YTV logo
Launched	September 1, 1988
Owned by	YTV Canada, Inc. (Corus Entertainment)
Picture format	1080i (HDTV) (2011-present) 480i (SDTV) (1988-present)
Country	Canada
Broadcast area	National
Headquarters	Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Sister channel(s)	Treehouse TV Nickelodeon Teletoon Teletoon Retro ABC Spark
Website	YTV
Availability
Satellite
Bell TV	551, 552 (SD) 1646 (HD)
Shaw Direct	542, 543 (SD) 71 / 571 (HD)
Cable
Available on most Canadian cable systems	Check local listings, channels may vary
IPTV
Bell Aliant	252 (SD) 501 (HD)
Bell Fibe TV	551, 552 (SD) 1551 (HD)
MTS	17, 18 (SD), 459 (HD)
Optik TV	75 (SD) 613 (HD)
SaskTel	11 (SD)

YTV is a Canadian English-language Category A specialty channel aimed at youth, available nationwide through cable and satellite television; the channel is owned by Corus Entertainment. The "YTV" name is thought by some viewers to be an abbreviation for "Youth Television", however the channel's website denies this.^{[citation needed]} YTV operates two time-shifted feeds, East (Eastern Time) and West (Pacific Time).

The channel specializes in programming aimed at children, including original live-action and animated series, and movies and third-party programming from U.S. cable channel Nickelodeon and other distributors. It is marketed mostly toward children and teenagers ages 7–15, with the exception of their weekday morning "YTV PlayTime" block that is aimed at children ages two to six years old^{[citation needed]}.

History[edit]

Launched on September 1, 1988, YTV was the successor to two prior special programming services operated by various Ontario cable companies beginning in the late 1970s. The two largest shareholders in YTV were two cable companies, Rogers Cable and a company known as CUC Broadcasting, which was later acquired by Shaw Communications. By 1995, through various acquisitions and trades, Shaw had secured full control of YTV; it was spun off as part of Corus Entertainment in 1999.

YTV logo (1995-2007)

In 1998, YTV began to use a Nickelodeon-style "gross-out" factor in its branding, with much less slime, with its slogan being "Keep It Weird". Over the years, YTV used a number of different on-air logos, featuring the same arrangement of white letters on various bizarre and imaginative creatures. The logo used on production credits, and presumably the "official" logo, features this arrangement on a red screen of a stylized purple television set. The channel's advertisements often focus on promoting the brand through crude humour.

In the fall of 2005, a new post-6:00 p.m. advertising style was developed for older audiences, which used a much simpler logo and much sleeker packaging with barely any gross-out tactics. In the spring of 2006, the simple logo first appeared on YTV's promos and even appeared on credits of YTV's newer original programming. In 2007, this look was adapted for the entire station.

In September 2009, the logo was changed slightly: it featured new colours, and the background was simplified. Variations to the bumpers were reduced. Instead, there are large, opaque digital on-screen graphics telling viewers which programs are coming next, and promotions of the programs.

Programming[edit]

YTV's schedule is primarily children's and teen programming, with target audiences ranging from preschoolers to young adults. At the upper-end of this range are repeats of dramas such as Smallville. It aired a significant number of British sitcoms in late night, My Family for example, but these have been dropped. It was the first channel to air the first completely computer-animated series ReBoot, and it broadcast the North American premiere of Sailor Moon. While some of the shows are for a young audience, others are for older and mature teenagers, with some of the shows dealing with mature and adult themes.

While it produces or commissions a substantial portion of its programming, YTV also acquires and airs most of the original series of the similar American service Nickelodeon, which was not available in Canada until November 2, 2009. Because of strong contractual ties, YTV has exclusive access to all Nickelodeon animated titles, and to date has aired every one of these productions.^{[citation needed]} However, rights to some Nickelodeon live-action series have been given to Family Channel from the 1990s to the mid-2000s.

