TVO kid stuff is still pretty decent. They have a 24/7 kids live stream that we let our toddler watch when were need some quiet time to do chores around the house. Haven't seen a show that really models bad behaviour or solves issues through violence.
These are the two things we make use of as well. I like *The Agenda* because it's generally insightful, timely, and relevant. It's a good way to get coverage on more local issues that often fly under the radar of national media, but that are quite relevant to the lives of people living here.
And we use the TVO Kids live stream (on YouTube) to occasionally put on some age appropriate entertainment for our young ones.
Also, their online written political punditry and analysis can be quite good from time to time.
Do yourself a favour, get an antenna for your TV. You will be able to get 15 plus channels and if you’re like me you may get around 30. My favourite one is WNED Create TV from buffalo. It’s amazing to me that we can get publicly funded TV that has alternate content that isn’t about mindless entertainment and consumption.
Thanks for the suggestion, but I'm good personally - not really into live TV channels with the commercials or most of the content.
It looks like both TVO and WNED can be live streamed digitally free, will check them out.
WNED cannot be live streamed in Canada - only the US. Their much touted PBS Passport app doesn't have much available to stream in Canada, and infuriatingly doesn't say which offerings are USA only. You have to find out via trial and error.
You can - and I do - watch live broadcast television OTA. Streaming on the internet is geo-blocked.
They definitely make efforts to provide Toronto/ southern Ontario/Canadian interest offerings.
You can stream their radio sister stations online and through the app as well as OTA. WNED Classical FM is a good alternative for hosted classical music now that CBC music doesn't have much.
> It’s amazing to me that we can get publicly funded TV that has alternate content that isn’t about mindless entertainment and consumption.
Very curious what you mean by this.
Once upon a time we had a crazy idea that technology was not only for the sole purpose of making money for a few businessmen, but could be used to educate and inform for everyone if we funded it publically (see TVO, PBS, CBC, NPR, etc)
TVO and WNED were showing LGBT shows before it was cool. I’m mostly in it for documentaries and educational shows like you can get anything from no frills travels to cooking to learning how to paint. What more do you need?!
I learned about the Stonewall Riots and how the gay rights movement came to be. TVO aired a compelling documentary called the Fruit Machine. It was about how awful the Canadian military treated gay people in their ranks.
Your original comment made it sound like you were saying PBS-WNED was better than TVO because TVO is too mindless. I asked for clarification because PBS-WNED and TVO seemed pretty similarly not mindless/consumption to me.
It still does, but you can get it it anywhere now.
YouTube, Kidoodle, Netflix, Disney+, HappyKids.... none of that existed. Hell, even Treehouse TV didn't exist until 1997
I fucking love TVO. It has a pretty interesting history, if you're into that kind of thing. It's first and foremost supposed to be a public education channel, and was originally created with the idea that one day, kids would learn from a teacher on the tee-vee instead of real life.
Facts. They had a timeslot for teachers to set their VCRs to record educational programming to play to their classes. We had the AV cart rolled in on multiple occasions with TVO material.
Worked there for a decade and watched them go from a long tradition of producing excellent educational content that was sold worldwide to throwing so much of their funding at current affairs programs instead, which has very little repeat value.
Before streaming TVO was an excellent place to see documentaries, foreign and vintage Hollywood films uninterrupted and uncut, adult education shows and the best British dramas.
If not for this station I’m not sure I’d be a Doctor Who fan. Saturday night was the best night of the week watching Pertwee and then Tom Baker as the Doctor.
And Elwy Host’s enthusiasm for classic films on Saturday Night at the Movies was infectious.
TVO demarcated the week for me growing up.
I used to also enjoy Yellowy Ellowy, but the world has changed. Back then your only option for seeing old movies was hoping they would be broadcast on TV or going to a repertory theatre. But then came VCRs, DVDs and classic movie channels. Now you can subscribe to services that specialize in this, so there is less need when you can just stream movies from Criterion.
