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First Canadian reporter to be killed in the Afghanistan mission remembered by colleagues.
Assailed by cable and the Web, broadcast TV looks to build a new business model.
Columnist says new tools will enable delivery of Internet video content around categories such as sports, news, and entertainment in new engaging ways.
Rupert Murdoch says good programming can no longer be supported solely by advertising revenues.
The nearly billion-dollar battle between U.S. broadcasters and cable operators over programming fees has gone public.
Columnist says that a the media, including the CBC, is ignoring serious issues and stifling debate.
Journalism professor and former director of CBC Radio News says Canada's public broadcaster should return to its mandate to inform, enlighten and entertain - in that order.
Article features a number of new Canadian TV shows set to appear in early 2010.
Canadian films get international exposure with the National Film Board of Canada's new iPhone application.
Academic says Canadians are now more willing to consider harmonizing security and culture with the United States.
Quebec's film commissioner says that foreign production of feature films has taken off in the province recently.
Plans for Current TV, Al Gore's interactive television network, to enter Canada are on hold for now.
In a note to staff, the CBC president announces the sale of assets to balance the public broadcaster's 2010 budget.
The CBC is to receive $133 million through the sale of some of its assets in a deal that will help the public broadcaster balance its books for 2009-10.
Columnist says Apple is eliciting tentative interest from some networks in its proposal to offer a TV subscription package via the Internet.
Columnist says there is a disconnect between what Canadians say they want from television and what they actually support with their viewing habits.
TV and movie screenwriter says it cannot be believed that after years of gouging customers and raising rates, Cable companies have suddenly discovered a consumer conscience.
Columnist notes that CTV, Global and now Rogers-owned Citytv spend more than ten times as much buying American TV shows than they do on Canadian programs.
The publisher of the Winnipeg Free Press says CBC should not get revenue from fee-for-carriage.
Fox has launched a new website in its battle with Time Warner Cable over a new carriage agreement.
CanWest has rebuffed an attempt by Goldman Sachs to put a hammerlock on the media company's specialty television networks.
Columnist says that publicly available broadcast industry revenues and expenses can be massaged to look affirming or damaging, depending on your point of view.
A new study says Americans can't live without the internet, want to see advertisements that are innovative, and are open to new technologies that monitor their media usage if privacy is maintained.
Data from Portable People Meters reveal that far more people are watching hit shows in Canada than previously estimated.
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation and the National Post will join forces to provide top online coverage of the Vancouver Games.
Recent experiments in the form of television shows are pointing to radical shifts in the way stories are told and the way viewers consume them.
Editorial says it's time for a new national debate on such ownership restrictions, and what really constitutes the national interest.
A new radio study using Portable People Meters shows that what people say they listen to and what they actually listen to is different.
BBC director general Mark Thompson says "reports that the BBC is already preparing for a partial flotation are simply untrue."
U.K. Children's minister has demanded a review of the rules under which children can appear on television amid fears reality shows have left them open to exploitation.
The top five executives at Shaw Communications increased their base salaries by an average of 28 per cent in the past fiscal year.
A 14-year-old boy running "pirate" radio station in Ottawa has heeded warnings from Industry Canada and shut down operations.
Telus executive says the government has opened "Pandora's Pox" and set a precedent that could affect the foreign ownership rules in other industries, such as broadcasting.
CBC receives praise from marketing trade publication for providing creative advertising opportunities.
The executive director of the Public Interest Advocacy Centre says it is time for policy-makers to step away from the past collegial supervision of cable/satellite companies and deliver a framework that is responsive to consumer needs.
The Conservative government insists the Globalive decision was a "one-off", and does not a change the policy restricting foreign-controlled companies from entering Canada's telecommunications industry.
CTV executive says out-of-market stations should not be allowed to import programming into Canada where a Canadian broadcaster owns the rights.
FRIENDS spokesperson Ian Morrison discusses the Conservative government's decision to overturn a CRTC ruling.
Ottawa has decided to let Globalive become the country's newest cellphone company, even though the company is mostly owned by Egyptian wireless giant Orascom Telecom.
The Canadian government has overruled its telecom regulator and declared a start-up wireless carrier financed largely by an Egyptian company to be Canadian.
Columnist says the Tories have done an end-run around Parliament to change the structure of the telecommunications industry, with massive implications.
Former BBC director says current BBC executives are too highly paid and that public broadcaster's oversight committee should be scrapped.
A new report indicates that internet ads targeted based on where the viewer is located and their past behaviour are expected to bring in 1.9 billion per year by 2013.