Programming blocks[edit]

Since the station was launched, YTV has divided its broadcasts into distinct programming blocks for a variety of reasons. An unnamed programming block which later became "The Treehouse", and "The Afterschool Zone", now known as "The Zone", were the first and second blocks established in the station's early years. This was done primarily to comply with Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) restrictions on advertising in children's programming: popular imported programming would run a few minutes short because fewer ads are permitted than for US stations^{[citation needed]}. Instead of filling the time with public service announcements or other filler material, the several minutes between programs were deovted to interaction between live-action hosts.

YTV logo used from 2007-2010. The current logo has a different color scheme.

Other blocks, such as "Limbo" and "Bionix", have been created for the specific purpose of designating programming intended for older or specific audiences. Without similar advertising restrictions being applied, these blocks are unhosted.

Current programming blocks[edit]

• The Zone - airing weekday afternoons from 4:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. EST/PST The Zone is the channel's flagship programming block featuring a mix of animated and live-action series, hosted by Carlos Bustamante.
• Big Fun Weeknights - a primetime block airing weeknights from 6:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m. EST/PST, featuring live-action comedy series from YTV and Nickelodeon.
• Crunch - a weekend morning cartoon block hosted by Andy Chapman, featuring primarily YTV original animated series and original cartoons from Nickelodeon U.S.; airing from 7:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. EST/PST.
• Big Fun Movies - a movie block featuring three (and sometimes four) films running back-to-back, beginning on Sunday afternoons at 2:00 p.m. EST/PST; it is hosted by Carlos Bustamante.
• YTV PlayTime airs during school time (weekdays 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. EST/PST) and is aimed at young children ages four to eight years old; it mostly plays animated content. Unlike YTV's other blocks, YTV Playtime is commercial-free.

Past programming blocks[edit]

