TORONTO – CHUM Limited and the Waters family today announced the death of company founder and Canadian broadcasting pioneer Allan Waters. He was 84.
As chairman and president until 2002, Waters (right) laid the foundation for CHUM Limited’s growth to its current place as one of Canada’s premier media companies, with radio and television stations across the country. “His vision for CHUM was rooted in fostering strong connections with the communities it serves, while staying true to his own guiding principles of respect, honesty and fair dealing,” said the company’s press release.
“Allan Waters’ contribution to…
Continue Reading
IF YOU WANT AN EARLY look at what the communications infrastructure in Canada is going to look like, it might be worth studying Saskatchewan.
The incumbent telco, SaskTel, has embarked upon an ambitious, aggressive, costly push to modernize its network, driving fibre deep into its communities, taking dead aim at the two large cable companies in the province with its MAX high speed Internet and digital television service.
The reason why this might offer a glimpse into the future is that this is a province where the “normal” economic guidelines the rest of the communications companies in Canada are…
Continue Reading
TORONTO – What do HDTV set buyers want when they bring their big, bright, expensive new TV home?
HD content, of course. However, what those in the TV industry are finding is that consumers are often under-informed when it comes to what’s available in high definition when they plug that set in.
So, in co-operation with Rogers Cable and Cogeco Cable, Astral Media’s The Movie Network has partnered with Future Shop and Best Buy on a cross-promotional initiative designed to promote The Movie Network and High Definition at retail stores across Ontario beginning tomorrow (Thursday, December 1, 2005.)
Consumers…
Continue Reading
ALVISO, Calif. – TiVo customers trying to remember whether it’s Pontiac or Honda offering “3.9% financing for a limited time” will be able to turn to their PVR boxes to find the right commercial for them.
On Monday, digital/personal video recorder manufacturer TiVo announced plans for a television-based advertising search solution coming in Spring 2006. “Leveraging TiVo’s television search capabilities that enhance the TV viewing experience, the new product will deliver relevant, targeted advertising to subscribers that want to view particular advertising categories,” crows the press release.
(In Canada, Montreal company etc.tv, along with Videotron, Molson’s and TVA, is…
Continue Reading
YEARS BACK, IT WAS EASY to pick on VisionTV. Its programs were old, appearing only on the specialty channel in their second or third (or fourth!) window.
Much of its original “Mosaic” programming looked and sounded terrible – and violated the channel’s Canadian content requirements, it turns out, causing CRTC sanctions. Preachers and traditional religion dominated the channel. However, when current president and CEO Bill Roberts (left) came on board in 2000, he set out to drastically alter VisionTV. More original, interesting, programming – about faith and spirituality and not necessarily organized…
Continue Reading
TORONTO – Rogers Cable added Phoenix North America Chinese Channel to its big list of multicultural programming today. The Commission approved the channel for addition to the eligible satellite list yesterday.
From now until January 1, 2006, Rogers Digital Cable customers can enjoy a free preview on channel 599 in Ontario.
Phoenix North America Chinese channel provides the latest news and entertainment television from Hong Kong, China, Taiwan and other countries in the Asia-Pacific region, 24-hours-a-day. Broadcast primarily in Mandarin, this Chinese-language channel delivers a complete variety of television entertainment, including movies, dramas, talk shows, game shows, family…
Continue Reading
TORONTO – Rogers Cable announced this morning that it has added its 100,000th high definition television customer, doubling the amount it had in January of 2005.
As the holiday season moves into full swing, expectations of the number of HDTV sets to be sold are high. According to Eric Stockner, senior merchandise manager, televisions, for Future Shop, "HDTVs are the hot ticket item for the holidays this year and sales are expected to more than double from previous years."
Beginning today, Rogers now offers Raptors NBA TV HD on channel 506 which is Canada’s all-basketball, all-the-time channel. Each week…
Continue Reading
TORONTO – Digital TV customers will be able to call on four different seasonal music channels from Max Trax and Galaxie while they roast chestnuts and stuff stockings.
Beginning December 1, four of the combined 40 audio digital music services from Max Trax and Galaxie will offer listeners uninterrupted, commercial-free music across a range of formats.
Max Trax’s Holiday Hits channel features timeless and contemporary songs ranging from Sting’s I Saw Three Ships and Madonna’s Santa Baby to Mariah Carey’s All I Want For Christmas and The Barenaked Ladies’ Green Christmas.
Max Trax’s Instrumental Holiday channel features seasonal standards…
Continue Reading
DARTMOUTH – Charlie Keating, a giant in the Canadian cable television industry – in all senses of the word – died of cancer Tuesday morning. He was 72.
Now, the term “larger than life” may seem a cliché to some, but there wasn’t one person contacted by www.cartt.ca on the passing of the founder of Dartmouth Cable TV (which later became Nova Scotia’s Access Communications) who didn’t use the term.
“He was a great industry individual and a great man in his own right,” said John Thomas, president of Delta Cable. “He was a remarkable man and a wonderful…
Continue Reading
ALVISO, Calif. – Independent PVR-maker TiVo Inc. announced Monday that customers will soon be able transfer recorded TV shows from their TiVo box to a PSP or Apple iPod portable digital video device.
The enhancement to the TiVoToGo feature will include exclusive capabilities such as TiVo auto-sync that will allow subscribers to choose if they want new recordings of their favorite programs easily transferred to their portable devices via their PC. Every morning the devices can be loaded with new programs recorded the night before.
"The increasing popularity of mobile devices for viewing video such as Apple’s iPod and…
Continue Reading