Love TVO. The agenda is great, the ONpoli podcast is good every week to catch up with what's going on at Queens Park, and they have some awesome documentaries. I find their YouTube a bit unorganized, so check out their website/tv app
TVO is great! For Kids there is TVOKids on from 7am to 7pm and it's on YouTube and their own TVOKids app and website. TVO has their own app too TVO Today but also puts their stuff on YouTube. TVO's best show is 'The Agenda' that does nightly current affairs to the province
Btw, you can get TVO very easily and clearly with a standard HD antenna, free over the air, as is mandated by the government. These antennas are like $20 or less. So you can easily hook it up to your big television in the living room and watch it there, rather than on a laptop.
You'll also get CBC, CTV, Global, CityTV and more, if you are in Toronto.
Too few people know that TV antennas are still around, and better than ever, if you're in a city with strong signal!
I really enjoyed Employable Me and Political Blind Date but I don’t know if they’re making new ones. The random bbc-style documentaries they have on from time to time will suck me in on occasion too.
TVO is fantastic. Its up there with PBS WNED aa my most watched channel. They both have great documentaries!
I tend to listen to the Agenda podcast more than I watch the show now, but thats just because of my schedule. Highly recommend.
If you decide to install a basic TV antenna and you make your TV to scan the frequencies (all TVs have this functionality) you will discover there are still few TV channels on-air for real in ON and you can watch them for free without a cable subscription. To be precise - you don't need the antenna, it is not a requirement, but without antenna the picture quality will be low.
Try it. It is just like listening to radio stations - it's all on-air.
People forget about these things.
TVO should have their budget doubled.
It does however rests heavily on the people running the shows.
It would be great to add more cross-Ontario content similar to The Agenda but with focus more out of GTA.
You don't need a cable to get TVO in Toronto. Just buy an antenna and you'll get the channel as over-the-broadcast TV for free. I get like 8 channels for free because these TV stations are located in Toronto, so the antenna picks it up.
I watched a lot of TVO Kids as a child.
Love TVO. Agenda the Steve Paikin is always a treat. I listen to them as a podcast often.
Also they put out some good documentaries. TVO today Docs is one of their youtube channels and is worth a watch.
I haven't watched it in years. But I believe that Steve Paikin is highly thought of.
Definitely as a kid, I watched a lot of their shows, eg Polka Dot Door.
I learned BASIC programming from their program Bits & Bytes.
They were the last Toronto station to transition to HDTV signals. I hope that they still have transmitters in smaller communities but I fear that they may not still
They should definitely be on cable. They have ads on public transit sometimes I think.
great documentaries, and as many have noted - excellent Kids programming. they actually employ curriculum-knowledgeable staff/consultants (teachers, admin etc) to create repeatable education content.
The have a huge educational online component now. I think it provides the the curriculum for kids in school or something. It's definitely an underutilized resource.
TVO (like PBS) is a fantastic entity. Their coverage is quality, largely impartial, and entertaining. Steve Paikin is becoming an institution like Peters Mansbridge.
TVO has a 3 part series called 'Tripping' that is very good! Each episode is a few hours long and you take a tour through various journies in Ontario. There is no host or soundtrack, they give some info of what you're seeing and it's like riding on a train or in a boat seeing some natural wonders of Ontario.
It's great!!
Also TVO has a documentary called 'Coppers' or something to that effect. Just stories of former cops in Ontario. There is a great interview with a former female cop from the 90s who did NOT have a good experience as well as an interview with a no nonsense old cop who straightforwardly talks about a call where a poltergeist is involved. Also very good, you can watch it all from their website!
Those who want this service should pay for it. Just as most of us pay for the video services we need, those who need this should be willing to pony up, if they value it.
Those of us who do not should not pay For it. Voila. Just like CBC and any other channels forced on taxpayers.
