Baton Broadcast System (PatrZDZ's vision)

The **Baton Broadcast System**, also known as **BBS**, is a Canadian system of television stations located in Ontario and Saskatchewan, owned by Baton Broadcasting. BBS was the successor to two provincial systems owned by Baton, the Saskatchewan Television Network (STN) and Ontario Network Television (ONT).

BBS serves as a complementary programming service to the CTV Television Network, to which most (but not all) of the system's stations are already affiliated.

## History

### Background

During its years as a cooperative, CTV did not broadcast a complete primetime schedule. During the late 1980s and early 1990s, it broadcast 60 hours of common programming each week, with a few gaps in primetime for affiliates to schedule locally; in some cases stations could even pick when to air network programs.

During this same period, CTV's profits began to decline, and by the early 1990s the network was posting losses, largely due to increased competition from the CanWest Global System and other independent stations. Many affiliate groups, such as Baton and WIC – the latter already owning several independent stations – decided they would prefer to buy and air more of their own programming. Accordingly, as part of CTV's 1993 restructuring, network programming was reduced to 42.5 hours (and soon after to 40), including 12 hours in primetime. From this point on, CTV network programming only took up about half of affiliates' primetime schedules.

### Ontario Network Television: 1991-1994

ONT was initiated in 1991, consisting of eight CTV affiliates – seven owned by Baton (CFTO, CJOH, CHRO, and the MCTV stations) and Electrohome's CKCO. Initially providing 10.5 hours of common programming each week, this was soon expanded to 35 hours.

While ONT was a secondary affiliation and not a separate network from CTV, some claimed it was a first step towards the Baton stations becoming a separate network. Indeed, Baton began to bid against CTV for the rights to new U.S. series. However, Baton's president at the time, Douglas Bassett, contended it was merely a "marketing vehicle" to compete with CanWest Global's CIII-TV, a single station which served almost all of Ontario.

In 1993, Baton acquired two independent stations, CFPL and CKNX, and launched a third, CHWI. These stations replaced CKCO within ONT. In response, CKCO and WIC's CHCH-TV Hamilton announced a joint initiative of their own, known as "Market One Television"; however, this partnership was short-lived.

In addition to the CTV affiliates and independent stations, some ONT (and later BBS) programming may have aired on Baton's CBC affiliates, part of twinstick operations in northern Ontario. In the rest of Canada, Baton sublicenses its programming to individual stations, usually CTV affiliates. Even the ONT brand was seen from time to time in the rest of Canada, mainly through Baton-produced Toronto Blue Jays games.

### The BBS years

In October 1994, Baton hired the management consulting firm McKinsey & Company to help evaluate how to proceed with its national expansion plans. McKinsey's report recommended, first and foremost, that Baton attempt to take control of the CTV trademark, which it saw as one of the most valuable brands in Canada, through the acquisition of as many other CTV affiliates (and their corresponding shares in the network) as possible. However, the report also recommended that Baton create a new national brand as a backup, to help reduce the damage should Baton's gambit fail and CTV pass into a competitor's hands.

This new brand turned out to be BBS, with a logo adapted from CFTO's multicoloured-iris logo. Baton's local stations dropped their individual logos and adopted the new BBS symbol, with the station call letters positioned beneath. In contrast, ONT was simply a secondary brand and had not replaced local station logos. Despite the value Baton placed in the CTV brand, BBS became more a more prominent part of these stations' branding than CTV itself.

BBS replaced ONT in fall 1994, with the addition of Baton's six stations in Saskatchewan – CTV affiliates CKCK-TV in Regina, CFQC-TV in Saskatoon, CICC-TV in Yorkton, and CIPA-TV in Prince Albert, and CBC affiliates CKOS-TV in Yorkton and CKBI-TV in Prince Albert. They had been jointly branded as the "Saskatchewan Television Network" since 1987.

Programming includes U.S. series such as Law & Order, The Goldbergs, The Masked Singer, and Abbott Elementary, a Saturday morning block of mainly Disney cartoons branded as BBS Master Control (including Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir and programming from Disney's One Saturday Morning), news and talk programming such as Sunday Edition and The Dini Petty Show, and sports programming such as Blue Jays games, which are syndicated to other Canadian stations.

As a result of the Baton-Electrohome alliance, CKCO joined the system in 1996. CFRN-TV in Edmonton airs much of the BBS lineup, but does not actively use the BBS brand.

## List of BBS stations

Ontario

* Kitchener - CKCO (CTV)
* London - CFPL (Independent)
* North Bay - CKNY (CTV), CHNB (CBC)
* Ottawa - CJOH (CTV)
* Pembroke - CHRO (CTV)
* Sault Ste. Marie - CHBX (CTV), CJIC (CBC)
* Sudbury - CICI (CTV), CKNC (CBC)
* Timmins - CITO (CTV), CFCL (CBC)
* Toronto - CFTO (CTV)
* Wheatley - CHWI (Independent)
* Wingham - CKNX (Independent)

Saskatchewan

* Prince Albert - CIPA (CTV), CKBI (CBC)
* Regina - CKCK (CTV)
* Saskatoon - CFQC (CTV)
* Yorkton - CICC (CTV), CKOS (CBC)