OTTAWA – Will it be a 9(1)(h) Christmas in April for some Canadian specialty channels? After much delay, the CRTC has set a date to hear applications for the mandatory distribution of specialty channels (some new, some not) on Canadian BDUs.
The hearing will take place April 23 in Gatineau and the deadline for submission of interventions/comments/answers is February 20, 2013. The hearing will also take a look at existing channels that are currently distributed on a mandatory basis (APTN, AMI, etc) and will assess whether these services “should continue to benefit from such distribution,…
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TORONTO – CBC’s Hockey Night in Canada is facing off on the 2nd screen in a big way this Saturday to kick of its 60th season. Budweiser is sponsoring Facebook and Twitter pages where fans can login during national broadcasts and interact with in-game features that reflect the live game action.
HNIC says Hockey Night in Canada: 2nd Screen presented by Budweiser gives viewers new ways to interact and engage with the game through smartphones, tablets and computers. Fans can login at Facebook and test their knowledge and try their luck at predicting team and…
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CALGARY – With the NHL schedule finally underway this Saturday, Shaw is offering free previews and special pricing on NHL Centre Ice and TSN Jets for Shaw and Shaw Direct customers.
"We love hockey and know our customers want to get in on all the action of 2012-13 NHL season," said Peter Bissonnette, President, Shaw Communications Inc. "This year, in addition to the many sports channels that are included as part of our basic cable and satellite packages, we're also excited to offer free previews and special pricing on NHL Centre Ice and TSN Jets."
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IROQUOIS, Ont. – Ross Video founder John Ross has been awarded the Order of Canada the company announced Monday.
Nominated for his contributions as a technology innovator, developing products at the forefront of broadcast engineering, Ross will accept his insignia at a ceremony to be held at a later date. The Order of Canada is the highest honour a Canadian citizen can receive and the list was announced by the Governor General on December 30, 2012.
“My fascination with engineering began with an electronics book I discovered at the age eight,” said Ross, in the company’s press release. “By the time…
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OTTAWA – The promise of more regional and children’s programming as well as more programs of national interest (PNI) were not enough for some of CBC/Radio-Canada’s detractors. In final comments to its licence renewal filed this week, many suggested that the public broadcaster needs to still do even more Canadian programming than it committed during replies stage.
ACTRA said the CRTC shouldn’t been fooled by CBC’s request for flexibility, which has usually been synonymous with airing less Canadian content. Nor should the CBC shouldn’t be able to use its fiscal challenges as an excuse to its lessen its obligations. “Without…
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MARKHAM, ON – “Re-commercialization of CBC Radio is a terrible idea” and would be “extremely detrimental to smaller market operations” says Douglas E. Kirk, President, Ontario Association of Broadcasters (OAB).
In a letter to the CRTC dated Dec. 11, Kirk responds to the CBC’s proposal made at its recent license renewal hearing that it be allowed to run commercial ads on its radio properties and responded to the CBC’s claims regarding revenue growth.
In the letter Kirk questions whether CBC Radio is actually facing a “financial crisis” given the $327.3 million in parliamentary appropriation it…
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TORONTO – With the Supreme Court ruling the CRTC does not have the authority to require cable and satellite companies to negotiate with local broadcasters it now needs to focus attention on local stations says the Canadian Media Guild.
“The CRTC must now focus its attention on helping the local stations that really need it: those run by public and community broadcasters,” says Marc-Philippe Laurin, president of the CBC branch of the Canadian Media Guild.
The so-called value-for-signal scheme, proposed by the CRTC in 2010, would not have included CBC/Radio-Canada, the largest national network…
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TORONTO – CBC News violated its journalism codes when it enlisted minors to break the law for a story on purchasing alcohol underage at Vancouver restaurants says Kirk LaPointe, CBC Ombudsman. The ruling highlights concerns how in the age of social media stories can take on a life of their own.
LaPointe found that while the issue of underage drinking is important “more could have been done to minimize the potential harm of CBC’s technique without sacrificing the objective of its journalism.”
He was responding to a complaint regarding a November 16, 2012 CBC.ca Continue Reading
TORONTO – Kraft Canada, along with TSN and RDS, have announced an exclusive media partnership for Kraft Hockey Goes On – a program announced in November that will recognize volunteers in the hockey community. As first reported by Etan Vlessing for Cartt.ca, Kraft has pulled its funding from the CBC’s Kraft Hockeyville program for 2013, and instead will be awarding $1 million in prizes and donations to Hockey Canada affiliated minor hockey associations across the country.
The partnership officially kicks off on January 5 during TSN and RDS’ pre-game show leading into live coverage of…
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OTTAWA – On Thursday, the Supreme Court of Canada will release its ruling on whether or not the CRTC has the jurisdiction to let conventional, over-the-air local broadcasters pursue a fee for the carriage of their signals by subscription television providers. The appeal was heard back in April, as Cartt.ca reported.
The ability for local broadcasters to charge a cable, satellite or telco TV provider a wholesale fee (and by extension of course, Canadian subscribers) has been something TV station owners have pursued off and on for decades. The CBC asked for the ability to pursue…
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