V (Canada)

V

**V** is a Canadian privately owned French language television network. The network has owned-and-operated and affiliated stations throughout Quebec, although it can also be seen over-the-air in some bordering markets in the provinces of Ontario and New Brunswick. It can also be received in some other parts of Canada by satellite, cable and IPTV.

The network was launched in 1986 as **Télévision Quatre-Saisons** (**TQS**), and was known by that name until Remstar, which had bought the network in 2008, renamed it "V" on August 31, 2009. It is the namesake and flagship property of V Media Group, a separate company majority-owned by Remstar owner Maxime Rémillard (partially through Remstar).

## History

In 1968, the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) first expressed interest in the establishment of a third French-language commercial television service in the province of Quebec to compete with Télévision de Radio-Canada and the loose association of independent stations that eventually became TVA. However the CRTC did not call on applications for licences.

In 1972, the CRTC said it was prepared to receive licence applications in order to authorize a third commercial television service in Quebec, although it was not until 1974 when the CRTC granted licences to Télé Inter-Cité Québec Ltée. to operate TV stations in Montreal and in Quebec City. However nothing came of this project.

On November 15, 1984, the CRTC launched another call for applications. In 1985, it held public hearings in Montreal to examine competing applications from partners Cogeco Inc. (60.3%) and Moffat Communications, and another application by the Pouliot family, owners of Montreal's CTV affiliate, CFCF-TV and radio stations CFCF (later CINW, now defunct) and CFQR-FM (now CKBE-FM). Both applications applied to launch television stations in Montreal and Quebec City. On September 6 of that year, the CRTC approved the application of the Pouliot family and its company, Réseau de Télévision Quatre-Saisons Inc. TQS was authorized to operate a French-language TV station in Montreal with an effective radiated power of 566,000 watts on channel 35. It was also granted a licence for a French-language station in Quebec City, but that station began operating as a full-time rebroadcaster of the Montreal station.

The network was launched in 1986 as Télévision Quatre-Saisons ("Four Seasons Television"), comprising owned-and-operated stations in Montreal and Quebec City and affiliates in five other cities. The network spent most of its earlier years in severe financial trouble. At one point, the revenues from CFCF-TV were all that were keeping the network afloat. It was, however, able to launch affiliates in Val d'Or in 1987 and Rivière-du-Loup in 1988, as well as upgrade its Quebec City rebroadcaster to a full-fledged station in 1989. In its early years, it was known for advertising in English on its then-sister radio stations.

In 1995, the Pouliots sold their media holdings to Quebec cable company Vidéotron, who already owned TVA, Quebec's other private commercial network. Due to monopoly ownership concerns, Vidéotron immediately turned around and sold TQS to Quebecor, a newspaper publisher. Around this time, the network began branding primarily as "TQS"; for its first decade on the air, most verbal references had used "Quatre-Saisons."

Quebecor acquired Vidéotron in 2001, and put TQS back on the market. Later in 2001, TQS was bought by a joint venture of CTVglobemedia (then known as Bell Globemedia) and Cogeco, another cable company. Cogeco owned 60% of the venture and handled most of the operations, while CTVglobemedia owned 40%. The acquisition, in a sense, reunited it with CFCF, which had been bought by CTV a year earlier.

### Bankruptcy protection

On December 18, 2007, TQS filed for protection from its creditors in a bankruptcy-court filing. At this point the network was given 30 days in which to reorganize and revamp itself, with the goal of finding a viable solution to pay off its creditors. On January 16, 2008, a judge extended the grace period for an additional 45 days.

Montreal's newspaper *La Presse* reported on January 15 that Rogers Communications and RNC Media were each interested in acquiring some individual stations within the network, although RNC Media later denied the report and Rogers declined to comment. On February 25, 2008, the network confirmed that it had received four purchase bids, although it did not disclose the identities of the bidders.

### Remstar's takeover

On March 10, 2008, the Quebec Superior Court approved the sale of TQS to Remstar Corporation, a Montreal-based television and film producer and distributor. Creditors, who were owed more than $33 million, voted to accept the Remstar proposal in May. The CRTC approved the application on June 26, 2008.

