September 9, 2020 marks the twentieth anniversary of broadcasting for
Toronto's only independent television station,
Star Ray TV.
When it launched back in 2000, media pundits predicted the station would
only last a couple of months. But this "David" has outlived many "Goliaths,"
including Rogers TV, Toronto One, Sun TV, and arguably even Citytv.
 Star Ray TV's founder,
Jan Pachul, continues to deliver free, 24/7, community-inspired on-air
programming, to households in Toronto and beyond. "We've come a long way from
our early years to become the digital broadcast station we are today," says Jan.
"We're the only free-spirited woof left-arf, arf, arf," barks beloved mascot
Shadow the Wonder Dog. Star Ray TV provides unique, locally relevant
programming not available anywhere else-a true alternative to the
corporate-controlled content regularly seen on the majority of channels that
dominate our television screens.
The telecaster is carried by satellite worldwide and on cable in parts of
Europe, the Middle East, and Asia, "but we can't get on the cable in our
hometown of Toronto," ventures Jan Pachul. "The Canadian cable industry would
rather put on stations they own like 'zombie' channels that air the same
programming over and over again every day."
In the meantime, Star Ray continues to offer its eclectic programming on
virtual UHF channel 15.1. Picking up the station is as easy as hooking up an
antenna to your TV and running an antenna signal scan. With people growing tired
of the fare on cable--and wanting to save thousands of dollars--more and more
Torontonians are getting their TV for free, and tuning into Star Ray.
While the pandemic has made coverage of local events impossible, in the past
the station has covered community events like parades, hockey games, and
political debates. Still, Star Ray TV has several years' worth of programming
that hasn't aired yet. The station carries on showing the best in Canadian and
locally produced content, plus sensational movies from around the world every
night starting at 11 pm ET.
"Star Ray TV will continue to be local, live, relevant, fun, and
community-driven", states Jan. "This is about media democracy, and that has
never been as important as it is now in these challenging times. This is
old fashioned TV, the way it used to be; the way it should be."
For more information, please contact Jan Pachul directly at
(416) 987-5491, webmail:
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