Shaw Spotlight (formerly Shaw TV) was the name of locally based community channel services operated by cable TV provider

Shaw Communications Shaw Communications Inc. was a Telecommunications in Canada, Canadian telecommunication, telecommunications company which provided telephone, Internet, television, and mobile services. The company was founded in 1966 as Capital Cable Televisio ...

. The channels are available only to Shaw Cable subscribers and are produced in communities throughout western Canada. Each station runs programming produced by staff and/or volunteers. Most stations broadcast a variety of programming, including community interest segments, studio shows, city council meetings, sports,

community bulletin board A community bulletin board (CBB) is a digital signage system via cable television for public, educational, and government access to keep communities up to date of events listings, weather and other news. The electronic bulletin board concept is ...

messages, and

public service announcements A public service announcement (PSA) is a message in the public interest disseminated by the media without charge to raise public awareness and change behavior. Oftentimes these messages feature unsettling imagery, ideas or behaviors that are des ...

. Some programs are aired only locally, while others are aired throughout a province or region.

Shaw Direct Shaw Direct G.P. is a direct broadcast satellite television distributor in Canada and a subsidiary of the telecommunications company Rogers Communications. As of 2010, Shaw Direct had over 900,000 subscribers. It broadcasts on Ku band from two ...

airs many of the features and shows from "Shaw TV" on channel 299 (or channel 2 depending on the line-up). This channel is not branded as "Shaw TV" but as "Shaw Direct TV". It also airs selected other features relating to Shaw Direct programming such as a PPV (Pay-Per-View) movie preview show called "Movie Loft" and regional news for areas where a local station is not carried (notably CBC Newfoundland & Labrador). In April 2017, Shaw announced that it would shut down its Shaw TV community channels in

Calgary Calgary () is a major city in the Canadian province of Alberta. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a metropolitan population of 1,481,806 making it the third-largest city and fifth-largest metropolitan area in C ...

Edmonton Edmonton is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Alberta. It is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Central Alberta ...

, and

Vancouver Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the cit ...

on August 15, 2017, under new policies allowing television providers that also own terrestrial stations in "metropolitan" markets to redirect funding from their community channels to support the news operations of the terrestrial station (in this case, the

Global Global may refer to: General *Globe, a spherical model of celestial bodies *Earth, the third planet from the Sun Entertainment * ''Global'' (Paul van Dyk album), 2003 * ''Global'' (Bunji Garlin album), 2007 * ''Global'' (Humanoid album), 198 ...

stations owned by sister company

Corus Entertainment Corus Entertainment Inc. (often simply known as Corus) is a Canadian mass media and television production company. The company was founded in 1987 as Shaw Radio Ltd. as a subsidiary of Shaw Communications and was spun-off from Shaw in 1999. It h ...

). In late 2018, Shaw TV channels began rebranding as "Shaw Spotlight", as reflected by new on-air graphics, website and social media accounts. After Shaw was acquired by and amalgamated into

Rogers Communications Rogers Communications Inc. is a Canadian communications and media company operating primarily in the fields of wireless communications, cable television, telephony and Internet, with significant additional telecommunications and mass media ass ...

in 2023, Shaw Spotlight channels again rebranded to and merged with

Rogers TV Rogers TV (stylized as Rogers tv) is a group of English-language community channels owned by Rogers Communications. Many of these channels share common programs. Rogers TV broadcasts in the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick, Newfoundland and ...

Communities with a Shaw Spotlight community channel

Campbell River, British Columbia Campbell River is a city in the Sayward Land District of British Columbia, Canada, on the east coast of Vancouver Island at the south end of Discovery Passage, which lies along the 50th parallel north along the important Inside Passage ship ...

Castlegar, British Columbia Castlegar is a community in the West Kootenay region of British Columbia, Canada. In the Selkirk Mountains, at the confluence of the Kootenay River, Kootenay and Columbia Rivers, it is a regional trade and transportation centre, with a local eco ...

