Alexander Keith Beer Commercial - Early 2000s

A bit of a whimsical ad for Alexandar Keith beer broadcast in the early 2000s

Alexander Keith's is a brewery in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. It is part of Anheuser-Busch InBev, a holdings company based in Leuven, Belgium, which owns over 400 beer brands globally.

The brewery was founded in 1820 by Alexander Keith who had immigrated from Scotland three years previously. In 1928, the business was sold to Oland Brewery, which was in turn sold to the Labatt Brewing Company. Following a number of mergers and acquisitions, Labatt's is now part of Anheuser-Busch InBev.

Since 1928, parent companies kept the brand alive, and by the 1990s Alexander Keith's India Pale Ale (IPA) was the most popular beer in Nova Scotia. A number of other styles are also marketed. Although Alexander Keith products were originally produced in the Halifax brewery only for sale in the Maritimes, they are now produced at Anheuser-Busch InBev plants across Canada and America.

Archived recipes for beer made by Alexander Keith's Brewery in the early 1900s show high levels of hopping, with large all-malt mash ingredients and no use of corn, typical for beers of that time. In contrast, the modern beer marketed as Alexander Keith's IPA is only 5% alcohol by volume and lightly hopped, which does not meet the accepted criteria for an India pale ale.

2003 Nissan Altima Commercial

 

TV Commercial for the 2003 Nissan Altima

The Altima has historically been larger, more powerful, and more luxurious than the Nissan Sentra but less so than the Nissan Maxima. The first through fourth generation cars were manufactured exclusively in the United States and officially sold in North and South America, along with the Middle East and Australia.

The name "Altima" was originally applied to a top trim line of the Nissan Leopard for the Japanese market in 1986, and then to the Nissan Laurel mid-size car sold in Central America and the Caribbean before 1992. In 1992, Nissan discontinued the Stanza which was a Nissan Bluebird clone, replacing it with the US-built Altima, while remaining a compact car. The first Altima was produced in June 1992, as a 1993 model. All Altima models were built in Smyrna, Tennessee, until June 2004, when Nissan's Canton, Mississippi plant also began producing the model to meet high demand.

The third-generation Altima (chassis model L31) debuted for the 2002 model year. It was the first mass-market product built on Nissan's new FF-L platform, which was unique to North America and had no equivalent model in Japan. The Asian Nissan Teana is similar but not quite identical, designed for Southeast Asian market requirements; all three model lines shared the same platform. The Altima grew significantly for this generation, as interior volume expanded to 118.8 cubic feet (3.36 m3). The Altima's interior dimensions even surpassed that of the higher-end 2000-03 Maxima, so the 2004 Maxima was moved more upscale into the full-size bracket. Also, the biggest in class was the Altima's 20 US gal (76 L; 17 imp gal) fuel tank. Additionally, the Altima upgraded its rear suspension to a multi-link type and its brakes to 4-wheel discs. This was the first generation to offer a V6 engine.

2003–2004 models received two-tone dash color, and the 3.5 SE received an upgrade in horsepower, from 240 hp (179 kW) to 245 hp (183 kW), though torque stayed the same at 246 lb-ft (334 N⋅m). 2002–2004 models with manual gearbox were the lightest of the V6 (4DR) cars. The 2.5-liter 4-cylinder engine accelerated the sedan from 0–60 mph (97 km/h) in 8.6 seconds.

Radio Shack (Canada) Commercial - early 2000's

 

Radio Shack commercial broadcast sometime in the early 2000s

The Source Electronics Inc., doing business as The Source, is a Canadian consumer electronics and cell phone retail chain. The chain goes back over 40 years in Canada, initially as Radio Shack and later as The Source by Circuit City. The Source is now owned by BCE Inc., which purchased the assets of InterTAN from its parent, American retailer Circuit City, in 2009. 

The Source began as the Canadian branch of Radio Shack (later "RadioShack"). The chain was originally owned by Radio Shack's American parent company Tandy Corporation but was spun off in June 1986, along with the rest of Tandy's international operations, as InterTAN. A licensing agreement with what became RadioShack Corporation allowed InterTAN to continue to use the chain's name and logo. 

