GATINEAU – The CRTC told the CBC on Wednesday that it could not rent a multiplex of its Toronto radio signal to launch a Tamil-language radio station in that city.
In regulatory-speak, the CBC asked for “authority to use the subsidiary communications multiplex operations channel of CBL-FM Toronto” to launch the station, which would have been owned by TIME FM based out of Scarborough, whose plan was to leased the frequency (this is an update of an earlier version of this story which did not include the TIME FM plan). However, such a station would certainly have an impact on small, independent local…
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OTTAWA – The CRTC has shot down a request by Canal Évasion to cut its Canadian programming expenditure (CPE) requirement from 46% to 32% of its previous year’s gross revenues.
Évasion is a Frech-language category A service dedicated to travel and adventure that is owned by Quebec TV and video production company Groupe Serdy and Quebecor’s Groupe TVA.
In its application to the Commission, Évasion argued that it would not benefit from the group-based approach in the same way as the large French-language ownership groups, or have advantages such as a greater flexibility in the allocation of resources.
It also requested that it…
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Release date likely September 28th
I FEEL FOR HERITAGE MINISTER Mélanie Joly. Seventeen months ago when she kicked off her wide-ranging review into Canadian Content in a Digital World, she bravely put “everything” on the table. She said that a LOT and you know what, if you want to take a holistic look at Canadian content in the midst of a swirling media world that seems to evolve daily into something new, it’s a good idea.
However, it’s gone a bit off the rails.
The problem with everything on the table – is that it’s a damn crowded table, complete with stakeholders…
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TORONTO and VANCOUVER – Wow Unlimited Media and Bell Media announced Wednesday they have completed their previously announced tie-up where WOW will buy one of Bell’s specialty channels and in return Bell will take a minority position in Wow.
The deal will see Wow buy a still-unnamed Category B service and Bell will receive 12% of Wow shares, valued at $6.87 million. (At this time the only two English language Category B channels Bell 100% owns are Comedy Gold and Investigation Discovery. Its other cat Bs are ESPN Classic, Animal Planet, Discovery Science, Discovery Velocity,…
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TORONTO – Canadian screenwriters and producers have agreed to extend the current independent production agreement (IPA) governing English-language screenwriting in Canada.
The Writers Guild of Canada (WGC), the Canadian Media Producers Association (CMPA), and the Association Québécoise de la Production Médiatique (AQPM) said Monday that all parties have ratified an eighteen-month extension to the IPA, which will come into effect January 1, 2018. This agreement maintains the current terms of engagement, with an increase of minimum script fees, and now expires on June 30, 2019.
According to the joint news release, all parties agreed that screenwriters and producers are best positioned…
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OTTAWA-GATINEAU – Newly minted CRTC chairperson and CEO Ian Scott offered a glimpse into some of his first orders of business after less than two months on the job.
In a brief statement Friday, Scott (pictured) outlined what the Commission sees as priorities for Canadians, including fast, affordable and reliable Internet access; high-quality and diverse content; the option to use applications and services on the devices of their choice; protection from spam and unwanted calls; and affordable prices and greater choice.
He also alluded to the tightrope that the CRTC must walk as it seeks to balance the priorities of consumers with…
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TORONTO – The union which represents media workers at Rogers' OMNI TV said Wednesday it is taking legal action in response to the company’s decision to have Fairchild TV produce its newscasts in Mandarin and Cantonese.
"This $20-billion broadcaster is in violation of its CRTC licence to produce its own news coverage," said Unifor National president Jerry Dias, in a press release. "Rogers promised the CRTC it would cover the news with its in-house staff. It is not supposed to get millions in customer fees, and then renege on that promise as soon as it gets the CRTC licence."
Rogers…
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GATINEAU – Danielle May-Cuconato is no longer secretary general of the CRTC. She left for a position at Public Works Canada late last month, which we've been told is to help spearhead the cleanup of the federal government's broken Phoenix payroll system.
While the Commission looks for a new head of operations (essentially the SG’s role) to fill her shoes, the role will be held on an acting basis during the fall. Until September 29th, Claude Doucet, executive director, communications and external relations has the job, to be followed by executive director broadcasting Scott Hutton until November 10th and then…
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OTTAWA – The CRTC has revised the exemption order for terrestrial broadcasting distribution undertakings (BDUs) serving fewer than 20,000 subscribers.
Effective immediately (and just in time for the new TV Service Provider Code to apply), the revised exemption order issued Thursday stipulates:
– future contributions to Canadian programming by BDUs eligible for exemption will be based on the previous year’s revenues rather than the current year’s revenues; the calculation of monthly contributions will be simplified; and the annual true-up of monthly contributions will be eliminated, while the true-up provision for the months of September through November will be maintained;
– all…
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TORONTO – Rogers Media’s new national multilingual service OMNI Regional is set to debut Friday with daily national newscasts in Cantonese, Italian, Mandarin, and Punjabi.
The service, which the CRTC approved as a must-carry, basic-service specialty channel, is promising a slate of news and current affairs, lifestyle, and entertainment programming in multiple languages. Programming will be divided in four feeds: Pacific (British Columbia), Prairies (Alberta, Manitoba and Saskatchewan), East (Ontario, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and PEI), and Quebec, through a partnership with ICI Television.
OMNI News: Cantonese Edition, OMNI News: Italian Edition, OMNI News: Mandarin Edition, and OMNI News: Punjabi…
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