Canadian TV stations change hands

The upheaval began in Hamilton, Ontario, where viewers of CHCH-TV saw their usual American-originating gossip shows from E! Entertainment Networks replaced with a marathon screening of Sylvester Stallone's "Rocky" movies to signal indie broadcaster Channel Zero has acquired the TV station from former owner Canwest Global Communications Corp.

And Montreal's CJNT-TV station, which Channel Zero picked up along with CHCH-TV for a combined price tag of $12, has started airing foreign music videos and movies to replace U.S. series like "Deal or No Deal" and "That '70s Show" as part of its ethnic programming format.

As Canwest Global's E!-branded network is disconnected, separate local TV stations in Red Deer, Alberta, and Victoria, British Columbia, are set to go dark at 12:01 a.m. Tuesday as those stations failed to find recent buyers before their TV licenses expire on Tuesday.

And Kelowna, British Columbia, station CHBC-TV on Monday began broadcasting as an affiliate of CanWest Global's Global Television network.