WTSN
From Free net encyclopedia
- For the local television station in Evansville, Indiana, see WTSN-LP.
WTSN is a now defunct Canadian category 1 digital cable television channel dedicated to presenting women in sports. It was believed to be the world's first television service dedicated solely to women's sports.
The network was headed by pioneering Canadian sports broadcaster Sue Prestedge.
Owned by Bell Globemedia and ESPN as a spinoff of TSN (The Sports Network), WTSN first began broadcasting in September 2001 but ceased operations on 30 September 2003, due to lack of expected growth and revenue.
However, Bell Globemedia has never officially surrendered the station's license, and as recently as January of 2005, filed an intervention with the CRTC against a proposed license amendment for Fox Sports World Canada that may have impacted on WTSN's mandate. It is, thus, possible — albeit not currently likely — that the channel may relaunch in the future if economic conditions are found to be more favourable.
WTSN presumably stood for "Women's TSN", and hence "Women's The Sports Network". Due to the inherent grammatical problems in this, some have suggested that it was an acronym for "Women's Television Sports Network". The slogan actually used by WTSN in promotions was different yet again, "Women's Sports Television", although this would not correspond with the WTSN acronym.