OTTAWA – A review of broadcasting in new media is utterly unnecessary, says an unprecedented joint submission to the CRTC by Canada’s largest Internet service providers.
Friday was the deadline for submissions on PN 2008-44, which only asked for comments on what the scope of any future proceeding on Canadian broadcasting in new media might be. The Commission wants advice on what questions it might ask when it decides to undertake a review of what new media is doing to broadcasting and what Canadian regulations might have to say about it. At this point, it doesn’t want to…
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TORONTO – Sounding not unlike the advice sometimes given in its namesake magazine (er, not that we’d know for sure…) Corus Entertainment CEO John Cassaday said he isn’t willing to “settle” for an average distribution deal when it comes to the company’s youngest digi-net, Cosmopolitan TV.
While the channel is carried by corporate relative Shaw Communications as well as Bell ExpressVu, neither Rogers Cable nor Cogeco Cable in the east, for example, carries the channel, which was launched on Valentine’s Day this year, and was profiled by Cartt.ca.
While Cassaday wasn’t specific about the carriage terms Corus is demanding…
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OTTAWA – Claiming he has a duty to protect the public from new texting fees (!), Industry Minister Jim Prentice has called the CEOs of Bell and Telus to his office to explain an impending wireless pricing change which both companies recently announced.
Beginning in August, both telcos intend to begin charging 15 cents per incoming wireless text message received by customers who are not a part of a data plan and who choose to pay as they go. Rogers, Canada’s largest wireless company, charges no such fee and has not announced plans to do so.
(Ed query: Is…
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CAMPBELL RIVER, B.C. – A few locals banded together with some employees worried about losing their jobs in an attempt to have a vote on the proposed $46 million sale of independent cable co-operative Campbell River TV to Shaw Communications quashed.
The company announced today it will reconvene a meeting on July 29th to attempt to complete the voting process and count the ballots.
As a co-operative, CRTV is required to attain 75% approval for any sale – as well as to change the bylaws of the entity in order to allow for such an ownership change.
However, on…
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CALGARY – Shaw Communications Inc. recorded a profit of $128 million in the third quarter ended May 31, 2008 compared to $92 million for the same quarter last year, according to financial results released Friday.
The income figures included non-operating items, including reductions in enacted income tax rates. Excluding the non-operating items, net income for quarter was $117 million compared to $86 million in the same period last year.
Consolidated service revenue reached $792 million in the quarter, a 3% increase from the same period last year. Total service operating income before amortization was $356 million, up 15% from…
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OTTAWA – Globalive Communications Corp., the Yak-led consortium, which had boasted of becoming Canada’s fourth national carrier, appears to have a gaping hole in the province of Quebec as bidding activity peters out in Canada’s auction for advanced wireless services in the 2 GHz range.
“Globalive has as close to a national license as anyone, but Quebec is a hole for them,’’ says Evan Kelly, PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP’s national communications industry leader. “They’ve backed off. Quebec is one of the regions where there are no multiple parties going after licences anymore, so it seems to have settled.’’
With 135 rounds…
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CAMPBELL RIVER, BC – The board of directors of the Campbell River TV Association (CRTV) announced Monday that they unanimously support Shaw Communications’ offer to purchase the community-owned cableco.
Subsequently, a voting package was sent to all CRTV members, including a voting proxy that can be mailed in or brought to a special meeting on July 2.
The board of directors in a statement said “this has been a difficult decision,” but they “feel that this offer is in the best interest of all CRTV members.”
Cable 10 aired an interview with CRTV President John Kerr on Monday evening…
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OTTAWA – Shaw Communications won’t be carrying a third broadcast feed introduced by the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network (APTN) in October 2006 to better serve western Canada, and this is causing some discrepancies in what’s on the air and the channel’s posted scheduling information.
“APTN has made every reasonable effort to inform cable and satellite providers serving the western provinces of these enhancements and has made numerous requests that they discontinue use of the APTN East signal and instead provide the more appropriate APTN West signal to viewers situated west of the Manitoba/Saskatchewan border,” the broadcaster…
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OTTAWA – The CRTC said today that while many things should change about the Canadian Television Fund, Shaw Communications and Quebecor Media still have to pay into it – and in a timely manner.
And, while the Commission also said it would alter the BDU regs to make monthly contributions to the CTF mandatory, the report says it won’t make that move until the federal government has dealt with the substantive issues covered by the report.
That means distributors could still choose to withhold monthly payments in favour of quarterly or annual ones until Heritage Minister Josee Verner and…
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OTTAWA – The CRTC said today that while many things should change about the Canadian Television Fund, Shaw Communications and Quebecor Media should not be able to opt out of paying into it.
As reported today by Cartt.ca, The Commission today submitted its report on the CTF to the Minister of Canadian Heritage. It contains 11 recommendations relating to the CTF’s mandate and governance structure. (Click here to follow the links to the full background of this story.)
“It is our hope that the recommendations we have put forward will assist in resolving the issues surrounding the CTF,” said…
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