* Courtenay-Comox-Powell River, British Columbia *

Cranbrook, British Columbia Cranbrook ( ) is a city in southeast British Columbia, Canada, located approximately 10 km southwest of the confluence of the Kootenay River and the St. Mary River (British Columbia), St. Mary's River. It is the largest urban centre in the region ...

Dryden, Ontario Dryden is the second-largest city in the Kenora District of northwestern Ontario, Canada, located on Wabigoon Lake. It is the least populous community in Ontario incorporated as a city. The City of Dryden had a population of 7,388 and its Census g ...

Fort McMurray, Alberta Fort McMurray ( ) is an urban service area in the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo in Alberta, Canada. It is located in northeast Alberta, in the middle of the Athabasca oil sands, surrounded by boreal forest. It has played a significant ...

Fort St. John, British Columbia Fort St. John is a city located in northeastern British Columbia, Canada. The most populous municipality in the Peace River Regional District, the city encompasses a total area of about with 21,465 residents recorded in the 2021 Census. Located ...

Kamloops, British Columbia Kamloops ( ) is a city in south-central British Columbia, Canada, at the confluence of the North and South Thompson Rivers, which join to become the Thompson River in Kamloops, and east of Kamloops Lake. The city is the administrative centre ...

Kelowna, British Columbia Kelowna ( ) is a city on Okanagan Lake in the Okanagan Valley in the southern interior of British Columbia, Canada. It serves as the head office of the Regional District of Central Okanagan. The name Kelowna derives from the Okanagan word ', ...

Kenora, Ontario Kenora (), previously named Rat Portage (), is a city situated on the Lake of the Woods in Ontario, Canada, close to the Manitoba boundary, and about east of Winnipeg by road. It is the seat of Kenora District. The history of the name exten ...

Lethbridge, Alberta Lethbridge ( ) is a city in the province of Alberta, Canada. With a population of 106,550 in the 2023 Alberta municipal censuses, 2023 municipal census, Lethbridge became the fourth Alberta city to surpass 100,000 people. The nearby Canadian ...

Medicine Hat, Alberta Medicine Hat is a city in southeast Alberta, Canada. It is located along the South Saskatchewan River. It is approximately east of Lethbridge and southeast of Calgary. This city and the adjacent Town of Redcliff to the northwest are within ...

Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan Moose Jaw is the List of cities in Saskatchewan, fourth largest city in Saskatchewan, Canada. Lying on the Moose Jaw River in the south-central part of the province, it is situated on the Trans-Canada Highway, west of Regina, Saskatchewan, Re ...

Nanaimo, British Columbia Nanaimo ( ) is a city of about 100,000 on the east coast of Vancouver Island, in British Columbia, Canada. "The Harbour City" was previously known as the "Hub City", which was attributed to its original layout design with streets radiating fr ...

Port Alberni, British Columbia Port Alberni () is a city located on Vancouver Island in the province of British Columbia, Canada. The city lies within the Alberni Valley at the head of the Alberni Inlet, Vancouver Island's longest inlet. Port Alberni currently has a total popul ...

Prince Albert, Saskatchewan Prince Albert is the third-largest city in Saskatchewan, Canada, after Saskatoon and Regina, Saskatchewan, Regina. It is situated near the centre of the province on the banks of the North Saskatchewan River. The city is known as the "Gateway ...

Prince George, British Columbia Prince George is a city in British Columbia, Canada, situated at the confluence of the Fraser River, Fraser and Nechako River, Nechako rivers. The city itself has a population of 76,708; the metro census agglomeration has a population of 89,490 ...

Red Deer, Alberta Red Deer is a city in Alberta, Canada, located midway on the Calgary–Edmonton Corridor. Red Deer serves central Alberta, and its key industries include health care, retail trade, construction, oil and gas, hospitality, manufacturing and educati ...