New report says the operating revenue of cable and satellite television companies totalled $10.3 billion in 2008.
According to a report from Statistics Canada, revenue at Canada's cable and satellite companies rose 14.4 per cent in 2008.
Cable giant Shaw suggests that the CRTC is not in a position to make the final call on fee-for-carriage.
Columnist uses a selection of gadgets to go "cable free" and saves $1,600 a year in bills.
A new study by Canadian Media Research indicates Canadians remain generally satisfied with television, but they are less willing to pay more for it.
The PMO is now sending pre-produced video, along with official photos and press releases to media outlets.
CRTC chair says "we seem to have a debate that nobody understands, we have a huge publicity campaign that nobody understands, and we have figures and concepts swirling around that don't make sense."
CTV, Global and CBC recommend the CRTC implement a "skinny" basic cable package that would cost consumers about $20 a month depending on the market.
Canwest says it acted within its legal rights to bring its shares in specialty television channels it co-owns with Goldman Sachs & Co. into its creditor-protection proceedings.
Canwest argues that financing partner Goldman Sachs & Co. has threatened its restructuring.
Consumer hearing will form the basis of a CRTC report to the federal heritage minister on the fee-for-carriage issue.
Court documents show that Goldman Sachs has offered to suspend its right to sell the specialty TV business if CanWest keeps the division separate from television units.
The CRTC has kicked off the public portion of hearings into the fee-for-carriage/compensation for signal TV battle being waged between Canadian television providers and broadcasters.
Cabinet must soon decide whether it will overrule or let stand a pair of CRTC decisions regarding access by competitor internet providers to the networks of large phone companies.
Columnist says a deal with General Electric to acquire a majority stake in NBC Universal sets stage for a new era of upheaval in television.
CBC set to unveil its new Vancouver broadcasting centre after a $65 million renovation.
Hubert Lacroix reinforces the public broadcaster's mandate amid a $171-million shortfall and the loss of the Olympics.
Ottawa is urging TV viewers to go to a government Web site to offer their opinion on whether broadcasters should be paid for retransmission of their local TV station signals.
A report indicates that increased competition and weakening demand will bring telecommunications profits down in the short term.
The federal Industry Minister says there is "some urgency" required in determining whether he will overturn a regulatory ruling and allow a foreign-owned cellphone firm to launch.
Industry Canada has ordered a 14-year-old Ottawa boy to shut down an unlicensed radio station.
Columnist says mergers in the media business will be more sober and financially conscious than ones of the past.
Article highlights some of the nearly 200,000 submissions to the CRTC on the debate on the value of "local TV."
Sources say that the Canadian Association of Broadcasters is almost certainly finished as an association representing TV broadcasters.
CBC debuts animated ants reporting on the most pressing news matters for young children.
An organization mandated to preserve, restore and enhance awareness of iconic treasures in Canada's cultural past is closing operations because of lack of funding.
CRTC launches website soliciting opinions on fee-for-carriage dispute between networks and distributors.
Blogger notes that CBC's The National recently featured a report in which two of the primary sources used to tell the story were TMZ and the National Enquirer.
Columnist asks that given the level of public misunderstanding of the fee-for-carriage issue, how much hope is there for constructive debate?
The Executive director of the Writers Guild of Canada says it's time broadcasters were told to take a Canadian-first approach to TV.
The Professor Emeritus of Carleton University says the battle between broadcasters and distributors is about the past and the disappearing present and not about the future of traditional television.
Editorial calls for fair compensation for TV broadcast signals.
http://television.askingcanadians.com seeks public's input on how the CRTC should deal with the escalating war between television broadcasters and cable companies.
Legal decision issued after CBC refused to air Conservative party ads opposing Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff.
The pension plan of 200 CHCH Hamilton retirees and active workers has been shut down and liquidated as part of the agreement by CanWest to sell the station.
Despite "substantially reduced" operating expenses, Canwest reports a net loss of $1.69 billion for its fiscal year ended August 31, 2009.
Columnist says broadcasters are looking to the CRTC and consumers for more money to defend an old business model that is not working any more.
New Torstar president says the once newspaper-centric operation named after its cornerstone big city newspaper the Toronto Star is now a catch-all media enterprise.
An insolvent Canwest says it reduced its fourth quarter loss by shedding costs and assets under creditor protection, even as its full-year loss grew.
Report says sales of U.K. programs onto digital platforms in other countries has become a major growth area.