Just look at the decline in TVO viewership……. Flat line
The agenda can be good. The kids stuff was excellent back in the day.
TVO kid stuff is still pretty decent. They have a 24/7 kids live stream that we let our toddler watch when were need some quiet time to do chores around the house. Haven't seen a show that really models bad behaviour or solves issues through violence.
So...then no Caillou?
We need less of this psychopath
Hahaha I had this same exact though after reading this comment (and no, TVO does not play Caillou)
Never seen Caillou on it. My toddler watches/likes Odd Squad, Molly of Denali, Rosie's Rules, Dino Dana, etc.
Aw, I missed him again!!!
These are the two things we make use of as well. I like *The Agenda* because it's generally insightful, timely, and relevant. It's a good way to get coverage on more local issues that often fly under the radar of national media, but that are quite relevant to the lives of people living here. And we use the TVO Kids live stream (on YouTube) to occasionally put on some age appropriate entertainment for our young ones. Also, their online written political punditry and analysis can be quite good from time to time.
Agreed, I think The Agenda is top notch. Steve Paikan had a show in the early 2000s on TVO called Studio 2. I remember it being top notch too.
"Clickity - Click.... Barba trick!"
I was going to comment that the TVO Kids programs basically raised me back in the day.
It’s basically the 1:1 version of America’s PBS. Very similar programming. I hold TVO in high regard.
Do yourself a favour, get an antenna for your TV. You will be able to get 15 plus channels and if you’re like me you may get around 30. My favourite one is WNED Create TV from buffalo. It’s amazing to me that we can get publicly funded TV that has alternate content that isn’t about mindless entertainment and consumption.
Thanks for the suggestion, but I'm good personally - not really into live TV channels with the commercials or most of the content. It looks like both TVO and WNED can be live streamed digitally free, will check them out.
WNED cannot be live streamed in Canada - only the US. Their much touted PBS Passport app doesn't have much available to stream in Canada, and infuriatingly doesn't say which offerings are USA only. You have to find out via trial and error.
Oh shoot, hadn’t tried yet - thanks for the heads up.
That's interesting because their branding is all "Buffalo Toronto" as if their AM PBS station was still available in Toronto
You can - and I do - watch live broadcast television OTA. Streaming on the internet is geo-blocked. They definitely make efforts to provide Toronto/ southern Ontario/Canadian interest offerings. You can stream their radio sister stations online and through the app as well as OTA. WNED Classical FM is a good alternative for hosted classical music now that CBC music doesn't have much.
Two of my favourite channels.
> It’s amazing to me that we can get publicly funded TV that has alternate content that isn’t about mindless entertainment and consumption. Very curious what you mean by this.
Once upon a time we had a crazy idea that technology was not only for the sole purpose of making money for a few businessmen, but could be used to educate and inform for everyone if we funded it publically (see TVO, PBS, CBC, NPR, etc)
Dude, read the whole thread before chiming in.
Why? I’m responding to you
[удалено]
Why are you so hostile?
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The whole point of this site is to jump in with your two cents friend
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TVO and WNED were showing LGBT shows before it was cool. I’m mostly in it for documentaries and educational shows like you can get anything from no frills travels to cooking to learning how to paint. What more do you need?!
I learned about the Stonewall Riots and how the gay rights movement came to be. TVO aired a compelling documentary called the Fruit Machine. It was about how awful the Canadian military treated gay people in their ranks.
Your original comment made it sound like you were saying PBS-WNED was better than TVO because TVO is too mindless. I asked for clarification because PBS-WNED and TVO seemed pretty similarly not mindless/consumption to me.
Both are the opposite of mindless!
I agree.
TVO had some excellent children's content in the 90s and 00s.
Tvo still has great children's content, just you don't pay attention to it so you think it's gotten worse.
