Search Results for: cogeco

Radio / Television News

OPINION: Is Pelley’s move to Rogers a piece of the puzzle prior to CTV sale?

WHY WOULD KEITH PELLEY move to Rogers Communications? That’s the question the industry is asking this week. There are many speculative answers, but let’s try to look at some facts before we lob our own opinion-grenades. Pelley is a sports guy. A TV guy. A sports TV guy. He’s a heck of a broadcast executive who is still riding a massive wave of goodwill generated by the stellar Winter Olympics broadcast, one which he constructed from the ground up and oversaw. He and his people did a terrific job and with a bit of downtime between now and… Continue Reading

Radio / Television News

Cogeco unveils its plans for Quebec radio, asks for ownership exception in Montreal

MONTREAL – Cogeco has offered a comprehensive new plan for the radio stations it plans to take over under its $80 million deal to acquire nearly all of Corus Entertainment’s Quebec radio stations. The CRTC said Tuesday it will hear the application to buy the 11 stations on September 28. The stations involved in the transaction announced in April are: CFQR-FM 92.5, CHMP-FM 98.5, CKOI-FM 96.9 and CKAC-AM 730 in Montréal; CFOM-FM 102.9 and CFEL-FM 102.1 in Québec City; CJRC-FM 104.7 in Gatineau; CHLT-FM 107.7 and CKOY-FM 104.5 in Sherbrooke; CHLN-FM 106.9 in Trois-Rivières; and CIME-FM 103.9 in St-Jérôme. "Cogeco… Continue Reading

Cable / Telecom News

OBLIGATION TO SERVE: Little support for broadband as basic service

GATINEAU – The CRTC’s proposal to include broadband as part of the basic service objective (BSO) for telcos is getting lukewarm support, at best. The Commission proposed the idea in a broad consultation on a variety of telecom matters, referred to as the “Obligation to Serve” proceeding. MTS Allstream Inc. and the Public Interest Advocacy Centre (PIAC) are two that have said making broadband part of basic service would represent a logical extension of the current regime. Presently the BSO only applies to local voice services. “Including broadband access in the Commission’s universal service objective would also recognize the… Continue Reading

Cable / Telecom News

Intercable Africa running out of money

MONTREAL – The parent company of Canadian-based Intercable Africa announced today it’s financing has fallen through. The company, run by former Videotron executive Guy Laflamme (who also launched Portugal’s Cabovisao before Cogeco rescued it from creditors), has been building a cable system in Reunion, a tiny French-controlled island nation of about 800,000 in the Indian Ocean off the coast of Madagascar. In a press release, the company said it was not able to obtain additional financing with Absa Bank and The Mauritius Commercial Bank (MCB), nor an extension of the due date of its current outstanding bridge facilities. Therefore, all credit facilities… Continue Reading

Cable / Telecom News

Stability at European unit bodes well for Cogeco’s Q3

MONTREAL – Continued growth in Cogeco’s Canadian division helped to hold third quarter profits steady at the Montreal-based company. For the quarter ended May 31, 2010, revenue at Cogeco Inc. increased by 4.6% ($14.6 million) year-over-year to reach $330.9 million.  Net income of $10.7 million was virtually unchanged compared to the same period of the previous fiscal year, however, net income in the third quarter of 2009 included an unfavourable income tax adjustment of $2 million related to the certain items at the company’s Portuguese subsidiary Cabovisao. Operating income before amortization grew slightly by $1.3 million, or 1%, to reach $127.9… Continue Reading

Cable / Telecom News

Cogeco tops up Internet speeds in Quebec; secures $750M in credit

MONTREAL – Coegco has increased the speeds of its high speed Internet packages for Quebec customers, and rolled out new business and residential Internet packages in Drummondville. Subscribers to the company’s ‘HSI Lite’ in the province can now enjoy download speeds of up to 12 Mbps, while ‘Lite Plus’ and ‘Standard’ package customers will benefit from increased speeds and higher monthly bit caps at no additional costs. Cogeco’s customers in Drummondville who currently subscribe to its ‘Business HSI Enterprise’ service will be upgraded to its ‘Ultimate 50’ package at no extra cost.  Powered by DOCSIS 3.0, the service includes a faster download speed of… Continue Reading

Cable / Telecom News

SCTE-Ontario golf tournament tees up

REGISTRATION IS NOW open for the 7th annual SCTE-Ontario golf tournament. Scheduled for August 10 at Wooden Sticks Golf Inc. in Uxbridge, ON, this popular event is limited to 144 golfers, so early registration is encouraged.  With a shot-gun start at 1:30 PM (after lunch), the format will be a ‘best-ball’ tournament followed by dinner and awards in the evening. Fees are $125 (including tax) per person which includes green fees, lunch, dinner and participation in all activities. To sponsor an event or contribute to the prize table, please contact Gillian Hillhouse at gillian.hillhouse@cogeco.com or (905) 333-7069.  For more details and to register,… Continue Reading

Radio / Television News

Cogeco asks CRTC to approval sale of Corus’ Quebec radio stations

MONTREAL – Cogeco is one step closer to buying up Corus’ radio stations in Quebec. The cableco said Tuesday that it has submitted an official application to the CRTC detailing “the radio broadcasting strategy Cogeco intends to implement following this major acquisition”.  The $80 million deal, announced in April, includes 11 radio stations: French and English stations in Montreal (CFQR-FM 92.5, CHMP-FM 98.5, CKOI-FM 96.9 and CKAC-AM 730); Quebec City (CFOM-FM 102.9 and CFEL-FM 102.1); CJRC-FM 104.7 in Gatineau; Sherbrooke (CKOY-FM 104.5 and CHLT-FM 107.7); CHLN-FM 106.9 in Trois-Rivieres and CIME-FM 103.9 in St-Jerome. "We worked really hard to chart a… Continue Reading

Radio / Television News

Corus sells off another radio station in Quebec

CHICOUTIMI, QC – Another day, another radio station sale. According to a report on infopresse, Corus Quebec has sold CKRS 98.3 FM in Saguenay to a consortium of local business people in the region, which includes Guy Carbonneau, a former captain and coach of the Montreal Canadiens. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed, and the transaction is subject to CRTC approval. The station was excluded from the sale of many of Corus’ other Quebec radio stations to Cogeco, announced at the end of April. www.corusent.com Continue Reading

Radio / Television News

WFN airs fundraiser for Gulf oil spill

TORONTO – The World Fishing Network will dedicate an entire day of programming and commercial airtime on June 30th to support recreational anglers affected by the Gulf oil spill disaster. The on-air campaign, which will air on its Canadian and U.S. channels, aims to raise awareness of the catastrophic impact this spill is having on the entire fishing industry, and to raise money for organizations providing aid and support to those most negatively impacted by the disaster. In addition to in-depth coverage of the impact of the spill on recreational and commercial fishing in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida, the channel… Continue Reading