HAMILTON – Channel Zero, the parent company of CHCH, has found a new home for the TV station after a two year search that ultimately met its goal of keeping the Hamilton-based broadcaster operating within the city it calls home.
Purchase of the property was completed on Monday, kicking off the process of designing and building a new broadcast centre to be located at 4 Innovation Drive in Flamborough. Design and construction of CHCH’s new home will begin next year, with operations set to be live by the spring of 2021.
Channel Zero said Wednesday that it will now embark on an extensive process to finalize the site plan, design new studio spaces, and then renovate and construct upon the existing site. Once construction is complete, broadcast operations will be relocated to the new facility from the current site at 163 Jackson Street West, with the intention of not interrupting a single live newscast. CHCH-TV produces over 24 hours of original local news programming each week, including newly-expanded full-hour weekend news broadcasts at 6:00 PM on Saturdays and Sundays.
The station's current home is to be developed into a condo tower.
The development plan also includes the creation of a local news bureau to be located in downtown Hamilton, placing CHCH-TV reporters in close proximity to City Hall, Municipal Courthouses, the FirstOntario Centre, and other areas of interest.
“We are absolutely thrilled that we’ve found the ideal property in a rapidly growing part of suburban Hamilton,” said Channel Zero president and COO Cal Millar, in a statement. “It’s also quite remarkable http://www.chch.comand completely fitting that a TV station historically known for its independence and originality would end up finding a new home on Innovation Drive.”
www.chch.com
