OTTAWA — The St. John’s radio market cannot sustain an additional radio station at the present time, the CRTC announced in a decision on July 31. As a result, the Commission will not issue a call for applications for new radio stations to serve that market, the CRTC said.
In its Broadcasting Decision CRTC 2017-272, the Commission said it will return the application originally filed by Andrew Green and Jordan Elliott, on behalf of a corporation to be incorporated, for a broadcasting licence to operate a commercial FM radio station in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador.
The St. John’s radio…
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GATINEAU – Maybe it’s not so bad yet, after all…
The CRTC on Thursday released three different documents breaking down the 2016 results from conventional broadcast, discretionary and on demand, and broadcast distribution undertaking sectors of the Canadian TV business.
The numbers are all almost a year old (filed by the regulated companies at the end of the regulatory broadcast year, August 31, 2016) – so bear that in mind when perusing these highlights. Also, these figures do not include any revenue from broadband, telephony or wireless streams. (As well, the Commission told us the breakdown for…
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OTTAWA – The Canadian Media Producers Association, Film Ontario, the Directors Guild of Canada, the Writers Guild of Canada, Unifor and 14 other trade groups and unions have banded together to continue to push Heritage Minster Mélanie Joly to overturn a recent CRTC decision which set spending on programs of national interest (PNI) at 5% of broadcaster revenues.
In an open letter to the minister printed this morning in The Hill Times newspaper, the creative groups and unions (some of which have already officially appealed to cabinet) amped up the pressure on the minster using the same…
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OTTAWA – The CRTC is calling for comments on wholesale mobile wireless roaming as it prepares to reconsider its March decision that set the final terms and conditions for wholesale mobile wireless roaming service.
The Commission said Thursday that the Governor in Council referred Telecom Decision 2017-56 back for reconsideration in an order dated June 1st, and that its reconsideration must be completed prior to March 31, 2018.
The CRTC said that it is seeking comments, with supporting rationale, on whether a different conclusion than it reached in March is warranted with respect to the issue of how the…
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THE RECENT CRTC DECISION to reset broadcaster minimum spending requirements on programs of national interest (PNI) to a lowest-common-denominator level of 5% (see here for more) dealt a blow that the Canadian television industry is still reeling from. In the aftermath, the Writers Guild of Canada (WGC) filed a petition to Cabinet seeking to set aside or refer back the decision.
There was very little in the decision that provided a rationale as to why PNI minimums were so summarily slashed, making a letter that former CRTC Chair Jean-Pierre Blais sent to Hedy Fry, the Chair of the…
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MONTREAL – Six years ago, in the summer of 2011, a pair of Montreal businessmen went public with a project to revitalize the radio market in Montreal. Using two clear-channel AM frequencies, one for each language, they would provide a new kind of talk radio that wouldn’t be afraid to invest in content and would provide a much needed alternative to the cost-cutting machines at Bell Media and Cogeco.
Six years later, after going through several bumps in the road, the company finally has two AM stations on the air, though we’re still waiting for them to broadcast the high-quality…
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OTTAWA and TORONTO – Members of Canada’s screen-based media industries expressed cautious optimism towards this week’s three new CRTC appointments, though reiterated their call for Commissioners with backgrounds in film and television production.
The Canadian Media Producers Association (CMPA) described new CRTC chair Ian Scott, broadcasting VP Caroline Simard, and interim telecom vice-chair Christianne Laizner as “amply qualified individuals who will bring considerable experience and expertise to bear on the complex issues facing the CRTC and our industry.”
“With two vacancies remaining open, (regional members for Manitoba/Saskatchewan and Ontario), we encourage the Minister to round out this deep…
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KANATA, ON – The existing CRTC should be split into separate broadcasting and telecommunications regulators to help alleviate any perception of bias on the part of the Regulator, says a proposal by Internet Society Canada Chapter (ISOC Canada).
This was just one of eight recommendations made by the Ottawa-area organization, chaired by former CRTC commissioner Timothy Denton, in a proposal addressed to Heritage Minister Mélanie Joly and ISED Minister Navdeep Bains as part of the Broadcasting Act and Telecommunications Act review.
“The Internet has separated content and carriage and it is time for the regulation of same to follow”, reads the…
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OTTAWA – On Tuesday morning, the federal government will name former Telesat and Telus executive Ian Scott as chairman of the CRTC, Cartt.ca has learned. (Scott is pictured in a screen cap from cpac.ca during 2016's basic services objective hearing.)
As well, Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada legal counsel Caroline Simard will be named vice-chair, broadcasting. Both will assume their new duties and begin their five-year terms in September.
CRTC senior legal counsel Christianne Laizner will also be named interim vice-chair telecom, effective immediately, filling the slot left open by Peter Menzies’ departure last week to…
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OTTAWA – The CRTC has approved some, but not all, of Telus’ ideas on how the telco should use the remaining $1.34 million of its deferral account funds to improve access to mobile wireless telecommunications services for persons with disabilities.
The Commission said Monday in Telecom Decision 2017-252 that Telus' initiatives will increase access to accessible wireless handsets for Canadians with disabilities, as well as provide them with the product information necessary to make informed selections of wireless products and services.
The decision comes after a proceeding last year when Telus was asked to show cause why it should not be…
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