BANFF – The federal government is promising better governance and more stable funding for the Canadian Television Fund and has begun addressing those needs with an announcement of $100 million worth of support to the CTF for 2006-07.
Heritage Minister Liza Frulla announced the news as part of a speedy visit to the Banff World Television Festival today.
In a speech moved back one day to Sunday, to allow the politician to be in parliament for Monday morning (never know when those pesky votes might happen…), Frulla hit four main points. First, an oft-heard pledge to secure stable funding…
Continue Reading
PARIS – On Friday, a bunch of international government types signed off on something called the Preliminary Draft Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions.
The statement from Heritage Minister Liza Frulla’s on Friday called the draft convention – which would make sure the rights of national governments to take measures to protect its culture (such as our Canadian content rules in our broadcast policies) supersede any other international agreements – “a victory for Canada and cultural diversity.”
However, one wonders about the strength of such a claim of victory given the world’s largest…
Continue Reading
TORONTO – Telecom lawyer Lorne Abugov used this week’s Canadian Telecom Summit to launch Canada’s Telecommunications Hall of Fame.
While other industries have their own way to recognize their pioneers and leaders, the 160-year-old Canadian telecom industry has been lacking, says Abugov.
“The Canadian telecommunications industry has a rich heritage of achievement, invention and innovation that predates confederation,” says Abugov, the hall’s founder and senior telecom law partner with Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt, pointing to Canadian success stories like Alexander Graham Bell and Waterloo’s Research In Motion, makers of the Blackberry.
“There are few industries in Canada, or even…
Continue Reading
AT A UNESCO MEETING in Paris from May 25 to June 3, negotiations will resume on the draft Convention on the Protection of the Diversity of Cultural Contents and Artistic Expressions. I believe this is a good time to examine what is at stake for Canada – particularly since on May 21 we celebrate World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development.
The draft convention has considerable importance for the future of our culture, our languages and indeed our identity. The strength of our identity derives from the tools we have to promote the vitality of our own…
Continue Reading
THE WORD DIGITAL IS A conundrum to Canadian broadcasters of any stripe.
It means digital specialty channels, or digital migration of analog channels, or digital over-the-air TV (better known as high definition), or even digital audio.
Investing in digital is an expensive proposition. For an over-the-air broadcaster there is no immediate return on investment in upgrading to HD, so many here haven’t done it. Consumers are forcing that change, meaning HD Cancon should be in the offing this fall..
On the radio side, any transition to digital audio broadcasting (DAB) was halted last year once the CRTC decided to…
Continue Reading
TORONTO – In a move designed to give it a huge jump-start into the local telephony market, Rogers Communications announced today a friendly takeover of Call-Net Enterprises, whose brand is Sprint Canada.
The all-stock deal has been recommended by the Call-Net board. Surf back to www.cartt.ca for more on this deal once the principals meet the media.
“Under the terms of the agreement, Call-Net Common and Class B shareholders will receive a fixed exchange ratio of one RCI Class B Non-voting share for each 4.25 outstanding shares of Call-Net, representing a fully diluted equity value of approximately $330 million,”…
Continue Reading
OTTAWA – Letting the F-word slip through, even if it’s a Cancon f***, is a no-no, says Canadian Broadcast Standards Council. But times, they could be-a-changin’ it cautioned.
The council today released its decision concerning the broadcast of the song “Locked in the Trunk of a Car” by the Tragically Hip aired on CHOM-FM (Montreal). The song was broadcast at approximately 3:15 pm and contained the phrase “f**ked up,” says the release.
The CBSC Quebec Regional Panel found the broadcast in breach of the Canadian Association of Broadcasters’ (CAB) Code of Ethics.
The CBSC received a complaint from a…
Continue Reading
LIFE IN OTTAWA ISN’T easy for those pushing their agenda on a government which has but one goal for the moment: Stay. In. Power.
Communications policy – well, any policy really – is in limbo as the minority Liberal government tries to save its own skin in the face of Adscam and the Gomery Inquiry.
What that means is of the dozens of things on Canadian Cable Telecommunications Association president Michael Hennessy’s plate right now, many are leftovers, sure to be in need of re-heating again after what’s expected to be another federal election this spring or early summer….
Continue Reading
OTTAWA-GATINEAU – As reported last week by www.cartt.ca, Astral Media executive Michel Arpin has been appointed as vice-chair, broadcasting at the CRTC.
As predicted here last week, Arpin is Astral’s senior advisor of government and regulatory affairs and spent from 1971 to 1979 at the Commission (overlapping current chair Charles Dalfen’s ’70s tenure there).
While at the CRTC in the 1970s, Arpin held the positions of director of operations and director general, programming. He has also served as vice-chair and chair of the Canadian Association of Broadcasters, as director and secretary general of BBM, president of the Association canadienne…
Continue Reading
OTTAWA – While cable companies, telcos and others roll out service upon service, and have now made convergence a reality, government policy must reflect that, says the Canadian Cable Telecommunications Association.
In its just-released annual report aptly entitled, On Demand, the CCTA points out how its members have launched voice services to go along with their digital cable and high speed Internet offerings – and in some cases, wireless, too.
A source of frustration to the industry as well have been the several Parliament Hill committees, often operating in their own little traditional silos. Recently, there are, or have…
Continue Reading
