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| |
|---|---|
| City | Wheatley, Ontario |
| Channels | |
| Branding |
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| Programming | |
| Affiliations | CTV 2 |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | Bell Media Inc. |
| CKLW, CIMX-FM, CIDR-FM | |
| History | |
First air date | October 18, 1993 |
Former channel number(s) |
|
| Independent (1993–1998) | |
Call sign meaning | Chatham and Windsor |
| Technical information | |
Licensing authority | CRTC |
| ERP | 3.4 kW |
| HAAT | 168.2 m (552 ft) |
| Transmitter coordinates | 42°8′30″N 82°26′48″W / 42.14167°N 82.44667°W |
| Translator(s) | CHWI-DT-60 26.1 (RF 17) Windsor |
| Links | |
| Website | CTV 2 Windsor |
CHWI-DT (channel 16) is a television station licensed to Wheatley, Ontario, Canada, broadcasting CTV 2 programming to the Windsor area. Owned and operated by Bell Media, the station has studios at the Bell Canada Building in downtown Windsor with a secondary office in Chatham; its primary transmitter is located on Zion Road (between Concession Line Roads 4 and 5) in Chatham, with a rebroadcaster atop Victoria Park Place in downtown Windsor.
CHWI was built by Baton Broadcasting in 1993 following its purchase of CFPL-TV in London. Signing on October 18, 1993, it provided Windsor its first dedicated local TV newscasts since 1990, though the newscasts were presented from London. The main transmitter, sited near Wheatley to avoid programming restrictions related to Windsor's proximity with Detroit, was supplemented with a rebroadcaster in downtown Windsor in 1995. As Baton sought to control the CTV Television Network, it traded CHWI-TV and other stations to CHUM Limited in 1997. Beginning the next year, the station was branded The New WI as part of CHUM's NewNet regional system, which mostly consisted of secondary stations in Ontario. Its local newscasts came to dominate the ratings in Windsor, particularly after a 1999 strike at CBC station CBET.
NewNet was renamed A-Channel in 2005 and then A in 2008 after its purchase by CTVglobemedia, predecessor to Bell Media. Citing a difficult economic environment and federal refusal to let TV stations charge cable systems for carriage, CTV declared its intention to shut CHWI-TV down in 2009 but reversed its decision in light of increased federal support and lobbying by local politicians. A was renamed CTV Two in 2011, with its local newscasts coming under the CTV News banner. The station offers weeknight newscasts covering Windsor and Chatham.