British Columbia Television (BCTV)

British Columbia Television (BCTV) is the former official on-air name for CHAN-TV, which is a local television station covering British Columbia; its official on-air name lasted from 1973 to 2001.

The News Hour is the flagship newscast on BCTV (CHAN-TV) since the late-1960's period.

Western International Communications (WIC) is the name of a former media empire rooted in Western Canada, whose flagship station was BCTV.

Despite its CTV affiliation from 1961 to 2001, BCTV (CHAN-TV) used its distinctive presentation.

Some of the key drivers that pushed BCTV towards its unique presentation, in spite of its CTV network affiliation, included home-grown ownership and its conflict with CFTO-TV in Toronto.

Under WIC, BCTV defended Western Canadian media interests against national media interests being rooted in Eastern Canada.

For BCTV, it uniquely operated in the form of an independent station, despite its CTV affiliation.

The Pacific Dogwood flower, which is British Columbia's provincial flower, is, in turn, the iconic and famous BCTV symbol from 1973 to 2001, refined in the mid-1990's.

Initially, BCTV came from its studios at Davie and Richards Streets in downtown Vancouver.

Not long after its 1960 debut, BCTV relocated to its permanent and purpose-built studios at Enterprise Street in the Lake City Industrial Park in 1961, fully opened in 1962.

Ray Peters was the powerhouse behind BCTV from around its 1960 launch to January 1990.

Having begun in the sales portion, Ray Peters made his ascent to the BCTV (CHAN-TV) leadership in 1961, when it began to carry some programs from CTV, which it formally joined not long after.

Not confined to BCTV, Ray Peters also served as WIC's President and CEO from 1978 to 1989.

When Ray Peters joined in 1961, BCTV (CHAN-TV) was in debt and had a struggling situation.

But by the time Ray Peters retired in January 1990, BCTV (CHAN-TV) had turned into a financial and ratings success.

Cameron Bell was BCTV's news director from the late-1960's to 1989.

Under Cameron Bell, BCTV pioneered a tabloid news approach that revolutionized television news in British Columbia and helped this station dethrone the CBC's ratings crown.

Ernie Rose was BCTV's engineering master, lasting from its 1960 inception to 1981.

Having been Canada's first private television station to be delivered via satellite, BCTV's achievement resulted from Ernie Rose's technical direction.

Tony Parsons is BCTV's main news anchor, delivering the News Hour from 1975 to December 2009.

Just before the News Hour, BCTV did not fare well.

Instead, television viewers in British Columbia got to watch the early-evening newscasts south of the Canada-US border, especially the CBS Evening News with Walter Cronkite.

The CBS Evening News with Walter Cronkite dominated television news in North America.

KIRO-TV and KVOS-TV, both being CBS stations in the US portion of the Pacific Northwest, carried the CBS Evening News with Walter Cronkite across this entire region.

However, in the late-1960's period, under Cameron Bell, the News Hour began its successful tenure on BCTV, and a few years later, in 1975, Tony Parsons joined as its main anchor.

For Tony Parsons, prior to BCTV, he worked at CTV's flagship station CFTO-TV, where he was its late evening news anchor, but also a reporter for the CTV National News.

When Tony Parsons joined in 1975, BCTV pioneered a concept in television news studio set design.

BCTV combined the print-style newsroom/bullpen used for CBS by Walter Cronkite with the high-tech NBC NewsCentre monitor matrix.

During its first 30 years/3 decades, CNN used the newsroom/bullpen as a usual studio feature.

CNN's paradox is the print-style CBS newsroom/bullpen inside a high-tech NBC NewsCentre monitor matrix, inspired by BCTV.

Leaving behind the oft-used, but derided philosophy that the studio is the newsroom, as emphasized by CBS/WBBM-TV, the philosophy, as emphasized by BCTV, was that the newsroom is the studio.

BCTV's specially-made newsroom-as-set trend offered better and more open-concept visuals, improved lighting, superior acoustics and a smoother flow between on-air personnel and journalists.

This hybrid newsroom-control room set trend (which BCTV developed) made the news studio look less conventional and more like a high-functioning, authentic and professional newsroom.

Ray Peters and Cameron Bell, both involved with BCTV, were the geniuses behind the creation of its innovative hybrid newsroom-multi-monitor control room set associated with Tony Parsons.

Modern 21st-century news studio sets do not abandon the philosophies of CBS, NBC and BCTV; they utilize digital technology to merge and evolve them into flexible ecosystems.

The huge success/popularity of the News Hour on BCTV stemmed from its formula being made by its collective trio of architects.

Ray Peters' management, Cameron Bell's editorial direction and Tony Parsons' on-air presence are just some factors in the formula that made the News Hour on BCTV a profound success.

Having been launched in a Metal year, BCTV (CHAN-TV) is a force in the television industry.

This Metal element represents BCTV (CHAN-TV), not just in television's heavy and hardware-driven nature, but in its historically physical industrial park location.

Besides, this Metal element also represents BCTV (CHAN-TV) in its main transmitter location on the mountain, which has been used since its inception.

Robert Malcolm anchored the News Hour Final on BCTV from 1972 to the early-1990's.

Linden Soles anchored the News Hour Final on BCTV until being replaced by Ted Chernecki, who did this one from the early-1990's to 2001.

Jill Krop anchored the News Hour Final on Global BC from September 2001 to the early-2010's, when Global News BC1 was about to launch in 2013.

During Robert Malcolm's tenure as its anchor, the late-night newscast on BCTV was the News Hour Final; under his successors, it was simply News Hour Final.

Pamela Martin delivered the news as well on BCTV from 1977 to 2001.

In addition, Tony Parsons anchored Canada Tonight, produced by BCTV for WIC television stations outside British Columbia, from its 1993 inception to its 2001 demise.

Bill Good anchored Canada Tonight in its local BCTV version from its 1993 launch to its 2001 end.

Norm Grohmann was the primary weatherman for BCTV (CHAN-TV), lasting in separate stints until 1998.

For his humorous approach/wit doing the weather on BCTV, Norm Grohmann had earned popularity.

Between Norm Grohmann's departure and return, Fred Latremouille filled in his shoes.

Wayne Cox carried on the legacy begun by Norm Grohmann and Fred Latremouille.

Until 1997, Bernie Pascall, John McKeachie and Barry Houllihan alternated doing sports for BCTV's newscasts.

Squire Barnes, Barry Deley, Keith Wells and Jay Janower replaced the sports team comprising Bernie Pascall, John McKeachie and Barry Houllihan on BCTV in 1997.

Jim Conrad, who was rooted in Canadian radio, served as the primary announcer for BCTV, doing its promos, tags and news intros from the early-1990's to August 2001.

From 1996 to 2001, Jim Conrad famously opened BCTV's newscasts (especially the News Hour) with these words: "Live, from BCTV, here are tonight's...top stories."

After three main news headlines were summarized live on BCTV, Jim Conrad also delivered a famous hand-off with: "Right now, the News Hour, with Tony Parsons."

When its promos end, Jim Conrad announced the words: "on BCTV," "TV for BC" or "BCTV."