GATINEAU – Bragg Communications, the east coast cable and telecom company that claims to be “small in a big way,” wants the CRTC to take on a similar persona, by making big steps towards a smaller regulatory burden.
In its presentation Wednesday to the CRTC’s broadcast hearings, Bragg co-CEO Dan McKeen gave his support to the Commission’s stated overall approach in its review that would see a reduction in regulations and increased reliance on market forces. However, he also sought CRTC help on behalf of small BDU’s which he suggested are occasionally bullied when they try to negotiate access to programming…
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TORONTO – The interests of small and independent Canadian broadcasters are at risk of being trampled by the industry’s giants in the current regulatory proceeding on the future of the broadcast system, warns Bill Roberts, president and CEO of S-VOX, which operates the multi-faith and multicultural specialty television service VisionTV.
"This hearing has so far been a war of the giants, with conventional broadcasters and broadcast distribution undertakings to make certain that smaller players do not get caught in the crossfire."
S-VOX…
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Rogers Mark Freedman receives CTAM fellowship
TORONTO – Rogers Cable’s Mark Freedman has been selected as the recipient of the 2008 CTAM Canada Fellowship Award to attend the 11th annual Executive Management Program at Harvard in June.
Known as CTAM U, The Executive Management Program is a week-long intensive learning program at the Harvard Business School (HBS). The program focuses on strategic marketing and business principles through a detailed case study curriculum administered by HBS professors and key industry leaders.
Mark Freedman is senior manager, video strategy and planning at Rogers Cable. Freedman identifies and develops new business opportunities for…
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OTTAWA – Industry Minister Jim Prentice says he can’t place a throttle on the new practices of telecommunications companies that target bandwidth hogs who constantly download movies and share files over the Internet.
This week Rogers informed its Internet customers it will begin billing based on usage instead of connection speed. This follows a similar announcement by Bell where it plans to restrict certain types of online traffic on its own networks and those it provides to third-party ISP wholesalers.
Speaking before the House of Commons, Prentice downplayed the concerns of Charlie Angus, New Democratic Party spokesman for digital issues, who charged…
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CALGARY – Calgary’s 24/7 all sports radio station The Fan 960 has announced it has extended its broadcast agreement with the Calgary Flames hockey club. The Fan 960 is also extending its broadcasting agreement with the Calgary Hitmen of the Western Hockey League.
"We are delighted to continue our long-standing relationship with the Calgary Flames Hockey Club," said Kevin McKanna, executive vice-president, Rogers Radio, Alberta and Manitoba. "We are proud to bring hockey fans in Calgary and Southern Alberta the play-by-play, home and away games, of the Calgary Flames all season."
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TORONTO – Rogers Communications Inc. today announced that high school students from 15 cities across Canada collected over 18,500 used wireless devices as part of the inaugural Rogers Phones-for-Food High School Challenge. 45 high schools in cities from coast to coast entered the challenge to help reduce e-waste and help fund local food banks by collecting as many used wireless devices as possible over a five week period.
"These are inspiring results from students across the country," said Rob Bruce, president, Rogers Wireless Inc. "They have proven they can make a big difference in our communities by making a…
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BELOW ARE SOME QUICK QUIPS, a few lines – and their explanations, that we found interesting over the first four days of the CRTC’s hearing in broadcast distribution undertaking and specialty service policy.
Broadcasters as babies (1) “There is an opportunity for the over the air broadcasters to help themselves. If they were embracing the on demand platform, if they had a CTV on demand or a Global on demand, then we could have a very serious discussion about incremental value for the customer and compensation for that. But we are not having those discussions because we seem to…
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GATINEAU – What would have been fun, was a debate.
Day three of the CRTC hearings into BDU and specialty service regulations featured the Canadian Association of Broadcasters and Canadian Cable Systems Alliance, two groups with decidedly different constituents, and points of view, on the future policy direction of the TV industry.
The CAB represents most broadcasters in Canada who together serve basically 100% of the Canadian population. The CCSA, on the other hand, has a far smaller group of members whose companies deliver cable and broadband service to under a million rural Canadians.
While each had their turn…
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GATINEAU – To many we’ve talked to so far this week, it smacks of re-regulation, not de-regulation, but commissioner Michel Morin wants to know what the industry thinks of a new points system he has devised to help small specialty services gain more notice.
At the BDU and specialty service hearings on Monday and Tuesday, the first-year commissioner has explained and re-explained his proposal to just about each intervener – several of whom seem a little perplexed by the proposal. Count some audience members in that group scratching their heads, too.
After hearing Morin (a former broadcaster explain it…
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CALGARY – A press release issued by Shaw Communications this afternoon that some might term a little imprudent, took some new swings at the CRTC and in the overall direction the Calgary-based company believes this month’s Commission hearing is headed.
The three-week-long hearing has just completed its third day of proceedings (Shaw isn’t scheduled to appear until April 23) into the policies governing broadcast distribution undertakings and specialty services, but the company which owns Star Choice and Shaw Cable clearly doesn’t like the tone of the discussions so far.
"When it was first announced, we were optimistic that this…
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