WINNIPEG – CoolTV, the first TV channel in Canada devoted to jazz, will cease broadcasting on July 21, according to a notice to subscribers on its website.
The note states: “Canwest Broadcasting continually reviews its assets and determines which have the most potential for growth, profitability and warrant investment. It is through our analysis, we as broadcasters are sometimes left with difficult choices. With the decision to discontinue CoolTV, we can now invest more in the channels that have the greatest potential and look forward to bringing our viewers more great specialty programming in the future.”
CoolTV subscribers are thanked for their support of the TV channel, and are asked to call 1-866-396-0003 if they are interested in subscribing to “more and exciting specialty channels.”
The category 2 digital TV channel launched to complement Winnipeg’s Cool FM, which marked CanWest’s foray into radio broadcasting in early 2003. CanWest Global also started Cool Records, a jazz record label, in July 2003 due partly to the late Global founder Izzy Asper’s love of the music genre.
The three jazz-themed ventures were initially overseen by former CBC Radio broadcaster Ross Porter, who in 2004 left to head up CJRT-FM in Toronto. Cool FM was later sold to Corus Entertainment.