In 2004 InterTAN was acquired by Circuit City. In 2005, Circuit City announced that the stores would be renamed The Source by Circuit City. The rebranding process was completed in the majority of the chain's Canadian stores by July 1, 2005. The chain also introduced new house brands, including Nexxtech and Vital, in place of RadioShack store brands.

In February 2007, The Source announced it would close down 62 low-volume stores across Canada. On March 30, 2007, Circuit City announced to its shareholders that it was seeking options including selling off the InterTAN/The Source subsidiary to cut losses. On November 10, 2008, InterTAN sought protection from its creditors, after Circuit City filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

Circuit City announced on January 16, 2009, that its namesake U.S. stores would be liquidated. The Source was not affected by the announcement, and a process followed to sell the Canadian operations as a going concern.

On March 2, 2009, Canadian telecommunications firm Bell Canada announced it would acquire The Source and continue to operate it as an independent division. The acquisition was completed July 1 for the final purchase price of $135 million US, following which the chain removed the "by Circuit City" from its name. Prior to January 2010, the stores sold mobile phone services from Bell's main competitor, Rogers Wireless; at that point, the chain began to exclusively market Bell-owned wireless (including value brand Virgin Mobile), television, and internet services.

Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) PSA 2003

 

PSA for the services provided by Canadian Mortgage and Housing CMHC broadcast in 2003

Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) is a Crown Corporation of the Government of Canada. Its superseding agency was established after World War II, to help returning war veterans find housing. It has since expanded its mandate to assist housing for all Canadians. The organization's primary goals are to provide mortgage liquidity, assist in affordable housing development, and provide unbiased research and advice to the Canadian government, and the housing industry.

Twix Candy Commercial 1991

 Commercial for TWIX candy bars broadcast in 1991

Twix is a caramel shortbread chocolate bar made by Mars, Inc., consisting of a biscuit applied with other confectionery toppings and coatings (most frequently caramel and milk chocolate). Twix is packaged with one, two, or four bars in a wrapper, the new slogan for Twix is "Try both. Pick a side." Miniature and other variations of Twix bars are also available.

The product was first produced in the United Kingdom in 1967 and introduced in the United States in 1979. 

Molson Export Commercial 1991

Beer Commercial for Molson Export broadcast in 1991

Molson Export beer is a Canadian ale brewed by Molson at a strength of 5% alcohol by volume. First brewed in 1903, Molson Export is the oldest surviving of the Molson beer brands.

The beer was named Molson Export because the brewers deemed it of such high quality that it was good enough to be exported and was even better than the imports that were in high demand at the time. In 1955, the boat on the label was chosen to replace the previous anchor and crown logo.

CJOH TV Morning Sign On 1998

Start of broadcast day for CJOH Ottawa in 1998

Founded by Ernie Bushnell, CJOH signed on for the first time on March 12, 1961. Initially, studio facilities were located at 29 Bayswater Avenue (45.4067°N 75.7204°W) until that September when operations were shifted over several weeks to a $2 million (CA$) complex at 1500 Merivale.

It acquired former Cornwall, Ontario CBC affiliate CJSS-TV as a rebroadcaster in 1963, making CJSS the first television station in Canada to cease operations. The channel 6 transmitter in Deseronto became operational in 1972 to serve the Kingston and Belleville markets. Standard Broadcasting owned the station from 1975 to 1987; that year, after a CRTC decision authorized Baton Broadcasting to launch a new independent station in Ottawa, Standard responded to the potential new competition by selling CJOH to Baton, who then surrendered the new independent license. Baton was renamed CTV Inc. in 1998 after gaining control of the CTV network the preceding year. CTV in turn would be purchased by Bell Canada and folded into Bell Globemedia, now Bell Media, in 2001.

2003 Pontiac Sunfire Canadian TV Commercial

Broadcast on Canadian TV stations in 2003

The Pontiac Sunfire is a compact car by Pontiac that was introduced in the 1995 model year to replace the Sunbird. Not only was the name changed, but dramatic styling changes were included as well. The new styling was shared with the redesigned Chevrolet Cavalier. The J platform was updated structurally to meet more stringent safety standards for the 1996 model year.

