Ottawa Cablevision
Ottawa Cablevision was a cable television provider in the Ottawa region, operating primarily in the western half of the city.
History
Ottawa Cablevision was founded in 1965 by a small group of local entrepreneurs including Gordon Henderson and Howard Darwin. Henderson served as President of the company while Darwin served as Vice-President.Cable television arrived in Nepean Township in late 1964 when Ottawa Cablevision began offering service in Lynwood Village and then Manordale, Ontario. The service provided Ottawa’s three over‑the‑air channels, plus U.S. signals from Watertown, and stations from Kingston and Montreal, for about $5/month, along with FM radio distribution. Within a year, more than 30% of households with TVs in Nepean subscribed.
In 1966, after a public bidding process, Ottawa City Council awarded cable franchises for the western and eastern halves of the city. Ottawa Cablevision won exclusive rights to serve the western side, while Skyline Cablevision received the eastern portion. Ottawa Cablevision extended cable service rapidly to neighborhoods such as Copeland Park by late October and Bel Air Park by November 1966, followed by rollouts across the rest of western Ottawa.
Ottawa Cablevision ceased to exist as an independent company in 1989, when it was acquired by Maclean-Hunter Communications Ltd., one of Canada’s largest media conglomerates at the time. Selkirk Communications held a large share in the company.