WINNIPEG – First Peoples Radio Inc. (FPR) said that it is “back on track” to launch Type B Native FM radio stations in Toronto and Ottawa by next summer.
A non-profit corporation established by Aboriginal Peoples Television Network (APTN), FPR was awarded the two broadcasting licences by the CRTC in June as part of the Aboriginal radio licences decision, but that decision was then challenged by Aboriginal broadcaster Wawatay Native Communications Society, as Cartt.ca reported.
FPR will operate a station in Ottawa at 95.7 FM and in Toronto at 106.5 FM which are aiming to launch by June 2018. FPR added that…
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TRANSPARENCY IS AMONG the most controversial topics in the public policy arena. So it’s surprising that few if any pundits latched onto the significance of a recent tweak by the CRTC regarding how it runs its hearings.
Going forward, tweeted @CRTCeng, the names of Commissioners (the people exercising oversight impacting your cable and internet bills) appointed to public panels will be made public two weeks prior to the commencement of the hearing. Many people may understandably shrug at this, but it is a significant step toward creating a more level and accountable playing field.
Here’s why: Companies…
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OTTAWA – The CRTC has dismissed a constitutional challenge against Canada’s Anti-Spam Legislation (CASL) made by the first company it fined under the country’s anti-spam laws.
As Cartt.ca reported in March 2015, the Quebec-based company Compu-Finder was fined $1.1 million for sending commercial electronic messages without the recipient’s consent, as well as emails in which the unsubscribe mechanisms did not function properly. The violations occurred at various times in 2014.
The company made representations to the Commission in May 2015 seeking a review of the notice of violation and raising a constitutional challenge to CASL on various grounds. It also challenged…
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OTTAWA – A letter signed by Heritage Minister Mélanie Joly, ISED Minister Navdeep Bains and Finance Minister Bill Morneau confirms there will be no tax applied to Canadian ISPs in order to support Canadian content and journalism.
The October 16th letter – sent in response to the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage report entitled “Disruption: Change and Churning in Canada's Media Landscape” – actually seems to kibosh a lot of the committee’s wish list.
(Ed note: The letter reads more like a detailed defense of the current Liberal policies , prior announcements [Creative Canada – within which echoes of…
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GATINEAU – It looks as though a portion of a CRTC decision that flew under the radar for many people has wrecked what was an excellent promotional outlet for Canadian specialty services and charities.
In decision CRTC 2015-86, part of the Let’s Talk TV process, the Commission surprised the industry by tightening the rules surrounding how the two minutes of local advertising time made available each hour by U.S. channels such as CNN, A&E, Golf Channel and TLC could be used.
Dubbed “local avail” time, American cablecos and other pay TV carriers have turned the sales of…
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TORONTO – Corus Entertainment today announced it will sell French-language specialty channels Historia and Séries+ to Bell Media for approximately $200 million.
The sale is pending approval by the CRTC and the Competition Bureau and the two companies expect it to close mid-2018.
"In the 18 months since Corus acquired Shaw Media, we have demonstrated a resolute commitment to de-lever our balance sheet to 3.5 times net debt to segment profit by the end of fiscal 2017 and 3 times by the end of fiscal 2018," said Doug Murphy, president and CEO of Corus, in the company’s press release.
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GATINEAU – The CRTC will review applications for channels wishing to renew their places in the basic programming package of the country’s television service providers at a hearing starting April 30.
Currently, programming services that must be carried within the basic package include 9(1)(h) services, all local television stations, provincial educational services, community channels and provincial legislature channels, if available.
The Commission said Tuesday that it will examine applications by Cable Public Affairs Channel Inc. (CPAC), Accessible Media Inc., Pelmorex Weather Networks (Television) Inc., TV5 Quebec Canada, Aboriginal Peoples Television Network Inc., Vues & Voix and The Legislative Assemblies of Nunavut and…
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GATINEAU – CRTC commisioner Christopher MacDonald’s persistent questioning on day one of the hearing into license renewals for several BDUs roughly translated to: “What’s taking so long with the set top box viewership data?”
Quebecor, Rogers, Shaw and Eastlink, all members of the Set Top box working group (check), each had very similar answers to MacDonald’s line of questions. Essentially the answers boiled down to: “What we’re doing is hard, pioneering, and with an uncertain business model, so yes, it’s a slow process.”
The group first met more than two years ago.
During the CRTC’s Let’s Talk TV process,…
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LOS GATOS, Calif. – Global streamer Netflix continues its growth track, reporting in its Q3 results Monday that it is on track to earn more than US$11 million in revenue this year.
The company, which now boasts over 115 million worldwide customers, saw global streaming revenue in Q3 rise 33% year over year, driven by a 24% increase in average paid memberships. Operating income nearly doubled year-over-year to US$209 million. (All $ in USD.)
Thanks to its spending on original content (which company executives said yesterday will top $7 billion in 2018 alone while the press release notes Netflix has deals…
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TORONTO – New CRTC broadcasting vice-chair Caroline Simard (pictured) will make her first public address next month at the Ontario Association of Broadcasters (OAB) Connection 2017 annual conference and awards gala.
Before joining CRTC, Simard was a legal advisor for the Department of Justice with Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada's legal services since 2007. She worked in domestic law, notably on the Telecommunications Act, the Radiocommunication Act, Canada's anti-spam law, and on international telecommunications law.
Simard will be the keynote luncheon speaker at Connection '17, which will take place on Thursday, November 9 at the Marriott Toronto Airport Hotel.
www.oab.ca
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