CityNews - CityNews in Other Markets

CityNews in Other Markets

CityPulse was launched in Vancouver in 2002 when CKVU-TV was rebranded as "Citytv Vancouver". With the expansion of Citytv from two to five stations in August 2005, the newscasts on all five Citytv stations were renamed CityNews.

On July 12, 2006, coincident with the announcement of CTVglobemedia's plans to take over CHUM Limited, all prime-time CityNews programs, with the exception of those on CITY in Toronto, were immediately cancelled, with 281 CHUM employees across the country laid off. On CKAL/Calgary and CKEM/Edmonton, CityNews at Six and CityNews Tonight was replaced with a new half-hour newsmagazine called Your City. CHMI/Winnipeg had been slated to launch its own version in January 2007 according to a news release, but it never materialized. CKVU's newscasts were not replaced, although a noon newscast based on the Breakfast Television format called Lunch Television was launched in early 2009. CityNews at Noon in Calgary and Edmonton, and Lunch Television in Vancouver continued until January 19, 2010.

When the show made the transition to CityNews, it lost multiple features, such as the CityPulse Webtest, which had existed since the 1980s as a phone-in contest. The new format on CHMI, which previously was called A-Channel News (which was later used by CTVglobemedia's A stations, under the name A News, prior to the rebranding of the A system to CTV Two in August 2011), had lost nearly half of its audience for the 6 p.m. newscast before its cancellation.

On June 8, 2007, the CRTC approved the CTV takeover of CHUM. However, the five Citytv stations could not be sold to CTVglobemedia due to concentration of media ownership regulations. On June 11, Rogers Communications announced that it would buy the five Citytv stations from CTVglobemedia. The sale was approved on September 28 and became official on October 31, 2007. CTVglobemedia retained ownership of CP24, the 24-hour Toronto local news station that shared many programs and personalities with Toronto's Citytv station, including CityNews.

On January 19, 2010, Your City, based in CKEM-TV/Edmonton and CKAL-TV/Calgary, Lunch Television, and the comedy show The CityNews List on CKVU-TV/Vancouver were also cancelled. In Winnipeg, the news part of Breakfast Television is called CityNews.

The Jim Pattison Group stations (CFJC-TV/Kamloops, CKPG-TV/Prince George, and CHAT-TV/Medicine Hat) produce their own weeknight local newscasts, but do not produce their own local versions of Breakfast Television nor title their newscasts under the CityNews branding. In fact, despite keeping the same on-air branding and logos used as affiliates of the E! system, they do not bear the Citytv branding. However as part of a renewal of their affiliation agreements with Citytv on May 3, 2012, CKPG, CHAT and CJFC will begin simulcasting the Vancouver edition of Breakfast Television from CKVU-DT, starting in fall 2012 as the stations will begin carrying 90% of Citytv's morning and daytime programming from the CKVU schedule grid.