Remstar announced on April 23, 2008 that 270 jobs would be cut at TQS, while the information services division would be abolished entirely — thus eliminating all newscasts from the network starting in September 2008. While the CRTC ordered Remstar to retain local news programming on the network, it did take the network's precarious financial situation into account by allowing a reduced amount of local news programming until the network's licence renewal hearing in 2011.

At the network's fall upfronts presentation for 2009, the network announced a repositioning plan, including a shedding of the TQS moniker and its black sheep logo in favour of the name "V", complete with a black-and-gold circle logo with a stylized letter V. The V name reflects the channel's new mission of "vedettes" (stars), "vitesse" (speed), "voyages" (trips), and "vice ou vérité" (vices or truths).

The new program lineup included the daily news and discussion programs *Le show du matin*, hosted by Gildor Roy, and *Dumont 360*, hosted by Mario Dumont. V's rebranding took effect on August 31, 2009 at 6 am ET after the infomercial block.

## Programming

The network has long been a distant third in the ratings to TVA and Société Radio-Canada. During the analogue era, most of its affiliates operated on the UHF band, and operated at moderate-to-low power compared to their TVA and Radio-Canada counterparts. Even in digital, most V affiliates do not have nearly the reach of their TVA and Radio-Canada counterparts. However, it has produced a number of major hit series in Quebec.

### News

From the network's launch to its 2008 restructuring, the nightly *Le Grand Journal* formed the core of V's news programming. Jean-Luc Mongrain anchored the program from 1999 until its final edition aired on August 29, 2008. Benoît Dutrizac also anchored a 10 p.m. news talk show, *Dutrizac*, in the later half of the 2000s.

News programming continues in a reduced form on V, now produced by independent producer ADN5. News summaries of approximately three minutes are inserted into the network's morning and noontime programming, along with a 30-minute newscast weekend evenings.

### Sports

V has long aired a nighttime sports show, beginning with *Sports Plus* (1986–1998), then *110%* (1998–2009), followed by *L'attaque à 5* (2009–2010).

Its carriage of live sporting events began with Super Bowl XXI in 1987. It has carried games of the National Hockey League, including the Quebec Nordiques from 1988 to 1994 and the Montreal Canadiens from 1994 to 2002. It also aired games of the Montreal Expos from 1994 to 1998.

V carries live events of the Ultimate Fighting Championship and boxing events organized by Groupe Yvon Michel.

In February 2005, V (and then sister-broadcaster RDS) was part of the consortium that won the Canadian broadcast rights to the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics and the 2012 Summer Olympics. V shared morning coverage of the 2010 Winter Olympics with RDS, followed by its own afternoon and evening programming. Because V is not being carried on many cable systems outside the province, unlike previous rights holder Télévision de Radio-Canada, the non-profit public affairs network CPAC gained special authorization from the CRTC to allow its French coverage of the 2010 games to be simulcast on the network, which enjoys mandatory cable coverage across Canada.

### Movies

The network is known to many viewers for *Bleu Nuit*, a showcase of softcore pornography which formerly broadcast late Saturday nights, similar to the old *Baby Blue Movies* that once aired on Toronto's Citytv.

### Programming on V's stations outside Montreal and Quebec City

Since the rebranding of the TQS network to V, on August 31, 2009, V's three owned and operated stations (O&Os) outside Montreal and Quebec City have dropped all non-network programming and become de facto repeaters of flagship CFJP-DT in Montreal. Unlike O&O stations, non-owned affiliates of the V network, such as CFGS-DT in Gatineau, CJPC-TV in Rimouski, CFTF-DT in Rivière-du-Loup and CFVS-DT in Val-d'Or, continue to broadcast local programming.

## References

1. ↑ "TQS enterrée: place à «V»" (in French). *La Presse*, August 19, 2009.
2. ↑ **"V Network"**. *Canadian Communications Foundation*. Retrieved 5 November 2018.
3. ↑ "French-language television network TQS facing potential bidding war", The Canadian Press, January 16, 2008.
4. ↑ "TQS receives four formal bids for troubled Quebec TV network", CKGL, February 25, 2008.
5. ↑ "Judge approves Remstar acquisition of TQS", *Report on Business*, March 10, 2008.