Goodbye CH, hello E Canada

Remember an earlier posting about Turner Classic Movies coming to Canada that could have been entitled "what took you so long?" Well, add the E Network to the list. Mediacaster reports today that Canwest has cut a deal to distribute E - branded material in Canada. I sure would have liked it when "Talk Soup" was in its infancy. That show was pretty great. Not to worry, concerned defenders of Canada's distinct television system -- there will be some local content (read: Entertainment Tonight Canada) on the network too. What this means is the end of Global's second mini-network, CH. It'll be rebranded as E in the fall. It also means E! content will make its way to satellite radio in Canada.

In memory of CH's demise, here's a tribute to its original incarnation, CHCH-Hamiltion. This was prepared in anticipation of its move to an Ontario-wide network, ONtv, in 1996. Global would take it over shortly after the switch.




Stay tuned for another dispatch from the frontiers of broadcasting regulation -- it'll be out of this world.