Saskatoon, Saskatchewan Saskatoon () is the largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Saskatchewan. It straddles a bend in the South Saskatchewan River in the central region of the province. It is located along the Trans-Canada Hig ...

Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario Sault Ste. Marie ( ) is a city in northern Ontario, Canada, on the north shore of the St. Mary's River directly across from its "twin city," Sault Ste. Marie, in the state of Michigan. The city's population was 72,051 at the 2021 census, makin ...

* Squamish/Whistler, British Columbia *

Thompson, Manitoba Thompson is a List of cities in Manitoba, city in north-central Manitoba, Manitoba, Canada, the largest city and most populated municipality in Northern Manitoba. Situated along the Burntwood River, Thompson is located north of Lake Winnipeg a ...

Thunder Bay, Ontario Thunder Bay is a city in and the seat of Thunder Bay District, Ontario, Canada. It is the most populous municipality in Northwestern Ontario and the second most populous (after Greater Sudbury) municipality in Northern Ontario. Its population i ...

Victoria, British Columbia Victoria is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of British Columbia, on the southern tip of Vancouver Island off Canada's Pacific Ocean, Pacific coast. The city has a population of 91,867, and the Gre ...

Winnipeg, Manitoba Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Manitoba. It is centred on the confluence of the Red River of the North, Red and Assiniboine River, Assiniboine rivers. , Winnipeg h ...

Community-specific programming

Alberta

Lethbridge

* ''go! Southern Alberta'' - News and information about events and activities in Southern Alberta. * Live sports including WHL Hockey and Canada West University Football until 2016-17. * farm.tv - agricultural events in Southern Alberta. * SACPA - Southern Alberta Council on Public Affairs. * A Public Education - stories from the Public Education Board and Schools in South Western Alberta.

British Columbia

Cranbrook/Castlegar

* Shaw TV – Daily programming rotation that focuses on local community events and issues. * ''go! Kootenays'' - News and information about events and activities in the West and East Kootenays. * ''Ice Chips'' - informnation about Kooteany Ice * Russian programming (West Kootenay viewing area) * Live sports including WHL Hockey and Canada West University Football until 2016-17. * Cranbrook City Council - Tape coverage of local City Council meetings. *

Sparwood Sparwood is a district municipality in the Canadian province of British Columbia. It is the second-largest community on the Elk River. Located approximately 30 kilometres from Fernie, the District Municipality of Sparwood has approximately 4,20 ...

City Council - - Tape coverage of local City Council meetings. * Castlegar City Council - Tape coverage of local City Council meetings. *

Nelson City Council Nelson City Council is the unitary local authority for Nelson in New Zealand. History Local governance of Nelson began with Nelson Province in 1853, which covered the entire upper South Island. The town of Nelson was managed by the Nelson ...

- Tape coverage of local City Council meetings. *

Trail A trail, also known as a path or track, is an unpaved lane or a small paved road (though it can also be a route along a navigable waterways) generally not intended for usage by motorized vehicles, usually passing through a natural area. Ho ...

City Council - Tape coverage of local City Council meetings. *

Grand Forks Grand Forks is a city in and the county seat of Grand Forks County, North Dakota, United States. The city's population was 59,166 as of the 2020 census, making it the third-most populous city in the state, after Fargo and Bismarck. Grand For ...

City Council - Tape coverage of local City Council meetings.

Kamloops

* ''go! Kamloops'' - News and information about events and activities in Kamloops. * Live sports including WHL Hockey and Canada West University Football until 2016-17.

Kelowna

* ''go! Okanagan'' - News and information about events and activities in Kelowna. * Live sports including WHL Hockey and Canada West University Football until 2016-17. *

Kelowna City Council Kelowna City Council is the governing body of the city of Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada. The council consist of the mayor and eight elected city councillors who represent the city. Municipal elections are held every four years across the Provin ...

