MEDICINE HAT – The region is a country hotbed but today Rogers Broadcasting launched new FM radio station Rock 105.3 in Medicine Hat, Alberta.
The first rock station in the local market will feature artists such as Red Hot Chili Peppers, Nickelback, AC/DC and Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers.
In order to accelerate the launch of this newly licensed station, Rock 105.3 will initially broadcast from a "boom box" and trailer from the Trans Canada Highway. A permanent facility will be secured in the future. Rogers has appointed Rogers’ broadcasting executive and Alberta native, Tony Marsh, as general manager….
Continue Reading
TORONTO – The simple act of making sure advertisers mention their web address in their radio ad will boost those clients’ sales says a further analysis of the Foundation Research study released last month by the Radio Marketing Bureau.
“Over the past few years we’ve seen some significant growth in the marketing power of radio when combined with the Internet,” said Chris Bandak, president of Foundation Research Group. “This year was no exception and traditional radio ranks highest as the medium most used in combination with the Internet. So how does it work? A clever spot plays on the…
Continue Reading
TORONTO – “2007 was a year of continued solid growth in customers, revenues and cash flow while at the same time we further de-leveraged our balance sheet, simplified our corporate structure and laid the groundwork for returning increasing amounts of cash to our shareholders," said Ted Rogers, president and CEO of Rogers Communications, in the press release announcing his company’s fourth quarter 2007 results.
"While we have much to do in continuing to reinforce our services and systems, I am confident that we are exceptionally well positioned to carry on our growth and success in 2008 and beyond."
Consolidated…
Continue Reading
OTTAWA – CRTC chair Konrad von Finckenstein didn’t touch much on the Canadian Television Fund (CTF), but did announce Thursday morning that the Commission would hold a hearing on new media in the fall or winter.
“I have nothing to say on that subject today, except that our decision and recommendations will be released in a timely manner,” von Finckenstein told a room of producers and other delegates at the Canadian Film and Television Production Association (CFTPA)’s Prime Time annual conference in Ottawa.
Canadian Heritage minister Josee Verner in a speech Friday night that kicked off the conference…
Continue Reading
TORONTO – Toronto high school students can help reduce e-waste and support local food banks under Rogers Communications new Phones-for-Food High School Challenge.
Today at Daily Bread Food Bank, with John Gerretsen, Ontario’s Minister of the Environment, grade 12 students from Earl Haig, Central Technical and RH King Academy High Schools entered the race to collect as many used wireless devices as possible over the next month.
The school that gathers the most cell phones per graduating student by March 26th will win $3,000 towards the graduating class’s commencement ceremonies. Second and third place schools will be awarded $1,250…
Continue Reading
OTTAWA – Minister of Industry Jim Prentice has been “about to” introduce new copyright legislation for about three months now at least, according to Ottawa sources.
Perhaps March will be the month it happens…
In the meantime, the Business Coalition for Balanced Copyright has submitted a position paper to the minister “urging the government to strike a balance in copyright reform that reflects the needs of users and creators,” says its letter.
Besides the members in the headline, the BCBC also includes smaller stakeholders like EastLink, Cogeco Cable, SaskTel, the Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association and the Retail Council of…
Continue Reading
TORONTO – On Monday, the Biography Channel kicks off a comprehensive rebranding of the network, now to be called Bio, the network for ‘Great People Watching’.
Bio will feature a new on-air look, logo (below), and shift in focus to reality programming and features on current newsmakers around the world. “Bio will provide Canadians with top-quality programming and special series that connect viewers with top personalities – from the Hollywood tabloid and pop culture favorites to the business and political juggernauts of the day,” says the release.
“We are excited to build on our already successful brand with the…
Continue Reading
TORONTO – The Directors Guild of Canada filed comments yesterday with the CRTC in support of public disclosure of aggregate financial data for over-the-air television and radio broadcasters.
DGC requested that revenue and expenditure information for media giants such as CTVgm, CanWest and Rogers be made public “in order to evaluate the manner in which CRTC policies are being applied, and the extent to which broadcasters are contributing to the system,” says the Guild’s release.
"This information is critical for analytical purposes. Without this data, industry stakeholders cannot properly participate in the public process," said Brian Anthony, DGC national…
Continue Reading
COVERING THE CANADIAN retail scene as a reporter/editor in the 1990s, right about when Wal-Mart bought what was left of Woolco and began its major Canadian push, the concept of a “loss-leader” crept into the mainstream lexicon.
Basically, the loss-leader is the carrot on the stick to help get a consumer in the store and hopefully buy more than just the carrot. The ridiculously low-priced items on the front of a flyer and found at the end-cap on store aisles – like 50-cent motor oil or a case of bottled water for two bucks, or the various dirt-cheap thingies…
Continue Reading
GATINEAU – Licensing a new network based on the fact that it is promising to air its content in high definition is not a good enough reason to add to an already crowded TV market, interveners told the CRTC today during its hearing into licensing a pair of new HDTV broadcasters.
“Ultimately, HD is just a technical format,” said Rael Merson, president and CEO of Rogers Broadcasting, who noted that most Canadian broadcasters are offering many hours of high definition content already. “It is quality content, not technology that drives demand,” added Marie Griffiths of intervener CHCR.
Entrepreneur John…
Continue Reading