The Pontiac Sunfire went through two facelifts in its 11-year run: a small redesign in 2000 featuring the heavy plastic cladding look that was prevalent with Pontiac at the time and a more streamlined update in 2003. In the US, the coupe was the only model available from 2003 to 2005. The sedan continued to be sold in Canada and Mexico until the end of production on June 22, 2005. GM replaced the Sunfire with the G5 for the 2006 model year in Canada and the 2007 model year in the United States.

Dominion Supermarkets Commercial - 2003

Dominion was a national chain of supermarkets in Canada, which was known as the Dominion of Canada when the chain was founded. The chain was founded in 1919 in Ontario and was later acquired by the Argus Corporation. It was later sold to The Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company (A&P), which restricted the chain to the Greater Toronto Area. Stores outside Ontario were converted to the A&P banner or sold to third parties. A&P's Canadian division was later acquired by Metro Inc., which rebranded the remaining Dominion stores to its namesake banner in 2008.

WWTI Watertown NY ID 1991

WWTI Watertown NY ID 1991

The station was signed on January 3, 1988, as WFYF. Airing an analog signal on UHF channel 50, replaced a low-powered translator of Utica's ABC affiliate WUTR previously on the allotment. The station was the third outlet established in Watertown after WWNY-TV and WNPE-TV (now WPBS-TV). Prior to WFYF's launch, WWNY was a secondary ABC affiliate and also served Massena and Malone along with WIXT-TV (now WSYR) from Syracuse.

At its sign-on, WFYF took over the operation of repeater W25AB channel 25 in Massena to better serve the St. Lawrence River Valley. However, WVNY in Burlington, Vermont eventually launched a translator (W60AF channel 60) of its own in Malone. WFYF also operated a second repeater (W25AB channel 25) in order to expand its reach in and around Watertown.

In addition to being an ABC affiliate from the start, it shared a secondary NBC affiliation with WWNY until 1995, and also shared a secondary Fox affiliation with WWNY. While the latter cleared more of NBC and/or Fox's programming offerings, WFYF aired NBC Sports' coverage of National Football League (NFL) games on Sunday afternoons, which lasted until 1995 when it began airing Fox Sports' NFL games (in addition to carrying Monday Night Football through ABC). Its original ownership team consisted of several investors including General Manager David James Alteri, Steven Fox, and Richard Kimball. After the station went bankrupt under the initial partnership, it was sold to Robert Smith of Smith Broadcasting in 1990 and the current call sign WWTI was adopted September 14. A new General Manager, Shelly Markoff, took control of operations.

Harmony in the Woods Commercial Early 2000's

Local TV Commercial as broadcast on WWNY Watertown New York for a local concert in the park featuring the Syracuse Symphony Orchestra

The Syracuse Symphony Orchestra (SSO) was a 79-member orchestra located in Syracuse, New York. In its time it was the 43rd largest orchestra in the United States and performed a variety of programs including the Post-Standard Classics Series and M&T Bank Pops Series. The orchestra also operated two youth orchestras in the Syracuse area: the Syracuse Symphony Youth Orchestra and the Syracuse Symphony Youth String Orchestra.

It was founded in 1961 as a community orchestra by a grant from the Gifford Foundation. Its first Music Director was Karl Kritz, assisted by Benson Snyder and Carolyn Hopkins. In its first season, it performed four subscription concerts at the Lincoln High School and eight young people's concerts plus one pops concert. By the end of its third season, permanent chamber groups had been formed - a string quartet, a woodwind quintet, a brass quintet and a percussion ensemble.

Assisted by a Ford Foundation Challenge Grant, their budget grew, and recordings were regularly being broadcast on WONO-FM. A new location was found for their regular concerts at Henninger High School, while regional concerts in Watertown, Rome and Cortland followed. In 1975, the orchestra moved into its last home, the Crouse Hinds Theater in the John H. Mulroy Civic Center Theaters at Oncenter.

In 2011, the Syracuse Symphony Orchestra filed Chapter 7 bankruptcy; a core group of forty musicians continued as self-managed Symphony Syracuse. On December 14, 2012, musician-owned and operated organization Musical Associates of Central New York announced their new orchestra in Syracuse, named Symphoria.