• The Treehouse - This block was a daily programming block aimed primary at young children ages two to seven years old; it was hosted by PJ Todd, PJ Krista, and PJ Katie, and featured puppets known as The Fuzzpaws. "The Treehouse" aired many shows such as Wishbone, Bananas in Pyjamas, Once Upon a Hamster, The Big Comfy Couch, Fraggle Rock, Take Part, and PJ Katie's Farm. This segment originally did not have a specific name, and ran from 10:00 a.m. EST until switching over to "The Afterschool Zone". The original hosts were PJ Jen and PJ Chandra. PJ Gord acted as a substitute for both this block and "The Afterschool Zone". "The Treehouse" block has since been spun off into its own specialty channel, Treehouse TV.
• The Alley - The Alley was the original weekend morning programming block, which was hosted by the existing PJs from the weekday segments, along with the Grogs.
• YTV News - This series was a half-hour news program aimed at children; it aired on Sundays, Mondays, and Tuesdays, and was advertised as being the only national, youth-oriented TV newsmagazine.^{[citation needed]} YTV News was hosted by Janis Mackey, Marret Green, Exan, Honey Khan, Cory Atkins, Mark McAllister, and Wilf Dinnick, who covered many stories from Canadian elections to world issues. Viewers of YTV News were encouraged to create their own news editorials about themselves and send them in to be broadcast. YTV News shared facilities with CTV News, and was briefly rebroadcast on CTV on weekend mornings, albeit with the title Wuz Up.
• The Breakfast Zone - "The Breakfast Zone" (or "B-Zone") was aired in a morning time slot. Originally hosted by PJ Jenn and PJ Paul, with Aashna soon replacing Jenn, the block was intended as a morning version of "The Zone", but functioned more as a long-running single program than an actual block. Programs started at much more arbitrary times as the banter between the live-action hosts became more of a central focus than mere filler material. The block was later re-branded as the "B-Zone", hosted by Taylor, and then re-branded again as the "B-Zone", hosted by PJ Katie (Jennifer Racicot) and Zeke, a curious creature from outer space (performed by puppeteer Todd Doldersun).
• Shift - This primetime block aired many of YTV's most popular shows. Some of "Shift's" programming included ReBoot, Are You Afraid of the Dark?, Beasties, and Goosebumps. Shift was hosted by Aashna and Paul. It was dropped in favour of extending "The Zone" by one hour.
• Brainwash - A weekend programming block that aired on Saturday and Sunday mornings. It was hosted by Carrie (musician and puppeteer Ali Eisner) and Ed (Shaun Majumder) from a colourful set featuring pipes and video screens. Shaun Majumder left the show in 1997 and was replaced by Peter Oldering. The concept was created and originally produced by Kim J. Saltarski and Atul N. Rao, later produced by Karen Young. Brainwash had many slogans such as "Put a spin on your reality", "Headaches are an excellent source of iron", and "YTV's laundromat of choice". The theme was a play on the name using bubbles, washing machines, and brain visuals. Brainwash was similar to "The Zone", but was much longer. It featured programs such as Bump in the Night, Astro Boy, Sailor Moon, and The Pink Panther. Brainwash was eventually replaced with Snit Station.
• Snit Station - "Snit Station" replaced "Brainwash" in the weekend morning slot and was hosted by Stephanie Broschart and YTV's robotic mascot, Snit. "Snit Station" programming included Animaniacs, The Jetsons, The Flintstones, Garfield, and Huckleberry Hound. When Snit later left "Snit Station", this block became known as the "Vortex" block. Snit Station was produced by Christine McGlade.
• Limbo - "Limbo" was YTV's first block for teenagers and featured programming such as Daria, Stressed Eric, Home Movies, Lucy Sullivan is Getting Married and Downtown. Limbo originally aired from 8:00 p.m. EST to 12:00 a.m. EST, but was eventually pushed back to 1:00 a.m. EST to 5:00 a.m. EST before being cancelled.
• The Dark Corner - A programming block that aired on Saturday evenings, "The Dark Corner" featured many of YTV's darker shows, such as Goosebumps, Are You Afraid of the Dark?, Freaky Stories, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
• YTV Jr. - "YTV Jr." boasted 40 hours of commercial-free programming per week and was aimed at the pre-school demographic. "YTV Jr.'s" programming included Rupert, The Animal Show with Stinky and Jake, and The Big Comfy Couch. This programming block later became obsolete as Treehouse TV, YTV's dedicated children's channel, became widely available. It is now replaced by Play Time.
• Vortex - "Vortex" aired on YTV from 2001 to June 24, 2006. It was hosted by Stephanie Broschart, who left in 2003 and was replaced by Paula Lemyre. Unlike its predecessors, "Vortex" was exclusive to Saturday mornings. "Vortex" was also based mainly on action cartoons. It ended on June 24, 2006 upon Paula's departure from YTV, and was temporarily replaced by "The Zone Summer Weekends", a weekend edition of The Zone hosted by Sugar and Carlos; however, the shows remained the same until Crunch was launched in September 2006. The block was produced by Christine McGlade.
• Bionix - This block was YTV's action programming and anime block airing from September 10, 2004-February 7, 2010. The block aired on Sundays from 12:00 a.m. to 2:00 a.m. EST from September 2009 until the block's demise. Bionix originally aired on Friday nights, and later on Saturday nights, and was a main source for anime programming on YTV.
• 3 Hairy Thumbs Up - 3 Hairy Thumbs Up was YTV's movie block until 2006, when YTV replaced it with Zapx. After its host left and YTV abandoned the "Keep It Weird!" campaign, the block remained unnamed for a while until Big Fun Movies replaced it.

Program jockeys[edit]

Until the mid-1990s, YTV called their program jockeys "PJs" in the same vein as disc jockey (DJ) or video jockey (VJ). Current hosts of these segments have since dropped the moniker of PJ.

Current program jocks[edit]

• Carlos Bustamante hosts "The Zone"and Big Fun Movies
• Andy Chapman hosts "Crunch"

Past program jockeys[edit]

• Laura DaSilva
• Simon Mohos^[1]
• Joyce Quansah
• Ajay Fry
• Stephanie Beard (Sugar)
• Paula Lemyre
• Pat Kelly, also known as Random Pat
• Phil Guerrero, also known as PJ "Fresh" Phil
• Paul McGuire, also known as PJ Paul
• Daryn Jones
• Jenn Beech, also known as PJ Jenn
• Jennifer Katie Racicot, also known as PJ Katie
• Shaun Majumder (Ed Brainbin)
• Anand Rajaram, who voiced Snit
• Taylor (Phil McCordic)
• Gordon Michael Woolvett, also known as Gord the PJ Man
• PJ Todd
• PJ Krista
• Pat Kelly
• Janis Mackey Frayer, also known as PJ "Jazzy" Jan
• Shandra, also known as PJ "Rockin" Shan
• Aashna Patel, also known as PJ Aashna
• Stephanie Broschart
• Ali Eisner
• The Grogs, puppeteers Jamie Shannon and Jason Hopley
• Marty Stelnick, puppeteer
• Atul N. Rao, the puppeteer of the original Snit
• Laurie Gelman
• Michael Quast, also known as Michael Q
• Elizabeth Becker
• Rachael Crawford
• PJ Rob

