MONTREAL – As part of its application to buy Astral Media, BCE is asking for an exception to the CRTC's common ownership policy that would allow it to own an extra English-language radio station in Montreal. This would allow it to keep sports talk station CKGM (TSN Radio 690) while buying three Astral stations. Without it, Bell says it will be forced to sell the station or turn in its licence.
But during questioning on Monday at a hearing in Montreal, commissioner Suzanne Lamarre floated the idea of another option: forcing Bell to keep CKGM in its current format and…
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OTTAWA – In its updated three-year plan released today, the CRTC said it will give top priority to projects such as revamping its tangible benefits policy, developing a national broadband performance testing program, and creating a new mandatory code for wireless providers.
Those initiatives are among a number of goals that the Commission has outlined for completion during 2013-16 under three key pillars it has identified as “connect,” “create” and “protect.”
The Commission's activities under the "Create" pillar ensure that Canadians have access to compelling creative content, from diverse sources, on a variety of…
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GATINEAU – Sun News told the CRTC on Thursday that it would close its doors if it wasn’t granted a 9(1)(h) order, forcing it onto the basic carriage packages of all Canadian BDUs and onto the bills of all Canadian TV subscribers. The channel made the comments during the hearing’s reply stage on Thursday.
In opening remarks, Kory Teneycke, VP of Sun News, argued that even a must offer order, as was suggested by the Commission wouldn’t work. “Let’s be clear: a ‘must offer’ licence would not have a meaningful impact on the current trajectory of Sun News, and would…
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CALGARY, ALTA. – Shaw says a spate of recent phone calls to its customers that claim to be from the company are fraudulent and warns customers should not provide any personal information.
The company has received numerous complaints from customers saying they have received phone calls from someone posing as a Shaw agent. The calls, which usually originate from a blocked caller ID or from overseas, claim to be calling for various reasons.
From account information requiring an update, to billing issues or a customer…
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OTTAWA-GATINEAU – The CRTC today approved Bell Media?'s application to redirect certain tangible benefits in a package that Bell inherited when it purchased CTVglobemedia Inc. in 2011.
The Commission did not receive any interventions regarding this application. As part of its decision however, the Commission told Bell it expected the company to keep its promise to redirect the tangible benefits predominantly to third parties, such as independent producers.
The tangible benefits,…
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TORONTO – This past Monday, the federal government announced new measures added to its budget bill that would give political control to the Cabinet over how much Crown corporations such as the CBC pays its union and non-union staff and other terms and conditions of employment.
“CBC is not just another crown corporation. The financial decision-making the government plans to take over will affect CBC’s editorial independence,” said Ian Morrison, spokesperson for Friends of Canadian Broadcasting, in a release. “If this bill becomes law, the government will have one more lever to control what…
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VANCOUVER – To meet the growing demand for new phone numbers in British Columbia, the CRTC is adding a new area code, 236, to the entire province starting June 1.
Individuals do not need to change their existing phone number. The new area code will come into effect as new telephone numbers are introduced when the supply of 604, 778 and 250 numbers are exhausted. Timing and availability of phone numbers with the new area code will vary by community, depending upon the local inventory and demand.
The geographic boundaries that govern long distance…
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HALIFAX – Growth in regional telco Bell Aliant’s TV, Internet, wireless segments helped operating revenues increase by $2 million to $684 million in the first quarter of 2013.
The company reported a first-quarter profit of $84 million, up $1 million from the same period last year. Those gains, however, were offset by lower revenue from Bell Aliant’s local and long-distance telephone services. “Returning to revenue growth is a key milestone in our strategy and our first quarter results have us off to a great start for 2013,” said Karen Sheriff, Bell Aliant president and CEO, in…
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TORONTO – Rogers Media today cleared the final hurdle in its bid to acquire Score Media after receiving regulatory approval from the CRTC.
With today’s approval, Rogers Media can now start to integrate and rebrand the channel, which has been in trust since October 19, 2012, under the Sportsnet umbrella. Rogers’ acquisition of Score Media cost $167 million, and includes The Score, Canada’s third largest specialty sports channel with 6.6 million television subscribers, closed captioning service Voice to Visual Inc., and mixed martial arts program The Score Fighting Series. The rebranded channel will be unveiled…
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GATINEAU – That broadcast distributors would increase the price of basic packages if the CRTC licensed new 9(1)(h) services is a red herring, according the Canadian Media Production Association (CPMA) told commissioners on Tuesday.
“We believe that the impact of 9(1)(h) services on ‘affordability’ is a red herring that threatens to overshadow the achievement of more significant objectives under the Act,” Michael Hennessy, president and CEO of the CMPA, said during his opening remarks.
The association acknowledges that licensing additional services with mandatory carriage orders may trigger basic package rate increases, but it says this isn’t the sole reason broadcast…
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