OTTAWA – The CRTC approved the purchase of six British Columbia radio stations from Island Radio by Jim Pattison Broadcast Group.
The stations – all on Vancouver Island – are: CHWF FM 106.9 “The Wolf” FM in Nanaimo, playing the best of classic rock and new rock; CKWV FM 102.3 “The Wave” FM in Nanaimo, which plays hot adult contemporary music from the 80s, 90s and today; CIBH FM 88.5 “The Beach” FM in Parksville/Qualicum Beach, offering adult contemporary music from the 70s through today; CHPQ FM 99.9 “The Lounge” FM in Parksville/Qualicum Beach, which plays the greatest pop…
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OTTAWA – With the recent decision to allow Canadian TV distributors to promote their Internet and voice offerings, as reported by Cartt.ca, Bell Canada and its Bell ExpressVu satellite division is asking for the same concession in their licenses.
American cable channels make two minutes per hour available for local ad sales – which is a multi-billion-dollar business for U.S. MSOs. However, Canadian cable companies are not allowed, by regulation, to sell the time here. Until recently, 75% of the time had to be given, at cost, to Canadian broadcasters while the remaining time was only to be used…
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GATINEAU – There should be more people with disabilities shown on television, a CRTC document states.
In its response to the Canadian Association of Broadcasters’ report on how disabled people are portrayed on TV, the commission is urging individual broadcasters to increase the number of on-air people with disabilities.
The CAB’s report, filed in response to a CRTC request to show how the industry portrays and employs people with disabilities, found that only 2% of people working in broadcasting have a disability, compared with at least 12% of the general population.
“In the Commission’s view, given the extremely…
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GATINEAU – The CRTC on Friday announced that it’s renewing the transitional digital radio licences for another 12 months for some 73 stations in large centres across Canada.
The commission is extending the licence terms from Sept. 1, 2006 to Aug. 31, 2007, to buy time while it develops its new commercial radio policy, following its extensive public hearing held last month in Gatineau, and while it makes changes to its transitional digital radio policy, introduced in 1995.
The licences allow existing stations to operate a digital audio broadcasting signal. Of the 73 licences, 20 are not yet on…
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OTTAWA – After being told last month by the CRTC that it wasn’t allowed under its current license to distribute separate regional streams, TSN has applied for a license amendment.
In 2005, CBC complained to the Commission that CTV Specialty’s TSN had breached the conditions of its licence by broadcasting NHL hockey games using two simultaneous, national feeds last fall. The games were distributed by cable companies (BDUs) on an analog as well as a digital basis.
The Commission agreed with CBC and found that TSN’s use of two simultaneous national feeds when broadcasting a pair of games in…
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GATINEAU – The CRTC is allowing Raptors NBA TV to boost the amount of live basketball games it airs from a maximum of 5% of its broadcast schedule to 10%.
The commission today announced that it’s approved the channel’s request in part, since it had asked to be allowed to air up to 15% of its schedule with live games. The CRTC said 10% “reasonably addresses the needs of the licensee for greater flexibility” while meeting the needs of existing analog and digital Cat 1 and Cat 2 channels that were concerned about direct competition.
In its application, Raptors…
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GATINEAU – The CRTC has awarded a controversial FM frequency to Aboriginal Voices Radio Inc. in Vancouver.
The group was awarded a licence in 2001 but was denied the use of 90.9 MHz because it “did not constitute the best possible use of that frequency,” the commission stated. AVR was asked to propose another frequency, and it asked to use 106.3 MHz.
However, many community members opposed it, saying it would interfere with the signal coming on 106.5 FM from KLYN in Lynden, Wa., which is receivable in the Vancouver area. KLYN is known as Praise 106.5 and is…
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EDMONTON – It seemed fitting to see the Edmonton Oilers flag draped over the CRTC panel table for hearing on radio station applications in Grande Prairie and Fort McMurray on Monday.
Gathered at the Westin Hotel in downtown Edmonton were players vying for the rights to operate a new English-language commercial radio station in two northern Alberta, reaping the benefits of oil.
Michel Arpin, vice-chair of broadcasting for the CRTC, and his panel made it through four out of 19 applications for radio stations Monday. All of the applications reviewed were for the Grande Prairie market, although there are…
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GATINEAU – Bell Canada has applied to the CRTC to be allowed to carry one or both of Canada’s satellite radio subscription services on its cable BDUs serving parts of Ontario and Quebec.
Bell has two regional Class 1 digital licences, serving Toronto, Hamilton/Niagara, Oshawa, Kitchener, London, Windsor, Ottawa, and the surrounding areas, and one serving Montreal, Gatineau, Sherbrooke, Quebec City, and the surrounding areas. The Ontario BDU will roll out starting in Toronto later this year, while the Quebec service is already operating in parts of Montreal, the company said in its application. Bell wants to be able…
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OTTAWA – Existing specialty services which don’t move to high definition "on a timely basis" risk losing their genre protection, the CRTC said last week.
On Thursday, the Commission released its long-awaited framework for the licensing and distribution of HD pay and specialty services, outlining how licenses will be issued, how they will be distributed on cable and how many hours of high definition programming the new HD specialty services will have to air in order to merit carriage.
Also – an additional public notice to come up with a framework to apply to the direct to home satellite…
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