- Taped coverage of local City Council meetings. *

Lake Country Lake Country is a district municipality with a population of approximately 15,000 in the Okanagan Valley region of British Columbia, Canada. It is a part of the Central Okanagan Regional District, and of the Kelowna metropolitan area. The city o ...

City Council - Taped coverage of local City Council meetings. *

Peachland Peachland is a district municipality in the Okanagan Valley on the west side of Okanagan Lake in British Columbia, Canada. It was founded in 1899 by John Moore Robinson, although the region had long been home to the Okanagan people. Peachland is ...

City Council - Taped coverage of local City Council meetings. *

Penticton Penticton ( ) is a city in the Okanagan, Okanagan Valley of the British Columbia, Canada, situated between Okanagan Lake, Okanagan and Skaha Lake, Skaha lakes. In the 2021 Canadian Census, its population was 36,885, while its Census geographic un ...

City Council - Taped coverage of local City Council meetings. * Vernon City Council - Taped coverage of local City Council meetings.

Nanaimo

Shaw Cable also operates a separate channel for the residents in

Nanaimo Nanaimo ( ) is a city of about 100,000 on the east coast of Vancouver Island, in British Columbia, Canada. "The Harbour City" was previously known as the "Hub City", which was attributed to its original layout design with streets radiating fr ...

British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

, also on channel 4. Nanaimo's Shaw TV content contains programming from Port Alberni, Comox Valley, Cowichan Valley, Campbell River, Powell River and Victoria who all also produce their own programmin

Victoria

* Shaw TV South Vancouver Island can be found on channel 4 for Shaw Cable subscribers. It is available from Saltair to Victoria and on some of the Southern Gulf Islands. * Shaw's program ''go! Island'' (formerly ''The Daily'') was a long-running news magazine in Victoria. The show aired everyday on Channel 4 at 6pm. The show ended in early October 2016. * ''Voice of BC'' with Vaughn Palmer. The show airs every Thursdays at 7 PM

Manitoba

Thompson

go! Thompson - Daily programming rotation that focuses on local community events and issues City Council, Norman Northstars Games, City Beat, Northstars Show, Rec 411, School Board, High School Sports

Ontario

Hamilton

Although Shaw provides cable service in parts of the Hamilton, Ontario, Hamilton market, regional monopolies in the region are also held by

Cogeco Cogeco Inc. is a Canadian telecommunications and media company. Its corporate offices are located at 1 Place Ville-Marie in Montreal, Quebec. The company is structured into three strategic business units (SBU); Cogeco Connexion, Breezeline (p ...

and

Source Cable Source Cable (formerly known as Southmount Cable Limited) is one of three main cable television service providers for the city of Hamilton, Ontario. The other two are Rogers Cable (in the former Mountain Cablevision / Shaw territory) and Cog ...

. The three companies jointly operate a single community channel for Hamilton known as Cable 14, so there is no Shaw TV channel proper in the region.

Kenora

In addition to Shaw Spotlight Kenora, Shaw Cablesystems also owned and operated

CJBN-TV CJBN-TV, VHF analogue channel 13, was a Global- affiliated television station licensed to Kenora, Ontario, Canada. The station was owned by Shaw Communications under its cable systems unit, and was not part of the Shaw Media unit which was so ...

, a Global station in Kenora.

Sault Ste. Marie

Sault Ste. Marie City Council Sault Ste. Marie City Council is the governing body of the municipal government of Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. Meeting at the Ronald A. Irwin Civic Centre on the city's waterfront, it consists of ten city councillors and the mayor of Sault Ste. M ...

– Live or taped coverage of local City Council meetings every 2nd Monday. * OHL Hockey – Live coverage of Soo Greyhounds hockey. Both home (Produced by Shaw Cable live from the

Essar Centre The GFL Memorial Gardens, formerly the "Essar Centre", is a 4,928 seat sports and entertainment centre in downtown Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada. It opened on September 29, 2006, replacing the now demolished Sault Memorial Gardens. The new b ...

