VANCOUVER – Independent Vancouver radio station Roundhouse Radio will go off the air Sunday.
The community-focused talk/interview with some music station launched in October of 2015 and has let the community know of late that it is struggling financially. It’s at 98.3 FM and is a low power station available only in the city of Vancouver and the North Shore.
In a media release today (May 4), the station did confirm it had an offer to take over operations, but that it needs CRTC approval to change owners, which can’t be done…
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GATINEAU – The CRTC said today the wholesale pricing structure offered by Rogers for NFL Sunday Ticket and NHL Centre Ice pay-per-view packages does not violate the Commission’s TV wholesale code of conduct.
Vidéotron had alleged its affiliation agreements with Rogers for NHL Centre Ice for the 2016-17 and 2017-18 NHL seasons, as well as NFL Sunday Ticket for the 2016 NFL season, included a minimum revenue guarantee, which runs contrary to section 4(g) of the Code Conduct, recounts the decision. (Ed note: Rogers no longer controls the rights to Sunday Ticket, which was purchased by OTT provider DAZN prior to…
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GATINEAU – This month the CRTC will provide a report to help the Government figure out the future of video consumption by Canadians, but our CRTC chairman started this week’s hearing by invoking the ghosts of hearings past.
Lots may have changed but issues and attitudes remain entrenched. To guess the outcome of a this hearing, you don’t need to look ahead, but back.
Not all CRTC hearings are created equal. Some attract national media and generate multiple stories. Others, not so much. The hearing held this week was of primary importance…
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MONTREAL and DARTMOUTH, N.S. – Stingray Digital Group, until now known mostly as a global, multiplatform provider of music channels to subscription TV companies and their customers, has made a significant move into a more traditional music format: broadcast radio.
The company announced today after the close of trading it has acquired Newfoundland Capital Corporation (NCC, or as it’s more commonly referred in the radio business, Newcap), one of Canada’s largest radio broadcasters with 101 licences (82 FM and 19 AM) across the country in a deal valued at $506 million.
According to Stingray, this move will significantly strengthen its position…
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GATINEAU – The CRTC announced two numbered companies operating as 514-BILLETS, whose main business is concert and sporting event ticket resale, agreed to resolve their alleged violations of Canada's anti-spam legislation for $100,000.
An investigation launched by the CRTC's chief compliance and enforcement officer alleged that the companies failed to comply with various requirements of the legislation between July 2014 and January 2016, reads the Commission’s release. “During this period, the company allegedly sent text messages without the recipient's consent, without information identifying the person who sent the messages, and without information enabling the recipient to readily contact the…
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MONTREAL – Quebecor Media’s TVA Group today announced an agreement to buy the Serdy Media and Serdy Video group of companies for $24 million.
The acquisition, which requires CRTC approval of its broadcasting assets, would see TVA add the Évasion (french language travel and adventure) and Zeste (food and cooking) specialty channels. According to CRTC filings, Evasion had 1.8 million subscribers as of August 31 2016 (latest figures available), $12.4 million in revenue and $2.3 million in pre-tax profit. As a category B Zeste does not have to file subscriber or profitability numbers but did report revenue of $6.6 million…
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QUISPAMSIS, N.B. – The Canadian Cable Systems Alliance announced Monday voting is now open for the 2018 edition of Tuned-in Canada: the CCSA Awards. (And, FYI, the CCSA officially becomes the Canadian Communication Systems Alliance on Tuesday. More on that later.)
The awards are a nation-wide, annual competition highlighting the excellent work performed by independent, local providers of internet, television and telephone services across Canada.
Canadians are invited to visit Tuned-in Canada 2018 to cast a vote for nominees in the following five categories:
1. Best content: community channel programming
2. Best people: on-camera community channel…
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GATINEAU – Wireless and broadcasting service providers will conduct a nationwide public alerting test next week during Emergency Preparedness Week, which is from May 6 to 12, the CRTC announced today.
(UPDATE: The Commission announced on May 4 that testing will be completed in Ontario and Quebec on Monday, May 7 at 9:55 AM in Quebec and 1:55 PM in Ontario.)
This means every compatible mobile device connected to an LTE (long-term evolution) network in the targeted provinces and territory will receive the test alert, which will also be distributed on television and radio in the same regions.
Since April 6, 2018,…
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WHILE IT WORKS ON the report requested by the federal government on future programming distribution models, on Monday, the CRTC will hold a hearing on the renewals of four speciality channels that benefit from the traditional way of doing things: mandatory distribution.
Pelmorex (The Weather Network and MétéoMédia), TV5/Unis (TV5 programming focused on the international Francophonie; and Unis programming focused on official language minority communities), APTN , and the Cable Public Affairs Channel (CPAC) – although CPAC's file is considered complete and…
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OTTAWA – Innovation, Science and Economic Development Minister Navdeep Bains launched Canada’s new intellectual property (IP) strategy last week.
“Intellectual property is a key component of an innovation economy,” reads the press release. “It helps Canadian innovators reach commercial success, further discovery and create middle-class jobs by protecting their ideas and ensuring they reap the full rewards of their inventions and creations.”
(Ed note: We bet the FairPlay Canada coalition is analyzing this announcement closely.)
Canada’s IP Strategy will help Canadian entrepreneurs better understand and protect intellectual property and also get better access to shared intellectual property,…
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