Major cable and satellite providers in Canada indicate willingness to carry Qatar-based Al Jazeera English TV network.
Canwest reports falling advertising sales pulled the company's revenue down by 13 per cent to $624 million last quarter.
Canwest says it had a fourth quarter operating profit of $52-million before charges, compared with $60-million in the fourth quarter of 2008.
U.S. investment bank says Canwest's decision to dissolve its jointly held holding company was 'unfairly prejudicial'
Now that the the CRTC has approved the Canadian transmission of Al Jazeera English, columnist says it is time to also approve Al Jazeera Arabic.
Canadian cable, satellite and telco TV carriers can now add Al-Jazeera English to their channel lineups.
Canwest tells an Ontario court it was forced to put 13 cable channels under creditor protection to stop Wall Street partner Goldman Sachs from selling its "crown jewels."
Editorial says existing foreign ownership rules must be enforced until they can be rewritten to match the new telecommunications landscape.
CanWest has accused partner Goldman Sachs of acting in bad faith over the stable of specialty television networks the two companies jointly own.
Canwest tells a court that its move to dissolve its joint specialty-TV venture with Goldman Sachs was the only way to prevent a forced sale of the assets.
Rogers Communications says it's laying off about 900 employees across Canada, mostly in executive and management positions.
Rogers pays $163-million to increase share in Montreal-based Cogeco to one-third and in Cogeco Cable to one-fifth.
A U.S. journalist says she was stopped at a Canadian border crossing and questioned for 90 minutes by authorities concerned she would to speak against the Olympics.
Article provides ratings for the flagship TV newscasts for CBC, CTV and Global.
CBC TV executive says ratings for the public broadcaster are 9.3% this fall, as compared to 7.9% last year.
The president of Quebecor, which owns both a cable company and a TV network, says some of the fees paid by carriers to specialty channels could be redirected to private over-the-air broadcasters.
Columnist says the revamped CBC News format is a blow to those who appreciate serious journalism and a media source which can inform Canadians beyond the limited scope of private broadcasters.
CBC TV winter lineup to include the family sitcom 18 to Life, the father-son private-eye series Republic of Doyle and the return of the crew from Kids in the Hall.
Reports indicate the BBC has been holding talks about privatizing part of its commercial arm, BBC Worldwide.
The Canadian Association of Community Television Users and Stations says returning community broadcasting back to the community is a cost-effective way to both support and increase local programming content.
The president of The Historica-Dominion Institute says Canadians will not stand for "conservative tenets" such as selling off the CBC or deregulating broadcasting.
Columnist says the Prime Minister's Office has released a statement that appears to signal the time for a comprehensive shake-up of media regulation may be approaching.
Goldman Sachs wants Canwest's executives to stop taking orders from a handful of foreign funds and make building its TV networks a priority.
Columnist says broadcasters are seeking to block U.S. signals, leave some Canadian communities without over-the-air television, and delay the transition to digital television transmission until 2013.
Astral chief executive officer that if Canwest's specialty television arm was to "become available, it certainly is of interest to us".
Canada's largest media union says Canada's broadcast regulator should force cable and satellite companies to pay for the local TV stations they use.
Canadian senator, political strategist, author, and commentator makes a speech about democracy and journalism.
Article notes the Prime Minister has yet to take a question from a reporter about allegations of torture of Afghans taken prisoner by Canadian soldiers and handed off to Afghan forces.
CEO of Shaw Communications says it's time to move on from fight between broadcasters, cable and satellite firms.
Article suggests that a tipping point has been reached in the remarkable decline in the fortunes of broadcast television in America.
Oprah Winfrey will end her popular talk show in September, 2011, supposedly in preparation to launch her own cable channel.
According to BBM Canada CHCH in Hamilton as seen viewership for its supper-hour newscast become highly competitive this fall in nearby Toronto.
Canadian independent producers are calling for minimum domestic programming spending requirements to be imposed on Canadian broadcasters.
France's private networks might be getting some tax relief after a ban on advertising on the country's public networks last year saw them forced to fund the gap in revenue at France Televisions.
Columnist says the public is desperate for a technology that will do for television what iTunes and the iPod have done for music and movies: enable "content-providers" to charge viewers for what they choose to watch.
Columnist notes that Shaw recently paid $300 million for Mountain Cablevision in Hamilton, while Canwest sold the Hamilton television station, CHCH, for $6.
CBC says the Canadian broadcasting system has become so imbalanced that the network cannot commit to maintain current programming levels without changes to the funding system and the channel line-up.
