GATINEAU – April 27, 2009 – It was low-key, seldom confrontational and sometimes as languid as the 30-degree heat outside, but CTV’s appearance to open the CRTC’s OTA licence renewal hearing sought tirelessly to redefine the assumptions that underpin much of Canada’s conventional TV business.
The Commission did not reduce the scope of the hearing, anticipated to last 11 days, with the expectation that renewal applicants would respond as CTV did. The regulator asked companies to structure applications based on the premise that it would award one-year administrative renewals in the economic turmoil of 2009 and longer terms next…
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The Canadian Broadcast Distribution Association will host a half day seminar called ‘Media Applications for Advanced Wireless’ on May 13 at the Rogers Communication Theatre in Toronto.
The seminar will kick off with a keynote address from Dr. Pierre C. Belanger from the department of communications at the University of Ottawa, an expert in new media and emerging technologies. He will be followed by Anthony Caruso, the director of new broadcast technologies at CBC Technology, who will provide an overview of mobile TV standards and systems.
A panel discussion with select device manufacturers and wireless service providers will follow…
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TORONTO – CBC has appointed Rachel Nixon as its director of digital media for CBC News.
Nixon, who will begin on June 1, is currently the global news director of Vancouver-based NowPublic.com, the world’s largest participatory news network. She also spent nine years at the BBC and BBCNews.com.
“In taking ownership of CBCNews.ca and its digital extensions, Nixon will have the responsibility for charting the overall strategic direction for CBC News’ digital media unit – setting the right priorities, and overseeing the successful execution of the strategy,” said Jennifer McGuire, interim publisher for CBC News and executive director for…
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OTTAWA – MTS Allstream is gearing up to provide some direct competition to Westman Communications in Brandon, Manitoba.
The CRTC on Monday approved an application by MTS to extend its licensed area, currently serving Winnipeg and surrounding areas under a Class 1 regional broadcasting licence, to include Brandon.
The Commission also relieved MTS from the requirement of section 17 of the Broadcasting Distribution Regulations to distribute CKX (CBC) Brandon, provided that the signal is distributed in Brandon, and allowed it to tweak its community programming requirements for its video-on-demand service.
Westman Communications, who operates a Class 1 cable BDU…
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TORONTO – CBC Television is banking on a new reality series this Fall that will tie in to two of Canada’s traditional pastimes – hockey and figure skating.
Called ‘Battle of the Blades’, the elimination-style show will team up some of Canada’s top figure skaters and hockey stars in a ‘Dancing With the Stars’-type of format. Contestants will then compete against one another each week in a glitzy pairs figure skating performance.
The lineup of skaters and judges has yet to be set, but the show apparently will involve a live studio audience, expert judges and voting from viewers at home.
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THERE IS SO MUCH left to do in order to make the transition to digital television happen in Canada that it’s impossible to see how we’re going to make the deadline despite the fact there’s still 28 months to go before the August 31, 2011 date set by the CRTC.
That thought struck me yet again, but harder, during the DTV transition session the National Association of Broadcasters held for international broadcasters here in Las Vegas. The association helpfully hosted the session, complete with panel representation from the FCC, cable, consumer electronics, the telecom industry and a social group representative….
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WINNIPEG – As part of Wednesday’s Earth Day celebrations, MTS Allstream conducted “an office supply exchange” which saw its employees return nearly-new, unneeded office supplies to the company’s supply rooms, with the surplus donated to local schools.
The company said in a press release that it is also a member of the ‘One Million Acts of Green’ initiative, and estimates that its employees have contributed over 15,000 Acts of Green towards the goal.
An Act of Green can be as simple as turning the lights off when you exit a room, or something more complex such as green home renovations….
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TORONTO – Perhaps in an effort to keep those long NHL playoffs feeling fresh, CBC’S Hockey Night in Canada show has added an interactive component to its broadcasts called ‘Stanley Cup I-Desk’.
CBC hosts Scott Morrison and Jeff Marek will hold live chats with hockey fans during all of the network’s 2009 Stanley Cup Playoff game broadcasts. Fans will also be able to watch live game streams, video-on-demand, read updated stats, scores, highlights, blogs and glean behind-the-scenes insight via updates from its rinkside reporters on the communication network Twitter.
The show has also launched a dedicated group on social…
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TORONTO – CBC News will reorganize its entire newsgathering process, the Corp said today – “with particular attention to strengthening its ability to deliver on a 24-hour, seven day multiplatform news cycle.”
But it will have to do it with 70 fewer people and $7 million fewer dollars.
The reorganization will be designed to strengthen local coverage while maintaining its “commitment to national and international coverage as Canada’s leading news organization,” reads the press release.
"Despite the financial challenges we face as the result of a drastic decline in advertising revenue and the continuing erosion in real dollars of…
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TORONTO – The Canadian Media Guild (CMG) has launched an on-line petition appealing to the federal government to “restore” the CBC.
Called ‘CBC: Now More Than Ever’, the campaign urges “concerned people from across Canada” to click on an electronic link to send a letter to the Prime Minister and the leaders of the opposition parties.
The letter asks for increases to the CBC’s annual parliamentary allocation by $7 per Canadian by the end of 2009, to develop a seven year contract with the CBC that “sets expectations” and guarantees funding indexed to inflation, and to provide bridge financing to the…
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