GATINEAU – On the one hand, John Bitove says his proposed company, HDTV Networks, wouldn’t take local ad revenue away from existing TV broadcasters because he wouldn’t want to do much local programming.
On the other hand, if you’re going to be a conventional, over-the-air television broadcaster – complete with all the rather favourable must-carry and simultaneous substitution regulations – part of the deal is you must be in local programming, reflecting each community in which you have a transmitter, back to itself.
Bitove, founder and chairman of Canadian Satellite Radio – owners of XM Canada – wants a…
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GATINEAU – XM Canada owner and serial entrepreneur John Bitove will go before the CRTC Tuesday urging the panel to grant him a nationwide high definition over-the-air television license.
All the established players have come down against it (no one else bid in competition) – and the application for a regional request for Toronto (called YES TV). Click here for background and watch for Cartt.ca’s coverage of the hearing this week.
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OTTAWA-GATINEAU – CRTC chair Konrad von Finckenstein tells Shaw Communications CEO Jim Shaw in a letter that the three commissioners overseeing the public hearing on the Canadian Television Fund (CTF) “have the most experience in the broadcasting industry.”
“Their in-depth understanding of television production is essential to achieve the above-mentioned goal ,” states his February 4 letter to Shaw.
Von Finckenstein’s response comes after Shaw sent a letter to the CRTC…
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GATINEAU – The Canadian Television Fund should be split in two: one with public money to meet government policy objectives, and the other with private money to support hit shows, Rogers Communications told the CRTC on Tuesday morning.
During day two of the week-long hearing into the CTF’s revenue and governance models, executives told commissioners that increasingly the CTF—originally the Cable Production Fund supported entirely by the cable industry—“is viewed as a public policy instrument for the Canadian government” instead of a way to encourage broadcasters to air popular shows, said Rogers’ Vice Chairman Phil Lind.
To qualify for…
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OTTAWA – To kick off today’s CRTC hearings on the Canadian Television Fund (CTF), actors, producers, writers and directors release results of a new poll that said “a strong majority (71%) of Canadians believe it is important to have access to Canadian television programming distinct from American programs.”
And, “the poll also reveals that an overwhelming majority of Canadians feel the government and cable and satellite TV companies should invest resources to help ensure that Canadians have access to television programs that reflect Canada and its people,” reads the release.
The Harris/Decima poll commissioned by the Directors Guild, the…
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AFTER SPENDING A LOT OF time thinking about and writing about the idea of charging a new fee for something people can get for free – over-the-air, broadcast television, that is – there’s always one inescapable conclusion: It’s going to make them mad.
It was a front-page issue in the conventional TV policy hearing in late 2006 (and was ultimately denied due to lack of evidence) and it’s now part of the 2008 broadcast distribution undertaking and specialty service policy hearings coming in April: So should conventional broadcasters get a subscriber fee or not?
On the one hand, broadcasters –…
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TORONTO – The Canadian Olympic Committee (COC) has asked the CRTC for a license for new, must-carry, English and French amateur sport television channels.
If approved, the proposed Canadian Amateur Sports Network (CASN) and le Réseau du sport amateur canadien (RSAC) would provide much-needed exposure and funding for both Olympic and non-Olympic sports, says the group.
“The opportunity here is to provide a service that fills a programming niche that exists today,” said CASN/RSAC chair and International Olympic Committee member Richard Pound, in a statement. “Between Olympic Games it is as if there are no Canadian athletes. Our networks…
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OTTAWA – With the public hearing on the Canadian Television Fund Task Force Report beginning Monday (Cartt.ca will be there, of course), the CTF launched a new web site today showcasing its various funded projects.
Visitors to www.ctf-fct.ca can get updates on Canadian dramas, documentaries, kids’ shows and variety and performing arts programs – along with information on CTF funding activities and governance.
“The new web site tells the CTF story by showcasing the many achievements of CTF-funded programming,” said Valerie Creighton, president of the CTF, in a release. “Along with providing materials to producers to access…
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HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS of new dollars could pour into the Canadian television system under a new fee-for-carriage plan proposed by Canada’s two main private broadcast networks.
Rivals CTVglobemedia and Canwest made a little history Friday by filing a joint submission to the CRTC’s review of its policies governing broadcast distribution undertakings (cable and satellite companies) and specialty services. Those hearings are set to begin April 7th.
Saying conventional television – thanks to the ever-increasing rate of audience fragmentation driven by specialty services and new media outlets – is in “crisis”, the broadcasters want the Commission to add a subscriber…
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TORONTO – Four women, along with one company, are being recognized by Canadian Women in Communications for their contributions to Canada’s communications industry and their work to promote the advancement of women within the industry.
The CWC’s annual awards presentation takes place on Feb. 26, 2008, at the CWC 2008 Annual Awards Gala in Ottawa. The Gala reception begins at 5 p.m., with the dinner and the awards presentation starting at 6 p.m.
The event regularly attracts over 600 of Canada’s top communications VIPs, government representatives and industry leaders to the Ottawa Congress Centre. Confirmed to attend this year’s…
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