Quebecor Media president calls for a rebalancing of the Canadian TV system that would see some subscriber fees now earmarked for specialty channels diverted to conventional TV.
Quebecor's Pierre Karl Péladeau says the business model is broken well beyond the effects of the recession for all established media.
Columnist says that officials with Heritage Canada are closely watching the Local TV debate to see how Canadians will be impacted before a possible election.
Quebecor president says conventional broadcasters deserve the same fees cable and satellite carriers now pay specialty channels.
Columnist asks why Canadians should be asked to subsidize conventional TV broadcasters but not newspapers and other sectors of the media industry.
Analysts say within a matter of years the Internet will become a major threat to many of the companies that currently dominate the TV world.
Canwest president says cable companies have gained so much power they have become a threat to Canadian broadcasting.
Article says the CBC has found ratings success by poaching reality concepts from Britain and selling them to Canadian audiences.
Bell says its satellite TV service has consistently lost money for more than a decade, and levies proposed by networks will damage its business further.
The CBC proposes an all-Canadian cable package that would cost less and would allow for dollars to flow back to the conventional TV stations.
Users of the Kindle digital book reader can buy and download from a list of more than 300,000 e-books and subscribe to more than 90 newspapers from around the world, including the National Post.
The last country music radio station in Hamilton has switched formats to classic rock in search of larger audiences.
CRTC chief says 'I don't know why you two don't realize it's in your long-run interests to come to some solution, rather than scaring the daylights out of Canadians.'
CRTC chair urges the two sides in the local TV debate to voluntarily craft a "grand bargain" to stabilize the system with as little impact on consumers as possible.
Cogeco Cable executive says carriage fees will burden Canadian cable and satellite customers without getting anything in return.
CTV says it will black out signals and continue to shutter local television stations if it can't get paid by cable companies for local programming.
Columnist says Canada's foreign ownership laws in the telecom sector should be changed to allow for more competition in the market.
Political scientist says Canada's media have "caved" to Prime Minister Harper's selective silence and message control that shrouds the entire government.
The New Democrat Critic for Culture and Heritage, Charlie Angus, says the latest round of CRTC hearings will only propel further deregulation.
FRIENDS says facts are in short supply in the ad war over Local TV.
Columnist says the restrictions on foreign ownership of Canadian telecommunications companies should be updated to foster more competition.
Rogers technical problem causes CBC to rebroadcast Battle of the Blades finale in the Greater Toronto Area.
Columnist says Canada needs a bold, broad new framework for an era of on-demand programs, Internet downloading and sparse advertising dollars.
Columnists says what disturbs people most about the new format of The National is the emphasis on the shallow and the inconsequential.
Columnist says hearings before broadcast regulator on the value of "Local TV" could alter the Canadian media landscape dramatically.
Representatives of Canada's television industry are set to go before a CRTC over the issue of whether cable companies should pay for the right to carry conventional television.
Article looks at the front-lines of the "Local TV" debate in Hamilton, ON and Red Deer, AB.
The head of Rogers Communications says that regulation will not create innovation.
Roundtable discussion on the issue of fee-for-carriage, featuring broadcast industry observers including FRIENDS spokesperson, Ian Morrison.
Arts and entertainment head Fred Fuchs is being renamed general manager of production enterprises, while creative drama head Sally Catto will take over Fuchs's old position.
Industry observers say that "nonsimultaneous substitution" - removing the restriction that U.S. shows have to aired be at same time and date - would give broadcasters increased flexibility and revenue.
CBC has promoted Fred Fuchs, putting him in charge of boosting the financing and overseas appeal of its shows.
Shares in Canwest are now to trade on the TSX Venture Exchange after its stock was delisted from Canada's top financial exchange.
Federal environment minister Jim Prentice turns down invitation to appear on CBC Radio's The Current with guest host David Suzuki.
Telefilm Canada and CBC have announced a deal to co-finance domestic films that will premier in cinemas and then play very soon afterward on the CBC's primetime Sunday-night movie slot.
The Canadian Film and Television Production Association is urging Industry Minister Tony Clement to be "vigilant" and "not submit to the current pressures being exerted" in his review of Globalive Wireless.
A new report by Telefilm Canada reveals that Canadian movies took only 2.9 per cent of box office receipts last year with movies out of Hollywood continuing to dominate the market.
Italian satellite broadcaster Sky-Italia has filed a complaint, charging that rival Mediaset has been pressuring a TV monitoring company to "misrepresent" Sky-Italia's market share.
