OTTAWA-GATINEAU – The CRTC’s new Wireless Code issued today allows consumers to cancel their mobile wireless contracts after two years even if they have signed on for a longer term, and also places caps on data overage and roaming charges.
The code, which will apply to new wireless contracts beginning December 2, 2013, requires wireless service providers to cap data overage charges at $50 and national and international roaming charges at $100 within a single monthly billing cycle. Additional charges cannot be added without a consumer’s consent.
The Commission says capping these charges is…
Continue Reading
KITCHENER – Rogers has announced it will be rebranding all of its country music stations throughout the year, starting with today’s unveiling of a new look and name for its Kitchener station KIX 106.7 to Country 106.7.
Featuring a new name, logo and website, the brand will debut an all-new mobile app in the coming weeks. “The enhanced image and sound of Country 106.7 reflects the rapid growth and evolution of the format which we are excited to share with our listeners and advertisers,” said Julie Adam, Rogers Radio vice-president of programming,…
Continue Reading
VANCOUVER – The Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association (CWTA) along with Telus, Rogers and Bell announced yesterday they are donating the $22,000 legal costs awarded in a court decision with the City of Nanaimo back to the city for support of its 911 emergency operations.
The CWTA and the wireless carriers were awarded the legal costs from the City of Nanaimo following a decision by the Supreme Court of British Columbia last July concerning a jurisdictional review of a municipal fee on 9-1-1 calls.
“Our goal in determining what role wireless carriers can play…
Continue Reading
TORONTO – Rogers Media today announced the closure of its 18-month old all-Toronto news station CityNews Channel, as well as some news programming cancellations at OMNI.
“Today, we made changes to the company’s television strategy to reflect evolving viewer habits and the global structural shift in advertising,” said Rogers Broadcasting president Scott Moore, in a statement. “Moving forward, we will focus our broadcast news resources in Toronto on 680News and CityNews on City.”
Programming changes have also been made at OMNI Television, where its English-language South Asian newscast is cancelled and production operations in Alberta have ceased. “We remain committed to…
Continue Reading
TORONTO – Vicinity, a new loyalty and automation platform launched in Toronto on Wednesday by Rogers Communications, is geared towards providing local retailers who buy into the program the opportunity to deliver customized loyalty programs which recognize, reward and communicate with customers – and hopefully grow repeat business.
"Small businesses across Canada are looking for cost effective, turn-key solutions to drive growth in their business and establish meaningful customer relationships," said Fiona Lake Waslander, general manager, Vicinity, in the company’s press release. "Vicinity integrates easily into businesses, providing a simple platform to drive return traffic and increase customer lifetime value…
Continue Reading
MONTREAL – Videotron and Rogers announced an agreement late Wednesday to bring LTE to even more customers in the province of Québec and the Ottawa region.
Under a new 20-year agreement, the two companies will pool their efforts to quickly build out and operate a shared LTE wireless network, the most advanced wireless technology in the world. This network will deliver an optimal user experience for consumers and businesses in both key markets (and perhaps let Videotron launch the iPhone, which does not work on its current AWS spectrum).
In addition to the network sharing agreement, Videotron and Rogers have also…
Continue Reading
GATINEAU – Canada’s public broadcaster has been given the green light to introduce advertising on its Radio 2 and Espace musique properties, but only for three years.
“The Commission considers that advertising will serve to ensure that the CBC has the resources to continue to provide high-quality diverse programming. However, the Commission is imposing conditions of licence that limit advertising to a maximum of four minutes per hour and limit the number of times that programming can be interrupted for advertising to twice per hour,” reads the May 28 decision.
The Commission also ruled that Radio 2…
Continue Reading
OTTAWA – Friends of Canadian Broadcasting today presented a letter to Prime Minister Stephen Harper signed by 13 prominent Canadian journalists and educators supporting the watchdog’s call for changes to Bill C-60 so it does not undermine the editorial independence of the CBC.
The letter, signed by journalists including CBC’s Joe Schlesinger, Don Newman, and Globe and Mail columnist emeritus Hugh Winsor, was tabled this morning at the House of Commons Standing Committee on Finance by Ian Morrison, Friends spokesperson, during his appearance before the Committee.
“Without change, Bill C-60 will give government the…
Continue Reading
OTTAWA – Friends of Canadian Broadcasting says it will testify before the House of Commons Standing Committee on Finance tomorrow morning and ask to remove the CBC from the budget omnibus Bill C-60 provision, which would give the government unprecedented authority over the public broadcaster and other Crown corporations.
“No public broadcaster anywhere in the free world faces the degree of political interference that is proposed for the CBC in Bill C-60,” said Friends spokesperson Ian Morrison in a media advisory.
Morrison will be accompanied tomorrow by media and freedom of expression lawyer Brian MacLeod…
Continue Reading
TORONTO – Sportnet has announced a new Montreal version of its nightly news program Connected will premiere on May 30 on City Montreal.
Montreal Connected will be hosted by Wilder Weir and Alyson Lozoff.
Montreal Connected will be an English-language program co-hosted by Sportsnet reporter Alyson Lozoff and television personality Wilder Weir. The program will provide an in-depth look at the city’s professional and amateur teams,…
Continue Reading
