CityTV
There's an announcement in the business section of today's Toronto Star (below). I think having CityTV there will be good for the square, and could help make it more of a focal point for visitors, with an interactive aspect that can go beyond simply looking at big billboard ads and then buying things from the surrounding stores.
I hope they try to imitate the "storefront setup" they have on Queen W., but I don't know if it will be possible; I don't recall the building having much of a street presence at all (just that little cafe that used to serve a great latte) and the sidewalks there are quite narrow. I guess they'll swing a deal to use the square itself for public events and performances.
--
Dundas Square new home of Citytv
Oct 23, 2007 04:30 AM
RITA TRICHUR
BUSINESS REPORTER
Citytv may be "everywhere" but its flagship station is getting ready to move to Dundas Square.
Rogers Communications confirmed late yesterday it has a binding agreement to acquire the Olympic Torch building at 35 Dundas St. E. and plans to shift both its Citytv and OMNI Television operations to that location.
Financial terms were not released and the deal is subject to various conditions. However, it is scheduled to close in mid-November, the company said, adding it has made good on its promise to maintain Citytv's urban vibe. It purchased the station earlier this year.
"We think this building portrays the local, urban and diverse character of Citytv and OMNI Television," said Tony Viner, president and CEO of Rogers Media Inc., in a release.
"We were determined to find a location that would maintain the stations' presence in the local fabric of the city."
The Olympic Torch building, perched at the edge of Dundas Square, is a $40 million entertainment complex that opened in August 2004 to celebrate that year's summer games in Athens.
Rogers announced in June it would move the flagship Citytv station out of the storied CHUM-City building at Queen and John Sts. over the next few years. Late last month, it received final approval for its $375 million purchase of five Citytv television stations from CTVglobemedia Inc.
There had been speculation that Rogers might shift the Citytv operations to its Omni channels' headquarters at 545 Lake Shore Blvd., near the waterfront. Yesterday, Rogers Media spokesperson Jan Innes said that location would continue to house Rogers operations, but provided no other details.
The CHUM-City building, Citytv's headquarters since the 1980s, will continue to house specialty channels, including MuchMusic and Bravo, which CTVglobemedia scooped up as part of its blockbuster $1.7 billion purchase of CHUM Ltd. earlier this year.
Innes said it is too soon to tell whether the Olympic Torch location will replicate the CHUM-City building's storefront setup, which allows viewers to literally press their noses up against the studio's glass.
http://www.thestar.com/Business/article/269424