QUEBEC CITY – Since Friday night, when Quebec’s floundering broadcast station TQS began stripping its news operations, the TV network has been ignoring its obligation to produce a certain number of hours of news programming, as set out in its CRTC licence.
That doesn’t sit well with CRTC chair Konrad von Finckenstein.
“We have a lot of problems with your application,” von Finckenstein said Monday at the opening of hearings in Montreal into TQS’s pitch for a new licence containing no news programming obligation at all. “You’re asking us to make an exception, one that would be in violation…
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TORONTO – Another recent attack on the fee-for-carriage issue by Rogers Communications shows carriers are desperate and have resorted to fear-mongering, said CTVglobemedia executive vice-president Paul Sparkes.
Last week, Rogers vice-chairman Phil Lind used an appearance at a Toronto conference to again urge the CRTC to dismiss broadcasters’ requests for a new fee for carriage of their over-the-air TV stations, calling any such new fee, if the Commission goes that way, to be dismissed as a new tax.
“Rogers is fear mongering,” said Sparkes. “We are seeing the politics of desperation here, and rather obvious and transparent attempts to…
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DARTMOUTH, NS – Newcap said today it has received approval from the CRTC for the purchase of CTVglobemedia’s 50% interest in Metro Radio Group Inc. for $8.5 million.
Metro Radio Group Inc. operates CKUL-FM (Kool 96.5) in Halifax, Nova Scotia. This transaction is expected to close within 60 days and will give Newcap 100% of the company.
www.ncc.ca
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TORONTO – At a media conference today in Toronto, Rogers Communications vice-chairman Phil Lind will go on the attack once again against the conventional broadcasters’ goal of gaining a fee for carriage – and against his fear the CRTC might create such a fee and tie it to the production of local news.
Rogers, the recent buyers of the Citytv network and owners of the OMNI group of conventional stations, has asked for no such fee and fears the Commission may be thinking about poking its nose too deeply into the inner workings of the industry.
“Canada’s broadcast regulator,…
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TORONTO – Rogers Media Television announced Wednesday that effective immediately Rogers TV Sales will be managing and selling national advertising for Channel m in Vancouver.
Rogers’ Television received CRTC approval to acquire the Vancouver-based over-the-air ethnic channel at the end of March.
“We are pleased to bring forward more opportunities for advertisers to reach multilingual audiences in western Canada,” said Mitch Dent, executive vice-president of Sales at Rogers Media Television.
It was also announced that Rogers TV Sales would no longer be managing advertising sales for OMNI Vancouver (CHNU) and OMNI Manitoba (CIIT) following the purchase of these…
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OTTAWA – The Campaign for Democratic Media will encourage Canadians to make their voices heard on the "net neutrality" issue during a gathering on Parliament Hill this morning.
An impending CRTC ruling on Bell Canada’s network management practices “may pave the way for continued Canadian technical advancement and progress or set the scene for a corporatized Canadian Internet,” says the group’s release, which insists Bell’s actions are choking, or “throttling” Internet performance and favoring its services over others.
Said Rocky Gaudrault, CEO of TekSavvy Solutions and one of the rally’s organizers, in the press release: "If we don’t stand…
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CAMPBELL RIVER, B.C – The Campbell River Television board of directors has called a special meeting for July 2nd to discuss details of an offer to purchase CRTV by Shaw Communications.
Details of the offer have not yet been made public but the 13,000 customer cable system could sell for over $20 million, given current cable valuations. The board said earlier this month it had had discussions with the big Calgary-based MSO.
“This is a critical meeting and members who wish to have input should appear in person or authorize a proxy for an immediate family member who…
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TORONTO – S-VOX is now operating Vancouver-based CHNU-TV and its Winnipeg sister station CIIT-TV. They are the first two conventional broadcasters owned by the faith and spirituality focused media company.
The CRTC last month approved the acquisition of these two local stations from Rogers, which chose to sell the stations when they moved to acquire the Citytv network.
"We are proud to add these vibrant local stations to the S-VOX family of channels, and look forward to helping them build on their current strengths to become leaders in their respective local marketplaces,” said S-VOX president and CEO Bill Roberts,…
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EDMONTON – Tomorrow (Tuesday), the CRTC will begin a public hearing in Edmonton, Alberta, to consider various radio programming undertaking applications to serve the Drumheller, Red Deer and Edmonton markets.
For more information or to listen to the hearing through live audio feed, click here.
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TORONTO – Over 20 industry leaders will deliver keynotes at the 2008 Canadian Telecom Summit, running from June 16 to 18 at the Toronto Congress Centre, organizers announced Tuesday.
They will give their insights into the future of Canadian telecommunications industry, while examining technology, services, consumer and business trends and policy. More than 50 experts will be participating in panel discussions.
One of the highlights of Monday’s sessions, according to organizers, is the panel on examining entertainment and content over broadband. It will feature a discussion by Gary Anderson (VP Consumer Internet Services, Sympatico MSN), Steve Billinger (Executive Director, Digital Programming and…
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