Télé Inter-Rives

Télé Inter-Rives is a regional Canadian broadcasting company headquartered in Rivière-du-Loup, Quebec. Its operations are concentrated in Eastern Quebec, where it has historically operated multiple French-language television stations serving communities with predominantly French Canadian populations. The company was established in 1981 as a holding structure for CKRT, a station originally launched in 1962 and owned by the Simard family. The family continues to hold a majority interest in Télé Inter-Rives, while Quebecor owns the remaining minority stake. Through Quebecor's broadcasting interests, the company is connected to Groupe TVA and the TVA television network. The company's operating model has involved ownership or control of stations affiliated with different French-language networks. In the Rivière-du-Loup market, Télé Inter-Rives operated CIMT, a TVA affiliate, and was associated with CFTF, a Noovo affiliate, creating what Canadian broadcasting terminology describes as a "twin-stick" duopoly. The stations were operated through related licensee structures and a cascade-ownership arrangement rather than as a single conventional station license. This arrangement gave the company a substantial presence in a relatively small regional television market. Télé Inter-Rives also historically operated CKRT, an Ici Radio-Canada Télé affiliate serving Rivière-du-Loup and surrounding areas. Including CKRT, the company once maintained a three-station presence in the market, sometimes characterized as a "triple-stick" triopoly. CKRT ceased broadcasting in August 2021 after Radio-Canada declined to renew its affiliation agreement with CKRT-DT. The station's closure reflected the difficulty of sustaining a separate over-the-air service in a smaller regional market when replacement programming options were limited. Outside Rivière-du-Loup, Télé Inter-Rives operates CHAU-DT, a TVA affiliate serving Carleton-sur-Mer and other parts of the Gaspésie region. The company's station portfolio therefore combines local broadcasting in Bas-Saint-Laurent and the Gaspésie with network programming supplied by major French-language broadcasters. Its business is principally that of a regional television operator and broadcaster rather than a consumer-facing product brand. The company remains significant within the local media infrastructure of Eastern Quebec because its stations provide network programming alongside regional coverage and market-specific broadcasting services.

Télé Inter-Rives developed from the Simard family's long-standing involvement in regional television in Quebec. The family's connection to the Rivière-du-Loup market dates to 1962, when CKRT was launched. In 1981, Télé Inter-Rives was formed as a holding company for CKRT, giving the station a corporate structure through which the family's broadcasting interests could be managed and expanded. The company subsequently became associated with several television services in Eastern Quebec. Its best-known market structure was in Rivière-du-Loup, where it operated CIMT as a TVA affiliate and was connected through related ownership arrangements to CFTF, a Noovo affiliate. Canadian broadcasting descriptions have referred to this arrangement as a "twin-stick" operation, meaning that affiliated stations from different networks were controlled within the same regional ownership structure. The use of cascade ownership and separate licensees allowed the stations to operate as distinct services while remaining linked through Télé Inter-Rives and related companies. Télé Inter-Rives also controlled CKRT as an Ici Radio-Canada Télé affiliate. With TVA, Noovo, and Radio-Canada services present in the same market, the arrangement was described as a "triple-stick" triopoly. The stations broadcast in French, reflecting the linguistic character of Eastern Quebec and the predominantly French Canadian population in the communities they served. The company later expanded or maintained a presence farther east through CHAU-DT, a TVA affiliate based in the Carleton-sur-Mer area and serving the Gaspésie region. This gave Télé Inter-Rives a geographic footprint spanning portions of both the Bas-Saint-Laurent and Gaspésie regions and reinforced its role as a regional partner for major French-language networks. A major change occurred in 2021, when Radio-Canada refused to renew its affiliation with CKRT-DT. With limited alternatives for supplying programming, CKRT shut down in August of that year. The closure ended Télé Inter-Rives' triple-stick configuration in Rivière-du-Loup, leaving the company with its remaining regional television operations and its continuing relationships with TVA and Noovo. The Simard family retains a 55 percent interest in the company, while Quebecor holds the other 45 percent. Through that ownership relationship, Télé Inter-Rives is linked to Quebecor's broader television businesses, including Groupe TVA and the TVA network.

• 2021

  CKRT-DT closes

  [1]Télé Inter-Rivesen.wikipedia.org

  CKRT-DT ended operations in August after Radio-Canada declined to renew its affiliation, ending Télé Inter-Rives' former three-station configuration in Rivière-du-Loup.

• 1981

  Télé Inter-Rives is formed

  [1]Télé Inter-Rivesen.wikipedia.org

  Télé Inter-Rives was established as a holding company for CKRT and became the corporate vehicle for the Simard family's regional broadcasting interests.

• 1962

  CKRT launches in Rivière-du-Loup

  [1]Télé Inter-Rivesen.wikipedia.org

  CKRT began broadcasting in Rivière-du-Loup under ownership associated with the Simard family, establishing the foundation for the later Télé Inter-Rives structure.

A regional French-language television operator serving Eastern Quebec through local stations affiliated with major Canadian networks.

• Television station

  CIMT 9/6

  CIMT is Télé Inter-Rives' TVA-affiliated television service in the Rivière-du-Loup market. It forms one side of the company's regional twin-stick broadcasting presence and carries French-language network and regional programming for Eastern Quebec.

• Television station

  CFTF 29/11

  CFTF is a Noovo-affiliated service associated with Télé Inter-Rives' Rivière-du-Loup operations through related licensee and ownership arrangements. Together with CIMT, it formed the company's twin-stick presence in the market.

• Television station

  CHAU-DT

  CHAU-DT is a TVA-affiliated station operated by Télé Inter-Rives through CHAU-TV Communications Ltée. It serves Carleton-sur-Mer and communities in the Gaspésie region with French-language network and regional television programming.

• Television station · 1962

  CKRT-DT

  CKRT-DT was Télé Inter-Rives' former Ici Radio-Canada Télé affiliate in Rivière-du-Loup. It was part of the company's earlier triple-stick structure but ceased broadcasting in August 2021 after its affiliation with Radio-Canada was not renewed.

• 2021

  CKRT-DT operations end after affiliation lossStrategy

  Background

  CKRT-DT operated as an Ici Radio-Canada Télé affiliate and was part of Télé Inter-Rives' three-station presence in Rivière-du-Loup. Radio-Canada declined to renew the affiliation, while alternative programming sources were limited.

  Action taken

  CKRT-DT ceased broadcasting in August 2021.

  Aftermath

  The closure ended the company's triple-stick configuration in Rivière-du-Loup and left its remaining stations affiliated with TVA and Noovo.

  Source

1. 1Télé Inter-Rivesen.wikipedia.org