OTTAWA – The Alberta/Saskatchewan city of Lloydminster may soon have a new radio station after the CRTC issued a call for comments on the market capacity and on the appropriateness of issuing a call for radio applications in that market.
The Commission said Wednesday that it issued the call after receiving an application from Vista Radio for a commercial radio station to serve the area.
Interventions are due by September 15 and the deadline to file replies is September 25, 2017. Following receipt of comments, the CRTC said that it will conduct an assessment of the market’s capacity to support an additional station, taking into account…
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WHILE CANADA’S CREATIVE COMMUNITY was quick to applaud Monday’s decision referring back the CRTC’s group licence renewal (GLR) decisions for Canada’s large private television broadcasters, some members are hoping that the review will encompass more than Programs of National Interest (PNI).
In a joint press release, the Canadian Media Producers Association (CMPA), Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists (ACTRA) and the Directors Guild of Canada (DGC) noted that other challenges to the GLR decisions that formed the basis of their joint petition were not addressed in Monday’s announcement. These include the removal of independent production obligations on…
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Feds underscore support for CanCon ahead of fall’s ‘Canadian Content in a Digital World’ announcement
GATINEAU – Heeding the outcry from Canada’s creative community, the Governor in Council has ordered the CRTC to reconsider its group licence renewal decisions for large television broadcasters that, among other changes, lowered the amount that major broadcasters must spend on Programs of National Interest (PNI).
The rare move came late Monday, followed by a statement by Heritage Minister Mélanie Joly who said that the federal government wants the Commission to review its May decisions to renew the licenses for the television services of…
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OTTAWA — After repeated requests for information have been ignored for two years by an air duct cleaning company alleged to have violated the Unsolicited Telecommunications Rules, the CRTC announced Wednesday it has initiated a show cause proceeding against Topline Air Duct Cleaning Inc.
According to the CRTC’s Compliance and Enforcement Notice of Consultation CRTC 2017-281, Topline Air Duct Cleaning and its owner and president, Naveed Raza, failed to respond to a request for information (RFI) letter sent by the Commission on July 31, 2015. The RFI letter requested confirmation from Topline that it was registered with the National…
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OTTAWA-GATINEAU — The CRTC is getting a new partner in its fight against spammers and telemarketing pests with the announcement the Commission has signed a memorandum of understanding with the U.K.’s Information Commissioner’s Office to combat commercial electronic messages and unwanted telemarketing calls.
The partnership between the two countries will promote close cooperation and a coordinated approach to enforcing spam and telemarketing laws in both jurisdictions to limit the amount of unsolicited emails and nuisance calls received by Canadian and U.K. residents, the CRTC said in a news release on Thursday.
As part of the agreement, both agencies agree to…
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OTTAWA – While not mentioning the CRTC’s decision on programs of national interest (PNI) specifically, the three largest Canadian broadcasters have sent a letter to Canadian MPs (also printing it as a full page ad in the Parliament Hill newspaper The Hill Times), asking them to ignore the complaints of the creative community and let recent CRTC decisions stand.
The letter, signed by Bell Media president Randy Lennox, Corus Entertainment EVP and chief operating officer Barbara Williams and Rogers Media president Rick Brace says the CRTC undertook a years-long process to overhaul its TV regulations to try and prepare for…
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OTTAWA — The St. John’s radio market cannot sustain an additional radio station at the present time, the CRTC announced in a decision on July 31. As a result, the Commission will not issue a call for applications for new radio stations to serve that market, the CRTC said.
In its Broadcasting Decision CRTC 2017-272, the Commission said it will return the application originally filed by Andrew Green and Jordan Elliott, on behalf of a corporation to be incorporated, for a broadcasting licence to operate a commercial FM radio station in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador.
The St. John’s radio…
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GATINEAU – Maybe it’s not so bad yet, after all…
The CRTC on Thursday released three different documents breaking down the 2016 results from conventional broadcast, discretionary and on demand, and broadcast distribution undertaking sectors of the Canadian TV business.
The numbers are all almost a year old (filed by the regulated companies at the end of the regulatory broadcast year, August 31, 2016) – so bear that in mind when perusing these highlights. Also, these figures do not include any revenue from broadband, telephony or wireless streams. (As well, the Commission told us the breakdown for…
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OTTAWA – The CRTC is calling for comments on wholesale mobile wireless roaming as it prepares to reconsider its March decision that set the final terms and conditions for wholesale mobile wireless roaming service.
The Commission said Thursday that the Governor in Council referred Telecom Decision 2017-56 back for reconsideration in an order dated June 1st, and that its reconsideration must be completed prior to March 31, 2018.
The CRTC said that it is seeking comments, with supporting rationale, on whether a different conclusion than it reached in March is warranted with respect to the issue of how the…
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OTTAWA and TORONTO – Members of Canada’s screen-based media industries expressed cautious optimism towards this week’s three new CRTC appointments, though reiterated their call for Commissioners with backgrounds in film and television production.
The Canadian Media Producers Association (CMPA) described new CRTC chair Ian Scott, broadcasting VP Caroline Simard, and interim telecom vice-chair Christianne Laizner as “amply qualified individuals who will bring considerable experience and expertise to bear on the complex issues facing the CRTC and our industry.”
“With two vacancies remaining open, (regional members for Manitoba/Saskatchewan and Ontario), we encourage the Minister to round out this deep…
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