Programs of note[edit]

This section may contain original research. Please improve it by verifying the claims made and adding inline citations. Statements consisting only of original research may be removed. (August 2008)

British sitcoms[edit]

In its early years, YTV filled its schedule with older or more obscure types of acquisitions not normally seen on other services. British sitcoms were used to fill prime time slots, and remained on the station's late night schedule for well over a decade, including the North American premiere of Red Dwarf and the improv series Whose Line is it Anyway?.

Programs such as Are You Being Served?, Keeping Up Appearances, and Yes Minister were broadcast in late night time slots, and aired free of time and content edits. However, in 2003 when YTV began marketing its late night hours towards older youth viewers, it decided to remove the remaining shows from the schedule.

Power Rangers[edit]

In 1993, YTV obtained the Canadian broadcast rights to the popular action adventure series Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers on its channel, which played on weekday afternoons and Saturday mornings, trailing the American broadcast by several months. However, due to complaints sent to the Canadian Broadcast Standards Council about the violent content, YTV was pressured to remove the series from its line-up. Although not a member of the CBSC board, YTV complied and pulled the series before the end of its first season While a phone-in poll was conducted to see if viewers wanted Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers back on YTV, no further installments of the Power Rangers series aired on the network until 2011, but commercials for toys and videos were advertised on the network. Fox and the CanWest Global System stations became the only broadcasters of the series in Canada. Later versions of the series ran on Family from 2003 to 2010. The newest series, Power Rangers: Samurai, airs on Nickelodeon Canada (a sister station of YTV) and on May 7, 2011, it began airing on YTV, effectively bringing back the franchise to the network that had barred it. On February 16, 2013 at 12:30 p.m. EST/PST, YTV aired the newest installment of the Powere Rangers franchise, Power Rangers Megaforce.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer[edit]

In 1997, YTV premiered the popular series Buffy the Vampire Slayer one week before it began airing concurrently in the United States on the WB. The mature nature of the series catered to an older audience but was often aired in the late afternoon. It became one of the highest rated programs^{[citation needed]}. YTV aired the series uncut and in its entirety. One parental complaint was mockingly read on-air by former The Zone host Paul McGuire.

YTV's broadcast continued even after Buffy the Vampire Slayer was moved to UPN in the United States, not only making the US broadcast more widely available in Canada, but also gradually leading to a notable increase in violent and sexual content. For its entire run Buffy the Vampire Slayer aired before the Canadian watershed of 9:00 p.m. ET. The only exception was the season six episode "Seeing Red" which was premiered at 9:00 p.m. EST in 2002 due to extreme content^{[citation needed]}.

Farscape[edit]

In 1999, YTV showed the North American debut of the Farscape sci-fi series but in 2000, it did not acquire the rights to the show's second season and skipped the cliffhanger finale to the first season.

Anime[edit]

YTV hosted the North American broadcast premiere of Sailor Moon in August 1995. The final seventeen episodes of Sailor Moon R were dubbed specifically for the Canadian market. Series such as Dragon Ball and Pokémon were broadcast on the station in following years. In 2000, YTV broadcast Gundam Wing. YTV aired an edited version of the series at 11:30 p.m. EST on weeknights.

In late 2003 InuYasha premiered on the network. Its popularity with teen viewers brought about the creation of the "Bionix" block in 2004^{[citation needed]}, which aired on Friday nights, and included Gundam SEED. YTV aired Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex at midnight because its adult content. The Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex episode "Jungle Cruise" was skipped due to its gruesome theme and content.

