OTTAWA – As the CRTC prepares to review the relative success of the Local Programming Improvement Fund (LPIF), it has released new numbers for the 2010-2011 period, ending August 31st, which indicate Shaw Communications paid the most into the fund, followed by Bell Canada and Rogers Cable.
Shaw (cable and satellite) combined to pay almost $32 million (an earlier version of this story had an erroneous amount for Shaw), followed by Bell at $25.08 million and Rogers at $24.05 million. Quebecor (Videotron) contributed $13.6 million and Cogeco, $6.77 million.
Shaw, the LPIF’s largest contributor, received only $8.06 million in…
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OAKVILLE – MétéoMédia and The Weather Network owner Pelmorex Communications officially launched its National Alert Aggregation & Dissemination System (NAAD) for weather and other warnings today. The company also announced that Environment Canada will participate in the NAAD system by providing more than 80% of the overall NAAD system content.
Pelmorex's NAAD System collects public safety messages (be they weather, train derailments, chemical spills or missing children) from authorized provincial and federal government authorities and distributes those messages by satellite and through the Internet to broadcasting undertakings such as radio and television stations, cable and satellite TV companies and other…
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GATINEAU – Hot on the heels of Shaw Communications’ application to review and vary the CRTC’s newly set policy on wholesale Internet, both Rogers Cable and now Videotron have also submitted similar appeals to the CRTC of its Telecom Regulatory Policy 2011-703, the so-called wholesale usage-based billing decision.
The decision quashed the idea of usage-based billing for third party independent internet service providers in favour of incumbents charging independent ISPs either a flat rate, or a rate based on capacity and the number of users. While most liked the idea, few liked the rates (independent ISPs…
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OTTAWA – The Supreme Court of Canada today confirmed a lower court ruling that internet service providers are not broadcasters and therefore not subject to the Broadcasting Act, nor the policies which have sprung forth from that law.
Back in 2009, the CRTC sent the question of whether or not ISPs are broadcasters to the Federal Court to decide, since many on the creative side of the industry insisted they are and should be contributing to the production of Canadian content passing through those wires or over those wireless waves. Plus, the Commission figured then that…
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OTTAWA – CMPA president and CEO Norm Bolen has chosen to step down from his position in June, says Canadian Media Production Association chair Tom Cox.
“Three years ago, Norm put his personal plans on hold to serve as president and CEO of our association during a pivotal time for both our organization and the industry. His contributions have been immeasurable and we thank him for his steadfast commitment and exemplary leadership,” said Cox, in a release.
Bolen was hired in 2009. He was formerly executive vice-president, content, for Alliance Atlantis, and prior to that spent over 20 years as an executive…
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HAMILTON, ON – As the CRTC prepares to review the success of the Local Programming Improvement Fund (LPIF), independent broadcaster CHCH is asking its viewers for help in maintaining the fund.
The station added a page to its website crediting its increase in homegrown content to the fund, and asking viewers to either complete a survey or contact the CRTC directly in support of local programming.
“We've added more news, sports and local programming that matters to you”, it reads. “We've been able to do a lot of what we do, thanks to a federally-mandated fund, that you pay into via your…
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MICHAEL MACMILLAN HAS timed things pretty well in his career.
A film and TV producer whose former company has an Academy Award to its credit (short film Boys and Girls, in 1984), MacMillan saw a law change Stateside that he knew would hurt Atlantis Films, so he got into broadcasting (with Life Network) as specialty channels were growing in number and popularity. Later, knowing that bigger would be better thanks to cross-promotional and content sharing possibilities, among other things, his Atlantis Broadcasting took over Alliance Communications in the 1990s to become a Canadian powerhouse in Alliance Atlantis.
Not long after that,…
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OTTAWA – The Supreme Court of Canada is scheduled to hear the fee-for-carriage (or value for signal) appeal on April 19, 2012.
As Cartt.ca readers will recall, the CRTC referred the issue’s jurisdictional question to the Federal Court who determined that the Commission does have jurisdiction and can let broadcasters demand a fee from satellite, cable and telco TV carriers for the broadcasters’ off-air signals.
www.scc-csc.gc.ca
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CALGARY – A CRTC hearing into new radio stations in Calgary kicked off on Monday with the first few operators stating their case for the 95.3 MHz frequency as the new home of an ethnic service.
Diversified Society of Alberta, Unison Media Inc. and Alberta Mosaic Radio Broadcasting Inc. each took their turn Monday morning explaining to the Commission why they should be granted the license for the frequency.
Diversified Society, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to serving South Asian communities, in essence plans to operate a community radio station run largely by volunteers. The radio station would serve “the larger populace…
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OTTAWA – Rogers will follow the lead of rival Bell Canada and abandon its Internet traffic management practices (ITMP) starting next month.
The communications giant made the announcement on Friday in a letter to the CRTC’s Chief Compliance and Enforcement Officer Andrea Rosen. That letter was filed in response to one from her dated January 23 that asked Rogers to respond to evidence that its Internet throttling practices breached the net neutrality rules within the Telecommunications Act, as Cartt.ca reported.
Signed by SVP of Regulatory Ken Engelhart, the letter said that Rogers has been reviewing its traffic shaping policy…
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