CJNT-DT

CJNT-DT, virtual channel 62 (UHF digital channel 49), is a City owned-and-operated television station located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The station is owned by Rogers Media, a division of Rogers Communications (through its Rogers Broadcasting Limited division). CJNT's transmitter is located at Mount Royal Park, near Downtown Montreal. On Shaw Direct, the channel is available on 366 (Classic) or 097 (Advanced), and in high definition on channel 046 (Classic) or 546 (Advanced). This station can also be seen on Rogers Cable (corporate sister through parent company Rogers Communications) channel 122, Vidéotron cable channel 14 and in high definition on digital channel 614.

Prior to being acquired by Rogers in 2013, CJNT was a multicultural station throughout its existence.

History

The station signed on the air on September 8, 1997, but had its roots in the 1980s as La Télévision Ethnique du Québec (TEQ), a public access ethnic cable channel. It had plans on moving over-the-air as early as the early 1990s, but was dogged by financial problems. Even after it signed on, its finances were in such a state that it never signed on earlier than noon. Part of the problem was that its effective radiated power was only 11 kilowatts, easily the weakest full-power station in Montreal and one of the weakest in North America – roughly on the same level as low-powered UHF stations in the United States. This effectively limited its over-the-air footprint to the Island of Montreal, Jésus Island and a few areas on the mainland. Most viewers could only get a clear picture on cable.