Search Results for: Canadian Heritage

Cable / Telecom News

Boyer to join Videotron

OTTAWA – Charles Boyer, vice-president, external and governmental relations at the Canadian Association of Broadcasters left the association this month. He will be joining Videotron help lead the company’s regulatory team in Ottawa, cartt.ca has learned. Prior to his role at the CAB, which he joined in 2003, Boyer was executive assistant to former Canadian Heritage Minister Sheila Copps. Continue Reading

Radio / Television News

Feds uphold CRTC’s Vancouver ethnic radio license decisions

OTTAWA – The Government of Canada Wednesday dismissed complaints filed with the Governor in Council over two CRTC decisions awarding Vancouver radio station licenses. On July 21, 2005, the CRTC awarded a radio license to South Asian Broadcasting Corporation Inc. to operate a new commercial specialty FM (ethnic) radio station at Vancouver at 93.1 MHz aimed at the South Asian community. The same day, it also approved an AM radio application by I.T. Productions Ltd. for a new station at 1200 kHz also targeting Vancouver’s South Asian communities. “The decisions… were found to be consistent with the policy objectives… Continue Reading

Cable / Telecom News

Local radio on cable “should remain a cornerstone”, says CAB

OTTAWA – The CRTC Wednesday extended the commentary process on the cable industry’s request to kill the mandatory carriage requirement of local FM radio stations. As first reported by www.cartt.ca, the Canadian Cable Telecommunications Association has asked the CRTC to repeal section 22 of the Broadcast Distribution Regulations which say that Class 1 and 2 cable systems must carry all local FM stations in their market on their cable plant. The CCTA told the Commission that about 4% of cable subscribers listen to the radio over cable and that its members could better use the plant capacity to… Continue Reading

Radio / Television News

RTNDA launches diversity campaign

TORONTO – A nation-wide radio and television campaign to promote cultural diversity in the news media was launched today by the Radio-Television News Directors Association. A series of announcements will begin airing on radio and television in the coming weeks, promoting awareness and support of diverse news operations. “We hope this campaign will make people aware of the fact that a diverse culture is what Canada is all about, and that the news media is keen to properly reflect that diversity,” said Terry Scott, president of RTNDA Canada, in the press release. According to Statistics Canada, our foreign-born population… Continue Reading

Radio / Television News

Quebec culture ministry to lead look at technology’s impact in 2006

OTTAWA – One vague paragraph from multi-faceted release from the Department of Canadian Heritage late Friday says the provinces, led by Quebec, will soon delve into the impact new technologies are having and will have on Canadian cultural policies. The communiqué – one of those nebulous press releases where everyone’s agreed to agree upon – came out of a meeting this week between federal and provincial cultural ministers in Banff and covered many issues, from museums to tourism. The paragraph the Canadian cable, radio, television and telecom industry might be concerned with says: “Quebec agreed to take the lead… Continue Reading

Radio / Television News

Cabinet decides not to meddle in satellite radio decision

GATINEAU – Now that the two new Canadian satellite radio companies were scared into committing to more French language channels (going from three to four, or half of the Canadian channels they each will have), the federal cabinet issued a statement today saying it won’t interfere with the CRTC decision on the matter. After two months of enormous lobbying pressure from all sides, as reported extensively by www.cartt.ca, Minister of Canadian Heritage Liza Frulla and Minister of Industry David Emerson late this afternoon said that cabinet decided to let the decision stand. After looking at several… Continue Reading

Radio / Television News

Frulla forwards Fournier for CBC chairman

OTTAWA – Writer Guy Fournier has been proposed as the next chairman of the board of the CBC by Canadian Heritage Minister Liza Frulla. Fournier will now face the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage for approval, which is basically a rubber-stamp. Fournier replaces Carole Taylor, who quit earlier this year to enter provincial politics in British Columbia. “I am pleased to recommend such a distinguished Quebecker and Canadian like Mr. Fournier for this important role,” said Minister Frulla in her press release. “It goes without saying that his vast experience in newspapers, film, television and the theatre will be of… Continue Reading

Radio / Television News

CSR and Sirius pledge 50-50 English-French channels

MONTREAL – Canadian Satellite Radio and Sirius Canada have announced they will each carry an equal number of English and French stations when they launch. As part of their conditions of licence, each satellite radio service is required to launch with at least eight Canadian channels, one-quarter of them in French. Both services said today they will voluntarily increase that to half. Also, if they add any new Canadian services in the first 24 months of operation, they pledge to add an equal number of English and French. “It has always been our intent to ensure satellite radio further strengthens Canadian… Continue Reading

Radio / Television News

Want a good part-time broadcasting job? Here’s the posting

OTTAWA – The job of chair of the CBC has been open since past chair Carole Taylor decided to get into politics in British Columbia. CBC CEO Robert Rabinovitch has been filling in but the federal government has decided now’s the time for a new chair. So, if you’re interested… the posting is out today. Time for the speculating on who’ll get the post to begin. CANADIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION Chairperson (part-time position) The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC), Canada’s national public broadcaster, was created by an Act of Parliament on November 2, 1936, and now operates under the 1991 Broadcasting… Continue Reading

Cable / Telecom News

Should town telcos be able to get BDU licenses?

OTTAWA – There are just under 40 independent telephone companies left in Canada – little telcos that for one reason or another, were never swallowed up by Bell Canada. All of them, save one, are in Bell’s Ontario or Quebec territory. Of those, there are six which are owned by municipalities: Bruce Municipal Telephone System, Cochrane Public Utilities Commission, Dryden Municipal Telephone System, Kenora Municipal Telephone System, The Corporation of the City of Thunder Bay – Telephone Division, all in Ontario, and Prince Rupert City Telephone, in British Columbia. This week, the Department of Canadian Heritage closed a comments… Continue Reading