TORONTO – While broadcasters and TV distributors fight it out over fee-for-carriage, ACTRA is calling on them both to commit to supporting Canadian programming.
Noting that private broadcasters spent $740 million on U.S. and foreign programming versus $54 million on Canadian English-language drama last year, the performers’ union said that private broadcasters and BDUs should reverse this trend “by giving more back to the system without passing the buck on to Canadians”.
"Performers will support fee-for-carriage if broadcasters commit to putting the money back into producing Canadian programming”, said national executive director Stephen Waddell, in a statement. “We agree that cable…
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OTTAWA – There could be two more sports network hitting the airwaves in Canada.
The CRTC has received applications from Rogers Broadcasting and Quebecor-owned TVA Group for national, category two services tentatively entitled Rogers’ Mainstream Sports Specialty Service, and TVA Sports.
In an application dated September 16, 2009, Rogers said that its new network will air “programming dedicated to all aspects of sports with an emphasis on mainstream Canadian professional sports”.
“Rogers Broadcasting Ltd. will leverage our expertise in sports programming and our existing infrastructure to establish a premium service offering blue chip mainstream sports events with widespread viewer, subscriber and…
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THE PUBLIC RELATIONS war between Canadian BDUs and broadcasters over fee-for-carriage got a little sillier yesterday.
Right away, I already know the broadcasters are reading that opening line and getting hot under the collar. “It’s not fee-for-carriage, it’s value-for-signal,” or “it’s about the right to negotiate for fair value for our signals,” they are muttering.
And now, the BDUs out there are thinking “screw that, it’s a fee, call it what it is.”
In an extreme nutshell, broadcasters are trying to re-frame the debate saying now they only want the ability to negotiate for a fee for their local TV signals, which…
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IT’S TIME FOR CANADA to take a coherent and holistic approach to creating a national digital strategy.
We need an overall vision to guide the current social and economic transformation in the interest of all Canadians, otherwise, debate will be mired in the arcane and fragmented languages of broadcasting regulation, copyright revision, technological innovation, cultural subsidies, and broadband infrastructure.
For Canada to compete in a digital world, we urgently need to integrate these often conflicting narratives, or we risk being left behind.
Digital Britain raises the bar for Canada The release of Digital Britain this past June draws attention to…
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TORONTO – Faced with an onslaught of advertising and other messaging from Canadian cable, satellite and telco TV companies that began in earnest this week, CTV will play host to a press conference this morning to address what the broadcasters say is a whole host of misinformation being put out by the carriers on the fee-for-carriage issue.
“Both camps are out there trying to spread their message but we feel some of the issues being thrown out there by the cable and satellite companies are stretching the truth,” CTV executive vice-president of corporate affairs Paul Sparkes told Cartt.ca late Wednesday.
“They…
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OTTAWA – The government of Canada and Canada’s broadcasters have decided to walk away from their Part II fee legal battle, Heritage Minister James Moore and the Canadian Association of Broadcasters announced today.
"I am pleased to announce that we have been able to reach an agreement regarding Part II Licence Fees received by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC),” the minister said in a statement, which also noted that Canadian broadcasters contribute $20 billion a year to the Canadian economy.
“Under this settlement, our Government is recommending that the CRTC develop a new, forward-looking fee regime that would be…
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OTTAWA – Halifax is getting a new FM station.
The CRTC approved an application for a new English-language commercial FM station run by HFX Broadcasting Inc. after a public hearing which began on May 28, 2009. Applications by Acadia Broadcasting and Frank Torres, on behalf of a corporation to be incorporated, were denied.
HFX has proposed a new adult album alternative station blending classic rock, 70’s pop rock and modern rock targeted to listeners between the ages of 35 and 64, skewed to females aged 35-54. The company currently operates CKHZ-FM Halifax.
The Commission also denied a request by Parrsboro…
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OTTAWA-GATINEAU – Northern Ontario will be getting a new area code and 10-digit local dialing, the CRTC has announced.
New telephone numbers in the 705 area code region may be given area code 249 as of March 19, 2011, as the region exhausts its supply of telephone numbers. The Canadian Numbering Administrator warned the CRTC earlier this year that area code 705 is expected to run out of telephone numbers by October 2012.
The transition to 10-digit dialing will begin on January 15, 2011, and will be gradually introduced over the following weeks before becoming mandatory by March 12, 2011.
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OTTAWA – Astral Broadcasting has received CRTC approval to amend the broadcasting licences for four French-language TV stations.
The category 1 specialty channel Ztélé can now expand the list of categories from which it may draw programming. To ensure that it does not compete with other category A services, the Commission has restricted the channel from drawing more than 10% of its programming from the categories of professional sports, sitcoms, animated programs, comedy, other drama, and music videos over the broadcast month.
VRAK.TV, formerly known as Canal Famille, received approval to add professional and amateur sports programming to its licence, though it…
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TORONTO – Bruce Claassen didn’t want to be the bad guy. He wanted to be the white knight who saved CKX-TV Brandon and used it as a springboard to build another national TV network.
With the market for smaller TV stations set in the $1-range (and with Shaw Communications having backed down from its much-ballyhooed calling-of-CTV’s-“bluff”) Claassen announced in July that his investment vehicle, Bluepoint Investments, would purchase the beleaguered station from owner CTVglobemedia as the start of Bluepoint’s grander plan to become a major media player.
But, after “trying everything to make it work,” Claassen said he made…
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