Aboriginal Peoples Television Network

Aboriginal Peoples Television Network

APTN logo
Launched January 21, 1992
Owned by Aboriginal Peoples Television Network Inc.
Picture format 1080i (HDTV)
(2008–present)
480i (SDTV)
(1992-present)
Country Canada
Broadcast area National
Headquarters Winnipeg, Manitoba
Formerly called Television Northern Canada (1992–1999)
Website APTN
Availability
Terrestrial
Whitehorse, YT CHWT-TV 10
Yellowknife, NT CHTY-TV 11
Other Areas See Below
Satellite
Bell TV 269 (East) (SD)
270 (CHTY-TV)
1197 (HD)
Shaw Direct 350 (East) (SD)
55 / 555 (East) (HD)
Cable
Available on most Canadian cable systems Check local listings
IPTV
FibreOP 23 (East) (SD)
414 (HD)
Bell Fibe TV 269 (East) (SD)
1269 (HD)
MTS 14 (West) (SD)
425 (HD)
Optik TV 155 (West) (SD)
616 (HD)
SaskTel 22 (West) (SD)
322 (HD)
Zazeen 127 (East) (SD)
128 (HD)
VMedia 70 (SD)
APTN building on Portage Avenue in Winnipeg, Manitoba

Aboriginal Peoples Television Network (APTN, stylized aptn) is a Canadian broadcast and Category A cable television network. Established in 1992 with Canadian government support to broadcast in the territories, since 1999 APTN has had a national broadcast licence. It airs and produces programs made by, for and about aboriginal peoples in Canada and the United States. Based in Winnipeg, Manitoba, it is the first network by and for aboriginal peoples.[1]

History

Establishment

Logo while under the name Television Northern Canada (TVNC)

In 1980 the Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) issued the Therrien Committee Report. In that report, the committee concluded that northern Aboriginal peoples had increasing interest in developing their own media services and that the government has a responsibility to ensure support in broadcasting of Aboriginal cultures and languages. The committee recommended measures to enable northern native people to use broadcasting to support their languages and cultures.

The Canadian government created the Northern Broadcasting Policy, issued on March 10, 1983. It laid out principles to develop Northern native-produced programming. The policy included support for what was called the Northern Native Broadcast Access Program, a funded program to produce radio and/or television programs in First Peoples' languages to reflect their cultural perspectives.

Soon after the program's creation, problems were recognized in the planned program distribution via satellite. In January 1987, Canadian aboriginal and Northern broadcasters met in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories to form a non-profit consortium to establish a Pan-Northern television distribution service. In 1988, the Canadian government gave the organizers $10 million to establish the network. The application for the new service, initially known as Television Northern Canada (TVNC), was approved by the CRTC in 1991. The network officially launched on over-the-air signals to the Canadian territories and far northern provinces on January 21, 1992.

National expansion and re-launch

After several years broadcasting in the territories, TVNC began lobbying the CRTC to amend their licence to allow TVNC to be broadcast nationally; they promoted the "uniqueness" and "significance" of a national Aboriginal service. On February 22, 1999, the CRTC granted TVNC a licence for a national broadcast network.

On September 1, 1999, the network also re-branded as the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network (APTN). It was added to all specialty television services across Canada.[2] APTN was the first national public television network for indigenous peoples.[1]

Budget

In 2009, APTN had an annual budget of C$42 million.

Distribution

APTN's service consists of five different feeds: two terrestrial feeds, separate national cable feeds for Eastern (Manitoba and east) and Western Canada (Saskatchewan and west), as well as a national HD feed.

The terrestrial feed, the successor to the original TVNC, is available over-the-air in Canada's far northern areas. It consists of flagship station CHTY-TV[3] in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, semi-satellite CHWT-TV[4] in Whitehorse, Yukon, and numerous low-powered rebroadcasters across the Northwest Territories, Yukon, Nunavut, Alberta, Quebec and Newfoundland and Labrador.

On August 31, 2011, APTN shut down 39 low-power television repeaters across the Northwest Territories and Yukon,[5] representing nearly half of its over-the-air transmitters. Although this was conducted on the same day as Canada's over-the-air digital conversion deadline in certain mandatory markets, these transmitters were not subject to this deadline. None of the mandatory markets was located the Northwest Territories and Yukon.

