Star Ray TV is an

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community television Community television is a form of mass media in which a television station is owned, operated or programmed by a community group to provide television programs of local interest known as local programming. Community television stations are most c ...

station in

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, Canada. The station, which broadcasts in digital on channel 22 in Toronto's

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neighbourhood, was launched in 1997 when Jan Pachul, an amateur radio operator, applied to the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) for a licence to serve the community. Star Ray TV has temporary authority from

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(formerly Industry Canada from 1993 to 2015) to transmit on UHF channel 15 and 22 in Toronto with call sign VX9AMK.

History

On August 21, 2000, after five interventions from established broadcasters, the CRTC turned down Pachul's application, on the grounds that it did not meet with the CRTC's low-power broadcasting (LPTV) policy, but Pachul alleged that the CRTC was simply protecting established corporate broadcasters who had already failed in their responsibility to provide programming of community interest. On September 9, the station began broadcasting illegally as a pirate station. Pachul appeared before the CRTC on September 19, 2001, and was ordered to shut the station down by November 15 of that year. In December, the CRTC published a new policy permitting the development of community stations on LPTV. At one point in 2002, Star Ray broadcast on UHF 15 as text-only, based on a loophole by which it claimed text did not constitute "programming" and was therefore not prohibited. More recently, Star Ray has faced allegations that its operations interfere with VHF channel 13, home to CTV's

CKCO-DT CKCO-DT (channel 13) is a television station in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada. Part of the CTV Television Network, it is owned and operated by network parent Bell Media alongside London-based CTV 2 station CFPL-DT, although the two stations mainta ...

in Kitchener. In recent years, the station has broadcast over the Internet. Pachul applied for another broadcasting licence on June 3, 2004, but as of 2008 the CRTC has not published a decision either approving or denying the 2004 licence application. Since its inception, Star Ray broadcast on UHF channel 15. However, since

CHCH-DT CHCH-DT (channel 11) is an independent television station in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. Owned by Channel Zero, the station maintains studios on Innovation Drive in the west end of Hamilton; prior to 2021, it was located near the corner of Jack ...

moved its signal to UHF 15 on December 2, 2013, Pachul moved Star Ray TV to UHF channel 22 and began broadcasting in digital with a new ATSC transmitter on December 13, 2013, with the

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remaining 15 via

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References

External links

Star Ray TVVX9AMK (STAR RAY) history
- Canadian Communication Foundation
Internet Broadcasting from Toronto

TOchat, Star Ray's online forum
{{DEFAULTSORT:Star Ray Tv Television stations in Toronto Mass media regulation in Canada Pirate television stations Canadian community channels Television channels and stations established in 1997 1997 establishments in Ontario