FAQ

Every week hundreds of inquiries are received at CHBC’s reception desk. They vary from serious emergency calls to "off the wall" questions.

Meet Sylvia Martens

Sylvia is the first person you talk to when you place a call to CHBC. With every call, she responds "The Okanagan’s Very Own CHBC". She tried counting how many phone calls she processes in a day but gave up counting after 150. Telephone records indicate CHBC receives thousands of calls per week.

You can reach CHBC toll free at 1-888-762-4535. All questions and comments are recorded daily and circulated for staff to address where appropriate. Here are the answers to some of CHBC’s frequently asked questions (FAQ).

GENERAL QUESTIONS:

How can I contact programs or people I see on TV?

The best method is to contact their originating network. Mail will then be forwarded to the appropriate source.

* CHBC – 342 Leon Avenue, Kelowna, B.C., Canada, V1Y 6J2 (250) 762-4535

* Global BC – 7850 Enterprise

Way, Burnaby, B.C. V5A 1V6 (604) 420-2288

* CTVglobemedia

299 Queen Street West

Toronto, Ontario, Canada

M5V 2Z5

* NBC – 30 Rockefeller

Plaza, New York, NY, U.S.A.10020

* ABC – 77 West 66th Street,

9th Floor, New York, NY, U.S.A.,10019

* CBS – 51 West 52nd Street,

New York, NY, U.S.A., 10019

* FOX – Box 900,

Beverly Hills, California, U.S.A., 90213

* PBS – 1320 Braddock

Place, Alexandria, Virginia, U.S.A., 22314

* CNN – Turner Broadcasting

Co., 1050 Techwood NW, Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.A. 30318

* Shaw Cable 11 – 2350 Hunter Road, Kelowna, B.C., Canada V1X 7H6 (250)

763-6911

Does CHBC offer tours?

Yes. Call (250) 762-4535 for details and reservations.

Does CHBC accept volunteers?

CHBC hires staff necessary to do the job. The only exception made is when students work at CHBC on a training program, "work experience" or practicum. CHBC attempts to support local valley-wide institutions.

How do I get a job at CHBC?

Check out employment opportunities

What does CHBC stand for?

All stations are issued call letters. Back in the early days of television when CHBC got its license, all TV station call letters started with CH. For example, Victoria’s station is CHEK and although BCTV promoted itself in that way, their true call letters are CHAN. Our station was fortunate to get the BC letters to follow the CH requirement.

Why do the TV guide listings not match what is actually on television?

All printed materials have deadlines for publishing. The listings submitted to the publishers are correct at the time of deadline. Television is a dynamic media. All programs are subject to change and every attempt will be made to reschedule at the appropriate times. Factors which may necessitate a pre-emption include:

* special events such as the Academy Awards

* special programming by the networks such as a mini-series

* sporting events whose schedules are difficult to predict such as playoff hockey

* late breaking news such as a major disaster or political announcement

* unavailability of scheduled programs such as when a satellite transmission is not received.

What should I do if the TV reception is poor?

Rest assured that if a TV station or cable company is "off air" they are doing their utmost to restore service. After all, it’s their livelihood. Be patient – give them a few minutes before making any calls. Sometimes environmental conditions interfere with signals. If you are using an antenna, check the connections to be certain they are tight or that there isn’t any interference. If you are on cable, check the other channels to see if they are fuzzy, too. Also, you can check with your neighbour to see if they are having similar difficulties. If they are, it is likely your cable connection. Typically, these conditions are corrected within minutes. Your best bet is to contact your cable company if the situation doesn’t rectify. If you are on satellite, there isn’t much that can be done on a local level. If you think your dish or equipment is causing the problem, contact your supplier.

What should I do if I have comments on the programming I see?

The first thing you should do if you have comments about any television program is to:

* write down the name, date and time of the program

* write down the name or call letters of the station the program is airing on

* write down a brief summary of your comments.

You should then contact the broadcaster of the program. Call or write/fax/e-mail a letter. Most concerns are cleared up in this way.

If the program you have concerns about originates on CHBC, you can contact us. We want to hear about programs carried on our station. Give us a call at (250) 762-4535 or use the e-mail connection at the bottom of the page. If the program originates at another network, contact them (see addresses above).

If you do not receive a satisfactory resolution, send your concerns to the Canadian Broadcast Standards Council. Formed in 1990, this Council was created by private broadcasters to create a voluntary system of codes that set high standards for all of their programming. These codes cover issues such as violence on television, the portrayal of men and women, fairness and accuracy in the news, controversial public decisions and human rights.

