QUEBEC – Quebec City radio station CHOI-FM has asked the Supreme Court of Canada to delay its moment of truth for an extra 60 days.
The station’s owner, Genex Communications, has filed the request because of “serious discussions” with third parties that “could lead to the settlement of the current legal dispute."
The unusual request comes as the Supreme Court is about to rule on whether or not it will hear Genex’s appeal of the CRTC’s decision in July 2004 to revoke CHOI-FM’s licence. It was granted the right to hook itself back up to the “judicial respirator” last…
Continue Reading
TORONTO – CBC president and CEO Robert Rabinovitch said Thursday that if we, as Canadians, want to have a good public broadcaster, it needs better a better, stable funding model.
In a speech to the Empire Club in Toronto, Rabinovitch said he welcomed any governmental review of the CBC’s mandate (as has been alluded to by the new Conservative government) and said one is coming anyway by the end of 2006 when the Corp. faces the CRTC during its license renewal hearing.
The CEO says the broadcaster’s vision is to be "(t)he undisputed champion of compelling Canadian programming," and…
Continue Reading
OTTAWA – On International Woman’s Day, the Canadian Women in Communications honored their award winners and took the wrapper off a brand new look (right) at its annual gala here in Ottawa Wednesday evening.
The evening was the first industry engagement and speaking appearance for new Heritage Minister Bev Oda and new Industry Minister Maxime Bernier and the event drew its usual who’s who of the communications industry.
A former CWC board chair, Minister Oda, before presenting the Trailblazer Award to Sasktel’s Sandy Larson, lauded the CWC’s efforts in promoting leadership among women in…
Continue Reading
TORONTO – The gala evening celebrating women in communications is Wednesday in Ottawa, but Canadian Women in Communications has announced who the award winners will be.
Woman of the Year: Sarah Crawford, vice-president, Public Affairs, CHUM Television, Toronto
Employer of the Year: Alliance Atlantis Communications
Chapter Leader of the Year: Diane Johnson, president, Descriptive Video Works, Vancouver
Trailblazer of the Year: Sandy Larson, manager of customer service and operations, SaskTel and Mayor of Swift Current, Saskatchewan
Mentor of the Year: Cindy Chatwell, acting marketing manager, Aboriginal Peoples’ Television Network (APTN), Winnipeg
The CWC Jeanne Sauvé Program winners are: *…
Continue Reading
OTTAWA – A three percent loss in the number of traditional residential phone customers served caused an overall 2.2% loss in revenue among incumbent telephone companies in the third quarter of 2005, Statistics Canada reported Monday.
"New technology, competition and changing consumer habits are contributing to the gradual transformation of telecommunication services industries and markets, and this transformation is becoming increasingly evident in the local residential telephony market," says the report.
There were 12.2 million traditional residential telephone lines at the end of the third quarter of 2005, down 3% from the same period in 2004. "This was the…
Continue Reading
REVIEWING THE WORK OF Rogers Communications chief technology officer, Nick Hamilton-Piercy leaves one a little awestruck.
He’s been at the forefront of just about every technological development in the cable industry almost since there was a cable industry. If Nick and his team at Rogers (and before that, Canadian Cablesystems) wasn’t first with something, you can bet they weren’t far behind – and most likely contributed to its development, anyway. Hamilton-Piercy (left) seems to be enjoying his semi-retirement from Rogers (which is now going on six years) in a role that…
Continue Reading
TORONTO – As previously reported, Toronto Hydro Telecom today announced plans to provide Wi-Fi coverage in the downtown core.
"We are proud to be the first company in Canada to deliver a ubiquitous Wi-Fi zone, which will provide Internet access as well as next generation applications," said David Dobbin, president, Toronto Hydro Telecom, in a press release.
"Wi Fi technology is the new benchmark for urban living. It’s standard equipment in many electronic devices, from laptops to portable entertainment units. We think it’s time to enable that technology to be used in what will be the largest Wi Fi…
Continue Reading
TORONTO – It’s too bad CRTC commissioners weren’t here to see this.
During May’s commercial radio review, commissioners will host an orderly procession of industry stakeholders, from musicians to record producers to broadcasters to industry associations. They’ll all make their points in front of the Commission, answer questions and then go home to wait some months for a decision.
Yesterday though – in a packed, hot (-tempered, sometimes) room – broadcasters and producers went at each other in a highly-charged, eminently entertaining hour of running ideas up the flagpole and see who salutes… or moons… or kicks over the…
Continue Reading
TORONTO – Look for Alliance Atlantis to begin making some serious moves into alternative distribution of its shows with its newest hire. Claude Galipeau (left) was announced today as senior vice-president digital media, content group at the broadcaster today. Galipeau’s appointment will be effective at the end of March.
He will oversee the development and implementation of the digital media strategy for Alliance Atlantis. He brings a wealth of experience to the company, most recently as the executive director, digital programming and business development for the CBC. He was the one behind getting the 2006 Winter Olympics…
Continue Reading
WITHOUT CANCOM, THERE MIGHT never have been Columbus Communications.
While Whitehorse TV founder Rolf Hougen might find it surprisingly strange that he’s the first person mentioned in a story about an aggressive cable and telecom company in the Caribbean, we just have to start way north before heading south.
In need of a distant signal provider to beam TV to his fledgling cable operation in the late 1970s, Hougen applied to the Department of Communications for permission to launch a satellite company which would deliver TV not just to the subscribers in Whitehorse (who had to endure a community…
Continue Reading
