BANFF – The Canadian Television Fund, saying it was responding to “a concern” but declining to name whose concern, said it would put off any changes to its bylaws until the CRTC is finished its review of the fund.
Two weeks ago, Shaw Communications CEO Jim Shaw sent a blistering letter to the CTF saying the fact the organization was planning to alter its bylaws at the same time the CRTC is examining the fund and its operations “flies in the face of common sense.”
Today, buried in a press release of the CTF’s report to stakeholders, the…
Continue Reading
TORONTO – Recognizing that there was probably no way out of last week’s CRTC decision that disallowed the purchase of the Citytv franchise by CTV (a story first broken by Cartt.ca), CTVglobemedia agreed today to sell the five stations to Rogers Media for $375 million.
Today’s deal scraps an earlier agreement that had Rogers acquiring the secondary market A Channels (Barrie, London, Wingham, Windsor and Ottawa Ont., as well as Victoria B.C.), which CTV will now hang onto. Rogers new stations will be Citytv Toronto (CITY-TV), Citytv Winnipeg (CHMI-TV), Citytv Edmonton (CKEM-TV), Citytv Calgary (CKAL-TV) and Citytv…
Continue Reading
BANFF – Heritage Minister Bev Oda told delegates Sunday afternoon that the government is renewing its contribution to the New Media Fund, earmarking $29 million over two years.
While the $500,000 a year increase over the previous level of funding was less than some were hoping for, Oda’s commitment was well-received.
She noted that last fall’s report from the CRTC on broadcast technology and new media said Canada was beginning to lag behind other countries when it came to new applications and platform development and one of her ministry’s main goals for the media industry is to ensure there…
Continue Reading
BANFF – In a wide-ranging speech this morning at the Banff International Television Festival that covered all the touchstones and hot buttons, from the CTF to the OTA regs to Friday’s CTV/CHUM decision, to the diversity/media concentration study to impending reports and hearings, CRTC chairman Konrad von Finckenstein told delegates that getting all this done will take more resources than the CRTC currently has.
For example, CRTC broadcast vice-chair Michel Arpin is in the midst of a task force report on the Canadian Television Fund. Getting the Commission to issue a decision on the CTV purchase of…
Continue Reading
OTTAWA-GATINEAU – While the Canadian TV world was concentrated on the portion of CTVglobemedia’s deal to purchase CHUM that was denied, the Commission also used Friday to announce decisions on Alberta’s new TV choices.
The CRTC approved Rogers Communications application for another OMNI multicultural station serving Calgary and Edmonton. It also denied an application by MVBC Holdings (owners of Vancouver’s Channel M) for an ethnic over-the-air license in the same cities.
"We are delighted with today’s decision. Since 1979, OMNI Television has been a prolific producer and purchaser of Canadian television in over 40 languages," said Leslie…
Continue Reading
OTTAWA-GATINEAU – It was an application that asked for the insertion of a new middleman in the Canadian television scheme and the CRTC said a definitive “no” to the concept on Friday.
Former Craig Media CEO Drew Craig created Only Imagine Inc as a company which would sell the two minutes per hour of so-called local avail ad time American cable channels provide to cable companies to sell.
Of the millions OI said could be brought in, most of it would go to fund Canadian content. Cable companies, broadasters and commissioners were opposed to the idea, as…
Continue Reading
OTTAWA and GATINEAU, June 8 – As first reported in cartt.ca yesterday, the CRTC has approved the transfer of effective control of CHUM Ltd. to CTVglobemedia Inc., but the deal comes at a stiff price: CTV can take on the A-Channel stations, but not the more lucrative Citytv stations in Toronto, Winnipeg, Edmonton, Calgary and Vancouver.
The decision – enabling CTV to buy seven TV stations, 34 radio stations and, in whole or in part, 20 specialty TV services – has been issued with what appears to be unprecedented speed, with only six weeks having elapsed from the end…
Continue Reading
OTTAWA – CTVglobemedia may have declined all comment today on the CRTC’s decision to approve its takeover of Chum Limited – without CHUM’s key TV assets, the Citytv stations in Toronto, Winnipeg, Calgary, Edmonton and Vancouver – but some observers and commissioners have said much of what CTV CEO Ivan Fecan and colleagues must be thinking.
As first reported on cartt.ca yesterday, the regulator approved the transfer of effective control of CHUM Ltd. to CTVglobemedia Inc., but the collection of new assets CTV would obtain is significantly different than what it proposed in its application. (With the public hearings…
Continue Reading
OTTAWA-GATINEAU – The CRTC will issue its decision on the purchase of CHUM Ltd. by CTVglobemedia tomorrow morning, Cartt.ca has learned.
It’s a stunningly quick decision, given the size of the deal and the fact the hearing concluded just five weeks ago, but according to sources, none of whom wish to be identified, it was an easy decision because the Commission will deny the biggest part of the acquisition: CTV’s request to purchase CHUM’s Citytv stations.
The CRTC has had a long-standing policy against Canadian broadcasters owning a twin-stick operation – or two commercial over-the-air stations of the same…
Continue Reading
BANFF and TORONTO – While Canada’s telecommunications leaders debate the future of telecom in Toronto at the Canadian Telecom Summit next week, the world’s leaders in digital media and television will be making headlines at NextMedia and the Banff World Television Festival.
Cartt.ca will be on the ground at all three, of course, providing regular reports.
First out of the gate is NextMedia, beginning tomorrow in Banff. Organized by Achilles Media, the same company that puts on the BWTF (not to mention NATPE Mobile++ and the World Congress of History Producers), NextMedia features cutting-edge speakers and session topics.
For example,…
Continue Reading