Over-the-air repeaters of APTN (Alberta)
City of licence Channel Callsign Notes
Chateh 13 CKCA-TV [6]
Over-the-air repeaters of APTN (Newfoundland and Labrador)
City of licence Channel Callsign Notes
Goose Bay 12 CHTG-TV Has application to convert to digital as CHTG-DT on VHF 7[7]
Hopedale 12 CH4153
Makkovik 12 CH4151
Nain 12 CH4154
Postville 12 CH4152
Rigolet 12 CH4155
Over-the-air repeaters of APTN (Northwest Territories)
City of licence Channel Callsign Notes
Fort Good Hope 12 CH4200
Fort McPherson 10 CH4205
Fort Simpson 14 CH4202
Fort Smith 10 CH4206
Hay River 12 CH4160
Inuvik 13 CH4221
Norman Wells 12 CH4220
Ulukhaktok 13 CH2553
Yellowknife 11 CHTY
Over-the-air repeaters of APTN (Nunavut)
City of licence Channel Callsign Notes
Arctic Bay 11 CH4196
Arviat 7 CH4158
Baker Lake 12 CH4156
Cambridge Bay 13 CH2550
Cape Dorset 12 CH4157
Chesterfield Inlet 6 CH4213
Clyde River 6 CH4172
Coral Harbour 4 CH4197
Gjoa Haven 13 CH2552
Hall Beach 12 CH4214
Igloolik 12 CH4201
Iqaluit 10 CH4161
Kimmirut 6 CH4198
Kugaaruk 13 CH2554
Nanisivik 11 CH4178
Pangnirtung 12 CH4162
Pond Inlet 12 CH4163
Rankin Inlet 12 CH4265
Resolute 12 CH4208
Sanikiluaq 12 CH4217
Taloyoak 13 CH2555
Whale Cove 10 CH4219
Over-the-air repeaters of APTN (Quebec)
City of licence Channel Callsign Notes
Akulivik 12 CH4189
Aupaluk 11 CH4182
Inukjuak 11 CH4191
Ivujivik 11 CH4190
Kangiqsualujjuaq 12 CH4183
Kangiqsujuaq 12 CH4185
Kangirsuk 12 CH4184
Kuujjuaq 12 CH4195
Kuujjuarapik 7 CH4194
Povungnituk 7 CH4192
Salluit 7 CH4193
Tasiujaq 12 CH4187
Umiujaq 6 CH4188
Over-the-air repeaters of APTN (Yukon)
City of licence Channel Callsign Notes
Dawson City 9 CH4261
Upper Liard 11 CH4167
Watson Lake 5 CH4169
Whitehorse 11 CHWT

The Eastern Canada cable feed operated as the national feed until the Western Canada feed began service on October 2, 2006.

APTN is licensed as a national network by the CRTC, thus putting it on par with CBC Television, Radio-Canada and TVA. Since APTN's relaunch as a national network in 1999, all Canadian cable and satellite television providers have been required to include it in their basic service. But, many cable companies outside the Arctic place it above channel 60 on their systems, rendering it inaccessible to older cable-ready television sets that do not go above channel 60. The CRTC has considered requiring cable companies to move APTN to a lower dial position, but decided in 2005 that it would not do so.[8]

Programming

APTN offers a variety of programming related to Aboriginal peoples, including documentaries, news magazines, dramas, entertainment specials, children's series, movies, sports events, educational programs and more. APTN's network programming is approximately 56% English, 16% French, and 28% Aboriginal languages.

Programs which have aired on the network include:

Adult programs

APTN Kids

This is programming which APTN has indicated is targeted towards children. Some of them currently air on weekends under the "kids" label which has its own logo.[10]

APTN HD

In March 2008, APTN launched a high definition simulcast of APTN's cable feed called APTN HD. Unlike the standard definition feed that has eastern, western and northern feeds, APTN HD is a national feed operating from the Eastern Time Zone. It is available on both satellite providers, Bell TV and Shaw Direct.

It is currently available on Bell TV, Bell Fibe TV, Cogeco, EastLink, MTS TV, Optik TV, Rogers Cable, SaskTel, Shaw Cable, Vmedia and Vidéotron.

Expansion into the United States

APTN is working towards launching a similar outlet, tentatively titled All Nations Network, in the United States.[28] The network has already aired works produced in the United States, such as the full-length documentary film Skydancer, directed by Katja Esson, about the community of Akwesasne and its ironworkers. It was aired on both APTN and PBS in the United States in October 2012, after winning awards at film festivals.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Aboriginal People's Television Network. "About".
  2. ↑ "Dream Catcher". Winnipeg Free Press. Retrieved 2009-10-26.
  3. ↑ Query the REC's Canadian station database for CHTY-TV
  4. ↑ Query the REC's Canadian station database for CHWT-TV
  5. ↑ Transmitters slated to shut down on August 31, 2011
  6. ↑ Query the REC's Canadian station database for CKCA
  7. ↑ Query the REC's Canadian station database for CHTG
  8. ↑ Broadcasting Public Notice CRTC 2005–89, September 9, 2005
  9. ↑ Finding Our Talk, Mushkeg Media
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 "APTN". aptn.ca.
  11. ↑ "APTN". aptn.ca.
  12. ↑ "Animism". aptn.ca.
  13. 1 2 3 4 "May Schedule" (PDF). APTN.
  14. ↑ "APTN". aptn.ca.
  15. ↑ Aboriginal Peoples Television Network. "APTN.ca – APTN KIDS". aptn.ca. Archived from the original on 26 August 2011.
  16. ↑ "APTN". aptn.ca.
  17. ↑ "APTN". aptn.ca.
  18. 1 2 3 4 "Aboriginal Peoples Television Network – APTN.ca – APTN Kids". aptn.ca. Archived from the original on 7 June 2007.
  19. 1 2 3 "APTN". aptn.ca. Archived from the original on 12 November 2014.
  20. ↑ "APTN". aptn.ca.
  21. 1 2 3 4 "Aboriginal Peoples Television Network – APTN Kids". aptn.ca. Archived from the original on 22 April 2006.
  22. ↑ "OSS – Page not found" (PDF). dntconsultinginc.com.
  23. ↑ "APTN". aptn.ca.
  24. ↑ "Planet Echo". aptn.ca.
  25. ↑ "APTN". aptn.ca.
  26. ↑ "APTN". aptn.ca.
  27. 1 2 "APTN Kids – Aboriginal Peoples Television Network – APTN.ca". aptn.ca. Archived from the original on 17 July 2008.
  28. ↑ Steinberg, Brian. "All Nations Network, a Cable Outlet for Native Peoples, Wants to Launch in U.S.". Variety. Retrieved 2016-02-29.

External links

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