OTTAWA – The CBC has welcomed a report from the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage that recognizes the role of the public broadcaster as an essential institution that requires long-term support and reinforcement.
But there were mixed reviews from ACTRA and words of warning from the Friends of Canadian Broadcasting.
ACTRA said the government already missed a chance in this week’s budget to back up the Committee’s words with money, while the Friends pointed to the dissenting opinion from the Committee’s Conservative minority which it said sets the CBC up to fail.
The majority report, CBC/Radio-Canada: Defining Distinctiveness in…
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GATINEAU – Is an emerging artist a new singer that has been around for less than half a year and shot to stardom? Or is it a four-year-old band that has struggled out of the clubs gaining sporadic airplay?
The CRTC wants to know.
Wednesday, the Commission asked the radio and music industry to submit comments on just what the definition of an emerging artist should be – in the context of commercial radio.
It even published a report showing just how much (or little) radio stations play of new artists.
“For more than a decade, when the Commission…
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GATINEAU – Saying that two proposed purchases would violate its common station ownership policy, the CRTC has denied Jim Pattison Broadcast Group’s application to purchase two more stations in British Columbia’s Okanagan Valley.
In 2007, Pattison agreed to buy CKIZ-FM Vernon from Rogers Media and CIGV-FM Penticton from Great Valleys Radio for undisclosed purchase prices.
However, Pattison already owns two FM stations in Kelowna, which is less than 60 kms from either of Penticton or Vernon and the proximity means that such concentration of ownership in the valley runs contrary to CRTC policy, says the decision.
“As set out…
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GATINEAU – Reply comments filed with the CRTC on Friday on its broadcasting distribution undertakings and specialty services policy review don’t show anyone has changed their minds. They’ve mostly dug right in, as expected.
(And, we’ll set aside the fee for carriage debate right away for this particular piece. Over-the-air broadcasters and producers who look to see more funds flow their way want consumers to pay a fee for conventional TV stations. Cable and satellite companies do not. We’ll dive deeper into the issue in a later story.)
This story, however, is a tale of two extremes. We looked…
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GATINEAU – The CRTC flexed its regulatory muscles this morning, pressuring the soon-to-be-owners of Bell Canada to more clearly spell out who will control the corporation.
As readers are no doubt aware, a consortium led by the Teachers’ Private Capital, the private investment arm of the Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan, along with Providence Equity Partners and Madison Dearborn Partners, bid $51 billion (debt included) to take the country’s largest telco private.
Given that the new Bell will continue to own a couple of assets that fall under strict regulatory control (namely its TV distribution unit headed by Bell ExpressVu…
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GATINEAU – Day two of the hearing into the acquisition of Bell Canada by a consortium of private equity interests wrapped up in about half an hour this morning as CRTC chairman Konrad von Finckenstein decided to reconvene March 11.
After hearing Ontario Teachers Pension Plan president and CEO Jim Leech respond to many of the Commission’s concerns raised yesterday – and that certain answers to some queries would not be forthcoming for a few days – von Finckenstein said (and we’re paraphrasing here) that the two sides needed more time to exchange information, get additional information and digest…
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GATINEAU – Internet protocol television (IPTV) is officially on ice for 2008 at Bell Canada.
During Monday morning’s hearing into the acquisition of Bell by a group led by the Ontario Teachers pension plan, CEO George Cope confirmed what was already an open secret, that it has no plans to deliver digital television terrestrially over the Internet backbone until 2009 at the earliest.
CRTC vice-chair telecom Len Katz was inquiring about including the value of Bell’s terrestrial cable license (to be served using IPTV) in the calculation of transaction benefits. Cope confirmed that Bell, with a digital TV service already…
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REGINA – SaskTel today cut its long distance rates today while also asking the CRTC for permission to raise certain local rates.
The Saskatchewan Crown corporation announced further rate changes “in light of continued competitive and regulatory pressures,” the company said today. The savings in its long distance plans include:
* A $3 reduction in its anytime North America unlimited LD plan * A reduction from seven cents to five cents per minute outside plan hours on its evenings and weekends North America unlimited LD * And its straight rate North America savings plan has seen a reduction from…
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REGINA – After three weeks of testing its signal, Regina’s True Country, Big Dog 92-7 officially launched Wednesday with ‘Gone Country’, the mega-hit from country music superstar Alan Jackson.
For the next two weeks, each time Big Dog 92-7 plays ‘Gone Country’ the tenth person to call the contest line will win $500.
“We’re thrilled to finally begin our service to the community. The welcome we’ve received already has been heartfelt and warm, and we’re looking forward to meeting our fellow country music fans on the streets and at future events,” said Mike Shannon, the station’s general manager.
At…
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OTTAWA – The answer to the question of what’s going to happen to the Canadian Television Fund won’t be coming from the CRTC after all.
Less than two weeks after hearings into the fund and a CRTC task force report written on it late last year, the federal government announced late Wednesday it will decide what to do.
In her speech marking the opening of the Canadian Film and Television Producers Association 2008 Conference, “Prime Time” Minister of Canadian Heritage, Status of Women and Official Languages, Josee Verner said that while it wants recommendations from the CRTC, which took…
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