Programming
All Rogers-owned Omni stations are licensed to air programming in no less than 20 languages to communities encompassing at least 20 cultures. Ethnic programming comprises 60% of the Omni stations' schedules, with the remaining 40% consisting of English language programming. This business model has served as a template for the industry in addition to contributing to Omni's broadcast longevity—in effect financing the production of their multicultural content. English language content aired on Omni includes syndicated and simulcast versions of series such as The Simpsons and Two and a Half Men, as well as Late Show with David Letterman (on CFMT and CHNM). Generally, these programs offer viewers alternative programming when other Canadian stations air Canadian content and/or local news during the same hours.
The Toronto-based Omnis are differently licensed with respect to the languages and communities they serve: CFMT airs programming for European and Caribbean language communities, while CJMT airs programming for the Pan-Asian and Pan-African audiences.
While under Rogers ownership, CHNU and CIIT aired many of the same types of programs as CFMT and CJMT, despite the difference in the nature of service of multicultural and religious stations. CHNU and CIIT had previously aired many of the same types of syndicated sitcoms and multicultural programs shown regularly on the Omni stations in Toronto, and the Toronto stations carried some religious teaching programs. The common brand allowed cost savings for promotions and for the acquisition of the general-entertainment programs that all of the Omni stations had used to generate most of their revenues. However, due in particular to Vancouver multicultural station CHNM (while under Multivan ownership) and Toronto religious station CITS, which both opposed Rogers's acquisition of Trinity's religious stations, the Omni stations' core formats remained intact.
Historically, Omni stations have focused on multicultural programming during primetime, leaving the higher-cost first-run English-language programming to the larger Canadian networks. Since 2010, with Rogers increasing its acquisitions of primetime programming from American networks (primarily for carriage on Citytv), Omni stations have sometimes carried such primetime programs in cases where there is a conflict on the local Citytv station, resulting in the ethnic programming that would otherwise air at that time being shifted to earlier or later in the evening.
Read more about this topic: Omni Television
Famous quotes containing the word programming:
“If there is a price to pay for the privilege of spending the early years of child rearing in the driver’s seat, it is our reluctance, our inability, to tolerate being demoted to the backseat. Spurred by our success in programming our children during the preschool years, we may find it difficult to forgo in later states the level of control that once afforded us so much satisfaction.”
—Melinda M. Marshall (20th century)