OTTAWA – Telling customers "we miss you" or somesuch, doesn’t violate the CRTC’s prohibition on telecom win-back promotions, the Commission said today.
Earlier this year, Quebecor Media (owners of Videotron) complained to the Regulator, saying that Bell Canada’s practice of sending customer appreciation cards to recently lost customers violates the telecom regs, which restrict win-back promotions until 90 days after disconnect from the incumbent local telco.
The Bell cards in question had the following caption on their cover: "it just won’t be the same without you."
And inside: "I’m writing to say that we are sorry to see you…
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TORONTO – It’s all in trustee John McKellar’s hands now.
CHUM Limited announced today that at a special meeting of shareholders held Monday morning, the amalgamation of CHUM with Bell Globemedia Inc. (specifically, an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of BGM) was approved. The amalgamation was completed shortly after the meeting.
BGM bid $1.7 billion of CHUM Ltd. in July.
BGM has completed a compulsory acquisition of all of the common shares of CHUM that were not tendered to BGM’s offer to purchase all of the outstanding common shares and any and all of the outstanding non-voting class B shares.
Pursuant…
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TORONTO and MONTREAL – Wireless video and data company Look Communications said today it has hired U.S. investment banking firm Greenhill & Company "to assist in the strategic repositioning of Look and to assist the company in maximizing shareholder value."
Such a release containing such euphemisms are usually the kick-off to the sale of a company. Greenhill’s web site says it is "focused on mergers and acquisitions, financial restructuring and merchant banking." Look, now owned by Unique Broadband Systems, has finished restructuring.
"Look is uniquely positioned to take advantage of the exploding wireless communications market in Canada with…
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VANCOVUER – The 80th edition of the Canadian Association of Broadcasters annual convention will feature an impressive roster of keynote speakers, including B.C. premier Gordon Campbell, CRTC chair Charles Dalfen, Rick Hansen Foundation, president and CEO Rick Hansen; Bev Oda, Minister of Canadian Heritage and Status of Women, and many others.
The line-up of musicians performing at various times during the three days includes Colin James, Melissa McClelland, Delhi2Dublin, Alpha YaYa Diallo, Daniel Lavoie and Sarah McLachlan.
This year’s convention is booking up quickly, says the CAB, so if you haven’t already registered, it is encouraging members and others…
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TORONTO – It appears that Bell ExpressVu will be the first to carry all-high definition channel HDNet in Canada.
Cartt.ca spies (meaning people we know with ExpressVu dishes) reported seeing HDNet on their systems intermittently last week. An ExpressVu spokesperson wouldn’t confirm when the channel will go live, only to say "there’s a good chance (it’s coming), and soon."
HDNet was added to the list of eligible foreign satellite services list by the CRTC in June, three years after an application was submitted. While many assumed the channel would be quickly added to the high def lineups on cable and…
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WHILE THE SENIOR REGULATORY EXECUTIVES of all the nation’s telcos, cablecos and other parties met with federal MPs Thursday in Ottawa to plead their cases on telecom regulation, across the river in Gatineau, the CRTC was receiving its newest application for local forbearance – in Fort McMurray, Alberta.
Saying it has already passed the threshold of local line customer losses (25%) in the Alberta oil-boom-town about 450 kms north of Edmonton – thanks to rigorous competition from Shaw Cable – Telus wants the CRTC to deregulate the market, as outlined in its April 2006 local forbearance decision.
Shaw…
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TORONTO – "Seeing more people with disabilities portrayed in Canadian television shows and movies would go a long way towards changing attitudes about people with disabilities," said Ontario minister of community and social services, Madeleine Meilleur.
She was launching the Ontario government’s new deal to raise the profile of people with disabilities in the Canadian movie, television and radio industry.
The province’s announcement comes months after the Canadian Association of Broadcasters and the Radio Television News Directors Association of Canada launched their own such initiatives. The CRTC has also urged broadcasters to act and add more disabled…
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IN THE FIRST PART OF Cartt.ca’s exclusive, wide-ranging interview with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation CEO, Robert Rabinovitch talked about stable funding, the TV Policy Review, The One, CBC radio and SRC, among other topics.
Click here to read Part I of the story from last week.
In the second part of our chat, Rabinovitch goes over on demand strategies, HD, CBC Sports (the interview was prior to Nancy Lee’s departure), local news and the residual effects of the 2005 lockout. What follows is an edited transcript.
Greg O’Brien: Let’s switch back to English TV – but actually this question…
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TORONTO – As reported here last week, negotiations on a new collective agreement between producers and actors began today in Toronto.
On Friday, the Canadian Film and Television Producers’ Association put out a press release warning ACTRA, the actors’ union, that our media times have changed and that any new contract will have to reflect that.
ACTRA showed up this morning with a 50-member opening day team which included the Trailer Park Boys, Robb Wells, Mike Smith and John Paul Tremblay (Ricky, Bubbles and Julian), Corner Gas star Eric Peterson, 24’s Alberta Watson, Wendy Crewson, Gordon Pinsent, Tonya Lee…
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QUEBEC – With a stroke of the pen, the CRTC’s battle with Quebec City problem-child radio station CHOI-FM, hooked up to the “judicial respirator” for more than two years, are effectively over.
The CRTC has approved an application by Radio Nord Communications Inc. to take over CHOI’s licence from Genex Communications, whose former talk show hosts (like Jeff Fillion and now-independent Quebec MP Andre Arthur) earned it top ratings and big advertising dollars but also lawsuits and the CRTC’s ultimate sanction, licence non-renewal.
In its decision handed down Friday, the CRTC brushed aside demands that it issue a general…
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