GATINEAU – With bill shock, data overages and problematic trial periods still issues, consumer groups told the CRTC, as it kicked off its review of the Wireless Code of Conduct on Monday, that the code needs tightening.
Speaking on behalf of a number of organizations, the Public Interest Advocacy Centre (PIAC) reminded commissioners the Canadian wireless market is concentrated among a few providers and even with the provisions of the wireless code, it’s still too difficult for consumers to switch providers if they wish.
“Because we have three providers with well over 90% in almost all markets, a few with four…
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VANCOUVER – Kiss Radio listeners in Vancouver will wake up to a new morning show on Valentine’s Day.
Rogers said Monday that real life best friends Kevin Lim and Sonia Sidhu will sign on as the new hosts of the KiSS RADiO breakfast show from 6:00 AM to 10:00 AM beginning February 14. Current host Ara Andonian will continue hosting The Ara Show weekday afternoons from 2:00 PM to 6:00 PM.
The duo, who met as classmates in 2002, most recently hosted a popular show on Vancouver’s 102.7 The Peak that was also syndicated in Kelowna through Q103.1. That gig came…
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Coalition of Canadian multicultural media producers readying competing proposal to OMNI in anticipation of CRTC call
FEW CANADIANS OUTSIDE of the TV industry are aware of a major decision under consideration by the CRTC right now that involves the Rogers Communications-owned multicultural TV channels known as OMNI TV.
Rogers is asking the Commission to turn OMNI Free TV into OMNI Pay TV and for all Canadians to chip in about $80 million to help Rogers run the channel (Cartt.ca has reported on that here, here, here and Continue Reading
TORONTO – Rogers Communications chief corporate affairs officer, Jacob Glick, is stepping down from his position, Cartt.ca has learned.
As CAO, Glick oversees regulatory affairs, public policy, government relations, internal and external communications, and social media. His last day will be March 3.
A lawyer by training, he joined Rogers from Google, where he had been head of the global public policy and government relations team. Prior to that, he led Google Canada's policy and government relations team.
Glick (pictured) was one of several senior executives brought aboard by former CEO Guy Laurence and the CAO position was newly created then as…
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TORONTO – Rogers Media is once again teaming up with Seneca College on an internship program that allows students to gain on-air radio experience while earning a course credit.
Now in its fourth year, the 10 week GenNOW internship program launched this week and sees Seneca students Robyn Thomson, Jordan Kerr, and Leeron Stern host overnight on KiSS 92.5 between 2:00 AM to 4:00 AM Monday to Wednesday. Rogers Radio and KiSS 92.5 ensure ongoing feedback is provided, creating a unique experience for the interns to work closely with programming staff.
“At Rogers, we are not only committed to putting the…
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TORONTO – Viceland is readying its first scripted comedy, Nirvanna the Band the Show, which will debut February 2 at 10:00 PM ET/PT on Rogers’ Viceland and City.
The eight-part, half-hour comedy, adapted from the web series by the same name, features Canadians Matt Johnson (The Dirties, Operation Avalanche) and Jay McCarrol as a hapless, two-piece Toronto “band” who will do anything to play a show at The Rivioli. Each episode follows Matt and Jay as they cook up yet another hair-brained scheme to get on stage – that inevitably goes wildly awry. (Catch the series’ trailer here).
Nirvanna the…
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TORONTO – Rogers’ decision to pull the plug on its own IPTV product pushed it in to the red with a $9 million loss for its fourth quarter.
On Thursday, Rogers posted a $484-million charge related to discontinuing its IPTV product when it opted to go with Comcast’s X1 platform instead. Adjusted net income increased 15% to $382 million this quarter from $331 million in the same period last year, as a result of higher adjusted operating profit, lower depreciation and amortization, and lower finance costs, partially offset by higher income tax expense.
Consolidated revenue for the period ended December 31,…
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TORONTO – Former Rogers exec Ken Engelhart has joined consulting firm StrategyCorp as a senior advisor.
Engelhart (pictured) spent 25 years at Rogers Communications, most recently as SVP of Rogers’ regulatory affairs team. Prior to that, he was general counsel and director of regulatory affairs to the Canadian Business Telecommunications Alliance, and is also a past board member and chair of the Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association.
In addition to maintaining a private practice, Engelhart is also an adjunct professor at Osgoode Hall Law School where he teaches Communications Law.
“There are few in Ken’s field that can match his deep experience within…
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GATINEAU – Canada’s cable companies say now is the time to wrest control of the 911 emergency system away from the incumbent telcos and hand it over to a new consortium charged with implementing next-generation emergency services.
Just as the telecom market has evolved from a monopoly environment to one based on competitive dynamics, so too should NG911.
While the cable operators believe the telcos have done a good job of running the existing 911 system over the last four decades, the CRTC shouldn’t simply renew their mandate to oversee a new NG911 system. As Shaw Communications noted in its…
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OTTAWA – Five of Canada’s biggest TV service providers and two set-top box manufacturers have signed a voluntary agreement to improve the energy efficiency of set-top boxes.
According to a Canadian GreenTech report, the agreement was signed by Bell Canada, Cogeco Communications, Rogers Communications, Shaw Communications, Videotron, ARRIS and EchoStar Technologies.
The Canadian Energy Efficiency Voluntary Agreement for Set-Top Boxes (CEEVA), along with complementary measures such as the Energy Star program, is expected to reduce the total annual energy consumption of Canadian set-top boxes from 3.4 terawatt hours (TWh) in 2016 to 2.7 TWh in 2021. The energy expected to be saved…
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