Fire destroys CTV Ottawa newsroom

[Captain Steubings]

An overnight fire has destroyed the CTV newsroom in Ottawa and reportedly caused at least $2.5 million in damage.

The fire started sometime before 4:30 a.m. ET Sunday at the building. It tore through the newsroom for CTV Ottawa, formerly known as CJOH-TV, on the second-floor of the building in the southern suburb of Nepean.

A security guard was on duty when the flames broke out at the building at 1500 Merivale Road.

He suffered no injuries and by mid Sunday morning it appeared that nobody else had been injured.

It took 70 firefighters and 18 fire trucks more than two hours to bring the fire under control, CTV.ca reported. The entire newsroom, home to television cameras, editing equipment, computers, and archival footage, was completely gutted, officials said.

Among the items destroyed is 37 years' worth of archival videotape of anchor Max Keeping who is retiring this spring.

"We're very fortunate that nobody got hurt but we've lost a great deal," Keeping told CBC News on Sunday.

"And I guess on top of that is the fact that this building [is] historic in Canadian broadcasting. You know, [in] 1961 when it was opened, it was the CTV national news that operated out of here in those first years, and so many major productions came out of here and a lot of that may have been lost."

The cause of the fire has not immediately been determined.

It could be days before staff are able to return to the facility, CTV.ca reported, however management officials are planning to continue operations at the A Channel newsroom in Byward market.

"We're already ready to continue our broadcast today and we'll be on the air later this afternoon," Keeping said.

"It's a very sad day as you can see. I just found out a couple of minutes ago because my daughter works just down the road and she phoned me up and said the place where I've worked for the 30 years was on fire. So it's very upsetting right now," said Claude Davis, who works at the front desk of the newsroom.

"I don't know how bad the damage is. I just got here and it's very traumatic right now," Davis told CBC News.

Merivale Road between Clyde Avenue and Baseline Road was closed to traffic until early afternoon on Sunday while authorities investigated. The stretch of roadway re-opened at around 1:30 p.m.

Read more: CBC News - Ottawa - Fire destroys CTV Ottawa newsroom

[Burnsie]

How were they able to report it?

[Captain Steubings]

from the A Channel newsroom

[Burnsie]

Pheeeeeeew.

[Red Squirrel]

I wonder if this was a hot news topic for a while.

[Peanut]

and the reason why the a news room is available for CTV is that A Ottawa lost their 6 and 11 newscasts cause of corporate greed.... if you remember the save local tv campaign... that tax won't save A Ottawa OR any other local channel

[Captain Steubings]

well the already have news on CTV so why have it on A Channel as well? They are both owned by CTVglobemedia so no use competing with eachother - the problem is with giant media companies owning everything

[Peanut]

i still think the crtc !@#$ed up when they allowed Rogers and CTV to Purchase the Chum Group... Letting them own 2 stations in each city was wrong. Even though you could have the argument that A Ottawa is not actually a Ottawa Channel and one of Pembroke thus taking it out of the equation for 2 channels in one city... HOWEVER those that actually live or lived in Ottawa actually know that since CHUM bought the station and Changed it into the NewRO/A Channel the station Actually moved from Pembroke to Ottawa... and Pembroke lost their news... there wasn't even a 2 minute segment like there is for Timmins on MCTV, Speaking of MCTV the Network years ago called MCTV actually included the Pembroke Station

[Loco101]

Yes, I do remember when Pembroke once had MCTV. We didn't get any news stories from there and they didn't get any of ours. We only got stories from other Northeastern Ontario communities. Unfortunately today, Muskoka and Parry Sound are covered by CTV Northern Ontario (formerly MCTV) and we get tons of stories from that part of Southern Ontario.

[Peanut]

if i recall i think they were part of mctv cbc

[Peanut]

The station went on air in 1961 as CHOV, a CBC Television affiliate owned by Gordon Archibald Ottawa Valley Broadcasting, the owner of AM radio station CHOV. After a labour dispute and financial crisis in 1976 in which the station went dark for six days in August of that year, Ottawa Valley sold the station to J. Conrad Lavigne in 1977. Lavigne adopted the CHRO callsign, and launched the station's sales office in Ottawa. Lavigne's company subsequently became part of the MCTV system in 1980.
While most MCTV stations used MCTV, rather than their call letters, as their on-air branding, CHRO continued to use its call sign, although it used the same logo and programming schedule as the other MCTV stations.
The station went on air in 1961 as CHOV, a CBC Television affiliate owned by Gordon Archibald Ottawa Valley Broadcasting, the owner of AM radio station CHOV. After a labour dispute and financial crisis in 1976 in which the station went dark for six days in August of that year, Ottawa Valley sold the station to J. Conrad Lavigne in 1977. Lavigne adopted the CHRO callsign, and launched the station's sales office in Ottawa. Lavigne's company subsequently became part of the MCTV system in 1980.
While most MCTV stations used MCTV, rather than their call letters, as their on-air branding, CHRO continued to use its call sign, although it used the same logo and programming schedule as the other MCTV stations.

[Loco101]

Thanks for posting that.
Thanks for posting that.

[Loco101]

Remember this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=arNiCQ2578E

[janisjuris]

Way back when I did live in Ottawa/Outauais or whatever they called the NCC area, one of my acquaintances from Timmins, Jean Doucette, moved to Pembroke as traffic manager for MCTV and then moved to Ottawa. It was strange to turn on a local Ottawa TV station and see Conrad with his "President's Corner"

[Loco101]

I'll post a few more I found:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NxgD1ZSoaYk