OTTAWA – The annual Prime Time conference of the Canadian Film and Television Production Association will zoom in on the key issues facing the industry when delegates gather in Ottawa next month.
With the focus on the rapidly changing broadcast environment, the conference (Feb. 21 to 23 at the Westin Hotel) will feature discussions on the future of conventional broadcasting, new programming platforms, children’s programming, and financing.
Setting the tone on the opening day (Thursday) will be the CRTC’s interim Chair, Michel Arpin and the federal Heritage Minister Bev Oda.
They’ll be followed by sessions on the place of…
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TORONTO – A deal that had to happen from a CanWest point of view came together quickly over the holidays, say the principals.
After market closing Wednesday, CanWest Global Communications and GS Capital Partners, a private equity affiliate of Goldman Sachs & Co., announced they have entered into an agreement to buy Alliance Atlantis Communications for $53 per share in cash for an aggregate price of approximately $2.3 billion.
The deal fixes a long-term gap in CanWest’s portfolio which has been light on specialty services. CanWest has a single analog service: TVtropolis (formerly Prime) and digi-nets Men TV, Mystery,…
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GATINEAU – The supply of telephone numbers out west (in the 780, 250 and 403 area codes) are drying up.
So today, the CRTC asked the public for help. The Commission issued two public notices seeking comments on proposed relief plans dealing with the declining supply of numbers in those Alberta and B.C. area codes. The relief plans propose measures to prevent area codes and their regions from running out of numbers.
In Alberta, the proposed relief plan is for the whole province, therefore customers in both area codes 403 and 780 could be impacted. In British Columbia, the…
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CALGARY – The Canadian Television Fund will lose a huge chunk of its funding this year since Shaw Communications has apparently told the CTF it will no longer contribute, says an Ottawa Citizen report.
According to the report, CEO Jim Shaw says he will no longer send the cable and satellite company’s contribution of $56 million to Ottawa this year.
Shaw says that until the fund is restructured, he will withhold the five per cent of his company’s revenues that legislation stipulates be used to support the production of Canadian TV shows.
Shaw has often said it would rather…
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EXPECT CRTC COMMISSIONERS to take the finest of fine-tooth combs to the sale of Alliance Atlantis, because this is far from a straightforward buy. Control, as always, is key and the demise of Craig Media is still somewhat fresh.
However, this creative deal was something CanWest had to do. Two opposing forces faced the company as 2006 turned into 2007.
The first is that ever since the summer announcement by Bell Globemedia to purchase CHUM Ltd., CanWest CEO Leonard Asper knew – and told Cartt.ca – that he must make the next merger move or forever remain a distant, weakening,…
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OTTAWA – A Supreme Court ruling on liquor license fees in new Brunswick will be used as fresh fodder as the Canadian Association of Broadcasters announced today it has asked the Federal Court of Appeal to order recovery of over $790 million of so-called Part II fees paid to the CRTC by Canadian broadcasters.
In December, Honourable Justice Michel J. Shore of the Federal Court of Canada Trial Division ruled that Part II Licence Fees paid by broadcasters and broadcast distributors were an unlawful tax in the form of a licence fee collected on behalf of the government…
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GATINEAU – Until the federal government makes up its mind on who it wants to lead the CRTC, vice-chair broadcasting Michel Arpin has been appointed acting chairperson, secretary general Diane Rhéaume announced today in an e-mail to staff.
"Pursuant to the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission Act, the Commission may authorize one of the vice-chairs to assume the duties of chairperson in the event of a vacancy in that office. Mr. Arpin will therefore serve as acting chairperson until such time as the Government of Canada names a successor for Charles Dalfen," said a release.
Dalfen’s term expired at…
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MONTREAL – TQS, the self-proclaimed “mouton noir” of Quebec television, has decided there are limits that even the black sheep of the airwaves must impose.
The network fired Stéphane Gendron, co-host of its one-hour morning TV talk show, “L’Avocat et le Diable” (The devil and his advocate), late Monday, citing his inability to tame his tongue despite numerous warnings.
The network said it gave Gendron ample opportunity to modify his behaviour in recent months. However, “Gendron’s decision to persevere down his chosen path is no longer acceptable for TQS, which has obligations and responsibilities to respect under terms of…
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FINAL SUBMISSIONS TO THE CRTC on its conventional television policy review were due in yesterday.
Cartt.ca managed to get our hands on eight submissions (unfortunately, none of the companies serving the Francophone market responded to our e-mails), which were filed by parties Wednesday in response to what they were asked – or what others were asked – during the seven-day oral presentations that began on November 27th.
(Ed note: Thank goodness broadcasting vice-chair Michel Arpin – who looks as though he’ll be the Commission’s Interim Chair for the time being as the PMO explores more candidates to replace departing…
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NOW THAT MY TWO-AND-a-half year old daughter has outgrown her predilection towards throwing things at our living room television (think keys and golf balls, not stuffed animals), I decided my Christmas gift to the family (okay, to me) would be a new television.
I want my HDTV.
Last month though, CTAM Canada published a piece of research which said, in essence, that Canadian consumers are not getting enough information on how to get the best high definition experience and too often are leaving the stores without a digital cable or satellite receiver, which is the best way (and…
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