OTTAWA – Rogers wants a French language sports channel, while Stingray Digital Group hopes to add to its musical collection with a new channel called Concert TV, according to 36 new broadcasting applications made public by the CRTC on Wednesday.
Sports d’intérêt général de Rogers, will be, as the name suggests, a national, general-interest French-language Category 2 channel, according to the application. Stingray’s Concert TV would be devoted to contemporary and classical music concerts from a wide variety of music genres offered in SD, HD and 3-D, once readily available.
Other applications of interest include one from FreeHD Canada for…
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TORONTO – The Directors Guild of Canada (DGC) has named Gerry Barr as its new CEO and national executive director. He will assume the post in August 2011.
Barr’s wide-ranging career has included labour organization and negotiations for the Steelworkers’ Union, as well as the creation of its Steelworkers Humanity Fund. Since 2000, has held the role of president and CEO of the Canadian Council for International Cooperation, a coalition of approximately 100 not-for-profit organizations working on international development co-operation and humanitarian response.
“We’re thrilled to have somebody of Gerry’s stature and integrity take the helm of the Directors Guild of…
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OTTAWA – The CRTC is asking for comments on whether to remove the expiry date contained in its general authorization to down-convert digital-only television signals beyond the digital transition.
The Commission said Tuesday that the original motive for the introduction of the down-conversion rules was to avoid disruption among analog and standard definition BDU subscribers as a result of the U.S. conversion to digital over-the-air transmission in June 2009. However, the Commission noted that after the over-the-air digital transition occurs in Canada, a large number of BDUs will continue to distribute signals in analog, SD and high definition, and that continuing…
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OTTAWA – The CRTC has called for comments on amendments to the current radio regulations.
The Commission said Friday that the amendments, which would come into effect on September 1st, reflect determinations made in its proceeding on the regulatory framework for campus and community radio. In that policy, the Commission noted that its objective was to establish a single policy for campus and community radio that takes into account the differences in the two types of stations where appropriate.
Comments are due April 11, 2011.
www.crtc.gc.ca
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OTTAWA – News that Bell must carry Canada’s seven independent community TV channels as part of its basic service by next year was welcomed by the Canadian Association of Community Television Users and Stations (CACTUS), who said that the move may spawn the creation of more such services.
"This is the first decision that the CRTC has made since 2002 to encourage the distribution of truly community-based television programming services", said CACTUS spokesperson Catherine Edwards, in a statement.
The CRTC included the directive during its approval of Bell’s purchase of CTV last week. The seven channels are among 43 local…
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OTTAWA – The CRTC has excluded Whitehorse, Yukon; Yellowknife, Northwest Territories; and Iqaluit, Nunavut from the list of mandatory markets for conversion to digital television.
The Commission said Monday that broadcasters intend to shut down five of the six television transmitters in Whitehorse and Yellowknife, and noted that the transmitters are located in small and remote markets, that they do not operate on channels 52 to 69, and that their continued operation would have no impact on television stations in adjacent markets. The CBC transmitter in Yellowknife is scheduled to remain in operation and converted to digital.
The Commission also noted that…
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TORONTO – Money worries and digital strategies seem to be the key business issues keeping radio industry honchos awake at night, judging by their comments during a special radio exec panel session at the annual Canadian Music Week convention held in Toronto last week.
“Our company is in a tremendous growth pattern right now, but I worry about 2008 happening again,” said Christopher Grossman, owner and president of Haliburton Broadcasting Group. Haliburton owns radio stations in 18 small markets in central and northern Ontario, with expansion into two more communities expected soon. “I worry about what would happen if…
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OTTAWA-GATINEAU – The CRTC has decided to open its review of wholesale Internet access services to the public.
In an annoucement on Friday, the Commission said that Canadians will have an opportunity to share their views at a public hearing starting on July 11 in Gatineau, or through an on-line consultation. It will release more details on both the hearing and consultation shortly.
The scope of the proceeding will not be limited to reviewing usage-based billing proposals, as the CRTC said that it intends to focus on issues such as:– usage-based charges, whether aggregated between the small Internet service providers (small ISPs)…
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By Steven James May
TORONTO – Nearly two years after its switch to digital TV, the American broadcasting industry has turned its attention to some of the new potential digital can deliver.
When the American presenters rolled into Eaton Theatre at Ryerson University Tuesday for SMPTE Toronto’s meeting on Canada’s upcoming digital television transition, their enthusiasm for the ATSC and ATSC Mobile TV digital television standards was palpable.
With the U.S. digital television transition well behind them, speaker Jerry Whitaker, vice president for standards development at ATSC (Advanced Television Systems Committee) reminded everyone that his organization continues to offer grants…
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OTTAWA – Those in charge of the digital television transition have dropped the ball in informing Canadians on the impacts of the change to DTV, said some MPs during The Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage meeting this Monday.
The Department of Canadian Heritage, which has taken the lead on the digital TV transition file, has set up a web site (www.digitaltelevision.info.gc.ca and www.televisionnumerique.info.gc.ca) and a toll-free number that are supposed to provide Canadians with information on how the transition may affect them.
Despite these initial efforts, committee members questioned why a broad public awareness campaign has yet to…
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