HALIFAX – The Bragg Group, parent company of EastLink, is going south.
The company announced today its first international cable/telecom expansion with the purchase of Cable and Wireless (Bermuda) Holdings. CWBH is a 121-year old Bermuda telecommunications operation with both residential and business customers, owned by the UK-based international telecom firm Cable & Wireless Communications Plc (CWC), a company with a wide presence in the Caribbean.
(The move also expands the Canadian presence down south. Columbus Communications runs cable and telecom operations in Trinidad, Jamaica, Grenada, Curacao and other countries under…
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MONTREAL – Astral Radio has named Mario Cecchini to lead the sales and marketing team for Astral’s 83 radio stations.
Most recently vice president at Corus Quebec, Cecchini has also held senior management positions at Telemedia, TQS and Zoom Media. He will begin his new role as SVP of sales and marketing for Astral Radio on March 14, 2011.
"I am particularly pleased to welcome Mario (right) into the great Astral family”, said Jacques Parisien, president of Astral Radio and EVP and COO of Astral, in Wednesday’s announcement. “He…
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OTTAWA – Three major actors in the Canadian broadcasting sector say they are bullish on the future of the system in the face of new technologies and changing consumer TV viewing behaviour.
CBC/Radio-Canada, Astral Television Networks and Shaw Media said they have taken steps to ready themselves for new consumer content consumption behaviour resulting from new mobile technologies and other emerging platforms. They noted they did this even in the face of a significant advertising downturn resulting from the global financial recession.
During a panel moderated by former Global TV News anchor Kevin Newman, representatives from the three companies…
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WHILE BRAD SHAW is now CEO of a much different Shaw Communications than the one his father JR and brother Jim built and ran, one aspect hasn’t changed.
No handlers.
As a journalist, I’ve interviewed many CEOs and other senior executives at large corporations. Most of them come to interviews with one or two others in tow who keep tabs on the interview or have other tasks. Nothing wrong with that, but it’s just not the way the Shaws do things. Never been their style. When a reporter calls the company with a question, invariably the president or CEO is the…
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OTTAWA – After studying the impact of emerging and digital media environment in Canada over the past two years, the federal government’s Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage has recommended that yet another panel be created. This one to propose a new national policy on digital media – which is sort of already under way.
Sigh…
The committee noted that the vast majority of witnesses who appeared before it agreed that Canada needs a national digital strategy. Just what that strategy should and shouldn’t contain proved to be a highly divisive issue (and it’s something Industry Minister Tony Clement says he is…
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TORONTO – The Canadian Advanced Technology Alliance is holding an open national Teleforum with the lead advocates for the Canadian emergency services chiefs associations regarding Industry Canada’s Consultation on a Policy and Technical Framework for the 700 MHz Band and aspects related to commercial mobile spectrum.
The Teleforum will take place on Thursday, February 24 commencing at 1:30 p.m. EST and will be led by:
• Superintendent Pascal Rodier , Officer in Charge, South Fraser District, British Columbia Ambulance Service, representing the Emergency Medical Services Chiefs of Canada (EMSCC) • Superintendent Bill Moore, Halifax Regional Police, Representing the Canadian…
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OTTAWA – Partisan politics were on full display during Minister of Canadian Heritage James Moore’s appearance before the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage yesterday. While Moore was there to talk about the mandate and funding of the CBC/Radio-Canada, a good part of his time was spent responding to criticisms regarding the appointment of Tom Pentefountas as vice-chair broadcasting at the CRTC.
During Moore’s hour in front of the committee, the chair had to interject a number of times to ensure MPs remained on track with their questions. The committee also passed a motion requesting that Pentefountas appear to…
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TORONTO – While generating profit remains a key goal for companies, how you create profit is even more important according to a Cogeco Data Services survey.
"While generating profit will always be the fundamental tenet of creating and selling goods and services, our survey results show that for many companies, how you create profit is even more important," said Cogeco Data Services president Tony Ciciretto in a press release. "Canadian business leaders are now saying that finding innovative ways to boost productivity is a smarter, more sustainable route to profitability rather than focusing on just cutting costs."
"The more a company…
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VICTORIA, B.C. – Cable TV pioneer JR Shaw has earned the 2011 Distinguished Entrepreneur of the Year Award from the University of Victoria’s Peter B. Gustavson School of Business for his vision and entrepreneurial leadership.
First established in 1966 as Capital Cable Television, JR grew Shaw Communications into one of Canada’s largest communications companies. Today, it’s a diversified media and communications company with 13,300 employees providing consumers with broadband cable television, high-speed Internet, home phone, telecommunication services, satellite direct-to-home services, and programming content to 3.4 million customers.
The University’s DEYA acknowledges an inspirational entrepreneur who has significant and positive impact…
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OTTAWA – Saying he’s defending consumer choice and competition, Industry Minister Tony Clement announced Tuesday that the Conservative government will appeal a Federal Court of Canada ruling that quashed a cabinet order allowing Egyptian-backed Globalive Wireless (whose retail brand is Wind) to operate in Canada.
The Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union of Canada (CEP), ACTRA, and Friends of Canadian Broadcasting were intervenors in the case.
"Overturning the Cabinet decision is a victory for Canadian ownership rules and a victory for Canadian culture," said Stephen Waddell, ACTRA’s national executive director. "Globalive was potentially the beginning of the end of our…
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