News Corp. chief believes revenue lost from pulling out of search engine can be recouped through subscriptions.
CEP's Vice-President of Media says the CRTC's collection, but not timely public disclosure, of basic cable rate data unfairly deprives Canadians of making informed submissions to a November hearing.
The National Executive Director of Canada's actors union asks the Minister of Industry to uphold the current Canadian ownership and control requirements in the telecommunications and broadcasting sectors.
CHEK news director says the locally owned TV station is already exceeding the amount of local content required under a new seven-year licence.
Columnist says the future of the music industry may be found in "cloud" storage, where the entire history of recorded music is streamed to subscribers' devices.
Riese, a new Canadian fantasy series, is only available online.
Columnist profiles a new web-based news organization that was conceived and devised to exclusively cover the politics and policy of Texas state government.
The Center for Digital Democracy has already called the potential union of Comcast and NBC Universal "the equivalent of Godzilla swallowing Rockefeller Center."
Treasury Board of Canada releases Supplementary Estimates, including $60 million for Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.
U.S. media activists and community groups are demanding access to the airwaves to combat the deregulation that concentrated media ownership into fewer hands.
Columnist says Oprah Winfrey may pull up stakes with CBS and move her daytime TV-talk show to the Oprah Winfrey Network.
Liberal party's Heritage Critic says "Michael Ignatieff is the exact opposite of Stephen Harper when it comes to culture".
Analyst downgrades Torstar's stock because of financial trouble in its newspaper publishing business.
Nanos Research says the company has elected to end its partnership with the Cable Public Affairs Channel over a disagreement regarding work for other organizations.
Broadcasters say more than 130,000 comments were submitted to the CRTC in support of local TV.
Columnist says foreign ownership rules in telecommunications are anachronisms and should be updated immediately.
After-market device allows satellite radio to be played on Apple's iPhone and iPod Touch.
The RCMP officer who fired a Taser at Robert Dziekanski at Vancouver's airport has filed a libel lawsuit against the CBC.
Torstar has posted a modest return to third quarter profit on the strength of its romance novel business, countered by pressure on its media segments.
Editorial says that a "man-on-the-street" interview with a Liberal party staffer that was critical of the Conservative government shows a "too cozy" relationship between the CBC and the Liberals.
The publisher of the Toronto Star says the newspaper is planning "the biggest restructuring of the Star's work force in its history."
A New York-based fund that specializes in distressed-debt plays, has been buying CanWest debt since it filed for creditor protection in October.
Columnist says it's time for the cable monopolies to share their large profits with the TV networks.
Bell and Telus are set to join Rogers in having high-speed wireless networks that allow faster Internet downloads of music, video and software applications.
Article says the federal broadcast regulator has been inundated with emails from consumers who are lining up on both sides of the battle over local TV.
Canada's national public broadcaster is calling for cable and satellite services to offer basic packages of essential TV channels at a regulated price.
A report indicates that Apple is considering a subscription TV service offering traditional TV/cable networks without advertising.
Goldman Sachs has launched a legal battle against Canwest to shield their joint specialty-TV assets from creditor protection proceedings.
U.S. investment bank tells court that Canwest's move to dissolve barriers around specialty channel joint venture is 'abusive.'
Analyst suggests the federal Conservative government may begin the process of loosening the country's foreign-ownership rules.
Satellite TV operator Bell TV said it will offer the U.S. cable channel AMC in standard and high definition from Nov. 11.
Former BBC director general is expected to tell a parliamentary review to scrap the annual £3.6 billion license fee, and instead fund the broadcaster from general taxation.
Columnist says the broadcasters should be allowed to charge a fee for their signals, but cable companies should be under no obligation to carry them.
Former federal Commissioner of Competition says it is crucial that Canada co-ordinate changes to broadcasting regulations with a broader strategy of meeting the challenges of the digital economy.
Editorial says the federal cabinet should uphold Canada's foreign ownership restrictions and not overturn a CRTC decision regarding Globalive wireless.
CBC executive bristles at the suggestion that he and his colleagues have borrowed the news delivery formula created by U.S. newscaster CNN.
Telefilm Canada's annual report shows Canadian films increased their take at the box office in 2008/2009 but garnered less share of the total market.
Columnist critiques the new format of CBC's The National.
Columnist says bad luck and debt crushed Canwest - now comes the effort to salvage something from the wreckage.
Despite the financial problems of parent company Canwest, Global TV has the highest-rated programs on Canadian television.
