TORONTO – TVO has reversed course on its plan to decommission eight transmitters after the Ontario government agreed to increase funding to the provincial broadcaster.
TVO said Friday that will continue to transmit over-the-air broadcast signals in Ottawa, Belleville, Thunder Bay, Chatham, Cloyne, Kitchener, London, and Windsor. The news comes less than three weeks after it announced plans to decommission transmitters in those cities this summer, a move that it claimed would save $1 million annually required to meet its "current financial targets”.
“We listened to the concerns of people who rely on over-the-air transmission to enjoy TVO programming and we consulted with our primary funding partner, the Government of Ontario, about the concerns we heard”, said TVO CEO Lisa de Wilde, in a statement. “That resulted in the government's decision to flow an additional $1 million to TVO to ensure we can continue to operate the transmitters, while still meeting our commitments to strategic priorities of digital learning and high-quality current-affairs journalism."
"We heard that Ontarians value TVO's dynamic educational programming and our government is pleased to take this step to ensure that TVO will continue to be accessible over-the-air in these communities," added education minister Mitzie Hunter.
As the technological extension of Ontario's public education system, TVO is funded primarily by the Province of Ontario and is a registered charity supported by sponsors and donors.
