Search Results for: cogeco

Radio / Television News

The TUESDAY INTERVIEW: CBC CEO Robert Rabinovitch, Part I

I’VE GOT A BIT OF A SOFT spot for the CBC because when you grew up where I did, the CBC was it. Apologies to CTV’s Northern Ontario precursor, MCTV, but when I think of old shows from my youth, it’s most often the CBC that springs to mind. Like sooo many of my fellow Canadians, when I think of the Ceeb, I invariably recall many frigid Saturday evenings inside watching Hockey Night in Canada: Me and my father sitting down with a big bowl of warm, greasy, salted popcorn. I usually fell asleep right after Peter Puck during the… Continue Reading

Cable / Telecom News

Cogeco raises outlook after strong Q4

MONTREAL – Driven primarily by a growing cable division, Cogeco Inc. saw revenue increase by 21.4% to $199.3 million in the fourth quarter of 2006, ended August 31st. Net income in the quarter came in at $10.3 million in the quarter, as compared to $630,000 in the same quarter of 2005. For the full fiscal year, net income was $23.1 million, while 2005 saw a net loss of $19.8 million With the acquisition of Portugal’s Cabovisao as a contributing factor, the number of Cogeco revenue-generating units jumped from about 1,348,000 at the beginning of the fiscal year to approximately… Continue Reading

Cable / Telecom News

Cogeco adds SOD, too

MONTREAL – After already having launched on Rogers Cable, Shaw Cable and Bell ExpressVu PPV, Cogeco Cable has also added Survivor: Cook Islands to its on demand lineup. Starting with tonight’s episode (October 12), Cogeco digital cable customers will be able to see the show on VOD the day after it airs by purchasing it, commercial-free, for 99-cents. Rogers, Shaw and ExpressVu, however, are offering the show on demand immediately after it airs on Global Television while Global itself is offering the episodes the next day for free on the web. The latest and the prior three… Continue Reading

Cable / Telecom News

CTAM Canada elects 2007 board of directors

TORONTO – Voting for the board of directors for CTAM Canada ended October 3rd. The strong slate of 15 board members will build on the solid growth the chapter experienced through 2006. Re-elected for a one-year term are: * Harris Boyd – president, Harris D. Boyd Consulting * JP Caveen, – Director Affiliate Relations, Cogeco Cable * Hawley Chester – Director Canadian Sales and Marketing, Speed Channel * Chris Fuoco – VP Affiliate Marketing, Alliance Atlantis * Mike Lee – CSO, Rogers Communications Inc. * Greg O’Brien – Editor and Publisher, Cartt.ca * Domenic Vivolo – SVP Marketing and… Continue Reading

Cable / Telecom News

Testing and troubleshooting at the SCTE-Ontario fall meeting

MISSISSAUGA – The fall SCTE-Ontario Chapter meeting is set for this Thursday, October 12, 2006 in Mississauga. The theme of the meeting will be: "Testing and Troubleshooting Advanced Cable Networks". Speakers with real-world experience will share their testing methodologies. Tony Holmes from Trilithic will review VOIP and return spectrum testing and troubleshooting using various techniques to isolate problems in the field; discuss the power of addressing service level assurance, subscriber self test methods and Packet Cable specific test applications. Dale Turner from Mountain Cable will demonstrate several Blackberry applications that were developed at Mountain Cable for monitoring, testing and… Continue Reading

Radio / Television News

Carter, Jean, added to CTF board

TORONTO – The Canadian Television Fund (CTF) on Friday announced the election of two independent directors to its board: Michel J. Carter and Anne-Marie Jean. Jean is a former television producer and currently serves as executive director for Culture Montréal. Carter is an experienced finance and broadcasting executive and former president and CEO of TQS Inc. and Cogeco Radio-Télévision Inc. As part of its commitment to accountability and governance best practices, the CTF board screens all independent candidates to ensure they pass the CTF independence test, including Carter and Jean. In accordance with the corporation’s bylaws, the process includes… Continue Reading

Radio / Television News

Canadian radio ad sales up, but fragmentation could hurt, group says

TORONTO – National radio ad sales rose 6.3% in this broadcast year compared with the year before, according to Canadian Broadcast Sales, but adding too many licences in markets could hurt sales as it has in the United States, the group says. The fourth quarter of 2006 saw a “robust” revenue growth of 19% among Canadian stations, CBS said. “The four year horizon for radio looks promising,” said Patrick Grierson, president of CBS. “As conventional television declines as a reach medium and the digital and specialty channels further carve up the audience, radio continues to deliver the ability to… Continue Reading

Radio / Television News

ANALYSIS: Fifty cents per sub? Climbing the paper mountain of the CRTC’s TV Policy Review

IT’S NO WONDER THERE couldn’t be a CAB submission to the CRTC on the TV policy review. While there is some agreement on what must be done to alter the course of conventional television in Canada, along side the regularly substantial chasms in opinion between the usual suspects – distributors and broadcasters – there are also substantial variances between fellow broadcasters on what must be done to secure the future of conventional television stations and companies. So, for this most important of policy reviews, the Canadian Association of Broadcasters had to step aside and tell its members that since… Continue Reading

Cable / Telecom News

UPDATE: Ottawa rumour mill buzzes over new chair

AS WE MOVE INTO FALL, it’s getting closer and closer to the end of Charles Dalfen’s term as chairman of the CRTC. His busy term expires at the end of the calendar year and he will apparently not be offered a second term. According to a well-placed source in Ottawa, Dalfen was offered a one-year extension but he declined, asking the government to grant him another full five-year term or not at all. So, who’s going to sit in the top chair at the Commission? Names that have been making the rounds among Ottawa communications types – and their… Continue Reading

Cable / Telecom News

CCSA AGM: Attendance rises, trade show reveals and other notes

GRAVENHURST, Ont. – As the only cable gathering in the country now, the 13th annual Canadian Cable Systems Alliance annual general meeting has this year attracted over 250 delegates, up from 180 last year. Kicking off Sunday at the Taboo Resort with a relaxed, well-attended president’s reception, the AGM continued Monday morning with a four-hour table top trade show. Some of the vendors used the trade show to reveal a few new products aimed at the small cable system market (even though a couple of folks from Rogers and Cogeco also made the trip north). TVC Canada unveiled its… Continue Reading