Columnist calls fee-for-carriage "a reasonable proposal."
Industry Minister Tony Clement says he is reviewing a CRTC decision preventing wireless challenger Globalive from entering the Canadian market.
Editorial comments on National Post restructuring.
Critics argue that CBC's "popularization" strategy risks introducing a certain sameness between the CBC and private broadcasters.
CBC executive says the advertising markets facing a 'structural decline' and calls criticism of new News format 'Pathetic.'
The National Post will be transferred to Canwest's publishing division along with its other newspaper assets.
Liberal Party Canadian Heritage Critic says his party is committed to ensuring stable funding to CBC/Radio-Canada.
The executive director for the Public Interest Advocacy Centre says the CRTC and the country's politicians must do more to direct genuine consumer-centred reform in the broadcasting industry.
With Shaw Communications outbidding Rogers for Hamilton based Mountain Cablevision, the non-compete agreement signed by Ted Rogers and J.R. Shaw appears to be dead.
Former CBC Ottawa employee says the public broadcaster is deliberately dumbing itself down because senior managers don't believe that "smart" attracts a large enough audience.
Columnist says "Watching CBC news now feels like living inside English-language boss Richard Stursberg's head."
The BBC has unveiled plans to slash 25% from the salary bill of senior staff, resulting in the loss of 18% of management posts and a freeze on exec pay.
Globalive Wireless's bid to become the country's fourth major cellphone provider was denied by the CRTC saying the company was controlled by its foreign backer and offside with Canadian telecom law.
Columnist says a push towards linking TV, the Internet and mobile technologies holds the key to the "information superhighway."
A Nanos Research research study shows about 70% of respondents support the statement: 'local TV stations should receive a portion of the amount that customers pay on their monthly bill for cable or satellite TV'.
A CRTC commissioner says the regulator will hold steady on a distanced approach to the carriage fees debate between local television stations and cable and satellite companies.
Columnist says in today's fragmented media landscape, the argument for a public broadcaster must rest on excellence.
Columnist says broadcasters should have the right to negotiate carriage fees with cable companies, and to withhold their shows if they can't strike a deal.
A Nanos Research study shows strong support for local television stations securing financial compensation from cable and satellite companies.
The president of the Atlantic Institute for Market Studies says "It's time to get rid of the antiquated rules that control Canada's communications industry."
Columnist says feedback on CBC's re-vamped The National have mostly been negative.
Challenged by a steep downturn in advertising, the German television broadcaster ProSiebenSat.1 Media says it plans new pay-TV services aimed at raising more money from viewers.
Former Bell Canada executive says content and expenditure quotas for Canadian content should be eliminated within five years because they will no longer be viable in the wired IP world.
In a National Post editorial meeting, executives from Rogers, BCE Inc. and Shaw suggest it is high time for regulators to reconsider the existing broadcast structure as a whole.
Columnist says that Canwest lost the confidence of Bay Street analysts and investors over a flip-flop in strategy to sell it's Australian TV network and pay down debt.
Editorial says it's long past time for cable to pay for carrying conventional television stations.
Pending court and senior lender approval, the National Post will be transferred from Canwest Media to Canwest Limited Partnership, which operates 10 major city dailies across the country.
The Canadian Paediatric Society is poised to recommend no television for children under 2 years old - a reversal of their long-standing position on babies and television.
Michael Ignatieff says a Liberal government would double the parliamentary funding to the Canada Council for the Arts and provide stable long-term funding for the CBC.
The chief executive officer of Astral Media says that his company will not seek to invest in Global Television.
The Communications, Energy and Paperworkers tells a court that the union does not have enough money to afford "effective" legal representation during the restructuring of Canwest.
Columnist critiques the CBC News revamp.
Cable and satellite TV companies continue to push the message that fee-for-carriage is nothing more than an unnecessary and costly federal bailout.
The CRTC has given the CBC permission to change its Whitehorse radio signal from the AM to FM band, disappointing rural listeners who wanted the AM signal to stay on.
Canadian cable firm takes multimillion-dollar stake in former Disney chairman's Web media startup.
Columnist says the new format for CBC's The National makes it "less a news program than a piece of rehearsed drama".
FRIENDS says focus on style over substance moves CBC News in the direction of the private sector.
President Barack Obama says the media prefer conflict over co-operation, encourage bad behaviour and weaken the ability of leaders to help the nation.
A detailed list of nearly 1,000 bills and debts shows that the insolvent media conglomerate owes from a handful of dollars to millions to a long list of companies.
