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What is SPACE?


SPACE: The Imagination Station is a cable-delivered, national, 24 hour, English-language specialty channel owned and operated by CTVglobemedia. SPACE was licensed by the CRTC in 1996, and was launched on October 17, 1997, at 6 pm ET.

What kind of programming do you show?

SPACE's programming falls into four main subject areas: Science Fiction, Science Fact, Speculation and Fantasy. Our programming features a mix of movies, documentaries, and series both current and classic. SPACE also produces several original programs that air as SpaceFlow items throughout the day.

So how does the cable thing work? How much does it cost?

SPACE: The Imagination Station is what's known as a "discretionary service, " meaning that it is optional. Most cable companies offer SPACE as part of a 'tier' or 'package' of channels. If you like SPACE contact your cable or Canadian satellite company and ask them to sign you up for their "tier " package. SPACE is carried in approximately 4.2 million homes, at present.

SPACE isn't available in my area & what can I do about it?

If your cable provider is not carrying SPACE we want to know about it. Kindly direct your complaints to:
Attention: Affiliate Sales Assistant
CTVglobemedia
299 Queen Street West
Toronto, Ontario
M5V 2Z5

For Canadian residents who live in remote regions of the country and do not have access to cable; satellite providers Bell Express Vu and Starchoice both offer SPACE.

I live in the U.S.A. How can I get SPACE?


SPACE is licensed for distribution in Canada only. Many of our programs are licensed to other networks in the USA. Currently there are no plans for us to offer our station in the US, via satellite or cable.

How do I apply for a job at SPACE?


For any specific CTVglobemedia shows or channels you can call our Human Resources "listen only" voicemail box at (416) 591-5290 to find out more information.

We will also accept resumes by e-mail, Attention Human Resources or by mail:

Attention: Human Resources
CTVglobemedia
299 Queen Street West
Toronto, Ontario, M5V 2Z5

Please indicate the area you are interested in applying to and we will forward your resume to the appropriate contact. No phone calls please.

Questions or Comments?

For programming-related quesitons, email us at space@spacecast.com
For web-related questions, email us at mailto:web@spacecast.com
By "snail" mail:
SPACE: The Imagination Station
CTVglobemedia
299 Queen Street West
Toronto, Ontario, M5V 2Z5

About our Acquired Programming aka "We bought that":

What shows are you showing, man?
Check the weekly grid or the program guide on the SPACE website for full details on the series we are running and when.

And the movies? What about movies?
We have movies scheduled Mondays to Thursdays on SPACE at 2am EST. Every Friday night starting at 10pm EST we have a Horror Movie Double-bill. Every Sunday and Saturday afternoon at 2pm EST we have family-friendly movies. And finally every Saturday and Sunday Night has an exciting triple bill of blockbuster and premiere movies starting at 9pm EST.

Why aren't you airing my favourite show?
SPACE hopes to be around for a long long time. Since we will be on the air "Forever " there's plenty of time for other shows and we will try to satisfy the widest possible range of interests, provided they fit our programming mandate of Science Fiction, Science Fact, Speculation and Fantasy. While we do appreciate your suggestions, we unfortunately cannot always respond with the answer you'd like. The thing that viewers should understand is that running a show on a TV network is not as easy as going to your video store and buying a tape and coming home and popping it in your VCR. Negotiating the rights to air a show on TV can be complicated, and move slowly. Programming a TV station is actually a complex, involved process, involving years of experience and a feel for the medium. SPACE will never reveal confidential information about the business dealings involved in acquiring our programs. What we will discuss with our viewers are shows we have acquired after the agreement is signed, sealed, and delivered in triplicate and we know we've got it. That way, there are no false hopes, and no one gets disappointed. It's the best way we can think of to make sure that what you DO hear from us, you can trust.

