OTTAWA – The Canadian cultural and broadcasting communities say that the new wireless video services now in the market from Rogers Wireless, Bell Mobility and Telus are certainly a form of broadcasting and as such, should be subject to regulation under the Broadcasting Act.
Phase I and II comments were filed recently with the CRTC by all parties and while the wireless providers insist that the service falls under the CRTC’s 1999 New Media Exemption Order, the Canadian Association of Broadcasters, its members, and cultural groups like SOCAN, CIRPA and even the Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union all say…
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IT’S HARD TO IMAGINE THE CRTC undertaking a review of the radio industry at this particular point in time.
So much technological change. So much undecided. Such an unsettled market. And really, so much still working really well, too. Do a search on www.cartt.ca for the major Canadian radio companies and you’ll mostly find a story of an industry awash in strong revenues and profits.
But, the CRTC is on record saying it wants to review Canadian radio policy beginning this fall. It’s even been suggested that Canadian content levels should rise from the current 35% to 40% with…
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OTTAWA – TSN has applied to the CRTC to allow its digi-net ESPN Classic Canada to air live sports.
The Bell Globemedia-owned channel’s conditions of license say it can’t air any live games at all and TSN has asked the Commission to change that so that it can show live events in up to 15% of its broadcasting hours (about four hours a day, potentially).
TSN has come up against scheduling conflicts in the past where having an additional cable outlet in which to air games or other events would have been helpful. It has shifted some programming in…
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OTTAWA – TSN and RDS will now have the right to add a little drama and comedy programming to its schedule thanks to a pair of CRTC decisions rendered Thursday.
The two Bell Globemedia-owned all-sports channels had petitioned the Commission to let them add some beyond-the-niche programming and the request was granted, in part.
While they can air some shows from category 7, “(t)he licensee is required, by condition of licence, to ensure that programming from category 7 comprises no more than 5% of any broadcast week, that all category 7 programming is Canadian, and that all category 7…
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OTTAWA – The CRTC Wednesday extended the commentary process on the cable industry’s request to kill the mandatory carriage requirement of local FM radio stations.
As first reported by www.cartt.ca, the Canadian Cable Telecommunications Association has asked the CRTC to repeal section 22 of the Broadcast Distribution Regulations which say that Class 1 and 2 cable systems must carry all local FM stations in their market on their cable plant.
The CCTA told the Commission that about 4% of cable subscribers listen to the radio over cable and that its members could better use the plant capacity to…
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I’M NOT THE FIRST HACK to write that CBC Television’s mandate is the reason why it suffers so much in the court of public opinion – and in practice.
It’s mandate, broadly, is to be all things to all Canadians – in both official languages, no less. So, while it airs some hugely popular programming like Hockey Night In Canada and some of the recent mini-series and made-for-TV movies which often attract over a million viewers, it also airs some stuff that so few people watch, like Zed, or the former Opening Night (it once broadcast a live Opera…
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MONTREAL – Another day, another Quebec talk-show host in trouble.
After André Arthur, Jeff Fillion and Gilles Proulx, all with lengthy CRTC “priors”, the latest to stir the pot of public indignation is Dr. Pierre Mailloux, better known as Doc Mailloux. And once again the CRTC is being asked to investigate.
Last week Mailloux, a psychiatrist by training, went on Radio-Canada’s highly-rated Sunday evening TV talk show “Tout le monde en parle” (“Everybody’s talking about it”) and argued that IQ tests show that black and native peoples are less intelligent than white or Asian populations. He had made similar comments…
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OTTAWA – A collection of Canada’s leading cultural organizations emerged from a meeting with the federal culture minister and several of her provincial/territorial counterparts Monday, united in their determination to see a Canadian-originated treaty on cultural protection enshrined in international law.
While free trade deals and WTO wrangling sort out how countries sell each other commercial goods and services, few international statutes define the treatment of cultural products such as TV programs, films, music, books and magazines.
The UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) convention on cultural diversity – recognizing every sovereign state’s right to create, support…
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TORONTO – CHUM said right away it probably wouldn’t launch their subscription radio license if the two satellite companies got theirs.
And, now that all appeals have been denied, CHUM Ltd., wants to alter the digital subscription radio license it received from the CRTC to allow more foreign audio channels, among other changes.
CHUM’s license as granted, says the service would transmit 50 channels, all of which would be made in Canada, adhering to the CRTC’s radio Canadian content rules.
However, on Friday, the CRTC made public the applications from SIRIUS Canada and Canadian Satellite Radio to alter their licenses so…
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TORONTO – MTV is coming back to Canada.
CTV Inc. and MTV Networks today announced a new strategic alliance to build and grow the MTV brand in Canada said an announcement by Ivan Fecan, president and CEO of Bell Globemedia and CEO of CTV with Bill Roedy, vice-chairman, MTV Networks and president, MTV Networks International.
The main portion of the deal will see CTV’s talktv, an analog specialty service currently available in 4.4 million Canadian households which has struggled to find a broad base of loyal viewers since its launch in 1999, will be re-born as a Canadian programmed…
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