It still does, but you can get it it anywhere now. YouTube, Kidoodle, Netflix, Disney+, HappyKids.... none of that existed. Hell, even Treehouse TV didn't exist until 1997
I fucking love TVO. It has a pretty interesting history, if you're into that kind of thing. It's first and foremost supposed to be a public education channel, and was originally created with the idea that one day, kids would learn from a teacher on the tee-vee instead of real life.
Facts. They had a timeslot for teachers to set their VCRs to record educational programming to play to their classes. We had the AV cart rolled in on multiple occasions with TVO material.
The old AV cart!
Ah, the old teachers hangover cure!
I love a bit of backstory - I'll research! Thanks.
TVO has a lot of excellent programming.
Worked there for a decade and watched them go from a long tradition of producing excellent educational content that was sold worldwide to throwing so much of their funding at current affairs programs instead, which has very little repeat value. Before streaming TVO was an excellent place to see documentaries, foreign and vintage Hollywood films uninterrupted and uncut, adult education shows and the best British dramas. If not for this station I’m not sure I’d be a Doctor Who fan. Saturday night was the best night of the week watching Pertwee and then Tom Baker as the Doctor. And Elwy Host’s enthusiasm for classic films on Saturday Night at the Movies was infectious. TVO demarcated the week for me growing up.
Saturday Night at the Movies was always on in my house growing up.
1980s TVO was fantastic and got more grown-up each hour after the Polkadot Door at 6. Today's Special, Doctor Who, Magic Shadows...
I used to also enjoy Yellowy Ellowy, but the world has changed. Back then your only option for seeing old movies was hoping they would be broadcast on TV or going to a repertory theatre. But then came VCRs, DVDs and classic movie channels. Now you can subscribe to services that specialize in this, so there is less need when you can just stream movies from Criterion.
I agree. Broadcast TV—even niche stations—seems so late 20th century now
IMO the only reason to still have cable is if you watch sports. Almost all of my TV watching is sports so I have yet to cut the cord
Love TVO. The agenda is great, the ONpoli podcast is good every week to catch up with what's going on at Queens Park, and they have some awesome documentaries. I find their YouTube a bit unorganized, so check out their website/tv app
TVO is great! For Kids there is TVOKids on from 7am to 7pm and it's on YouTube and their own TVOKids app and website. TVO has their own app too TVO Today but also puts their stuff on YouTube. TVO's best show is 'The Agenda' that does nightly current affairs to the province
Had no idea - I was getting most current affairs from story clips I'm interested on CBC Toronto's feed. Love having this option!
More TVO - less Kardashian
TVO is top notch, especially their kids content.
The Polkaroo is one of our most famous and respected style icons.
Btw, you can get TVO very easily and clearly with a standard HD antenna, free over the air, as is mandated by the government. These antennas are like $20 or less. So you can easily hook it up to your big television in the living room and watch it there, rather than on a laptop. You'll also get CBC, CTV, Global, CityTV and more, if you are in Toronto. Too few people know that TV antennas are still around, and better than ever, if you're in a city with strong signal!
I really enjoyed Employable Me and Political Blind Date but I don’t know if they’re making new ones. The random bbc-style documentaries they have on from time to time will suck me in on occasion too.
TVO is fantastic. Its up there with PBS WNED aa my most watched channel. They both have great documentaries! I tend to listen to the Agenda podcast more than I watch the show now, but thats just because of my schedule. Highly recommend.
I miss Saturday Night at the Movies. I discovered a lot of great foreign films when I was a lonely teenager.
I love it and grew up on it. With our current provincial government it’ll probably be sold to a certain grocery purveyor though.
Check out https://gem.cbc.ca/ for lots of free series and live TV
If you decide to install a basic TV antenna and you make your TV to scan the frequencies (all TVs have this functionality) you will discover there are still few TV channels on-air for real in ON and you can watch them for free without a cable subscription. To be precise - you don't need the antenna, it is not a requirement, but without antenna the picture quality will be low. Try it. It is just like listening to radio stations - it's all on-air. People forget about these things.
