TORONTO – The Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists (ACTRA) is offering its “advice and assistance” to the federal government as it moves forward with unbundling television channels, as it announced it would do in Wednesday’s Speech from the Throne.
The national organization, which represents the interests of 22,000 professional performers working in the English-language recorded media in Canada, expressed concerns on the impact the move may have on the 262,700 full time equivalent jobs in the country’s film and television industry.
“While we were disappointed to not hear a clear commitment…
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OTTAWA – Canadians who have eschewed their landlines for cell phones only are also more likely to watch video and listen to audio on their devices, according to a new study from Media Technology Monitor.
With the CRTC projecting that approximately 20% of Canadian households will be Cell Phone Only (CPO) by 2015, the MTM incorporated a CPO household sample into its annual survey to learn more about this unique group of people for the first time. This new report provides an overview of the CPO individual with respect to demographics, technology ownership and media use and compares…
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INDUSTRY MINISTER JAMES MOORE likely caused a number of folks in the Canadian subscription TV business to choke on their turkey this Thanksgiving weekend.
In a few media interviews, Moore dropped a preview bomb of this Wednesday’s Throne Speech by saying the federal Conservative government will make it its business to micromanage sectors of the economy, beginning with dismantling the TV channel packaging practices of Canadian broadcasters and broadcast distribution undertakings. “We don’t think it’s right for Canadians to have to pay for bundled television channels that they don’t watch,” he told CTV’s Question Period in an interview broadcast Sunday…
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OTTAWA-GATINEAU – The Canadian Union of Postal Workers and Union Calling Inc. have paid $115,000 in penalties as part of a settlement over the use of robocalls that violated the country’s telemarketing rules.
The CRTC said Tuesday that its investigation found that the Canadian Union of Postal Workers failed to identify itself or provide its contact information in robocalls made to residents of Ontario. The union hired a company, Union Calling Inc., to deliver pre-recorded messages between May 21 and June 26, 2013 regarding the possible closure or downsizing of post offices in certain communities.
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OTTAWA – There is no working market for domestic wholesale roaming in Canada, which has led to sky-high rates that injure competition, says Halifax-based cable and wireless company Eastlink. Conversely, Bell Mobility argues new entrants have the choice of three providers, all of which are girding for roaming business.
In comments to the CRTC’s investigation into domestic and international roaming, Eastlink says the incumbents’ wholesale domestic roaming rates are much higher than their retail rates and thus “are inherently commercially unreasonable.” It adds these rates “are a significant obstacle to new entrants’ ability to compete over…
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OTTAWA-GATINEAU – Canadians are being asked to weigh in on the future of their 9-1-1 emergency services.
The CRTC issued the call for comments Thursday, the same day that it publicly released a report authored by former Commissioner Timothy Denton which examines 9-1-1 services in light of the telecommunications system’s evolution to next-generation networks based on Internet Protocol.
A Report on Matters Related to Emergency 9-1-1 focuses on the performance and adequacy of the technology currently employed for 9-1-1 services, such as that used to locate a caller who is using a cellphone; the issues related to the provision of 9-1-1…
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OTTAWA – The CRTC cracked down on four more telemarketers Tuesday, levying fines of more than $45,000.
Les Fenêtres et Portes Deluxe de Montréal Inc., based in Quebec, was charged a $1,000 penalty for each of its 10 violations of the country’s national do not call list (DNCL) rules.
The Commission found that the company made telemarketing calls to consumers whose telecommunications numbers were registered on the DNCL, and initiated these telemarketing telecommunications without being a registered subscriber of the National DNCL and having paid all applicable fees to the National DNCL operator, in violation of the Unsolicited Telecommunications Rules.
Concord, ON-based Canadian…
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MONTREAL – A group calling themselves the Steering Committee for an Independent Community TV Channel (ICTV) for Montreal says it wants Videotron to give up its community television license in Montreal.
In a press release issued through the Canadian Association of Community Television Users and Stations (CACTUS), the group says that Videotron’s French-language community channel MAtv fails to meet the conditions of its CRTC licence to "reflect the official languages, ethnic and Aboriginal composition of the community."
“If Videotron is not willing to represent minority groups and to accurately reflect our city, then another group should administer this licence," said Laith…
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MARKHAM, ON – With the Ontario Association of Broadcasters’ fall conference less than a month away, organizers have added an industry executive town hall to the agenda.
Building upon the traditional President's Panel, the session will be expanded to include key high level industry executives from different areas of the broadcast industry providing their perspective on the state of radio, television and advertising.
The town hall will be moderated by radio executive Ross Davies and confirmed panelists include:
– Caroline Gianias; EVP trade & communications activation, Aegis Media;
– Patrick Grierson; president, Canadian Broadcast Sales;
– Catherine Kelly; VP electronic operations, BBM Canada;
– Geoff Poulton;…
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WHILE THE CANADIAN WIRELESS world and the politicians who oversee it spent the dog days of summer 2013 barking at each other over policies they said were either wrecking the business or boosting competition (depending on your point of view) one player, Halifax-based Eastlink, remained largely silent.
While Eastlink is a big deal in Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island especially, and does daily battle down East with Bell Aliant, CEO, Lee Bragg told Cartt.ca in a recent interview that adding his own voice to that cacophony would have accomplished little. And besides, even though he can’t side with government…
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