Canadian Broadcast Standards Council

PO Box 3265, Station D

Ottawa, Ontario K1P 6H8

Phone: (613) 233-4607

Fax: (612) 233-4826

E-mail: complaints@cbsc.ca

You can also fill out the complaint form located at http://www.cbsc.ca.

What is the CRTC? How can you contact the CRTC?

The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) was established by Parliament in 1968. It is an independent public authority constituted under the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission Act (R.S.C. 1985, c. C-22, as amended) and reports to Parliament through the Minister of Canadian Heritage.

The CRTC is vested with the authority to regulate and supervise all aspects of the Canadian broadcasting system, as well as to regulate telecommunications common carriers and service providers that fall under federal jurisdiction. The CRTC derives its regulatory authority over broadcasting from the Broadcasting Act (S.C. 1991, c. 11, as amended). Its telecommunications regulatory powers are derived from the Telecommunications Act (S.C. 1993, c. 38, as amended) and the Bell Canada Act (S.C. 1987, c.19 as amended).

The CRTC does handle complaints:

CRTC’s complaints process is one in which the parties involved are entitled to see what others have said about it.

* We send the complaint to the telephone company, radio, television or distribution service so that it can address your specific concerns in writing. The company’s response will be sent directly to you with a copy to the CRTC, within 30 days. The CRTC staff will review your complaint and the company’s response. We will contact you again if we need to intervene.

OR

* We refer your complaint to a self-regulatory council, such as the Canadian Broadcast Standards Council, the Cable Television Standards Council for resolution.

Comment or Request for Information:

* Commission staff will respond to you within 10 working days.

Date Modified: 2001-11-28

Your comments, questions and concerns are important to the CRTC. To ensure the best possible service, remember to provide your name, telephone number and email address with your message.

For questions and/or complaints about the CRTC and its regulated industries, please use the complaints and inquiries form.

To participate in a CRTC public process and file your comments electronically, contact procedure@crtc.gc.ca. All comments are made public exactly as submitted. Unless you provide your comments as an email attachment, this may include your name, email address and other personal information in your message.

For questions and concerns about this website, contactwebmaster@crtc.gc.ca

You can also contact the CRTC by mail, fax or telephone. A list of frequency called numbers and Key contacts is provided for your convenience.

Telephone (toll-free) 1-877-249-CRTC (2782)

TDD (toll-free) 1-877-909-2782

Client Services (819) 997-0313

Media Relations (819) 997-9403

Human Resources (819) 997-2219

Public Examination Room (819) 997-2429

Library (819) 997-4484

Mailing addresses and telephone numbers:

Mailing Address

CRTC

Ottawa, Ontario

Canada

K1A 0N2 in British Columbia

580 Hornby Street, Suite 530

Vancouver, B.C. V6C 3B6

Tel: (604) 666-2111

Fax: (604) 666-8322

TDD: (604) 666-0778

Why can’t I receive CHBC when I have a satellite dish?

Although we would like to be on Shaw Direct and/or Bell TV, we do not have any control over the matter. We communicate with both DTH satellite signal providers on a regular basis but until satellite penetration in our market reaches at leas 50%, or the demand for our signal is too high to ignore, CHBC will not be available on DTH satellite. For now, the only way you can watch CHBC is through cable or “off air reception” using an antenna. There is always an input for an antenna on your satellite box.

CHBC TV owns and operates rebroadcast transmitters in the following areas, and the signal can be received with an appropriate antenna on these channels:

Main City Channel Transmitter Location

Kelowna 2 Blue Grouse Mountain

Vernon 7 Turtle Mountain

Salmon Arm 9 Old Kault Hill, Tappen

Canoe 6 Canoe

Revelstoke 9 Mt. Begbie

Penticton/Summerland 13 Chute Lake

Penticton/Naramata 7 Mt. Nkwala

Oliver/Osoyoos 8 Lower Mt. Kobau

Princeton 27 Snowpatch Mountain

Enderby 16 Enderby Cliffs

In addition, through the efforts of various community television societies, the CHBC signal is provided in the following areas. It should be noted that the television societies rely on donations from their respective communities to stay in operation.

Community Channel Transmitter Location

Peachland 4 Greata Ranch

Armstrong/Enderby 4 Enderby Cliffs

Falkland/Westwold 10 Tuktakamin Mountain

Malakwa/Sicamous 4 Malakwa

Lumby 4 Satellite Hill

Cherryville 10 Cherryville

Keremeos 9 Fairview Mountain

Cawston 6 Pincushion

Nakusp 9 Saddle Mountain