OTTAWA – The CRTC Wednesday extended the commentary process on the cable industry’s request to kill the mandatory carriage requirement of local FM radio stations.
As first reported by www.cartt.ca, the Canadian Cable Telecommunications Association has asked the CRTC to repeal section 22 of the Broadcast Distribution Regulations which say that Class 1 and 2 cable systems must carry all local FM stations in their market on their cable plant.
The CCTA told the Commission that about 4% of cable subscribers listen to the radio over cable and that its members could better use the plant capacity to…
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CALGARY – Shaw Communications has let vice-president, programming Michael Allen go, www.cartt.ca has learned.
Allen was based in the company’s Mississauga office, reporting to senior vice-president planning Michael D’Avella, with responsibility for programmer contracts and relations as well as some regulatory work for the cable and satellite distribution company.
Allen, formerly vice-president of programming at Rogers Cable, had spent 21 years there before he was let go in May of 2003.
He was hired by Shaw in September of that year.
Calls placed to Shaw Communications by www.cartt.ca Wednesday for comment were not immediately returned.
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GRAVENHURST, Ont. – The Canadian Cable Telecommunications Association drew a crowd while handing out its annual Galaxi Awards this afternoon at the Taboo Resort in Gravenhurst, Ont.
The presentation kicks off Cable Week at the golf resort which continues for the next two days.
The awards sponsors were law firm Fasken Martineau, the CBC’s Newsworld, Country Canada, RDI, Galaxie and RDI, Telefilm Canada and Deutsche Welle.
The winners are:
Outstanding Achievement Frederick T. Metcalf Award for Marketing Habillage 2004: ARTV
William Stanley Thomas Community Involvement Award * Comsep a rebatir: TV COGECO * We All Can: Shaw Cablesystems Continue Reading
CALGARY and OTTAWA – Shaw Communications’ DTH company Star Choice announced today it will offer a Star Choice Mastercard through MBNA Canada Bank.
MBNA Canada is a leading provider of co-branded and affinity credit card programs in Canada.
Star Choice customers can now choose between the Star Choice Platinum MasterCard and the Star Choice Preferred MasterCard. As an exclusive promotional offer, for those customers who choose to use their Star Choice MasterCard on a pre-authorized basis to pay for their Star Choice service, they will receive $50 in programming credits.
The Star Choice MasterCard provides existing customers with another…
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QUEBEC CITY – Manitoba Telecom Services’ digital television division will see its 2005 revenue increase by a factor of two, says company CEO Bill Fraser.
The outgoing chief executive told the CIBC World Markets investors conference on Friday that MTS TV will bring in $22 million in revenue in 2005, twice what the service earned in 2004.
“We’re extremely pleased with the results,” he said. Looking back at its launch in 2003, Fraser pointed out – when asked if MTS can make a profit on its TV service – that the company took its fair share of lumps from…
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VANCOUVER – The B.C. Government and Service Employees’ Union (BCGEU) is stepping up its support for locked-out members of the Telecommunications Workers’ Union (TWU) by urging its members who are Telus customers to switch internet providers.
“This is a warning to Telus that this lockout is more than just an attack on TWU members. It’s an attack on all working people,” said George Heyman, BCGEU president, in a release. “We are mobilizing our 57,000 members to send a strong message to Telus: get back to the bargaining table and negotiate fairly with your employees or you will risk your…
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THE CABLE INDUSTRY MIGHT not like reading this, heading into the local forbearance hearings next week, but residential phone choice seems pretty real to me.
If there was any doubt about it, my local newspaper, The Hamilton Spectator, delivered ample evidence last Wednesday. In the mess of inserts I curse about that usually flutter out of the thing, three glossy direct marketing pieces caught my eye: One from Primus; another from Rogers; and the third from Direct Energy.
Primus was a pure low-cost sell. “Get TalkBroadband and save big on your home phone service,” it said, beside a garish…
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CALGARY – As one of the more popular shows this summer draws to its conclusion, Shaw Communications and CanWest MediaWorks announced today that every episode of Rock Star: INXS is now available on Shaw Video On Demand.
Three new episodes of the reality show (where the remaining members of Aussie rockers INXS are choosing a new lead singer to replace the late Michael Hutchence) air each week on the CH network as aspiring singers show their stuff to the band and all of North America.
Shaw Digital customers can order any past episodes through Shaw VOD using their Digital…
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LETHBRIDGE – Shaw Communications launched its fastest Internet service, Shaw High-Speed Xtreme-I, in southern Alberta today.
"This turbo-charged service is perfect for customers whose Internet experience includes online gaming and exploring rich multimedia sites. They can now enjoy the ultimate, most vivid online service available for as little as $10 more per month,” said Peter Bissonnette, president of Shaw Communications, in a release.
The service is immediately available in Lethbridge, Coaldale, Cardston, Claresholm, Coalhurst, Picture Butte, Shaughnessy, Diamond City and Granum. Xtreme-I is already available in Shaw’s major centres such as Vancouver, Victoria, Nanaimo, Edmonton, Calgary, Saskatoon and Winnipeg….
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TORONTO – Manitoba Telecom Services president Cheryl Barker said Tuesday that the company recently added its 45,000th digital television customer, meaning the Manitoba telco now serves over 20% of all TV customers in Winnipeg.
During a panel session at the BMO Nesbitt Burns Media and Telecom conference Tuesday in Toronto Barker said that the company hit the mark on September 5th (leaving unsaid the sizable dent the figure put in Shaw Cable’s customer rolls in the city).
MTS TV is a digital subscriber line delivered digital TV service which offers three streams of digital TV and high speed Internet to…
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