OTTAWA – The Canadian Association of Community Television Users and Stations (CACTUS) said today it has received a letter from the CRTC indicating the Commission is deferring consideration of almost 60 complaints filed against community TV channels until their cable licence renewals this fall.
The complaints were filed by CACTUS in partnership with community groups earlier this year, and were concerned with cable community TV channels operated by Eastlink, Cogeco, Shaw and Rogers. According to CACTUS, the channels either fail to air adequate local content (generally 60% of the program schedule) or adequate citizen-generated content (generally 50% of the schedule)…
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MONTREAL — Although its net income and cash flow are down from its Q4 2016 results, Stingray Digital Group reported on Wednesday a Q1 2017 revenue increase of 23.4% when compared to the first quarter of 2016.
Stingray attributed its first quarter revenue increase, to $24.5 million in Q1 2017 from $19.9 million in Q1 2016, to its acquisitions of iConcerts, Brava Group, Digital Media Distribution (DMD) and Nümédia, combined with commercial music growth in Canada.
The company’s Commercial Music revenues increased 15.3% to $6.7 million, mainly as a result of music and digital signage recurring revenues, the company said in…
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Bell wanted connecting links and line-sharing service included
GATINEAU — The CRTC announced Tuesday it has denied an application from Bell Canada to expand previous regulatory policy determinations regarding the unbundled local loop framework and the rates for certain wholesale legacy services.
In its Telecom Regulatory Policy 2015-326 issued in July 2015, the Commission made a number of determinations regarding the regulatory framework for wholesale wireline services, including wholesale legacy services. Specifically, the CRTC determined that the provision of unbundled local loops (ULLs) would no longer be mandated and would be phased out, and that the rates for certain wholesale…
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TORONTO — Specialty channel operator Anthem Sports & Entertainment announced Tuesday it is acquiring The GameTV Corporation, currently held by Kilmer Enterprises Inc., for an undisclosed price.
“We are delighted to have GameTV become part of the Anthem organization,” Leonard Asper, CEO of Anthem, said in a news release to announce the proposed acquisition. “We think it’s a terrific fit because in addition to the financial upside, it will provide scale for Anthem, creating greater programming options, new advertising and marketing opportunities, expansion onto digital platforms, as well as operating efficiencies.”
Anthem currently operates the Fight Network and FNTSY Sports Network…
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Too expensive to fix transmitter site
LONDON and GATINEAU – Bell Media will soon shut down London’s CKSL AM, currently operating as comedy station Funny 1410.
The company has turned in the station license to the CRTC because of the costs required to bring its decaying transmitter site up to code outweigh any benefits. “A technical review of the transmitter site was recently completed both by Bell Media and contractors, which has resulted in the determination that the AM array poses an unacceptable risk from a health and safety perspective. The five towers are experiencing serious structural degradation and also require…
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GATINEAU – The CRTC is asking for feedback from Canadians as it launches a review of its Wireless Code of Conduct.
The Wireless Code, which came into effect December 2, 2013, was designed to make it easier for consumers and small businesses to understand their contracts for cellphones and other mobile devices, plus outline their basic rights. The Commission said then that it would review the Code’s effectiveness within three years of its implementation.
The CRTC on Thursday issued a call for comments on the effectiveness of the Code and how the Code should be updated to reflect the evolution of…
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MONTREAL – Five years ago, during a surprisingly competitive CRTC process to award new commercial AM radio stations in Montreal, one independent group burst onto the scene with grand promises to revolutionize the industry. Within two years, the three investors had acquired three licences for AM talk stations and the industry was filled with hope of new jobs and new alternatives to incumbent stations owned by major corporations.
But five years later, the group has nothing to show for it. It has already lost one of its three licence authorizations, and in November will lose the other two if it…
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OTTAWA – The CRTC is reminding Canadian businesses and individuals that send commercial electronic messages (CEMs) to keep records of consent consistent with the country’s anti-spam legislation (CASL).
In an enforcement advisory issued Wednesday, the Commission said that it has observed that some businesses and individuals are unable to prove they have obtained consent before sending CEMs, noting that the onus of proving consent always remains with the person(s) sending, causing or permitting the sending of CEMs.
According to the CRTC's guidance on corporate compliance programs and guidance on consent and how to prove consent, senders of commercial…
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OTTAWA – The CRTC’s new policy framework for local and community television is a “crippling blow” to Canada’s community TV industry, says the Canadian Association of Community Television Users and Stations (CACTUS).
The new policy framework, released June 15, sets new minimum thresholds for local news on the country’s private TV broadcasters plus seeks to establish a new fund for independent stations. But CACTUS, which appeared at the CRTC’s hearings in to local and community TV, was critical of the new Independent Local News Fund which it says “redirects money for community TV to private news production in a…
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OTTAWA – In an effort to boost its audiences, Aboriginal Peoples Television Network (APTN) has asked the CRTC for scheduling and programming flexibility for its national HD feed.
APTN says that the proposed licence amendment would enable its HD service to “provide more value and better meet its mission of building bridges and greater understanding between Aboriginal peoples and the broader Canadian population”. An associated increase in the size of the channel's audience could result “in a projected increase in advertising revenue (all national) of approximately $1 million annually”, continues the application.
In addition to its one national HD feed,…
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