TORONTO – Rob Farina, hired in May as vice-president of content and programming at Rogers Radio, has been let go by the company, Cartt.ca has learned.
While the company had no official statement beyond confirming his departure, sources with direct knowledge of the situation said Farina was embroiled in a behind the scenes conflict with a major record company which soured to the point that Rogers Radio SVP Julie Adam dismissed him.
Billboard has a more fullsome story here.
Farina is a former Astral and CHUM radio executive who was overseeing the programming and content on all Rogers…
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TORONTO – NextMedia crowned the 2015 Digi Award winners Tuesday night, recognizing remarkable digital content in the fields of video, marketing, advertising, mobile, and gaming from Canadian companies.
The 50 finalists were determined by a group of community leaders, influencers, technology experts, and content programmers from across the country.
And the winners are:
Branded ContentCarmillaBy Smokebomb EntertainmentIn association with U by Kotex
Digital Series FictionConvos With My Two-Year-OldBy CocoMilk Productions
Digital Series NonfictionDo Not TrackBy Upian, Arte France, National Film Board of Canada, and BRIn association with Akufen and with assistance from…
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OTTAWA – Former Société Radio-Canada exec Catherine Cano has been named as the new president and general manager of CPAC, effective January 11, 2016.
Cano, pictured, replaces Colette Watson who earlier this year was promoted to VP of TV and broadcast operations at Rogers Media.
With more than 20 years of executive leadership experience in broadcasting across all platforms, Cano began her career on Parliament Hill before turning her sights to media where, over the next two decades, she held an array of positions at the CBC/SRC. These include senior news producer of the Parliamentary Ottawa Bureau, editorial producer of Le Point, editor-in-chief…
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OTTAWA – Canada’s publicly traded television service providers combined lost almost seven times more TV subscribers in the nine-month period ended August 31/September 30,2015 compared to the same period in 2014, according to new research released Monday.
Ottawa-based research and consulting firm Boon Dog Professional Services also found that BCE, Rogers, Shaw/Shaw Direct, Vidéotron, Cogeco, Telus, and MTS (IPTV subscribers only) combined lost a record 153,000 TV subscribers in their respective three fiscal 2015 quarters, up significantly from 22,000 lost in the same quarters in 2014.
In the three month period ended August 31/September 30 alone, which is traditionally a…
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TORONTO – Rogers Media on Thursday made official something most knew – that its partnership with youth-centric Vice Media will lead to the launch of a new specialty TV channel, Viceland, in early 2016.
Rogers Media president Rick Brace told Cartt.ca that the long-gestating Viceland channel replacing the media group's existing Bio specialty channel will help his company close a gap to reach fickle 18-to-34-year-olds prized by advertisers. "It's about filling a void for Rogers Media," said Brace in his first public comments since taking the helm at the company’s media division.
"Targeting millennials and understanding their needs and their concerns…
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GATINEAU – The third day of the Commissioner for Complaints for Telecommunication Services (CCTS) mandate review saw telecom providers in the West and East agree on a few changes to the complaints body. Quebecor Media and Shaw Communications noted in their respective testimony to the CRTC on Thursday they believe it’s natural for the CCTS to conduct some code interpretation.
They also believe that participation in the complaints body should be mandatory.
Peggy Tabet, senior director of regulatory affairs for telecommunications at Quebecor, noted under questioning that it’s about treating all players equally. In a world where the company is subjected…
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GATINEAU – Rogers Communications told the CRTC on Wednesday that the Commissions for Complaints for Telecommunications Services (CCTS) should become “a destination of last resort” for consumer complaints.
The country’s largest wireless provider argued during day 2 on the hearing into the CCTS (click here for day one's coverage) the industry should take a page out of the banking sector’s playbook and adopt a model similar to that of the Ombudsman for Banking Services and Investments (OBSI). Kim Walker, Rogers’ Ombudsperson, said during her opening remarks that the OBSI is the final recourse for customers after…
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GATINEAU – The mandate review for the Commissioner for Complaints for Telecommunication Services (CCTS) kicked off on Tuesday with the body arguing that voluntary participation would make it much more difficult to resolve complaints – and that some consumers could find themselves on the short end of the complaints process.
In addition, the trigger-based system of participation is unruly and hasn’t proven effective in forcing telecom service providers (TSPs) to join the CCTS.
Josée Thibault, assistant CCTS commissioner, noted “there is a real risk that many providers would withdraw from CCTS, creating a situation in which some customers are entitled to…
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TORONTO – Hollywood Suite’s four HD movie channels are officially now known as Hollywood Suite 70s Movies, Hollywood Suite 80s Movies, Hollywood Suite 90s Movies and Hollywood Suite 2000s Movies, after being relaunched on Monday.
The independent broadcaster announced in September that the rebrand would include a streamlined look that brings a single Hollywood Suite identity to the four on-air HD channels, On Demand, the Hollywood Suite Go app, and its web and social media properties.
Subscribers can still find the big pre-1970 films with programming blocks dedicated to the essential classics from the golden age of Hollywood. All movies will remain uncut…
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OTTAWA – Rogers’ lock on the NHL broadcast rights in Canada has not substantially lessened or prevented competition in any relevant market in Canada, the Competition Bureau has determined.
The Bureau said that it reviewed Rogers’ $5.2 billion, 12‑year agreement for exclusive rights to all national NHL games “given the duration, significance and exclusive nature of this deal, as well as the fact that Rogers is a vertically‑integrated company with sizeable programming and distribution operations”. The review included consultations with advertisers, television service providers and distributors, as well as an analysis of evidence from the NHL, Rogers and other sources.
After examining…
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