MONTREAL – Videotron is adding telephony customers as fast as it can keep up and the company announced today that it is rolling out its residential cable telephone service in Montreal.
Consumer response to Videotron’s new product has been strong and as of August 12, six months after the service was launched, more than 62,500 customers in Laval, the South Shore, the West Island and the Quebec City area had made the switch.
Those numbers make Videotron the leader among telecom companies in Canada that provide telephone service via IP (Internet Protocol) technology, but early reports out of Shaw,…
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EDMONTON – According to the Telecommunication Workers Union (TWU) and the B.C. and Alberta Federations of Labour, four Calgary radio stations refuse to run radio spots in support of locked-out Telus workers. The radio campaign calls on customers to disconnect from Telus.
The 30-second radio spots, which start today, will run four-to-five times daily in Edmonton, Fort McMurray and throughout B.C. It’s considered a “heavy rotation,” notes Alberta Federation of Labour (AFL) President Gil McGowan, of the three week campaign, with a substantial budget of over $250,000 ($120,000 going for Alberta placement).
The four radio stations allegedly refusing to…
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PRINCE RUPERT, B.C. – Municipally-owned telco CityTel acquired the remaining Monarch Cable systems last week from owner Bill Yuill and announced an overhaul of its corporate governance, too.
Monarch had approximately 12,000 cable customers in Prince Rupert and the nearby communities of Terrace, Kitimat, Smithers, Houston, Hazelton, Telkwa, Port Edward and Stewart. Monarch was founded in Medicine Hat, Alberta, and Shaw Communications purchased those systems in 2003 for $90 million. Monarch acquired the B.C. systems, the former Okanagan Skeena Group, from Telemedia, in 2000.
The $23.5 million deal is scheduled to close on August 31st, with Commission approval to…
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CALGARY – Shaw Communications has teamed up with VOXCOM Security Systems to provide an end-to-end security solution for the cable company’s Digital Phone Service customers.
VOXCOM is able to transfer a customer’s existing monitoring services to their Emergency Response Centre at no additional cost and without any interruptions in service.
Thousands of customers in Western Canada have changed their traditional home phone service to Shaw in the past six months. Most have kept their home phone number, they have kept their home phone equipment, and they have even maintained their existing home security system, says the company.
"Our commitment…
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SASKATOON – Just days after Shaw Communications made its announcement, SaskTel today said it, too, has entered into a video on demand agreement with Paramount Pictures in Canada for the provincial telco’s Max TV digital television service.
This agreement provides VOD rights for current and library titles such as Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events, starring Jim Carrey; Team America: World Police, featuring the voices of Trey Parker and Matt Stone and Coach Carter, starring Samuel L. Jackson.
"We are pleased to expand our VOD distribution into Canada and look forward to further enhancing the VOD experience…
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PRINCE GEORGE, B.C. – Vista Broadcast Group, a single-station operation until recently, is ramping up its operations with several purchases, the most recent of which is its agreement to purchase Cariboo Central Interior Radio Inc., which was announced this week.
The joint announcement was made by Terry Shepherd – president and managing director of CCIR Inc. and Margot Micallef, chair and CEO of Vista Broadcast Group. Terms of the sale, which is subject to CRTC approval, were not disclosed.
Vista Broadcast Group is the owner of CJSU-FM (SUN FM)in Duncan, British Columbia (on Vancouver Island) and recently announced that…
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CALGARY – Shaw Cablesystems announced a new video on demand agreement with Paramount Pictures. Shaw is the first Canadian company to come to a VOD deal with the movie and TV company.
Shaw Digital customers across Western Canada will now have access to some of today’s most popular hit titles such as Coach Carter, Alfie, The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie, Team America World Police and Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events.
"The addition of Paramount Pictures complements Shaw Video on Demand’s ever-evolving library of movies," said Peter Bissonnette, president, Shaw Communications, in a release. "With over 1,700 titles now…
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BURNABY – While the second quarter press release still intimated Telus may not launch its terrestrial digital television service, CEO Darren Entwistle told financial analysts today in a conference call that Telus TV’s launch is a matter of when, not if.
The when will come once the company’s labour problem is finalized. While the company has imposed its latest contract offer after 4.5 years of going without a contract with its workers, the union called a general strike.
Today, the company said 70% of its unionized workers nationally are still coming in to work and that the two sides will…
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WINNIPEG – Shaw Cablesystems announced three new high definition channels have been added to its system in Winnipeg.
The latest additions are: PBS (Fargo), NBC (Detroit), and ABC (Detroit). They launch immediately.
Current Shaw Digital customers in Winnipeg with an HD digital terminal and an HD-ready TV will receive these channels at no extra cost. HD customers who already subscribe to Movie Central will also receive Movie Central HD at no charge.
The Shaw HD Channel lineup in Winnipeg: – Channel 301 WJBK Fox Detroit – Channel 302 WWJ CBS Detroit – Channel 303 Movie Central HD – Channel…
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I WAS A UNION MEMBER TWICE: For several summers as a labourer installing gas pipeline in Northern Ontario and for a four month stint as a part-time Bookmobile driver and librarian in Guelph, Ont.
I lived for a few years in Sault Ste. Marie and saw what the Steelworkers have had to go through there with Algoma Steel. I lived in Windsor for three years and the Canadian Auto Workers union was always front and centre.
I say all this to illustrate that I think I have a bit of a grasp on what the union/corporation relationship can be….
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