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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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,…
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CALGARY – Just in time for the Super Bowl, CTV said officially today it is broadcasting a high definition signal in Calgary.
(Which may not be good news for fans of American Super Bowl commercials… more on that below)
CTV HD Calgary is now transmitting from CTV Calgary’s Patina Rise headquarters and is the only broadcaster now transmitting over-the-air in HD in Calgary. CTV is also the only one to have HD transmitters in all three markets metered by BBM Nielsen Media Research, Vancouver and Toronto being the other two.
CTV HD Calgary can be accessed by viewers with…
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TORONTO and ST. CATHARINES – Digi-net The Christian Channel has been sold to World Impact Ministries (WIM), owner S-Vox said today.
WIM is a St. Catharines, Ont.-based Christian charity known for media and international work. S-Vox, of course, is the owner of VisionTV and One: the Body, Mind & Spirit channel. The sale still has to be approved by the CRTC and no purchase price was announced.
"We launched The Christian Channel in 2005 with the intent of better serving Canadians with a varied and robust schedule of the finest Christian programming from around the world. I’m proud of the…
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GATINEAU – The CRTC today said that there won’t be any new radio stations allowed in the Guelph, Ont., market.
Three companies had applied to launch new FM stations in the city of about 120,000 about 100 kms west of Toronto and abutting the Kitchener-Waterloo-Cambridge markets and a fourth, Corus Entertainment’s CJOY, had asked to convert from AM to FM.
Citing the size of the market and the current state of the economy, the Commission said no to all four requests.
Guelph is a three-station city swamped by signals from across southern Ontario, where Corus owns AM Oldies…
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TORONTO – Toronto FC soccer team owner Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment said today that it will buy majority ownership of GolTV from Insight Sports.
The agreement to purchase, the price for which was not disclosed, was made by one of MLSE’s affiliate companies, which will see it acquire an 80.1% stake in the 24-hour soccer network. The transaction will require CRTC approval.
"Given Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment’s operation of Toronto FC, its on-going investment in soccer in Canada and its existing broadcast business we believe soccer fans will continue to be extremely well-served," said Mark Rubinstein, president of…
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