OTTAWA – CBC/Radio-Canada released the details of its plan for the transition to digital over-the-air television today.
The transition to digital television, whose deadline is 390 days away, is an industry wide issue requiring a concerted effort by all players – broadcasters, the CRTC, and government – to ensure that Canadians are properly informed of the changes coming and how to deal with them.
So far, the industry has produced little when it comes to ensuring Canadians are properly informed, so this plan is a welcome, if late and small, beginning.
CBC/Radio-Canada will be installing digital transmitters in all of the markets…
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GATINEAU – When it comes to the Canadian communications industry, the web is taking over, according to the CRTC’s annual Communications Monitoring Report.
Based on 2009 data, (end of August for broadcast, end of December for telecom) the report shows the communications industry accounted for 4.6% of Canada’s gross domestic product with overall revenues rising 2.1% to $55.4 billion, compared with revenues of $54.3 billion the previous year.
And, Canadians are increasingly using mobile and Internet services to communicate and access broadcasting content. By the end of the year, there were 23.8 million wireless subscribers and 8.3 million broadband Internet.
From…
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TORONTO – Rogers has lowered the GB limits on some of its Internet plans, a move that has sparked speculation about whether it may be linked to the pending arrival of U.S. on-line video service Netflix, or the rumours about Hulu coming to Canada this year.
The new lower limits, which came in to effect last week, apply to new customers only. Customers who signed up for the company’s ‘Extreme’ package after July 21 are allowed 80 gigabytes of monthly usage, down from 90 for those who were already customers. Those going for the ‘Lite’ service will now get 15 GB, versus…
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TICK, TICK, TICK. There are 407 days left until the end of analog over-the-air television in the major markets the CRTC has identified as must-switches (just look up and to the right to see our countdown clock).
Last week the CRTC, as we reported here, said 857,000 households in major markets will be left without viable TV signals because they use older analog sets fed by rabbit ears or some other sort of antenna because they continue to receive their television off-air.
It also okayed a "Freesat" type of alternative (free service for a small package “local” stations, after…
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CALGARY – CBC has renewed its broadcast agreement with the Calgary Stampede for another five years, with an option for additional coverage in 2016 and 2017.
The new broadcast agreement means that coverage of the ‘Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth’ will continue to be seen on CBC Television, CBCSports.ca and CBC’s digital channel bold through 2015, including coverage of the 100th anniversary of the event in July, 2012.
“The Calgary Stampede is an iconic sport and cultural event and a great Canadian tradition,” said Scott Moore, executive director of CBC Sports, in Friday’s announcement. “They have been great partners, and we are very…
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TORONTO – Another accomplished female journalist is stepping into a lead anchor chair in Canada.
Global Television named Emmy Award-winning journalist Dawna Friesen as anchor and executive editor of its national evening newscast Global National at a press conference in Toronto on Tuesday.
As the London-based correspondent and anchor for NBC News, Today and MSNBC since 1999, Friesen has reported on some of the day’s top international stories from the Middle East, Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Russia, Europe and Africa. She was also part of NBC’s team covering the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, and won an Emmy Award for her part in…
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OTTAWA – The CRTC has released an approximate schedule for its upcoming television license renewals.
First up will be the renewal of Vide-on-Demand undertakings which will be handled via paper processes this Fall. This will be followed by private English-language groups CTV, CanWest, Rogers, Corus, and CJBN-TV Kenora in the Spring of 2011.
Private French-language groups services Quebecor, V interactions, Astral, TV5 Quebec Canada, and Canal Evasion will be considered in early Fall 2011, while all other conventional, specialty, pay, PPV, and community television undertakings whose licences expire in the next two years will be scheduled for Spring 2012.
CBC/Radio…
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TORONTO – As the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa winds down, CBC continues to rack up some impressive viewer numbers for its on-line and TV coverage.
Wednesday’s semi final match between Spain and Germany attracted the highest viewer numbers of the tournament so far, as an average audience of 2.484 million tuned in to CBC television, and 353,957 total live streaming views were recorded. The opening semi final game between Uruguay and the Netherlands earlier in the week attracted an average TV audience of 2.024 million viewers, while on-line the game recorded 268,423 total live streams.
The tournament’s third place match kicks off…
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TORONTO – Canadian broadcast pioneer Murray Chercover, the man who oversaw the launch of such stalwart shows as Canada AM and W5 (and is said to be the one who lured Lloyd Robertson from CBC to CTV), died Saturday due to complications from pneumonia. The former president and CEO of the network was 80.
CTV put together an excellent report on Chercover and his career here and the Canadian Communications Foundation has a full background (including the photo at right) of his multi-faceted, varied career here.
VANCOUVER – Douglas Elphick is joining Joytv 10 (CHNU-TV) in Vancouver as its general sales manager, effective July 12.
With more than 30 years of broadcasting industry experience, Elphick will be responsible for overseeing local and regional advertising sales for Joytv 10, the conventional over-the-air station owned by S-VOX serving the Vancouver, Victoria and Fraser Valley regions of B.C.
Elphick most recently worked with the CTV Olympic Broadcast Consortium on efforts to generate regional advertising sales. Prior to that, he was director of national sales, Western region for CTVglobemedia, and regional sales manager for CBC TV in Vancouver.
www.joytv.ca
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