Access Alberta
CJAL is an educational television station in
Edmonton, Alberta branded as
ACCESS,
Alberta's provincial
educational
broadcasting service. It was launched by the provincial government on
June 30,
1973, and is available over-the-air in Edmonton and
Calgary (a transmitter with the
callsign CIAN rebroadcasts CJAL's signal), and throughout Alberta on cable. It is also available on the Bell ExpressVu satellite service on Channel 267, and on StarChoice Channel 351.
Entertaining, informative and educational programs make up a competitive broadcast schedule that includes programs for children, movies and dramatic series, quiz shows, documentaries and talk shows.
ACCESS produces, promotes and delivers television-based multimedia learning opportunites to learners of all ages, in partnership with
Alberta Learning, educational institutions and educators. Many of the programs, including all of the dramas, are connected to and promote formal courses of study offered by the province's universities and colleges or the formal learning objectives of Alberta Learning.
Formerly owned by
access media group, which was majority-owned by
CHUM Limited, it has been wholly owned by CHUM Limited since early
2005.
CJAL also airs some commercial programming, acting as an unofficial
A-Channel affiliate in prime time.
On July 12, 2006,
Bell Globemedia announced they were to make a friendly takeover bid to buy CHUM Limited, with plans to maintain the Citytv system separate from its own CTV
and to sell Access and its
A-Channel stations as well.
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List of Canadian television channels*
Official Site