Peter Mansbridge says it "sends a strange signal to the public" that the Prime Minister doesn't watch Canadian news for the Canadian perspective on issues that some U.S. networks ignore.
Columnist says the media's main relationship is with their audience, not their subjects.
PM's admission that he watches mainly American broadcasts draws surprise and scorn.
Despite customer growth and rate increases, Canadian cable giant Shaw Communications has posted a 6% fall in fourth-quarter earnings.
Shaw Communications is poised to close its $300 million acquisition of eastern cable-provider Mountain Cablevision to become Canada's largest cable company.
CBC executive says if the Toronto Maple Leaf's slump continues, the public broadcaster won't hesitate to adjust Hockey Night in Canada programming.
A new name for the all-news network – CBC Newsworld will be known as CBC NN – and a revamped The National are among sweeping changes announced by CBC.
Canada's big telecom firms will be allowed to regulate traffic on their Internet networks, but only under strict guidelines.
The NFB's mobile application will enable free, full viewing of hundreds of streamed content from its video library.
FRIENDS says senior CBC management is slavishly copying private sector behaviour in news rebranding.
CBC executive says CBC NN (formerly Newsworld) will be geared more to breaking news and The National will continue to end the day with a more nuanced reflection on events.
Industry observer says "The CRTC has created some significant conditions on what they see as appropriate ways ISPs may manage their networks."
The CRTC says big telecommunications companies should use "economic measures" such as new investment and usage limits to combat Internet congestion, but can "throttle traffic" as a last resort.
A overhaul of CBC News has resulted in one main newsroom for online, radio and television, and changed roles for over 1,000 employees.
Broadcasters on both sides of the border are trying to recreate existing real-world boundaries into the digital world.
Columnist discusses "the kindergarten atmosphere of spite, complaining and backstabbing that infects CBC on a perpetual basis".
Opposition radio and television stations in Honduras are back on the air after the government lifted a three-week broadcast ban.
Canada's three conventional television networks, Global, CTV and CBC, have arrived at a figure they feel is appropriate for consumers to pay to support local programming — zero.
Newfoundland broadcaster NTV, has joined CTV, 'A', CBC, Global, CHEK NEWS and V in the Local TV Matters campaign.
Score Media has announced that The Score HD is now available to Shaw Cable and Shaw Direct customers.
STAR, Asia's leading media and Entertainment company, has launched seven Mandarin and Hindi-language channels on Rogers Cable.
Canada fell from 13th to 19th place this year on Reporters Without Borders' index of freedom of the press.
Columnist says Canwest is looking for money managers to play the role of financial saviour as the company needs an additional $65-million to complete the court-supervised recapitalization.
Investment firm Beringer Capital has hired two notable players in the North American media business as part of a strategy to start shopping in the sector.
The CRTC will shortly issue two key internet rulings — one on net neutrality and the other on metered internet usage.
Columnist says a perfect storm of the recession, new technologies and shifting tastes has threatened the way conventional broadcasters like Canwest, CTV and the CBC have operated for decades.
Quebec French-language broadcaster "V" has announced it will take an active part in the Local TV Matters campaign.
A study by the American Academy of Pediatrics says media violence — in particular, explicit lyrics — can have negative effects on the health and behaviour of young people.
Rogers owned Citytv and Omni have relocated to Yonge-Dundas Square in downtown Toronto.
Canwest says noteholders have given approval for further negotiations aimed at shifting the National Post to another division - a move that could prepare the company's newspapers for a sale.
Actor and screenwriter says revenues from fee-for-carriage must be seen on the screen in the form of new, original local, dramatic and comedic programming.
A group called the Open Mobile Video Coalition has announced the completion of a standard that will efficiently let TV stations broadcast to wireless devices.
A fast-track effort to create a technical standard for transmitting digital TV signals to cellphones and other mobile devices has been approved.
The TV Alliance calls for a level playing field for meaningful consumer participation in the upcoming public hearing on billing practices for TV services in Canada.
Canwest announces the launch of DIY Network Canada, a 24/7 source for home improvement television.
An analyst at Dominion Bond Ratings Service, believes if Canwest moves ahead with rumoured plans to sell its newspapers, it could pull in between $600 million and $900 million.
Ted Turner says he wants 'less fluffy news and more international news,' especially about China, on CNN.
Debt-laden broadcaster and newspaper publisher, Canwest, which recently saw its stock suspended on the TSX, has been issued a delisting notice.
