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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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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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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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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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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