CBOFT first signed on the air on June 24, 1955, as the first French language television station in Ontario. Previously, CBOT aired both CBC and Radio-Canada programs.
For a brief time during 1977 and 1978, until CHOT opened, CBOFT also carried some TVA programs, after Ottawa's first TVA affiliate, CFVO-TV (whose channel 30 frequency is now occupied by CIVO) went bankrupt.
Due to cost-cutting measures at the CBC in the early 1990s, local programming on Toronto's CBLFT and its rebroadcasters, as well as CBLFT semi-satellite CBEFT in Windsor was discontinued in 1991. All Radio-Canada transmitters in Ontario (except the northwest, which was served by CBWFT in Winnipeg) were reclassified as rebroadcasters of CBOFT, under the name "Radio-Canada Ontario-Outaouais". The station produced two distinct newscasts through the 1990s and 2000s, one for the Ottawa region and one for the remainder of Ontario.
In 2010, the CBC applied to the CRTC to have CBLFT relicensed as a separate station, which would again produce a separate newscast for broadcast in most of the province outside of CBOFT's market.[1] The application was approved on April 28, 2010, leading to CBLFT resuming newscast production from Toronto, and most of the network's transmitters in Ontario were reassigned to CBLFT's license. Following this split in the network, CBOFT and its Quebec transmitters became "Radio-Canada Ottawa-Gatineau", while most other Ontario transmitters became "Radio-Canada Ontario".
On August 31, 2011, when Canadian television stations in CRTC-designated mandatory marketstransitioned from analogue to digital broadcasts,[4] the station's digital signal relocated from UHF channel 22 to VHF channel 9. Due to reception issues on channel 9, the station was granted permission to move to UHF channel 33.[5]
Transmitters/Former rebroadcasters of CBOFT
CBOFT operated three analog television rebroadcasters all located in Quebec in the following communities:
Due to federal funding reductions to the CBC, in April 2012, the CBC responded with substantial budget cuts, which included shutting down CBC's and Radio-Canada's remaining analog transmitters on July 31, 2012.[6] None of CBC or Radio-Canada's rebroadcasters were converted to digital.