) and away games (Produced by either Rogers or Cogeco). * ''The Northview'' – Wilderness scenes and sounds from throughout the Northern Ontario/Lake Superior region (Tourism information about the Sault and Algoma). * ''go! Sault Ste. Marie'' – News and information about events and activities in Sault Ste. Marie. * Shaw TV Messages – Message rotation that focuses on local community events. * TAMI - Weekly local soap opera

Saskatchewan

Prince Albert

* Prince Albert City Council – Live and taped coverage of local City Council meetings. * Timberline Music Show - Canadian singer songwriters perform original country music, hosted by Larry Krause * Lit Happens - Local showcase of the literary talent of Prince Albert

Saskatoon

Branded as Telecable Ten from 1978 until the late 1980s, the station offered much the same programming as today's Shaw TV, with the exception of greater coverage of local events (including complete Saskatoon Exhibition entertainment performances) and volunteer-made TV series and talk shows. On-air personnel on Shaw TV Saskatoon has included numerous former newscasters and hosts from

CFQC-TV CFQC-DT (channel 8) is a television station in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada, part of the CTV Television Network. Owned and operated by network parent Bell Media, the station has studios on 1st Avenue North and 23rd Street East in the Central ...

. * The Community Producers - A daily programming block with local stories and features produced by volunteers and community groups. * Connect - A weekly interview show exploring topics and issues relevant to the community, hosted by Randy Pshebylo * Cooked! With Shack - Cooking show hosted by Shack, a local radio personality * Lit Happens - A weekly show focusing on the literary arts scene in Saskatchewan, hosted by local storyteller Danica Lorer * Punch TV - The best of Saskatchewan's artists, writers, and other creative types who love comics, anime, pop culture and more *

Saskatoon City Council Saskatoon City Council is the governing body of Saskatoon, the largest city in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan Saskatchewan is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Western Canada. It is bordered on the west by Alberta, ...

– Live broadcast of local city council meetings. * Live sports including high school sports and other local tournaments such as the annual

Bedford Road Invitational Tournament The Bedford Road Invitational Tournament (BRIT) is a boy's high school basketball tournaments in Canada. It takes place every January at Bedford Road Collegiate in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. The current format has 12 schools take part in the tournam ...

* Other long-running special event coverage such as the Saskatoon Exhibition Parade and local Remembrance Day services

Moose Jaw

* Moose Jaw This Week - Long-running weekly local talk/interview show, hosted by Lyle Johnson

Sports

Shaw TV provides local sports coverage. It provided live network sports coverage until the end of the 2016-17 Western Hockey League season. In terms of network coverage, Shaw was in a partnership with the

Western Hockey League The Western Hockey League (WHL) is a junior ice hockey league based in Western Canada and the Northwestern United States. The WHL is one of three leagues that constitutes the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) as the highest level of junior hocke ...

from 2003-04 through 2016-17 to all subscribers across the network in Western Canada known as WHL on SHAW. The schedule usually consisted of random games before the December holiday break, with a regular game of the week on Friday nights plus select Saturday and mid week games. In the playoffs, Shaw will select one series per round to cover. Play-by-play broadcasters for the 2012–13 season include Dan Russell and Peter Loubardias. Russell is in his ninth year as play-by-play announcer. Bill Wilms and

Jeff Odgers John Jeffrey Odgers (born May 31, 1969) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player who played over 800 games in the National Hockey League for the San Jose Sharks, Boston Bruins, Colorado Avalanche and the Atlanta Thrashers. Mainly an e ...

provide colour commentary, with Andy Neal responsible for hosting duties. In 2006, Shaw added

Canada West The Province of Canada (or the United Province of Canada or the United Canadas) was a British colony in British North America from 1841 to 1867. Its formation reflected recommendations made by John Lambton, 1st Earl of Durham, in the Report ...