Why is this show on at that time?
We've tried to generate a schedule that caters to all tastes and viewing patterns, scheduling shows at appropriate times. This is a challenge in a country like Canada with 5 time zones, so your favourite show may not be on in prime time. We try to schedule shows where our audience data indicates they will provide a strong alternative to what's available on other channels. So, in other words, Star Trek: Voyager reruns in prime time are not going to happen, because that's when people will likely be watching other new programs, on other stations. We try to balance our schedule so that those different regions of the country have different material that they get to see at a more 'convenient' time. But specialty channels are built around fringe times, and there are some series that we run at times because they aren't really appropriate anywhere else: like Star Trek: Voyager. Star Trek: Voyager - we run it at 5pm ET & Midnight ET so that both Eastern Canadians and Western Canadians get a chance to see it. And the numbers show that lots of people like it there.

Why did you move_________?
A schedule is a lot like a game of pick-up sticks. Move one thing, and if you're not careful, everything comes crashing down around you. When we put in a show like Stargate SG-1, for instance, it results in the need to shift programming around. We have to balance when we can show certain shows, where the audience is likely to be at that time, Canadian Content regulations, whether the program is adult-oriented, or suitable for all audiences. Sometimes, we will remove certain shows from the schedule for awhile with the intention of returning them later. Most of the time, and wherever we can, we will allow a series to finish its run in one slot, before moving it. We try our best to let viewers know when things get shifted, but the schedule is subject to change, and your best bet is to keep an eye on your local listings, and of course this website.

Where did ___________go?
A lot of SPACE's series leave the schedule once they've played through a couple of times. Usually, they may rest for a bit, before being rerun, sometimes on a new day and time. So, series with a limited number of episodes like BATTLESTAR GALACTICA, GIRLY GHOSTHUNTER and FIREFLY will sometimes not be on, but may come back. After a few years of airing a show, for example V, the rights begin to expire, in which case, they won't return to the schedule. Check the shows section of this website for the most up-to-date information on SPACE series.

Why don't you run more ANIME shows?
When SPACE first launched, we had an Anime slot on Fridays at midnight. During the course of the development of the station, we discovered that Anime simply didn't make a significant impact in the ratings. We're aware that there's a fan base out there, engaged and passionate about Anime, but unfortunately the evidence suggests that Anime is a very niche interest. However, Anime is still an important part of the sci-fi/fantasy canon, and as such, we feature it as part of Movies from Space. If you're a fan of Anime, there may be a club in your community where you can find others that share your interest. There is one type of Anime that SPACE will never run, however, and that is any film where sex & violence are linked. This reflects a longstanding CTVglobemedia policy.

Why do you repeat so much?
Specialty Channels offer an alternative to conventional network TV. Audiences are generally smaller for cable stations, and people don't watch as often as with network shows. So if a show is on at 4 pm and 10 pm, chances are there are going to be two distinct audiences for those shows. Also, it helps us to account for the time zone differences from east to west. We try to balance things so that every region has something interesting in their 'prime' viewing period.

Why did you pre-empt____________?
Pre-emptions are a fact of life for any TV station. Sometimes the movies, or scheduled program, isn't available. The tape may not have arrived on time, or its running time was longer than originally anticipated. The problem with pre-emptions is that they often happen at the last minute-long after the deadlines for the TV magazines. We do whatever we can to ensure that viewers are told of pre-emptions ahead of time.

Hey! You ran these episodes of _____________ out of order!
When SPACE runs a show, it runs it in the order that is recommended by the distributor of the show. The problem is that our scheduling is only as good as our information. Luckily, most of the time our information is correct. When our viewers make us aware of a discrepancy, our SPACE staffers research the show to try and resolve which order makes more sense. SPACE doesn't want to run things out of order and upset our viewers. But it's not exactly, from our perspective, a simple thing to catch. So here's a way you can help. If you're a fan of a show, and you think SPACE is running that show out of order, post it on discussion forum, at http://www.spacecast.com/. In the subject post of the email, write the show title, and the words Out of Order? Be sure to be very specific about which show aired, episode title (or a good plot description if no title was evident) and exactly what date and time this error occurred. Explain why it is in error or what plot point has been skewed due to its running out of order. From these posts, we'll go through and try to confirm these errors, and if you're right they'll be corrected. Here's an important caveat: every show that Space has ever put on the air, has had someone complaining it's out of order. BABYLON 5 fans complained, despite the fact that our order came from the guy who created the show to begin with! Out of roughly eleventy-billion (give or take a gazillion) complaints: we've changed the order of things three or four times, in three years. We're right 99.9999% of the time.

