TFO is a French language educational public television network in the Canadian province of Ontario. It is owned and operated by TVOntario, and is the only French-language television network in Canada which operates entirely outside of Quebec.
TFO is available only on cable in most areas of the province, although the network does also broadcast over the air in some communities in Eastern and Northern Ontario with significant franco-ontarian populations.
TFO launched in 1987 as La Chaîne Française, and was rebranded as TFO in 1994.
Prior to the launch of La Chaîne, TVO broadcast in French on Sundays from noon until sign-off. For the first several years of La Chaîne's operations, this continued and La Chaîne broadcast in English during the same time block, because TFO was only available on cable and the government wanted to ensure that Franco-Ontarian viewers without cable still had access to a block of French-language programming. As transmitters were added in a variety of francophone communities, the practice was eventually discontinued.
The network's first broadcast transmitter was added in Sudbury in 1989. However, for CRTC purposes the transmitter in Hawkesbury is listed as the station's primary broadcast transmitter (possibly because this transmitter reaches into the Montreal television market.) All of the station's broadcast transmitters have the call sign CHLF, followed by a number to denote their status as rebroadcasters.
TFO is also available to cable viewers in New Brunswick, as the government of New Brunswick does not have the financial resources to offer its own francophone public television network. Consequently, all program announcements on TFO provide airtimes for both Ontario and Acadie. TFO has also applied to the CRTC for mandatory cable carriage in Quebec, but was refused because Quebec already has a similar service, Télé-Québec. However, some cable companies in Quebec do offer TFO at their own discretion.
TFO transmitters
TFO is offered over the air in three major Ontario municipalities: Greater Sudbury, Pembroke and Hawkesbury. All other communities that receive TFO on the regular airwaves are isolated communities in Northern Ontario, many of which also receive the Ontario Legislature channel over the regular airwaves as well.
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