Football as a sports property with a game of the week package known as Krown Produce Canada West Football on Shaw. Shaw carried the

Hardy Cup The Hardy Trophy is a Canadian sport trophy, presented annually to the winner of the Canada West Universities Athletic Association Football Conference of U Sports, the country's governing body for university athletics. It is named for Evan Hardy, ...

Championship until 2011, when the conference elected to broadcast the game on TSN. The Hardy returned to Shaw from 2013 - 2016. The Shaw TV production produced and presented the Hardy to 10.2 million households in the 2015 season on Global TV nationally. Jim Mullin was responsible for the play-by-play broadcast duties from 2006 until the series end in 2016. Colour announcers included former

Saskatchewan Huskies The Saskatchewan Huskies are the athletics teams representing the University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. The university began their athletics program in 1907 and has competed with others since 1911. They currently compete in eli ...

quarterback

Laurence Nixon Laurence is in modern use as an English masculine and a French feminine given name. The modern English masculine name is a variant of Lawrence and originates from a French form of the Latin ''Laurentius'', a name meaning "man from Laurentum" ...

, former

Hec Crighton Trophy The Hec Crighton Trophy (sometimes referred to as the Hec Crighton Award) is awarded annually to the most outstanding Canadian football player in U Sports. The trophy is named after Hec Crighton who was a former teacher, coach, referee, and the ...

winner and

Canadian Football League The Canadian Football League (CFL; , LCF) is a Professional gridiron football, professional Canadian football league in Canada. It comprises nine teams divided into two divisions, with four teams in the East Division (CFL), East Division and f ...

running back

Jesse Lumsden Jesse Lumsden (born August 3, 1982) is a Canadian Olympic and world champion bobsledder and a retired Canadian football player, who played for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, Edmonton Eskimos and Calgary Stampeders. Career Football Lumsden is the son o ...

, Saskatoon-based broadcaster Wray Morrison, Krown Countdown U analyst Gord Randall and former CFL player Daved Benefield. Andy Neal handled the hosting duties. It was announced before the start of the 2012 season that Canada West had renewed their agreement with Shaw for another three seasons. In 2009, Shaw broadcast provincial curling championships for men and women in Manitoba, Alberta and British Columbia. In 2013, Rogers

Sportsnet Sportsnet is a Television in Canada, Canadian English-language Discretionary service, discretionary sports broadcasting, sports specialty channel owned by Rogers Sports & Media. It was established in 1998 as CTV Sportsnet, a joint venture betw ...

obtained the rights for Manitoba's and Alberta's playdowns. It was announced by Curl BC prior to Shaw's coverage in 2013 that the broadcast rights for BC will move to Sportsnet for 2014. In 2012, Shaw broadcast the CIS Final Eight Women's Basketball Championship a.k.a. The

Bronze Baby The U Sports Women's Basketball Championship, branded as the Women's Basketball Final 8, is a Canadian university basketball tournament conducted by U Sports, and determines the women's national champion. The tournament involves the champions from ...

from the

University of Calgary {{Infobox university , name = University of Calgary , image = University of Calgary coat of arms without motto scroll.svg , image_size = 150px , caption = Coat of arms , former ...

and shared the feed with

NBA TV Canada NBA TV Canada is a Canadian English language discretionary specialty channel owned by Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment (MLSE). It is the Canadian version of NBA TV, broadcasting programming focused on the National Basketball Association, and ...

. All of Shaw TV's network sports coverage ceased with the CRTC-approved closure of the Shaw TV channels in Calgary, Edmonton, Alberta and Vancouver, British Columbia, and the renaming to Shaw Spotlight.

Controversies

Some concern has been raised about the company putting business interests over public-access/community interests, and has led one community group to consider creating an alternative, independent local public-access service in Vancouver.

References

External links

* (Rogers TV) {{Sports television in Canada Canadian community channels Shaw Communications