TORONTO – Add Rogers to the list of wireless providers targeting the student market.
Its back-to-school line highlights a range of smart phones and quick messaging devices, plus some new plans and service bundles that it promises will give students “the freedom of anywhere, anytime access to what matters most to them, and gives parents peace of mind when it comes to footing the digital school bill”.
“For back-to-school 2010, the school bag has gone digital and the hot essentials are those devices and services that keep students connected to not only what they need, but what they want, when and…
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OTTAWA-GATINEAU – Most stakeholders agree that the CRTC’s new community TV policy did little to lessen cable’s firm grip on the country’s community channels. But even some of the country’s biggest cable companies appear to have some concerns.
“The closed captioning component is going to be a challenge”, said Colette Watson, VP of Rogers TV, in an interview with Cartt.ca. “As of December 31st, the funding is frozen to the levels we’re at now for four years. That’s fine, we’ll make that work. The issue then becomes, if in that same time frame we have to caption 100%…
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TORONTO – Adam Ashton has been named the new president of Canada’s Olympic Broadcast Media Consortium.
He succeeds Keith Pelley who left last week to take on the role of president of Rogers Media.
Ashton, 38, was formerly VP of marketing for the consortium. In his capacity as president, Ashton will oversee the day-to-day operations for the multiplatform coverage of the London 2012 Olympic Games, leading all integrated sales, marketing, scheduling, production and digital initiatives across the consortium’s suite of media assets. He will report to Phil King, who was recently named as president of sports and EVP…
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TORONTO – TVO and TVOKids programs have joined Rogers On Demand.
Rogers’ digital cable customers can tune in to current affairs programs such as past episodes of The Agenda with Steve Paikin, while younger viewers will find TVOKids’ educational programs like Gisèle’s Big Backyard (for ages 2-5) and The Space (for ages 6-9). TVO documentaries will also be available for a rental fee of $1.99 per movie on Rogers On Demand.
The high definition version of TVO will also join Rogers’ digital basic package, and has begun rolling out the service in the Greater Toronto Area. In the coming weeks, TVOHD will…
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OTTAWA – When it comes to licensing the 28GHz band, Canada’s wireless operators generally agree with Industry Canada’s proposed framework, documents submitted to the department via its call for comments reveal.
Telus, however, is concerned about the first-come, first-served approach advocated by the department in its consultation. Given the rapid growth of mobile networks and mobile data services, the need for longer-term backhaul network planning is paramount and a FCFS process may act as a barrier, the company states in its submission.
“Telus is of the view that the FCFS model needs to be ‘tweaked’ to allow…
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TORONTO and FENELON FALLS, Ont. – Independent cable company Cable Cable is the first non-Rogers carrier to sign up for Rogers Sportsnet One, the new 24/7 sports channel launched last week.
General manager Mike Fiorini told Cartt.ca it was a move he felt he had to make, saying there were a number of customers who expressed their frustration at not being able to find Toronto Blue Jays games on their dials. Sportsnet One had three Jays games over the past weekend and has 23 more on the schedule through the end of the baseball season.
The channel also has NHL,…
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TORONTO – Rogers Communications has donated $50,000 to the Canadian Red Cross to help victims of the floods in Pakistan, and has launched a text-to-donate campaign for its wireless customers.
All funds raised will support the Red Cross in providing food, clothing and shelter to the millions of residents left homeless as a result of the devastating floods that struck the country about three weeks ago.
"Our thoughts are with everyone who is affected by the floods in Pakistan as they face this difficult time. We believe every bit of support will make a difference," said Edward Rogers, EVP of emerging…
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TORONTO – CTV shuffled senior management this week in the wake of Keith Pelley’s surprise departure to Rogers Media.
Phil King has been promoted from president of TSN to president of sports and EVP of programming for CTV Inc., effective immediately. Reporting to CTV president and CEO Ivan Fecan, King assumes control over all of CTV’s sports interests, including TSN, RDS, TSN2, RIS Info Sports, NHL Network and ESPN Classic. Canada’s Olympic Broadcast Media Consortium will also report through King to Fecan, the company said Thursday. King is scheduled to announce succession plans at TSN and Canada’s Olympic Broadcast Media Consortium…
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OTTAWA – Should broadband be deemed an essential service for all Canadians in the same way as basic telephone service?
Count the Public Interest Advocacy Centre (PIAC) firmly on the ‘yes’ side of that question. In a new report called Is Broadband Basic Service, the Ottawa-based consumer organization details how Canada could benefit from such a plan, and how countries like Japan and the European Union have been successful thanks to policy and infrastructure investments that make broadband service a basic right for their citizens. All of which stands in contrast to Canada where no such regime exists –…
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WHY WOULD KEITH PELLEY move to Rogers Communications? That’s the question the industry is asking this week. There are many speculative answers, but let’s try to look at some facts before we lob our own opinion-grenades.
Pelley is a sports guy. A TV guy. A sports TV guy. He’s a heck of a broadcast executive who is still riding a massive wave of goodwill generated by the stellar Winter Olympics broadcast, one which he constructed from the ground up and oversaw. He and his people did a terrific job and with a bit of downtime between now and…
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