GATINEAU – Quebecor Media renewed its assault on CBC/Radio-Canada’s access to information practices during the corporation’s licence renewal hearing on Monday by requesting the CBC include access to information data in transparency and accountability reports to the Commission.
CRTC chair Jean-Pierre Blais, however, wondered if it’s wise to have a parallel system regarding access to information.
“We’re not asking for the CRTC to impose sanctions on CBC/Radio-Canada with respect to access to information like the Information Commissioner can. What we’re asking for is in the reports that are submitted to the CRTC, which allow the Commission to verify how…
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TORONTO – University of Toronto campus radio station CIUT-FM 89.5 has filed a lawsuit against its former station manager Brian Burchell seeking to retrieve more than $162,000 in station funds that he allegedly used to pay for personal expenses before he was fired in October 2010.
In its statement of claim filed against Burchell to the Ontario Superior Court, the University of Toronto Community Radio Inc. (UTCRI), which owns and operates CIUT, is seeking damages of $162,193.68, payment of its legal fees and other damages as may be proven. UTCRI is a registered charity that relies in…
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GATINEAU – CBC’s call for greater regulatory flexibility to help it deal with the new realities of the broadcasting environment got some support on the fourth day of its licence renewal hearing.
Shaw Communications Inc. appearing later Thursday afternoon, said that all broadcasters should have additional room to operate in an environment that is being challenged by the emergence of non-traditional players such as Apple, Google, Netflix and Amazon.
“Regulatory micro-management is neither necessary nor efficient,” Paul Robertson, president of Shaw Media, said in his opening remarks. “All of us in the broadcasting sector require the ability to respond quickly to…
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TORONTO – Rogers Communications said Wednesday it has signed an agreement with SamKnows Ltd., a well-trusted independent broadband performance testing company, to conduct ongoing measurement of broadband internet speed, based on customer data collected in the home.
SamKnows measures broadband performance around the globe, including measuring for the FCC in the United States, for example. The U.S.-based company also recently completed a small pilot project with the CRTC which used SamKnows to test rural broadband speeds.
"With Internet usage exploding, speed is more important than ever to the customer experience," said John Boynton, Rogers’ EVP and chief marketing officer, in the press…
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GATINEAU – The Canadian broadcast environment has changed considerably since 1999, the last time CBC/Radio-Canada appeared before the CRTC for a licence renewal hearing, and the changes in the world since requires an utterly new regulatory framework for the national public broadcaster, the corporation told the Commission on the first days of its licence renewal hearing Monday.
Direct-to-home satellite TV was only emerging, cells phones were for calling, and YouTube and Facebook were years away from even being thought up then, Hubert Lacroix, CBC president and CEO said during his opening remarks. Now, with the myriad devices and applications used…
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GATINEAU – After nearly a full day Monday examining corporate aspects of CBC/Radio-Canada’s licence renewal, the CRTC began a thorough study of the specifics of the broadcaster’s proposals late that day and through Tuesday.
Commission chair Jean-Pierre Blais brought up CBC’s commitment to seven hours of programs of national interest (PNI) per week. He wondered how the corporation decided on the number particularly since some interveners believe the corporation should be committing a greater amount each week to PNI.
Christine Wilson, executive director of content planning for English Language Services at CBC, said the corporation wanted to come up with a…
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GATINEAU – The industry finally has a date (albeit a tentative one) for when the CRTC will hear a number of TV channel applications asking for must-carry status.
Several broadcasters have said they filed applications for licenses (for existing or new channels) years ago seeking 9(1)(h), or must-carry status, on licensed Canadian TV distributors. They have complained often, and loudly, about the many delays to get to this hearing. The CRTC announced this week that it has tentatively scheduled a hearing to begin April 23.
Among those will be…
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GATINEAU – The CRTC told Rogers Communications on Tuesday that it won’t have to appear at a hearing in December to explain the apparent non-compliance with the conditions of license of its specialty channel G4TechTV.
Last month, as reported by Cartt.ca, the Regulator called both it and Corus Entertainment’s Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN) to a December 11th hearing to explain why the channels are still not complying with their conditions of license.
Thanks to recent action taken by Rogers, however, the Commission has decided G4 can avoid the hearing. In its release Tuesday the Continue Reading
MONTREAL – There are few details at this time other than the fact Bell will ask for an exception to keep TSN Radio 690 in Montreal, but Monday morning Astral Media and BCE announced they’ve amended their sale agreement and have submitted a new proposal to the CRTC for approval of Bell's acquisition of Astral. The $3.38 billion purchase price remains unchanged.
Bell also announced that it has formally withdrawn its request to the federal Cabinet for a policy direction to the CRTC which was made in the wake last month’s Commission denial of the first…
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TORONTO – It would seem Bell Canada and Astral Media are figuring out how they can get back to the altar and tie the knot after all, perhaps with a third party in tow.
The Globe and Mail broke a story this morning saying a new purchase arrangement between the two would be announced soon, but this one would likely involve the spinoff of some English language TV assets – something we said could happen here.
In fact, since Bell and Astral executives are obviously committed to this deal and to do what…
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