SINCE SEPTEMBER IS OFTEN viewed as the “new year” for those in the television business, we’ve used Labour Day week each year since Cartt.ca’s launch in 2005 to look back at the top stories of the past 12 months.
It’s good fun and very instructive for us at Cartt.ca to pause, study and see what resonated with readers among the approximately 2,000 stories we have published since September 1, 2010 (that’s almost eight per working day).
In examining our analytics to see just what stories were most-viewed between September 1, 2010 and August 31, 2011,, it’s not surprising to see the usage-based-billing issue and the next spectrum auction make appearances. What was a little surprising is that none of our stories from the CRTC’s Vertical Integration hearing made the top 25. Collectively, that coverage was very well-read, but the stories and series’ you see below were even more popular.
The top three stories of the year were: Our feature interview with Wind Mobile’s Anthony Lacavera published just last month (and judging from some of the unofficial feedback I’ve received, it caused some boardroom grumbling among his competitors); our exclusive feature with Rogers Communications’ Phil Lind (whose interview beat out that of his CEO Nadir Mohamed), and my opinion piece from back in February which slammed certain politicians while saying usage-based-billing was “dead” (hmmm… I may be wrong there).
Topping all of those, however, was total overall readership of our newest series, Cartt.ca INVESTIGATES, where we went deep on Television Advertising, Cord-Cutting/Over-The-Top and the State of Canadian Content. There’s more to come from that series, by the way.
What you’ll read below confirms what we’ve always believed, that you, the folks in the cable, radio, television and telecom industries want to read original, thoughtful stories that explore issues closest to your careers. So please enjoy our annual look back, shown in chronological order, below.
As always, we are wide open to your suggestions, kudos, criticisms, comment and story ideas (for example, what topic would YOU like to see analyzed in the next Cartt.ca INVESTIGATES?). Please e-mail us at editorial@cartt.ca.
And to all of our readers and advertisers, thanks so much for your ongoing support!
– Greg O’Brien, editor and publisher
EXCLUSIVE: New research shows 41% of Canadian wireless customers want to switch
700 MHz auction: "Bring it on," says Rogers
Facing constant fumbles, Wind wants softer handoffs from Rogers, asks CRTC to referee
Shaw Media continues restructuring, sheds execs
Obituary: Broadcast, distribution industry remembers Darrell Atherley
Cartt.ca IN-DEPTH: Jay Switzer, TV Brat, begins anew
Obituary: CityTV voice and anchor Mark Dailey
"We do not traffic shape downstream traffic," says Rogers
Shaw to launch new media gateway product in May (UPDATED)
Cartt.ca IN-DEPTH: Smashing the CBC’s silos hasn’t been easy, says CEO Hubert T. Lacroix
OPINION: UBB, wholesale or retail, is dead
Cartt.ca IN-DEPTH: Brad knows this is not his father’s (or brother’s) Shaw Communications
UPDATE: Rogers buys Compton Communications
OBITUARY: Cable pioneer Owen Boris remembered as "one-of-a-kind"
Shaw asks to unite cable, satellite divisions
Cartt.ca IN-DEPTH: "Canadian broadcasting should be Canadian," says first CRTC chair, Pierre Juneau
Shaw dramatically boosts broadband bit caps; fuelled by full digital cable conversion by August 2012
Cartt.ca IN-DEPTH: Phil Lind on fee-for-carriage, Regs, growth, and what Ted would think of the iPad
Cartt.ca INVESTIGATES: Television Advertising
Cartt.ca INVESTIGATES: Cord-Cutting/Over-The-Top Video
Cartt.ca INVESTIGATES: The State of Canadian Content
Cartt.ca IN-DEPTH: Rogers Communications president and CEO Nadir Mohamed
