QUEBEC CITY — Leclerc Communication tried out its best logical gymnastics on Wednesday as it appeared before a CRTC hearing to justify its requests related to the proposed $19-million acquisition of CHOI-FM (Radio X) in Quebec City and CHLX-FM (91,9 Sports) in Montreal from RNC Media.
Besides the ownership transaction itself, Leclerc is asking for an exception to the common ownership policy to acquire Quebec City's most popular commercial radio station and keep its two others, and is seeking to change CHLX's format from sports talk to music.
(Ed note: For what it’s worth, other radio station owners have argued the…
Continue Reading
TORONTO — Samsung unveiled today its new line of Galaxy S10 premium smartphones that the company says deliver ground-breaking innovations in display, camera and performance.
The Galaxy S10 is designed for consumers who want a premium smartphone with powerful performance and sets the stage for the next generation of mobile experience, Samsung said in a news release announcing the company’s new line of three Galaxy S10-branded devices.
For smartphone users looking for a supercharged device, Galaxy S10+ (pictured on right) takes every specification — from display, to camera, to performance — to the next level, Samsung said. The third model…
Continue Reading
GATINEAU – “Having considered the matter in depth, the CRTC finds that it is apparent that misleading or aggressive retail sales practices are present in the telecommunications service provider market in Canada.
“These practices exist in all types of sales channels, including in store, online, over the telephone, and door to door. They occur to an unacceptable degree; they are harming Canadian consumers, in particular vulnerable Canadians; and they are a serious concern for the CRTC.”
So begins the Commission’s report on the sales tactics of the Canadian telecommunications industry, released today. The Regulator hosted a contentious hearing back in…
Continue Reading
OTTAWA — The vast majority of Canadians are concerned about potential cyberattacks against organizations with access to their personal data and are equally worried that businesses willingly share their personal data with third parties without their consent. That’s according to a new report from the Canadian Internet Registration Authority (CIRA), based on a survey of more than 1,200 Canadian Internet users in December 2018.
According to CIRA’s research, 87% of survey respondents are concerned that organizations with access to their personal data will experience a cyberattack. Only 19% of those surveyed said they would continue to do business with an…
Continue Reading
TORONTO – CTAM Canada is once again inviting its members to apply for a scholarship to attend the prestigious Cable Executive Management course at Harvard Business School in June.
One successful applicant will be selected to attend the program that this year runs from June 9-14, 2019.
Applicants must submit a current CV and a recommendation letter from their company, plus compose an essay on the specific industry topic that is described on the application form. The selection criteria also includes the applicant’s level of participation in CTAM Canada.
The application form is available here and the deadline for applications is 8:00 PM…
Continue Reading
TORONTO – Two guys who helped Wind Mobile get off the ground and then build its follower Freedom Mobile are the latest in a line of Canadian companies hoping to shake up the wireless market here.
Algis Akstinas (left, formerly the director of marketing and commercial strategy at Freedom) and Alex Bauman (right, formerly manager, customer base management) launched dot mobile Thursday with the goal of bringing a product and the company to market in 2020.
Dot stands for “Data On Tap” and the company aims to be just that for Canadians – a spigot of cheap,…
Continue Reading
OTTAWA – The Canadian Internet Registration Authority (CIRA) has completed the modernization of the .CA registry after upgrading to the Fury Registry Platform.
CIRA's Fury Registry Platform is a next-generation top-level domain (TLD) management platform with features and functionality designed for the modern TLD business. Features include a modern interface with role-based access to key registry functions that provide flexibility in pricing, promotion, and domain management to help operators run their business and grow their registry.
The migration of the .CA Registry to Fury was a massive project that involved the entire CIRA team, more than 140 .CA-certified registrars and 2.8 million…
Continue Reading
TORONTO – CBC has a kicked off a cross-country search for the next generation of Canadian comedic talent.
CBC Comedy’s Next Up is calling on amateur comics to submit a 60-to-90-second video of their best material for the chance to win a performance slot at the 2019 Ha!ifax ComedyFest in April. Online submissions are open now through February 21, 2019.
The CBC Comedy team will review all submissions and unveil the longlist of comedians on March 1, before inviting fans to watch and vote on their favourite entries through CBC Comedy social media platforms. The shortlist will be revealed…
Continue Reading
OTTAWA – It was billed as the first time Canada’s key broadcasting leaders would debate the “critical issues at the heart” of the current review of the federal Broadcasting and Telecommunications acts.
However, the “Beyond Disruption: Crafting a Framework for the Future of the Industry” panel at last week’s Canadian Media Producers Association Prime Time annual national conference in Ottawa was more about how a key global streaming giant is messing up the existing framework of the Canadian broadcasting system.
Bad luck for him or prescient planning by organizers situated Stéphane Cardin, Netflix’s director of public policy for Canada, in the…
Continue Reading
OTTAWA-Canadian Heritage and Multiculturalism Minister Pablo Rodriguez’s first appearance at the annual Canadian Media Producers Association Prime Time national conference in the capital last Thursday was short – lasting 17 minutes – and sweet, based on the effusive reception that greeted the Argentinian-born, guitar-playing Liberal cabinet minister.
“What I’ve noticed in the past few months since your appointment is what I’ve been calling Rodriguez-mania,” the CMPA’s affable president and CEO, Reynolds Mastin, said of his special guest prior to beginning a friendly question-and-answer session with Rodriguez. “You just effortlessly relate to people, and people open up to you…
Continue Reading