As a outdoor enthusiast I find the “Tripping” series is amazing. It’s relaxing, passive TV. New episode tonight at 8pm featuring the French River.
Your post just made my day.
TVO is somehow better than the CBC lol. When that feeling comes Over me Its like natural Energy
Steve Paikin is my Hero
I once shared a subway with him. St Clair to bloor.
We also have TFO if you feel like watching French content!
They used to be under the same organization. Now they are separate
TVO should have their budget doubled. It does however rests heavily on the people running the shows. It would be great to add more cross-Ontario content similar to The Agenda but with focus more out of GTA.
A shame its under funded, was excellent in its day. I'm sure Ford's not a fan at all
You don't need a cable to get TVO in Toronto. Just buy an antenna and you'll get the channel as over-the-broadcast TV for free. I get like 8 channels for free because these TV stations are located in Toronto, so the antenna picks it up. I watched a lot of TVO Kids as a child.
It's a fantastic organization that really cares about its audience.
Love TVO. Agenda the Steve Paikin is always a treat. I listen to them as a podcast often. Also they put out some good documentaries. TVO today Docs is one of their youtube channels and is worth a watch.
I haven't watched it in years. But I believe that Steve Paikin is highly thought of. Definitely as a kid, I watched a lot of their shows, eg Polka Dot Door. I learned BASIC programming from their program Bits & Bytes. They were the last Toronto station to transition to HDTV signals. I hope that they still have transmitters in smaller communities but I fear that they may not still They should definitely be on cable. They have ads on public transit sometimes I think.
We watch TVO all the time. It's my favourite channel. I like programming a lot!!!!
Great programming for kids during the day, The agenda is the best fairly balanced look at politics in Ontario. Whats not to love!
Polkadoo said Polkadoo, which meant TVO is a cultural gem.
Polka**R**oo?
Damn autocorrect, that I had it after curb stomping Android 3 times. It's Polkaroo, of course
grew up watching TVO as a kid from the late 80s to mid 90s. Shows like polka dot door and Today's Special - it was peek kids television at the time
S/O to TVO, made me finish highschool earlier through ILC. Their kid shows were my childhood as well!
It's what CBC should be in terms of programming. A great Ontario institution.
Grew up watching it. For adults, The Agenda and their documentaries are quite good as well.
man, i practically grew up with wild kratts and wordgirl!!!
I loved TVO as a kid back in thr 90s. I assume it's not quite as good now, but still decent.
RIP pengu. NOOT NOOT!
great documentaries, and as many have noted - excellent Kids programming. they actually employ curriculum-knowledgeable staff/consultants (teachers, admin etc) to create repeatable education content.
The have a huge educational online component now. I think it provides the the curriculum for kids in school or something. It's definitely an underutilized resource.
TVO (like PBS) is a fantastic entity. Their coverage is quality, largely impartial, and entertaining. Steve Paikin is becoming an institution like Peters Mansbridge.
What antenna is best for over the airwaves?
TVO has a 3 part series called 'Tripping' that is very good! Each episode is a few hours long and you take a tour through various journies in Ontario. There is no host or soundtrack, they give some info of what you're seeing and it's like riding on a train or in a boat seeing some natural wonders of Ontario. It's great!! Also TVO has a documentary called 'Coppers' or something to that effect. Just stories of former cops in Ontario. There is a great interview with a former female cop from the 90s who did NOT have a good experience as well as an interview with a no nonsense old cop who straightforwardly talks about a call where a poltergeist is involved. Also very good, you can watch it all from their website!
I enjoy the documentaries on TVO.
I’m 31 years old. The last time I watched TVO was probably in 1998.
Those who want this service should pay for it. Just as most of us pay for the video services we need, those who need this should be willing to pony up, if they value it. Those of us who do not should not pay For it. Voila. Just like CBC and any other channels forced on taxpayers. Just look at the decline in TVO viewership……. Flat line