By Connie Thiessen
Layoffs at Global News announced this week will impact about 35 unionized staff in newsrooms from Toronto to B.C., Cartt sister publication Broadcast Dialogue has learned.
Calgary has been hit the hardest with 13 jobs in the bureau eliminated, followed by eight in Edmonton, seven in Toronto, three in Ottawa, three in Lethbridge and one in B.C.
An unknown number of non-unionized positions are also impacted.
According to a report by the Western Standard, which obtained a recording of a staff meeting in Alberta led by Global Calgary News Director and Station Manager Carmela Gentile earlier this week,…
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Bell Canada announced Tuesday its intention to sell its subsidiary Northwestel to Sixty North Unity, a consortium of indigenous organizations from the Yukon, Northwest Territories and Nunavut, in a transaction worth up to $1 billion in cash.
The deal will see Northwestel become fully indigenous-owned, making it the largest telecommunications company worldwide with full indigenous ownership, a Bell press release says.
The strategic transaction will create more opportunities for investment and ownership in critical infrastructure and communications projects for northern indigenous communities, the release says. In addition, the acquisition “will provide Indigenous communities with greater access to…
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By Ahmad Hathout
The CRTC on Wednesday ordered Telus to include in its support structure tariff a provision allowing third parties to be compensated directly from the telco in the event the structure is forced to move by a government entity.
The interim ruling comes after Telus was ordered to file a tariff proposal that would outline how it would provide for such compensation to the third parties, an issue that was triggered by a Rogers and Shaw application before the former acquired the latter. The issue was that while Telus was being compensated for the move ordered by British…
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Cogeco announced Wednesday a new organizational structure combining the commercial, operational and technical functions of its Canadian telecommunications business Cogeco Connexion and its U.S. telecom business Breezeline into a single North American organization.
Cogeco said in a press release the streamlined structure “will enable the creation of strong cross-border centers of expertise in key strategic areas such as digital, advanced analytics, and technology.” In addition, it “will also accelerate the deployment of top talent and best practices across the organization and will facilitate the harmonization of systems and platforms,” Cogeco said.
“We identified…
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CBC Kids announced Thursday it has greenlit a new preschool series, Go Togo, from award-winning Toronto-based production company Gazelle Automations.
Comprised of 27 five-minute episodes, the series will introduce preschoolers aged three to five to early math concepts “through the fun and excitement of big public transit vehicles (in miniature scale),” says a press release.
Production wrapped last month and the series is scheduled to premiere this fall.
“Produced using real animatronic characters and handmade sets, the series follows Togo the subway car and his friends Stella the streetcar and Wheeler the bus, as they…
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Rogers is the leading fixed broadband provider in Canada for overall experience, according to a new report from U.K.-based mobile analytics firm Opensignal.
“Rogers, which now includes Shaw customers, is recognized for the best overall experience more frequently than any other provider in our report,” Opensignal says.
When compared to other national fixed broadband providers including Bell, Telus and Starlink, Rogers secured three outright national wins for consistent quality, download speed and video experience, according to the report. In addition, it achieved 21 wins (11 outright wins and 10 joint wins) across various…
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By Oliver Kane, a media consultant based in Toronto, who was a former Corus employee for a little more than eight years before leaving in September 2023
On May 6, the CRTC published an update on the phased implementation of bill C-11. While I can appreciate that, in their words, “the changes needed to implement the modernized Broadcasting Act are substantial and complex, with many interconnected issues to be addressed,” this glacial roll out is completely out of touch with the current challenges affecting the industry.
Phase 2 includes an update of no less than 10 consultations expected to take place…
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By Ahmad Hathout
Rogers is asking the CRTC to allow it the flexibility to serve certain communities in western Canada with broader, but still locally relevant programming so that it doesn’t rely on repeat programming to meet its Canadian content obligations in the face of a tough financial environment.
The cable giant, which now has on its hands Shaw’s broadcasting assets, filed a Part 1 application made public this week asking for a modification to its condition of licence to be able to show what it calls Spotlight Channels based, not on a standalone basis but in four larger zones housing…
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By Ahmad Hathout
The CRTC has on Monday finally decided to ease Corus’s financial obligations and delay the payback period to certain Canadian content funds, more than six months after it requested said relief.
That means Corus will see its obligations to programs of national interest (PNI) reduced from 8.5 per cent of previous year’s revenues to 5 per cent and extend beyond the current licence term the repayment period of certain amounts owed to its Canadian programming expenditure (CPE) that were deferred from the pandemic.
“The evidence on the record of this proceeding demonstrates that Corus is under considerable financial strain,”…
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Following its merger with Shaw Communications last year, Rogers Communications announced Wednesday it is now the title partner of Canada’s only PGA Tour Champions tournament, formerly the Shaw Charity Classic.
Now called the Rogers Charity Classic, the annual August tournament in Calgary has long helped to raise money through its charitable arm for Alberta youth charities, raising more than $100 million since its inception, according to a Rogers press release.
Rogers is kickstarting the fundraising this year with a $1 million donation, the release says.
“This tournament has made a real impact…
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