Editing TFO (section)

==History==
When [[TVO]] (then known as TVOntario) launched in 1970, it aired French-language programming on Sundays from noon until sign-off.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.broadcasting-history.ca/index3.html?url=http%3A//www.broadcasting-history.ca/listings_and_histories/television/histories.php%3Fid%3D6%26historyID%3D27 |title=History of Broadcasting Timeline |access-date=May 7, 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140508061355/http://www.broadcasting-history.ca/index3.html?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.broadcasting-history.ca%2Flistings_and_histories%2Ftelevision%2Fhistories.php%3Fid%3D6%26historyID%3D27 |archive-date=May 8, 2014 }}</ref>  By the 1980s, the provincial government concluded that a separate francophone educational network was needed to prevent the "ghettoization" of the Franco-Ontarian community.<ref name=folklore>"TVO launches new French network 'It is important that we guard against the ghettoization of French Ontario, its reduction to mere folklore'". ''[[The Globe and Mail]]'', December 31, 1986.</ref>

In 1985, the Ontario Ministry of Municipal and Cultural Affairs, together with Communications Canada, approved the creation of an Ontario-based French-language educational television network. At the time, the only portions of Ontario with access to a dedicated francophone educational television service were the [[National Capital Region (Canada)|National Capital Region]] and the [[Ottawa Valley]], which were served by [[Télé-Québec|Radio-Québec]] outlet [[CIVO-TV]] in [[Hull, Quebec|Hull]]. In 1986, the new network received its broadcast licence from the [[Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission]] (CRTC). On January 1, 1987, this network was officially launched by the Ontario Educational Communications Authority under the name '''La Chaîne TVO''' (primarily known on-air as '''La Chaîne'''). In 1997, La Chaîne was renamed '''TFO''' (short for '''Télévision française de l'Ontario'''). The company would remain a part of TVO until 2007 when it was transferred to the Ontario French-language Educational Communications Authority, a separate crown corporation. It is the only French-language television broadcaster in Canada headquartered outside Quebec.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.broadcasting-history.ca/index3.html?url=http%3A//www.broadcasting-history.ca/programming/History_of_Educational_Broadcasting.html |title=History of Educational Broadcasting |access-date=May 7, 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140508061357/http://www.broadcasting-history.ca/index3.html?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.broadcasting-history.ca%2Fprogramming%2FHistory_of_Educational_Broadcasting.html |archive-date=May 8, 2014 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://cartt.ca/article/tfo-break-away-tvo-april-1-ontario-government-announces |title=TFO to break away from TVO on April 1, Ontario government announces |date=March 23, 2007 |access-date=May 7, 2014 |publisher=Cartt}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/arts/tfo-to-be-stand-alone-french-network-1.656240 |publisher=CBC |title=TFO to be stand-alone French network |date=March 30, 2007 |access-date=May 7, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.otelfo.org/historique/ |title=Historique |access-date=May 7, 2014 |language=fr |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140508025453/http://www.otelfo.org/historique/ |archive-date=May 8, 2014 }}</ref>

For the first decade of La Chaîne's operations, TVO's existing practice of broadcasting in French on Sundays continued, and La Chaîne aired English-language programming during the same time block. This was because La Chaîne was only available on cable at first, and the government wanted to ensure that Franco-Ontarian viewers without cable still had access to a block of French-language programming while making English TVO programs available on La Chaîne for those who wanted them.<ref name=folklore /> As transmitters were added in several French-speaking communities, the practice was discontinued in the mid-1990s.

[[Image:TFO old.PNG|right|thumb|TFO's second logo from 1997 to 2001]]
In addition to being carried throughout Ontario on cable and via over-the-air transmitters in some communities, in October 1997 TFO began broadcasting in [[New Brunswick]] via select cable companies in that province.<ref>[http://playbackonline.ca/1996/10/07/5686-19961007/ "News Brief: TFO in N.B."]. ''[[Playback (magazine)|Playback]]'', October 7, 1997.</ref> New Brunswick was the first jurisdiction other than Ontario where TFO was offered.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.crtc.gc.ca/eng/archive/1997/DB97-573.htm |access-date=May 7, 2014 |publisher=CRTC |title=ARCHIVED - Decision CRTC 97-573 |date=October 2, 1997}}</ref> TFO would later be broadcast into parts of Quebec as well.<ref name=GM /> In 1998, the station began broadcasting nationally via both national satellite companies, Bell ExpressVu and Star Choice, now known as [[Bell Satellite TV]] and [[Shaw Direct]], respectively. In August 2008, Star Choice removed TFO from its lineup.<ref>[http://www.cyberpresse.ca/arts/200809/08/01-662741-tfo-nest-plus-diffuse-par-star-choice.php TFO n'est plus diffusé par Star Choice] La Presse 2008-08-29 {{in lang|fr}}</ref> In 1999, TFO's parent company at the time, The Ontario Educational Communications Authority, applied to the CRTC for mandatory carriage of TFO in the province of Quebec, in addition to a carriage fee, which other over-the-air services do not receive. However, the CRTC denied its application in March 2000.<ref>[http://www.crtc.gc.ca/eng/archive/2000/DB2000-72.htm Decision CRTC 2000-72]. CRTC, March 1, 2000.</ref> That year Jacques Bensimon, co-founder of the network and managing director of the network since 1986 (before it became its own channel), resigned from the position. Over his tenure, he formed relationships between TFO and French-language networks in Europe, in order to share content. This included co-producing content with the [[BBC]], [[France 2]] and [[Channel 4]] in the UK.<ref name=GM>{{cite news |url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/father-of-tfo-bids-adieu/article768429/?page=all |author=Sarah Hampson |access-date=May 7, 2014 |date=June 22, 2000 |title='Father of TFO' bids adieu |newspaper=The Globe and Mail}}</ref>
 
