QUEBEC CITY – A monitoring committee established by Quebecor Media, and required by the CRTC as a condition of licence, has admonished the company for thrice breaking the rules covering the exchange of information between its various newsrooms.
The committee, set up in 2001 when Quebecor Media received CRTC approval for its takeover of the TVA network, said in a report released Tuesday that TVA’s code of professional conduct “leaves little room for interpretation”.
In order to ensure the independence of TVA’s television newsrooms, the network is “not permitted to receive information from the newspapers of Quebecor Media Inc.,…
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QUEBEC CITY – The union representing the ever-diminishing number of Global TV employees in Quebec has sent a formal complaint to the CRTC, saying that with the latest round of job cuts, the network is contravening conditions of its licence.
“In our eyes, the issue is clear,” said Anne Leclair, president of the CUPE local representing Global’s Quebec employees. “Global obtained its licence with the promise and obligation to produce 18 hours of regional programming. But by announcing the closure of the Sherbrooke bureau and drastically cutting Quebec City and Montreal, it’s certainly not fulfilling its mandate.”
CanWest Global…
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MONTREAL – Four Telecom Laureates and a Special Recognition Award winner will be officially inducted into Canada’s Telecommunications Hall of Fame at the Telecom Laureate Awards gala and induction ceremonies on Tuesday, October 16th at Windsor Station in Montreal.
The Class of 2007 Telecom Laureates are: Michael Kedar (Champion of Telecom Services Competition), Robert W. (Bob) Jones (Canada’s Radio Spectrum Ambassador), Frederic Newton Gisborne, (Colonial Telegraph Trailblazer), and C.R.O. (Bob) Munro, (Patron of Federally Regulated Telecom). The Hall of Fame’s Special Recognition Award for 2007 goes to the Communications Research Centre Canada (CRC), and a Career Service Award will…
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OTTAWA – Knowing that it’s hard for many parties to properly respond to regulatory challenges when only one side can see certain confidential information, the CRTC has today called for comments on a proposed practice direction on the provision of confidential access to confidential Information.
The Commission isn’t proposing to let everyone see everything, just to open up a few file folders for a look-see (without a microfilm camera, we presume).
“The Commission conducts its public processes in an open and transparent manner. In some instances, parties submit information in the course of proceedings for which they request confidentiality….
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OTTAWA – The CRTC has told Canada’s broadcasters that it will not collect Part II license fees due on November 30, 2007 and subsequent years unless the Federal Court of Appeal or Supreme Court of Canada, should this case be appealed at that level, reverse the Federal Court’s decision.
The Commission informed the Canadian Association of Broadcasters of its decision last week.
The Fees for 2006-2007 are estimated at some $49.7 million that would otherwise have had to be paid by private radio, television and specialty service licensees next month.
Readers will remember that the Federal Court ruled…
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OTTAWA-GATINEAU – The available phone numbers have run low in many regions of the country in past years so it’s no surprise the same thing is happening in the 613.
The CRTC today initiated a public process to handle the telephone number shortage affecting the area code 613 region, which may result in the introduction of a new area code, it said today.
According to the Canadian Numbering Administrator (CNA), area code 613 is expected to run out of telephone numbers by May 2012.
With this public notice (http://www.crtc.gc.ca/archive/eng/notices/2007/pt2007-18.htm), the Commission is establishing a Relief Planning Committee (RPC) to…
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GATINEAU – It’s been a bit of an open secret in Ottawa but today it was made official, Len Katz is the new vice-chair (Telecommunications) at the CRTC.
Also announced today was Peter Menzies’ appointment as a part-time member to the CRTC.
"I am pleased that both Mr. Katz and Mr. Menzies have agreed to join the CRTC," said Heritage Minister Josée Verner in the official release. "Their vast knowledge and experience will play an important role in helping the CRTC carry out its mandate."
Katz (whom Cartt.ca profiled here) has been executive director, broadcasting and telecom at…
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GATINEAU – The CRTC will hear from a large number of companies in December – all of whom want to launch new radio stations in Ontario. Maybe radio ain’t so dead after all?
There are four asking for licenses in Owen Sound, four asking for Windsor, 10 for the Peterborough and Kawartha Lakes region.
Click here to see the list. The hearing will be December 10th in London.
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GATINEAU – On Friday, the CRTC eliminated the winback rules that still stood for high speed Internet services, lifting the final marketing restrictions in that market.
It means ISPs can immediately begin attempting to take back what they’ve lost with immediate offers. The old rules mandated a 90-day waiting period for sales contact after a large ISP lost a customer.
For the full release, click here.
Winback rules were also eliminated for incumbent cable operators who offer TV in multiple dwelling units (apartments and condos).
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TORONTO – Approximately 200 jobs will be lost as CanWest Global announced today it will build four new broadcast centres in each of Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary and Toronto, consolidating all production for its local news (for both Global Television and E!/CHCH) across the country to these four locations.
The construction will take about 18 months, according to an internal memo from CanWest’s Television president Kathy Dore obtained by Cartt.ca that outlined the impending changes. “Our goal is to update our operations for the HD world and produce higher quality local news, while increasing our efficiency by streamlining the way…
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