Between the end of Limbo and the beginning of "Bionix", YTV launched the Anime Master forum. The Anime Master character is portrayed as a red-suited masked ninja, dubbed in Snit's voice, and has made a few guest appearances in The Zone and "Vortex" segments. Live-action show hosts have also done interviews in Anime North, most of the guests being voice actors for popular animated shows on the channel. The interviews were shown in the live action segments between programmes (called Animinutes), or as a separate block. In 2009, YTV moved the Bionix block from Friday to Saturday nights, cutting down the length and number of anime series on the block significantly. On February 7, 2010, the Bionix block ended.

Current anime series on YTV include Pokémon, Beyblade: Metal Masters, Monsuno, and Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal.

On September 29, 2006, YTV Canada Inc. announced it had applied to the CRTC for permission to launch a Category 2 English-language specialty channel called The Anime Channel. The proposal included minimum 85% animated and related programming and maximum 15% information-based program, targeted at adults over the age of 18. A meeting with the CRTC was held on November 14, 2006. On January 30, 2007, CRTC approved the application for the license until August 31, 2013.^[2] The license allowed the channel to allocate not less than 65% of the broadcast year to anime programs, not more than 35% of the broadcast year to anime-related programs, not less than 85% of the broadcast year to programming from categories 7(d) (theatrical feature films aired on TV), 7(e) (animated television programs and films) and 7(g) (other drama), with no more than 15% of the broadcast year dedicated to information based programs. Corus Entertainment did not apply for an extension to launch this channel and failed to launch this channel within the required 36-month period.

Related services[edit]

Current[edit]

YTV HD[edit]

On January 11, 2011, YTV launched a high definition feed called "YTV HD" simulcasting the east coast standard definition feed.^[3] The channel broadcasts in 1080i picture format.

Treehouse TV[edit]

Treehouse TV logo

Treehouse TV is a cable television specialty channel which airs programing targeted to preeschoolers that launched on October 17, 1997. Its name comes from YTV's now-defunct children's programming block, The Treehouse. Treehouse TV is nationwide throughout Canada and is commercial-free.

Nickelodeon[edit]

Nickelodeon logo.

Nickelodeon is a Category B Specialty channel that was launched on November 2, 2009 and is based on the U.S. Cable channel Nickelodeon. As with its counterparts in the U.S. and elsewhere, Nickelodeon airs programs aimed at children, including live-action series and animation. Unlike YTV, Nickelodeon is not simulcast in high definition and operates solely on an Eastern Time Zone schedule.

Former[edit]

Bionix On Demand[edit]

In 2008, Corus Entertainment began offering a video-on-demand service called "Bionix On Demand" to cable providers. Rogers Cable and Shaw Cable were the only providers to offer the service. The service offered old and new anime programs that did not air on YTV itself. The video on demand service was previously titled "YTV Anime On Demand". Effective December 17, 2009, Bionix On Demand became defunct, and was replaced by YTV On Demand.^[4]

Related businesses[edit]

• Whoa! magazine, YTV's official magazine, is published four times a year (spring, summer, fall, and winter). Whoa! is distributed through Pizza Hut, YTV Events, Chapters and Indigo book stores, Canadian newsstands, and subscriptions.
• Big Fun Party Mix CDs contain many songs from YTV's Hit List, plus performances by the station's own Nuclear Donkey.
• The Big Rip is a site for online games. The first game GalaXseeds, was launched on February 14, 2007.

International distribution[edit]

• Jamaica - distributed on Flow Cable systems.^[5]
• Bahamas - distributed on Cable Bahamas systems.^[6]
• Mexico - (2013)

See also[edit]

• Adult Swim (Canada)
• Cartoon Network (Canada)
• Disney Junior (English)
• Disney Junior (French)
• Disney XD (Canada)
• Family
• Nickelodeon (Canada)
• Teletoon (English)
• Télétoon (French)
• Teletoon Retro (English)
• Télétoon Rétro (French)
• Treehouse TV

References[edit]

External links[edit]

• Official website
• YTV Media
• Official Site as of 1997 (archive.org)
• Museum of Broadcast Communications: YTV