TORONTO – CTV really wants you to watch all of its ads this Sunday evening. It’s promising to deliver a “special on-air message directed exclusively to Canadians” this Sunday, Dec. 2 in a commercial break sometime between 8-9 p.m. ET. The message was “taped in secret earlier this month at CTV headquarters by one of the most recognizable people on television, a multiple Emmy Award-winning personality,” it said in a statement.
Leading up to the big reveal, viewers can share their guesses on Twitter about what this special message could be for a chance to win a special…
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OTTAWA – Esther Enkin, currently executive editor of CBC News, has been appointed as the corporation's new Ombudsman for English services, effective January 1, 2013. Enkin was unanimously selected for the job by an expert selection committee with internal and external representation. Enkin succeeds Kirk LaPointe, who will remain in the position in the interim.
"Accuracy, integrity, impartiality, fairness and balance in journalism are key to the credibility of any news organisation, and credibility is the essential currency of a public broadcaster," said Hubert T. Lacroix, president and CEO of CBC/Radio-Canada. "The Ombudsman is responsible…
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GATINEAU – Quebecor Media renewed its assault on CBC/Radio-Canada’s access to information practices during the corporation’s licence renewal hearing on Monday by requesting the CBC include access to information data in transparency and accountability reports to the Commission.
CRTC chair Jean-Pierre Blais, however, wondered if it’s wise to have a parallel system regarding access to information.
“We’re not asking for the CRTC to impose sanctions on CBC/Radio-Canada with respect to access to information like the Information Commissioner can. What we’re asking for is in the reports that are submitted to the CRTC, which allow the Commission to verify how…
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GATINEAU – CBC’s call for greater regulatory flexibility to help it deal with the new realities of the broadcasting environment got some support on the fourth day of its licence renewal hearing.
Shaw Communications Inc. appearing later Thursday afternoon, said that all broadcasters should have additional room to operate in an environment that is being challenged by the emergence of non-traditional players such as Apple, Google, Netflix and Amazon.
“Regulatory micro-management is neither necessary nor efficient,” Paul Robertson, president of Shaw Media, said in his opening remarks. “All of us in the broadcasting sector require the ability to respond quickly to…
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GATINEAU – The Canadian broadcast environment has changed considerably since 1999, the last time CBC/Radio-Canada appeared before the CRTC for a licence renewal hearing, and the changes in the world since requires an utterly new regulatory framework for the national public broadcaster, the corporation told the Commission on the first days of its licence renewal hearing Monday.
Direct-to-home satellite TV was only emerging, cells phones were for calling, and YouTube and Facebook were years away from even being thought up then, Hubert Lacroix, CBC president and CEO said during his opening remarks. Now, with the myriad devices and applications used…
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GATINEAU – After nearly a full day Monday examining corporate aspects of CBC/Radio-Canada’s licence renewal, the CRTC began a thorough study of the specifics of the broadcaster’s proposals late that day and through Tuesday.
Commission chair Jean-Pierre Blais brought up CBC’s commitment to seven hours of programs of national interest (PNI) per week. He wondered how the corporation decided on the number particularly since some interveners believe the corporation should be committing a greater amount each week to PNI.
Christine Wilson, executive director of content planning for English Language Services at CBC, said the corporation wanted to come up with a…
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GATINEAU – The CRTC knocked one item off the docket for the next couple of weeks with the approval of Blue Ant Media’s purchase of specialty service Bold from the CBC for $10 million.
Bold’s license renewal (and the CBC’s oft-told problems with the channel’s conditions of license) were to be examined beginning next week during the two-week long hearing into the Corp.’s license renewal but with the sale, that has been removed from the procedure.
Bold, a category A channel formerly called Country Canada, has about 2.6 million subscribers and conditions of license which say it is to focus on…
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TORONTO – SiriusXM Canada has announced that Suzanne Morris has been appointed to the company's Board of Directors. Morris replaces Michel Tremblay as CBC/Radio-Canada's nominee to the SiriusXM Canada's Board of Directors, following Tremblay's resignation from his position as Director.
"We are very pleased to have Suzanne join our Board," said John Bitove, Chairman of SiriusXM Canada. "Her financial acumen and knowledge of the broadcast industry will be excellent assets as we continue to drive the business forward and work to deliver further growth. On behalf of the Board, I would like to thank Michel for his…
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by Steve Faguy
GATINEAU – With the recent, unexpected and much-publicized denial of Bell Canada’s purchase of Astral Media (because the players didn't prove the transaction to be a net benefit to Canadians) as a backdrop, the CRTC made it clear to Rogers Media Wednesday that its tough line isn't limited to Canada's largest media company.
At a hearing in Gatineau on Wednesday, the commission grilled Rogers, Channel Zero and a Montreal-based start-up on their multi-part plan to essentially convert ethnic television station CJNT Montreal (branded Metro 14) into two television stations, allowing Citytv to enter Canada's second-largest…
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HAMILTON – Source Cable is adding 21 high definition channels to their channel line-up on November 14. Source now offers 87 HD channels, including 42 in its HD Basic package. The new channels include: FX Canada (in both Standard and High Definition), CityNews HD and the four Hollywood Suite services: WB TV Warner Films, MGM Channel, Sony Movie Channel and AXN Movies.
"We strongly believe in being innovative and providing the best possible services for our customers in Hamilton. For example, we were the first cable company in Hamilton to offer full-fiber-to-the-home over GPON technology,”…
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