OTTAWA – The CRTC will have the opportunity to bless the marriage of CanWest and Shaw at a hearing scheduled for September 20, 2010.
The $2 billion deal was approved by an Ontario court in June, but still requires approval by the Commission and the Competition Bureau.
The Regulator said Thursday that it will first consider an application by CanWest Global Communications for a multi-step corporate reorganization which would see its broadcasting and specialty channel assets fall under one entity.
Next up will be Shaw’s application to transfer the effective control of Canwest Global’s broadcasting entities to a wholly-owned Shaw…
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GATINEAU – After having been told by CRTC staff on Friday that the Regulator would not consider adding wireless to its look at regulatory symmetry in the telecom world when it comes to the handling of customer cancellations and transfers, Rogers Communications has again pushed the issue back into the lap of the Commission.
In a story on Cartt.ca last week, we told you Rogers wrote the Commission saying it didn’t make any sense to be looking into so-called regulatory symmetry for broadcasting, telecom and Internet while skipping wireless – and that the communications giant wants the notice of…
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TORONTO – Corus’ management team has undergone an extreme makeover, Cartt.ca has learned.
In a note to staff late last week, president and CEO John Cassaday said that the changes are intended “to streamline decision-making and clarify roles and mandates”. The company undertook an internal review after announcing a new management committee on May 10, 2010.
When asked for confirmation and clarification of the changes, a Corus spokesperson forwarded a short statement and declined further comment.
“Corus Entertainment recently implemented a number of structural changes to its Television, Radio and Corporate divisions”, the statement read. “As a result, some functions have…
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VANCOUVER – Gigi Boyd has been named VP of industrial relations in the BC office of the Canadian Media Production Association (in transition from the CFTPA).
A Gemini and Leo award winning producer/production manager, Boyd joins the CMPA-BC on July 19 after working extensively in the western film and television industry. Previously, Boyd was business affairs manager and director of the television unit at Telefilm Canada in the Western office, as well as a member of the executive board of the DGC-BC and vice-chair of the board of the Shaw Rocket Fund.
The BC Producers’ Branch of the CMPA represents the…
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THUNDER BAY, ON – Three additional projects in Ontario have been conditionally approved for funding under the ‘Broadband Canada: Connecting Rural Canadians’ program.
Friday’s announcement said that the projects will bring broadband to 4,000 additional households in the areas of Beaucage, Chisholm, Rutherglen, Nipissing, West Nipissing, Sundrige, Strong, Markstay, Warren, Estair, Wahnapitei, Skerryvore, Shawanaga, Bell Lake, Bonfield, McDougall, McMurrich, Armour, Cochrane District, Oliver-Paipoonge, Fort William, Neebing, and Township of Shuniah.
Galaxy Broadband Communications, Spectrum Telecom Group Ltd. / Blue Sky Economic Growth Corp. and TBay Tel / Northwestern Ontario Innovation Centre were named to share in the $5.5 million…
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TORONTO – High Fidelity HDTV today announced that its Oasis HD specialty channel is now available to Shaw Cable HD subscribers.
The all-HD channel delivers a wide range of high quality, original nature documentaries, thematic specials, and a large line-up of exclusive IMAX® Original Films produced exclusively for the home theatre environment, and presented without commercials.
“We’re very pleased to be part of Shaw Cable’s HD line-up,” said Ken Murphy, president and CEO of High Fidelity HDTV, in a press release.
www.hifihdtv.ca
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CALGARY – Stable growth at Shaw Communications’ cable and digital phone divisions helped to drive up its third quarter earnings by 20%, the company announced Wednesday.
Consolidated service revenue for the quarter ended May 31, 2010 and year-to-date periods of $944 million and $2.78 billion, respectively, was up 10% over each of the comparable periods last year. Total service operating income before amortization of $436 million and $1.34 billion, respectively, improved 10% and 17% over the same periods. Excluding a one-time CRTC Part II fee recovery, the year-to-date increase in service operating income before amortization was 10%.
Net income of $158…
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CALGARY – Shaw Communications has chosen Nokia Siemens Networks to provide the radio access network and core equipment for Shaw’s pending next generation wireless network.
Nokia Siemens won the business “after an extensive and competitive review process”, Shaw said Monday in an announcement.
The equipment will be fully 3G and LTE capable, giving Shaw a variety of options to deliver broadband wireless services to customers using the Advanced Wireless Services (AWS) band, as well as future frequency bands, the announcement continued.
Shaw announced in April that its new wireless network is expected to launch in the second half of 2011.
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MONTREAL – CBC/Radio-Canada is updating its 50 year-old antenna located at the top of Mount Royal in Montreal.
The overhaul will allow the city’s radio stations to improve their technical parameters, and TV stations to install the antennas they need to move into the digital age, according to the announcement. The upgrade will also ensure compliance with the new Health Canada and Industry Canada standards relating to Safety Code 6 for the 3 kHz to 300 GHz frequency range.
The work, scheduled for June through August, will require occasional temporary interruptions in radio and television signals, but these interruptions will be…
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CALGARY – The Ontario Superior Court of Justice has approved the sale of CanWest’s TV assets to Shaw Communications.
However, the transaction remains subject to regulatory approvals from the CRTC and the Competition Bureau. Sources told Cartt.ca that the CRTC hearing on the deal has been tentatively scheduled for the week of September 20th.
Wednesday afternoon’s approval comes after a group of Canwest Global shareholders and the Asper family challenged the deal in court on Tuesday, calling the $2 billion sale “unfair”. The dissenting group will receive $11 million under a new version of the deal hammered out on Wednesday.
"This is an…
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