You should be showing X show instead of Y station.
There are people out there who think that because we are primarily a Sci-Fi, Fantasy, etc channel, that we should show every program that is in that genre-even if it's on another channel. The reality is SPACE cannot possibly acquire the rights to all these shows, specifically if they already belong to another network.

You screwed up the airing of_________!
Athough this often does not happen, many circumstances might contribute to the faulty airing of a show. Tapes get bent. Machines whirr and break. Audio goes out of sync. The doo-hickey that switches between commercials and programs reads the wrong barcode. Or, the signal might leave SPACE headquarters fine, and then be messed up somehow in the leg of transmission from the cable company to your home. And then there's the sunspots-no kidding!

All TV stations have technical gaffes and snafus. It's the nature of the business, and will probably continue so long as humans are involved in the process. When a mistake is made on SPACE, a thing called a "fault report " is generated. The problem is, if it's a chronic mistake, like that machine reading the wrong barcode, or audio going out of sync, sometimes it takes a while to diagnose. Sometimes, the only way to see what kind of problem this show at 4pm had is to see if the same problem reoccurs when it's aired again at 11pm. And maybe if it's a particularly pesky problem, it might be a few times before we get it.

Sometimes we don't know about a problem right away. (For instance, if it happens on a Friday of a long weekend, we might not know anything happened until the next week when we get the fault report.) If you want to be troubleshooters, then please, do send us an email--let us know the a) nature of the problem, (what it looked like) b) what show or movie it was in, and what time and date you were watching. You can e-mail us about such problems at space@spacecast.com

Can you tell me when you're going to be running this show (3, 6, 9...) months from now?
Unfortunately, we cannot, as our program schedule is typically not confirmed that far in advance.

Where do I send programming suggestions?
Please check out SPACE's Discussion Forums for any and all comments about our station's programming. The postings on this part of our site are checked regularly by our staff and we truly are influenced by what our viewers ask for. Please tell us WHY you love the show, and why you think we should get it. Convince us!
There are many shows currently on SPACE, that were driven by audience requests. The best example of this is BUFFY: THE VAMPIRE SLAYER, which was brought to SPACE because you, the viewers, asked for it. Other classic examples of audience requested series are BATTLESTAR GALACTICA, SLIDERS, and BABYLON 5. However, don't lose sight of the fact that just because it's your favourite show, doesn't mean it's everyone else's. And because you posted last week, your request won't show up next week. And remember, SPACE is going to be around 24/7 for a long, long time.

Why aren't you showing NEW episodes of Andromeda (or fill in your show here) ?
There are two types of series SPACE shows. The first are our 'first run' shows. These are shows that are new, and are being premiered to the viewing public nationally on SPACE. Some current 'first run' shows on SPACE are: ENTERPRISE, STARGATE SG-1, SMALLVILLE, and BATTLESTAR GALACTICA. The other type of show is called 'strip syndicated' programming. These might be shows that we show every day - STAR TREK, ANDROMEDA, MUTANT X - or weekly - SEAQUEST and EARTH 2. In cases where the show is still being made, we usually have the syndicated (repeat) episodes. The NEW episodes of the show are generally on another network. We'll have all the episodes up to the current season--but we won't get the current season until those episodes are ADDED to the syndicated package. Generally, a good rule of thumb, is when they go into their next season, that's around the time when we get the episodes from the LAST season. Not before. In the case of a show that's in its last season, we still don't get the shows right after they air on the original channel that has bought the first-run rights--because they have the rights to REPEAT for a certain amount of time.

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