OTTAWA – Channel Zero has received CRTC approval to assume ownership of former Canwest E! stations CHCH TV Hamilton and CJNT TV Montreal.
The independent specialty service operator, which owns short film specialty Movieola, classic movie channel Silver Screen Classics, film distributor Ouat Media and a majority stake in the AOV adult channel brands, agreed to purchase the stations from Canwest Global on June 30.
The Commission also renewed the broadcasting licences for CHCH-TV and CJNT TV through August 31, 2016, and for the transitional digital television station CHCH-DT Hamilton until August 31, 2011.
In its decision on the CHCH…
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MONTREAL – Astral’s French-language music channel MusiquePlus will now allocate its annual contributions in support of music video development and production to MaxFACT.
MusiquePlus’ annual contributions match 3.4% of the previous broadcast fiscal year’s gross revenues. The funds were previously directed to VidéoFACT, but the CRTC approved Astral’s request to direct the contributions to MaxFACT last month.
"This new additional source of financing for MaxFACT, along with a new category for young adults, will help us better respond to the imposing volume of promising and well-thought-out projects that we receive each year and reach a wider audience for our…
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OTTAWA-GATINEAU – Three telemarketers have been fined by the CRTC for violating the National Do Not Call List (DNCL) rules.
The Commission has issued a $4,000 fine to Rob Sugar, a $10,000 fine to Roofing by Peerless Mason Ltd. and an additional $10,000 fine to Waterproofing by Peerless Mason Inc.
The telemarketers were given opportunities to come into compliance with the National DNCL Rules, but “failed to change their business practices”, the CRTC said in a press release.
After violation notices were issued in July, the companies were given 30 days to either pay the fine or to contest it before a CRTC panel….
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OTTAWA – According to Telus, wireless newcomer Globalive should be declared ineligible to operate as a telecommunications common carrier in Canada, as it is controlled by persons who are not Canadians.
The BC-based telecom giant made that assertion again this week as it filed comments for the CRTC’s upcoming review into Globalive’s ownership structure.
Globalive is co-owned by Orascom, a global wireless player based in Egypt with over 79 million wireless subscribers. Orascom holds a 65% indirect equity ownership, but less than 50% of voting control in Globealive Holdings, the parent company of Globalive Wireless.
But Telus alleges that Orascom’s ownership…
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WHILE WE WAIT for the CRTC to decide whether or not Al Jazeera English can be distributed in Canada by cable, satellite and telco TV companies, I already have it in my office.
Actually, I have both the English and Arabic versions, right now, on my television. (No Canadian BDU offers the Arabic version because even though it’s on the eligible satellite list, the regs around it say that BDUs must employ Arabic language censors to monitor it 24/7, if they want to launch.)
And yet, here they both are, in standard definition, full-screen quality, on my 30-inch LCD television thanks…
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TORONTO – CRTC Commissioner Rita Cugini has been confirmed as the keynote speaker at the Ontario Association of Broadcasters (OAB) annual general meeting in Toronto on October 28, 2009.
The luncheon, which will showcase Ontario radio and television stations that have made significant contributions to their respective communities over the past year, will also see Jim Sward, former president and CEO of Global Television, receive the OAB’s Lifetime Achievement Award.
Member stations of the OAB are also encouraged to submit their nominations for this year’s community service awards which recognize station participation in support of local charities.
For further information and tickets,…
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OTTAWA – After renewing the broadcasting licences of Rogers’ OMNI television stations for another six years, the CRTC has denied its request to broadcast ethnic programming during "peak" time, and to remove the conditions of licence relating to the overlap of programming between OMNI and Rogers’ Citytv stations.
The Commission did approve Rogers’ request to “harmonize” its requirement for Canadian programming across all of its multiethnic OMNI stations. It further agreed to amend the requirement of CJMT-TV Toronto (OMNI.2) for the provision of ethnic programming in order to harmonize it with the conditions of licence of the other OMNI stations, and will…
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DAVE LEWIS HAS BEEN at this satellite thing for a long time. Thirty-one years, to be exact.
He’s worked for Telesat, Alphastar, Cancom/Star Choice, Lincsat and Ciel – just about every satellite company in the country. And he says there’s no way existing Canadian BDUs can offer up all channels in high definition without multi-billion-dollar upgrades which would include a massive consumer set top box swap-out program.
He believes the best way to deliver local-into-local TV signals – and his new company would deliver every OTA broadcaster in Canada – in high definition (including 1080p), is to start over with a…
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VICTORIA – The employees of CHEK TV have come up with a plan to save their station from closing at the end of the month – they’re going to buy it themselves.
Approximately 40 current employees have raised more than $500,000 in a bid to own a 25% share in a company that will try to buy the Victoria-based station from current owner Canwest Global. If successful, the employees will sit on the board of directors at the new company, which will operate the station. The balance will be held by three local investors.
“And we foresee ourselves making a profit…
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THANK YOU FOR DOING what no mainstream reporters did and provide some analysis on the OECD numbers on wireless rates. Your story got it right. You can’t compare the EU and North America.
But why did mainstream media fail so badly in objectively reporting this? There were obvious signals. The first is that the U.S. is rated most expensive, but we all know it’s been accepted as fact that the U.S. has the lowest per minute costs in the world. (See Merrill Lynch Quarterly)
Number two is the minutes of use of the average European in the report: 780…
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