The following is a list of media outlets for Hamilton, Ontario:
Hamilton has seven FM stations and three AM radio stations. Two of the stations are operated by local post-secondary institutions, one is news/talk and one airs a comedy format.
On September 19, 2007, the CBC organized a meeting in Hamilton at the Hamilton Convention Centre to discuss the idea of bringing a new radio station to the city, citing that "Hamilton was the largest, and most underrepresented city in the country in terms of media coverage."[1] In early 2012, the CBC confirmed its final plans for a new local news service in Hamilton; see "web" section below for further details.
Most of Toronto's radio stations also cover Hamilton.
To see a list of defunct radio stations in Hamilton, see Canadian Communications Foundation.[2]
Hamilton is part of the Toronto television market and receives most broadcast television from Toronto. CHCH is the only television whose studios and operations are based out of Hamilton, and provides local programming. CITS is an owned & operated of the Yes TV system, but does not air any local programming, and is based out of neighboring Burlington. CBC Television (CBLT-DT), City (CITY-DT), Radio-Canada Télé (CBLFT-DT) and TVOntario (CICA-DT) are received directly from the networks' Toronto transmitters on the CN Tower. CBC once had an affiliate in Hamilton, as CHCH was affiliated with the network from its sign on in 1954, until 1961. Global can be received from CIII-DT's Broadcast relay station in Paris, or the station's Toronto transmitter on the CN Tower; CTV service may be received either from CFTO-DT (Toronto) or CKCO-DT (Kitchener), with both stations available on most local cable systems. CTV Two is provided over-the-air by a local rebroadcaster, due to the distance of the CKVR-DT main transmitter in Barrie from Hamilton.
Television stations based in Hamilton include:
| OTA virtual channel (PSIP) | OTA actual channel | Rogers Cable | Cogeco | Source Cable | Call sign | Network | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11.1 | 15 (UHF) | 12 | 12 | 12 | CHCH-DT | Independent | ||
| 35.1 | 35 (UHF) | 71 | 22 | 18 | CHCJ-DT | CTV 2 | Rebroadcaster of CKVR-DT (Barrie) | |
| 36.1 | 36 (UHF) | 19 | 17 | 35 | CITS-DT | Yes TV | ||
| - | - | 14 | 14 | 14 | - | Cable 14 |
In addition, many of the Buffalo, New York TV stations reach Hamilton over the air and some are carried on local cable.
Cable service in Hamilton is divided up between two different cable companies: Cogeco and Rogers Cable (the former third independent company, Source Cable, is now a Rogers subsidiary).[3] Each system holds a monopoly in a specific part of Hamilton.
In 2012, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation announced its plans for a new local news service in Hamilton.[4] With the Hamilton area already within the broadcast range of CBC Radio and CBC Television's services in Toronto, it was not financially or technically feasible for the public broadcaster to launch new conventional radio or television stations in Hamilton; accordingly, the corporation has developed a new model, with Hamilton as its test project, to launch a local digital service that would be accessible on the Internet and telecommunications devices such as tablets and smartphones. The project, CBC Hamilton, launched in May 2012.[5]
Local websites include: