GATINEAU – The CRTC’s Local Programming Improvement Fund (LPIF) is either a necessary source of cash desperately needed to keep some local TV stations on air, or a stimulus program circa 2008 that now should be terminated. However, if the Commission is tabulating submissions for and against (and it isn’t) LPIF the 1300-plus submissions so far on the CRTC web site land squarely on the side of maintaining it.
The fund was created almost three years ago (in the midst of the financial crisis and just prior to the destructive Stop-The-TV-Tax vs. Local-TV-Matters battle), before Shaw and Bell bought into…
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OTTAWA – As the CRTC prepares to review the relative success of the Local Programming Improvement Fund (LPIF), it has released new numbers for the 2010-2011 period, ending August 31st, which indicate Shaw Communications paid the most into the fund, followed by Bell Canada and Rogers Cable.
Shaw (cable and satellite) combined to pay almost $32 million (an earlier version of this story had an erroneous amount for Shaw), followed by Bell at $25.08 million and Rogers at $24.05 million. Quebecor (Videotron) contributed $13.6 million and Cogeco, $6.77 million.
Shaw, the LPIF’s largest contributor, received only $8.06 million in…
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TORONTO – Leveraging a recent music licensing deal with Audio-Video Licensing Agency (AVLA), the CBC has launched a new, free, digital music service.
CBC Music and the CBC Music App will offer subscribers a choice of 40 different web radio stations, 14 genre-based communities, and direct access to the music of nearly 1,000 major and independent music companies. At first glances, it looks pretty slick.
The music services features “original content from the most knowledgeable and experienced music personalities and programmers from across the country, hundreds of concerts, features, blogs, playlists, and more,” says the CBC in…
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TORONTO – Three in four Canadians view domestic media companies as too important for cultural and security reasons to allow them to be controlled by foreign interests, according to a online survey commissioned by Friends of Canadian Broadcasting.
In the survey of 2,022 adult Canadians conducted from November 4 to 10, 2011, 77% respondents said they believed that Canadian media was “too important for culture and national security” to be foreign owned, according to the Friends release. However, 23% said they believed Canadian media owners should be able to sell to foreigners to be competitive. The survey was designed and…
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OTTAWA – CMPA president and CEO Norm Bolen has chosen to step down from his position in June, says Canadian Media Production Association chair Tom Cox.
“Three years ago, Norm put his personal plans on hold to serve as president and CEO of our association during a pivotal time for both our organization and the industry. His contributions have been immeasurable and we thank him for his steadfast commitment and exemplary leadership,” said Cox, in a release.
Bolen was hired in 2009. He was formerly executive vice-president, content, for Alliance Atlantis, and prior to that spent over 20 years as an executive…
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HAMILTON, ON – CBC has found a home for its new local digital service in Hamilton, which is scheduled to start this Spring.
The national broadcaster said Wednesday that the new service will be located in the city’s downtown in the former Dominion Furniture Store at 118 James Street North (pictured below, building on the right). Accessible through smart phones, desktop/laptop computers and tablet devices, the service aims to provide an up-to-the-minute, and ‘look ahead’ view of local news, weather, events and other information.
"We're absolutely thrilled to have found such a remarkable home at the centre of Hamilton's growing arts, entertainment…
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MONTREAL – CBC Montreal will beef up its weekend news offering for English-speaking viewers starting in May.
As part of the national broadcaster’s strategic plan, new television and an expanded radio presence will be designed to serve the local needs of audiences in Montreal and throughout Quebec.
"This is another step in the evolution of an already exceptional news service," said Jennifer McGuire, GM and editor-in-chief of CBC News, in the announcement. "We will be providing more news seven days a week, providing audiences with the information they want, when they want it and on the platform of their choice. We'll…
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TORONTO – The catch phrase ‘he shoots, he scores’, will once again become ‘Goooool’ this Saturday as TLN airs Hockey Night in Canada simultaneously in Italian and Spanish.
As part of its annual partnership with the CBC, TLN will broadcast the matchup beginning at 7:00 pm ET on February 11 between the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Montreal Canadiens on its Italian specialty service Mediaset Italia, and in Spanish on TLN en Español.
Italian language commentary will be provided by TLN host Antonio Giorgi and renowned soccer expert Alf De Blasis. Mediaset Italia TV channel can be seen in Ontario by…
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GATINEAU – As the CBC awaits to hear how much of a budget cut it will have to take, the CRTC is not going to try and put the Corp. through a licensing hearing just now.
Last summer the Commission postponed the CBC’s license hearing until June 2012, citing a couple of reasons, the primary one being that the public broadcaster does not yet know what its future operating budget will be. Fast-forward to now and the situation is no clearer. While the federal government has let it be known the CBC will not be left…
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OTTAWA – The CRTC has given Bell Media the green light to add a pair of new transmitters to its CTV Two station in Barrie, a move that was opposed by two of its own commissioners in addition to a host of competing broadcasters.
Bell Media asked to add two new digital transmitters to CKVR-DT Barrie to serve the areas of Burlington, Fonthill, Fort Erie, Hamilton, Niagara Falls, St. Catharines, Oakville and Welland, Ontario. Opposing interveners, which included Channel Zero, Rogers Broadcasting, CBC, and Shaw Communications, argued that approval of the applications would have a negative impact on other Canadian…
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