The CBC has discontinued their TV broadcast to many rural areas including the Robson Valley as of the end of July.
Some residents have lost their only channel and are coming into town to watch the Olympics.
The Robson Valley Entertainment Association in McBride and the Valemount Entertainment Society have contracted with the CBC to obtain their equipment and will rebroadcast CBC along with other local channels. However, it could be up to a month while the transfer takes place, says Robson Valley Entertaiment Association board member Rosemary Hruby. She warns the Entertainment Association doesn’t have the authority or ability to transmit with as much power as the CBC did, so some residents may not receive as clear a signal as they previously did and some may not receive it at all.
CBC used to pay to maintain hundreds of transmitters across the country, but budget cuts have made them change the service. If the local entertainment groups do nothing, CBC would no longer be available via antenna reception.
Right now the VES is looking at carrying CBC on another analog transmitter.
The Society is looking at possibly transferring some channels to digital, which would open the door to carrying more stations with less hardware. The cost of powering and maintaining digital channels is also less than the old analog towers. No decisions have been made yet on the digital channels.
The Robson Valley TV Rebroadcasting service was established in 1991. The RVEA owns and operates properly licensed equipment in the McBride area for the purpose of rebroadcasting television signals to the Village of McBride and a portion of Electoral Area H.
The Valemount & District TV Rebroadcasting service was established in 1985. The Valemount Entertainment Society owns and operates properly licensed equipment in the Valemount area for the purpose of rebroadcasting television signals to the Village of Valemount and a portion of Electoral Area H.