[[Image:TFO 2001 Logo.svg|thumb|150px|TFO's third logo from 2001 to 2012]]
[[Image:TFO 2012 Logo.svg|thumb|150px|TFO's fourth logo from 2012 to 2020]]
As part of a restructuring of TVO announced by the [[Dalton McGuinty|McGuinty]] government on June 29, 2006,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cnw.ca/en/releases/archive/June2006/29/c7102.html|title=TVOntario restructuring}}</ref> TFO was taken over by a new, separate provincial [[Crown corporation]], the Ontario French-Language Educational Communications Authority (''Office des télécommunications éducatives de langue française de l’Ontario'' or ''OTÉLFO'')<ref>[http://www.tfo.org/cfmx/tfoorg/tfo/a_propos_de_tfo/communiques/index.cfm?details&id=11385 TFO press release], April 23, 2007 {{in lang|fr}}</ref> in 2007, with separate management and its own budget.<ref name=overhaul>{{cite web | url=http://www.tvontario.org/pressrls/MinistryEd_Rel_Eng.pdf | title=McGuinty Government Transforms TVOntario | publisher=[[Ministry of Education (Ontario)|Ontario Ministry of Education]] | date=2006-06-29 | access-date=2006-06-29 | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070808180040/http://www.tvontario.org/pressrls/MinistryEd_Rel_Eng.pdf | archive-date=2007-08-08 }}</ref> Although the licence transfer was not officially approved by the CRTC until June 28, 2007, TFO nonetheless announced its autonomy from TVO effective April 1.<ref>[http://www.tfo.org/cfmx/tfoorg/tfo/a_propos_de_tfo/communiques/index.cfm?details&id=10833 TFO press release], March 23, 2007 {{in lang|fr}}</ref> GroupeMédia TFO is funded mainly by the Government of Ontario, through the Ministry of Education, with an annual budget of $31 million.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.fin.gov.on.ca/fr/budget/paccts/2011/11vol2afr.pdf |title=Archived copy |access-date=2012-01-10 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140228101126/http://www.fin.gov.on.ca/fr/budget/paccts/2011/11vol2afr.pdf |archive-date=2014-02-28 |url-status=dead }}</ref>  Additional contributions have been made by the Government of Manitoba since the channel was added to cable services in that province in 2010.<ref>[http://www.noslangues-ourlanguages.gc.ca/collaborateurs-contributors/articles/chaine-chain-manitoba-eng.html "Official Launch of TFO in Manitoba"]. Government of Manitoba Francophone Affairs Secretariat and Bureau de l'éducation française, August 30, 2010.</ref>

In 2010, then TFO CEO [[Claudette Paquin]] was awarded the [[Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages|Commissioner of Official Language]]'s [[Award of Excellence – Promotion of Linguistic Duality]] for her leadership in TFO's transition to more autonomy, and the work the channel has done to promote the development of the Franco-Ontarian community.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ocol-clo.gc.ca/en/news/speeches/2010/2010-10-23|title=Notes for the presentation of the Award of Excellence – Promotion of Linguistic Duality 2009-2010 at AFO's 100th Anniversary Gala|last=Fraser|first=Graham|website=www.ocol-clo.gc.ca|publisher=Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages|language=en|access-date=2018-03-16}}</ref>

In April 2016, TFO announced that it had established a partnership with [[Louisiana Public Broadcasting]] to syndicate 14 hours per-week of French-language children's programming to the broadcaster's LPB2 service. The partnership is designed to appeal to Louisiana's strong [[Louisiana French|French heritage]] and [[French immersion]] programs.<ref name="advocate-tfolpb">{{cite web|title=French language television shows, popular with Canadian students, now available for Louisiana viewers|url=http://theadvocate.com/news/acadiana/15565245-129/french-language-television-shows-popular-with-canadian-students-now-available-for-louisiana-viewers|website=The Advocate|access-date=24 April 2016}}</ref><ref>[http://www.broadcastermagazine.com/acquisition/groupe-media-tfo-inks-distribution-deal-louisiana-public-broadcasting/1004122152/ "Groupe Media TFO Inks Distribution Deal with Louisiana Public Broadcasting"]. ''Broadcaster'', April 21, 2016.</ref>

In December 2024, Xavier Brassard-Bédard, a former chief editor and director of [[TVA Nouvelles]] and [[La Canal Nouvelles|LCN]], was appointed as TFO's new chief executive officer.<ref>Jonathan Bouchard, [https://ici.radio-canada.ca/nouvelle/2127506/xavier-brassard-bedard-pdg-tfo "Xavier Brassard-Bédard nommé à la tête de TFO"]. [[Ici Radio-Canada]], December 17, 2024.</ref>