KELOWNA – There might not be any buy-in from the country’s largest BDUs for Pelmorex’s new Emergency Alert Service yet, but governments are excited to finally have something like this in Canada.
During a session at the CommTech Trade Show and Seminars here in Kelowna, Capella Telecommunications’ representative Dave McCreath outlined the decades of public service American broadcasters have provided (at the behest of their government), first by the Emergency Broadcast System and now with its own, ever-changing, EAS.
Despite numerous calls over the years to create our own or copy the U.S., Canada has never had such a system.
Over the…
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TORONTO – Another industry organization is pulling the plug.
After nearly 50 years in existence, the Radio Marketing Bureau said Tuesday that it will cease operations by August 31, 2010 “in anticipation of the creation of a new, focused, radio-only broadcast association”.
“This move, coupled with the recent closure of the Canadian Association of Broadcasters (CAB), paves the way for the radio industry to re-establish its presence in the new media environment with one association dedicated to its particular legislative, regulatory, sales and marketing needs”, the organization said in a statement.
The Canadian Association of Broadcasters announced in February that it…
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BANFF – Canadian-born actor Eric McCormack will receive the NBC Universal Canada Award of Distinction for his career in broadcasting at this year’s Banff World Television Awards gala.
Best known for his role as Will Truman in the sitcom Will & Grace, McCormack recently starred in the critically acclaimed TNT series Trust Me, and in the Emmy-nominated mini-series The Andromeda Strain. He also appeared on Law and Order: SVU last fall and has been recurring as Julia Louis Dreyfus’ new love on The New Adventures of Old Christine this season. He joins previous award winners Paul Gross, Paul Haggis, Colm Feore,…
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OTTAWA – It is possible to open the Canadian telecommunications market to greater foreign investment without sacrificing cultural sovereignty in the broadcasting world, Industry minister Tony Clement said last week.
Speaking to the House of Commons Standing Committee on Industry, Science and Technology, Clement acknowledged that it won’t be easy, but it’s doable.
“Is that going to require some stick handling? There’s no question. We are in shades of grey,” he said in response to a question from fellow Conservative Peter Braid. “But I think that we can, with good public policy that is clear with its intent and…
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OTTAWA – The federal government has pledged over $200 K towards a new French language radio station in Ottawa called radio communautaire francophone d’Ottawa (RCFO).
In an announcement on Friday, Heritage Minister James Moore said that the $224,531 in funding came from his department’s Strategic Funds of the Community Life component, and will be put towards the station’s startup costs.
"Our Government is a leader in this country in supporting the development of official-language minority communities," Minister Moore said in a statement. "RCFO will contribute to the growth of the Ottawa Francophone community by fostering a sense of identity among its members. The…
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TORONTO – CRTC chair Konrad von Finckenstein, and CWTA President Bernard Lord will join Industry Minister Tony Clement as speakers at this year’s Canadian Telecom Summit.
Scheduled for June 7 – 9, 2010 at the Toronto Congress Centre, the three day event will also feature leaders from Canada’s top wireless companies and suppliers, all of whom, to varying degrees, will outline their visions for the role that wireless communications can play in the lives of all Canadians.
Now in its ninth year, this year’s theme is ‘New Economic Realities, New Approaches: The Communications Industry in Transition’.
For more information or to…
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NEW YORK and TORONTO – With media professionals among some of the hardest hit during the recent recession, two media firms have joined forces to provide additional on-line career training.
New York-based Mediabistro.com’s educational videos and self-paced on-line learning courses are now available through Canada’s Media Intelligence. Editors, writers, producers, graphic designers, and others in the magazine, television, film, radio, newspaper, publishing, on-line media, and design worlds can now develop and improve career skills, learn more about the constantly evolving new media platforms, and gain access to digital training resources through global industry experts.
"We’re excited to bring our state-of-the art…
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LOS ANGELES – Since it went digital, the cable industry has been on a long, arduous search for a pair of improvements: a better remote control and an easier to use interactive program guide.
The on-screen grid guide and multi-buttoned remotes have gone about as far as they can in their ability to navigate the multichannel world. It’s a world not only with hundreds of linear TV channels but also thousands of video on demand titles (and in the case of Comcast, tens of thousands of titles).
Navigating through what’s on with a remote and the standard grid is not a customer-pleasing…
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OTTAWA – Canada’s first satellite in space was recognized as a national historic event Wednesday at a ceremony in Ottawa.
Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities John Baird paid tribute to the then Defence Research Telecommunications Establishment (DRTE) who was responsible for the design, deployment and global scientific success of the Alouette 1 Satellite Programme.
“The creation of the Alouette 1 Satellite Programme was the beginning of Canada’s hugely successful space programme,” said Minister Baird, in a statement. “I am pleased to commemorate the national importance of this outstanding historical event.”
The United States asked its allies to participate in its space…
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OTTAWA – Canada’s Advanced Research and Innovation Network (CANARIE) will offer Internet Protocol version v6 connectivity to ensure that Canadians benefit from the advanced networks’ capabilities.
The IPv6 protocol will use an addressing capacity of several orders of magnitude greater than the current IPv4, since it uses 128 bits to assign IP addresses, rather than 32 bits. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development has predicted that IPv4 addresses, used to connect computers and other devices to the Internet, will run out by 2012.
“CANARIE is proud to show leadership in Canada and help facilitate this nation’s transition to IPv6,” said president and…
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