ONE UNINTENDED HAZARD of deregulation is that all other news outlets will be under-reporting the size of the Canadian cable industry this morning.
On Wednesday, the CRTC released the Canadian broadcast distribution industry’s statistical and financial summaries. But the report doesn’t include all distributors.
From 2004 to 2005, revenues, as well as number of subscribers, remained more or less constant for Class 1 cable carriers. However, with growing investments in voice over IP, for example – as evidenced in Shaw Communications’ third quarter report that said capex will rise at a good clip for the next 24 months…
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OTTAWA – For the first time ever, the amount of revenue earned by Canadian pay and specialty services has pulled even that earned by conventional broadcasters in fiscal 2005.
According to the CRTC’s annual Broadcasting Monitoring Report, total revenues for English-language private conventional services in 2005 were $1.764 billion, nearly the same as the $1.761 billion brought in by Canadian specialty and pay channels. In 2004, their revenues were $1.693 and $1.637 billion respectively.
Where specialty really has convention beat is in the margins. Conventional stations saw their profit before interest and taxes margins in 2005 hit 11% where…
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OTTAWA-GATINEAU – In December, a CRTC-wide structural re-organization was undertaken to respond to shifting communications and media industries and technologies – which has led to the blurring of traditional boundaries and lines of business.
The changes were reported on by Cartt.ca and expanded on in an exclusive interview with Len Katz, the Commission’s executive director, broadcast and telecom.
The objective behind the new structure of the corporate services and operations division "is to create teams that are more flexible and effective in responding to members of the public, the media and all other industry stakeholders. As part of…
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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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TORONTO – CBC Television Executive Vice-President Richard Stursberg is defending the corporation’s decision to pre-empt The National newscast for eight Tuesdays this summer to air a U.S. reality show, saying the CBC needs the ad revenues and the program will ultimately help promote Canadian talent.
There has been strong public reaction against the CBC’s decision to move The National, albeit temporarily, to simulcast the ABC music reality show The One, where aspiring singers attend a music academy and receive professional training to turn into stars.
In a statement, Stursberg defended the move on several fronts.
CBC’s primetime TV schedule…
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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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OTTAWA – A top media union is endorsing the recommendations in yesterday’s Senate report on news media, particularly those calling for tighter controls on concentration of ownership, and moves to shore up the CBC.
The Communications, Energy, and Paperworkers Union of Canada is urging the federal government to act on the recommendations immediately.
The report said that media concentration of ownership has reached “very high levels.” CEP goes farther, saying that in the lower B.C. mainland, New Brunswick, and parts of Quebec and Newfoundland, concentration has reached “dangerous” levels.
“The notion put forward by the Senate report released…
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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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