Search Results for: rogers

Cable / Telecom News

Commission to look at mobile TV policy

GATINEAU – The CRTC Thursday asked the industry how it should – or if it should – regulate TV on the mobile phone handset. As reported last month by www.cartt.ca, this issue has been emerging from behind the scenes throughout 2005 as both Bell Mobility, Rogers Wireless and Look Communications announced plans to offer television channels to its mobile customers. When those announcements happened earlier this year, the Canadian Association of Broadcasters sent a letter to the Commission asking it to make a determination as to how TV to the handset should be regulated under the Broadcast Act. “In… Continue Reading

Radio / Television News

Webbed Canadians slash radio listening by 30%

VANCOUVER – As Internet-using Canadians spend more and more of their time online, it appears as though radio listenership is suffering the most because of that, according to a recent report from Ipsos Reid. Internet-using Canadians averaged 12.7 hours per week on the web in 2005 (up 46% from 8.7 hours in 2002). The increase appears to have come at the expense of radio, primarily, as the typical Internet-using adult reports spending 11 hours per week listening to the radio, down from 16 hours per week in 2002, says the survey results. While weekly Internet usage has surpassed radio… Continue Reading

Radio / Television News

“Where’s the union?” CBC seems headed for labour disruption

TORONTO – Unless things start happening very soon, like today, 5,500 CBC TV and radio employees could be off the job Monday, affecting dozens of hours of programming. The CBC says the union quit the bargaining table on Monday and has yet to return. “Monday night the union walked away from the table and since, we’ve been ready, willing and able to negotiate with them,” CBC spokesman Jason MacDonald told www.cartt.ca. The strike/lockout deadline is midnight Sunday. “At 12:01 Monday morning there could be a strike or lockout,” added MacDonald, who declined to say whether or not CBC would… Continue Reading

Cable / Telecom News

Pre-season freebie

TORONTO – While rookies and veterans sweat out their two-a-days in training camp, Rogers Cable will let its Ontario digital customers have a pre-season free look at NFL Network. The free preview will run from today until Thursday, September 1st. The NFL Network is a league-owned 24 hour, seven-day-a-week television network solely dedicated to NFL. With the free preview, customers can catch action from 55 games during the NFL’s four-week pre-season, including 5 live games: * Oakland at San Francisco (Saturday, Aug. 13, at 10 p.m. ET) * Cleveland at Detroit (Saturday, Aug. 20, at 1 p.m. ET) *… Continue Reading

Radio / Television News

Sports nets get license alterations due to lost NHL season

GATINEAU – Thanks to the NHL lockout, both TSN and Rogers Sportsnet couldn’t make their required Canadian content spending obligations and were granted license exemptions today by the CRTC to reflect that. Normally, in any broadcast year, Sportsnet and TSN are allowed to spend up to 5% less than the minimum required expenditure for that year. If that happens, the channels must then spend in the next broadcast year of the licence term, “in addition to the minimum required expenditure for that year, the full amount of the previous year’s under-expenditure,” says their licenses. However, with no hockey to broadcast,… Continue Reading

Radio / Television News

Erin Davis returning to 98.1 CHFI

TORONTO – In what would qualify as the worst-kept secret in radio, 98.1 CHFI made an official announcement today on the return of popular morning host Erin Davis. She will begin re-hosting the 98.1 CHFI Morning Show, starting Tuesday September 6th 2005. One of the most popular and respected broadcasters in Canada, Davis spent 15 years at CHFI before she was surprisingly fired in June 2003 and replaced with Jay (formerly Mad Dog) and Billie – who have since left the station. Mea culpa, says management of the Rogers-owned station, “At the time, we were looking to rejuvenate the… Continue Reading

Radio / Television News

NHL competition heats up in the newsroom

TORONTO – While the National Hockey League is back at work, gearing up for a new season, the broadcast outlets are already in full competitive mode. Today Rogers Sportsnet issued a press release outlining the sheer number of player deal news it says it has been first to break. “The news that Scott Niedermayer signed with the Anaheim Might y Ducks is just the latest in a long list of free-agent signings and trades reported first by sportsnetnews and sportsnet.ca,” crows the release. “Our hockey reporters had an absolutely brilliant week,” said Scott Morrison, Sportsnet’s director of news and… Continue Reading

Radio / Television News

Quebec’s cultural community wants sat rad decision quashed, too

MONTREAL – Quebec authors, artists and cultural enterprises have demanded the federal government overturn the CRTC’s decision to license two satellite radio operators in Canada. A group of 10 organizations submitted a request to the Privy Council on Friday, July 29, demanding that the governor-in-council reverse decisions 2005-246 and 2005-247 made on June 16 licensing Sirius Canada and Canadian Satellite Radio. Friday was the deadline to appeal. They join some broadcasters and other Canadian cultural groups who all want the decision reversed. They say the decisions are contrary to the Broadcast Act and decades of Canadian content… Continue Reading

Radio / Television News

UPDATE: Vance quits the ‘net

TORONTO – Popular sportscaster Jody Vance has left Rogers Sportsnet. The well-known, bespectacled 6 p.m. Sportsnetnews co-anchor (with Jim Van Horne) recently asked out of her contract early and her last public appearance for the sports channel was on Sunday. “Jody went to (management) recently to ask out of her contract early and her request was granted” said Sportsnet spokesman Dave Rashford. The move was on her mind for some time, Vance (right) told www.cartt.ca this afternoon. “I’m really up for a change,” she said. “I received a couple of offers over the past few years… Continue Reading

Cable / Telecom News

Yahoo! to get daily video from CNN, ABC News

SUNNYVALE, Calif. – Yahoo! Inc. announced content deals with both CNN and ABC News today. Both news organizations will provide daily video news feeds to Yahoo! News beginning September 2005, says the press release. CNN.com will offer extensive video clips daily and ABC News will offer a robust package of on demand video content. All of the video will be available for free to Yahoo! users, and will be advertising-supported. The video from both ABC News and CNN.com will be integrated throughout Yahoo! News (http://news.yahoo.com), including on its front page, within story pages, and in other special sections… Continue Reading