GATINEAU – The CRTC decided Wednesday to eliminate restrictions on the broadcast of hits by English-language FM radio stations in English-language markets, but to uphold the restrictions in the bilingual markets of Montréal and Ottawa-Gatineau.
And at least one radio broadcaster is unhappy with the Commission’s decision. Calling the policy “insane, inane and asinine”, Chuck McCoy, executive vice president of programming and marketing for Rogers Radio, said that there is “no logical reason” for the decision.
“If you live in Medicine Hat, Lethbridge, Winnipeg or Toronto, you can listen to stations that play hits, the music that the consumers…
Continue Reading
TORONTO – The recent cutbacks and sharp shift in focus for the Canadian Association of Broadcasters is something that should be re-thought, say its independent broadcast members.
Readers will recall that the group recently cut its size in half and retrenched its focus so that it will be much less involved with the CRTC and spend far more time and resources lobbying government MPs directly instead.
That’s not to say the smaller members don’t recognize some change is required. “I think it’s important to recognize that the CAB leadership had every good intention of being responsible and changing with…
Continue Reading
OTTAWA – The Community Radio Fund of Canada (CRFC) has launched its first call for proposals for Canadian community-oriented broadcasters and associations.
Applications will be accepted under the categories ‘Radio Talent Development Program’ and the ‘Youth Internship Program’. The goal of both programs is to “develop innovative local interest programming while providing mentorship, education, and/or training for broadcasters”.
The deadline for each program is March 27, 2009. Proposals will be assessed in April through a peer review process, with the final results announced in May.
The programs are part of a financial partnership with Astral Media Radio through a CRTC contribution mechanism worth $1.4…
Continue Reading
A national coalition of self-described “Internet democracy watchdogs” is calling on Canadians to voice their opinion on the issue of network neutrality and Internet traffic management practices to the CRTC, in advance of their February 16 deadline for comments.
SaveOurNet.ca, a coalition of media watchdogs, industry and public interest groups, says the “debate” pits the interests of “monopoly against the larger interests of Canadian innovation, democracy, and a healthy 21st century economy”.
"There needs to be some basic rules in place to protect Canadian citizens and businesses from being unfairly throttled, blocked or squeezed out by a few telecom…
Continue Reading
GATINEAU – The CRTC has issued a call for comments on how Canadian BDUs can best work around the U.S. transition from analog to digital broadcasting of its main television networks, also known as the U.S. 4+1 signals.
U.S. over-the-air (OTA) television networks ABC, CBS, NBC and FOX plus the U.S. Public Broadcasting System (PBS) are scheduled to shut down analog broadcasting later this month. But with the Canadian digital transition date not scheduled until August 31 2011, many BDUs will have to find a short term solution to continue to offer these channels to subscribers who can’t receive the digital version….
Continue Reading
TORONTO – With all TV companies extending their businesses into other media, the need for cross-media audience measurement has never been greater than now, said Mike Bloxham, director of insight and research for Ball State University’s Center for Media Design.
Bloxham was speaking during a plenary session on understanding consumer behaviour at BBM Canada’s Staying Tuned 2009 conference held Tuesday in Toronto.
The current fragmented nature of media has created what Bloxham calls “the curse of the silos”. Audience measurement data has become "siloed", making it difficult for media owners and advertisers to develop effective cross-media strategies or to…
Continue Reading
OTTAWA – Canadian wireless companies say they will be ready for the CRTC’s new deadline for the launch of phase two of wireless emergency 911 service.
The Commission said today the deadline for wireless carriers to upgrade their technology – so that people can more easily be found in an emergency – is February 1, 2010. A combination of GPS or radio triangulation will be deployed and the Commission has mandated the technology be precise enough to be able to say where a handset is, within a radius of 10 to 300 metres.
Right now, emergency operators rely on…
Continue Reading
GATINEAU – As anticipated, the CRTC has given Canadian wireless providers one year to upgrade their 911 services.
By February 1, 2010, emergency responders must be able to determine the location of a person using a cell phone to call 911 “with much greater precision”, Monday’s CRTC announcement read.
"With more than 20 million wireless subscribers in Canada, it is imperative that emergency responders can quickly and accurately locate those who use their cell phones to call 911," said CRTC chair Konrad von Finckenstein, in the statement. "I am pleased that the industry has come forward with a technical…
Continue Reading
GATINEAU – The CRTC will set a deadline of February 1, 2010 for a new wireless emergency 911 standard to be implemented by Canadian wireless carriers. The announcement is expected at 11 a.m. this morning.
Canada’s wireless e911 service is not as advanced as compared to the U.S. marketplace. In Canada, 911 operators who field an emergency call made from a cell phone normally must ask where the caller is. Of course, that’s a problem if the caller either can’t talk, or doesn’t know where they are.
Thanks to an FCC edict in the States, wireless carriers there already use…
Continue Reading
GATINEAU – London, Ontario will be getting a new FM radio station.
The CRTC has approved an application by Blackburn Radio Inc. for a station operating at 98.1 FM that will target adults aged 34-64 in the adult album alternative format.
It also approved the re-launch of Sound of Faith Broadcasting’s Christian music specialty station in that market, replacing its existing low-power FM radio station CHJX-FM.
Nine applications for new radio licenses were considered after the CRTC determined that the London radio market could support one new mainstream commercial radio station.
Blackburn, which currently operates radio stations in Chatham,…
Continue Reading