YouTube and Britain's Channel 4 says they have signed a "pioneering long-form content deal" to put all Channel's on-demand catch up shows on YouTube shortly after transmission.
The Toronto Stock Exchange will delist Canwest's subordinate voting shares on November 13.
Canwest wants its restructuring to be dealt with quickly, but the media conglomerate is facing stern resistance from U.S. investment bank Goldman Sachs.
Lawyers for Goldman Sachs warn that they will take legal action against CanWest if it tries to change the terms of the Alliance Atlantis deal.
CBC President says "We feel for our friends at Canwest."
Struggling U.K. broadcaster ITV will raise £120 million ($190 million) in a bond issue to help reduce debt.
On an Alberta radio call-in program, CBC's president and CEO talks about the present and future state of Canada's public broadcaster.
Email sent to Bell customers regarding the battle over fee-for-carriage.
Viral video guru helps local TV stations take anti-cable message online in bid to win carriage-fee fight.
Industry watcher says the fight between networks and distributors is intensifying because fee-for-carriage has twice been rejected by the television regulator.
Columnist says that in the fee-for-carriage debate, broadcasters need to clean up their message, fess-up to increased costs and advocate for consumer choice.
With quality programming on broadcast and cable TV channels, some critics are calling this the golden age of television.
Cable and satellite providers say a coalition of broadcasters is presenting "biased, inaccurate information"
Columnist says duelling campaigns over fee-for-carriage leave consumers confused and not knowing what to believe.
ACTRA National President says "It's time to stop the cable rip-offs and get more Canada on Canadian TV."
FRIENDS says the Canwest restructuring will be better for the viewers, because anytime a company is better managed, its products tend to be better as well.
Steven and Chris, the CBC daytime lifestyles show put on indefinite hiatus earlier this year, will return to the airwaves in January.
Article says employees that are owed severance pay are often unsecured creditors, low on priority list when a company starts repaying its debts, far below bondholders and other corporate organizations.
Columnist says the country's largest chain of big-city daily newspapers is soon to be run by a group of its creditors, led by Scotiabank.
CTV takes issue with CBC's claims over Battle of the Blades ratings.
Columnist says "a sure way to destroy an empire is to have your son run it."
The government will forgive $450-million in outstanding fees and will work with the broadcasters to develop a structure that funnels the fees into distinct broadcast-related avenues.
Television and film producer says that the popularity of "on-demand" programming indicates a trend favouring scripted dramas over reality shows in the future.
Article discusses the Canwest's importance to the city of Winnipeg.
FRIENDS says financial weakness has caused Canwest to cut corners and that the restructuring can only improve the company's TV programming.
A new poll says a slim majority of Canadians would support a government bailout of the newspaper industry.
Heritage Minister James Moore says the government and Canada's broadcasters have decided to walk away from their Part II fee legal battle.
A change in the ownership and management structure at media company Canwest may trigger foreign ownership issues.
CBC Radio 3's new website includes five Internet streams, a playlist editor and social media tools.
Industry analyst says Canwest's restructuring will likely involve a change in the ownership and management structure that could trigger foreign ownership issues.
Columnist says Canada's biggest media company never recovered from the $3.2 billion deal to purchase Conrad Black's daily newspapers.
Article says the restructuring of CanWest will lead to the biggest sell-off of media assets in Canadian history, including potential sale of Global TV and daily newspapers.
In a radio interview, FRIENDS spokesperson, Ian Morrison, discusses the need for "fee-for-carriage" to preserve local television and the misinformation being presented by Canada's cable monopolies.
Columnist says CBC's "dumb-as-a-plank" Battle of the Blades is aimed at a conservative, older, hockey-loving audience.
Bell has confirmed that it has reached an agreement to sell Apple's iPhone in Canada this November.
CanWest says it plans to file for bankruptcy protection as part of a restructuring process.
After a deal to purchase the local CTV station in Brandon, MB, Bruce Claassen lays the blame on the direct-to-home satellite companies and the CRTC.
Canwest Global Communications has filed for bankruptcy protection to complete a controlled recapitalization plan.
Canwest CEO tells staff that their salary, benefits and pension will remain the same despite the company filing for bankruptcy protection.
Union says media workers at Canwest should not be forced to pay the price with their pension and severance payments for financial problems that are of the company's own making.
Columnist says it will be difficult for the Asper family, which founded the Global Television Network, to retain control of the company once everything is settled.
U.S. authorities are forcing bloggers to disclose their relationships with the companies they write about, but jurisidictional confusion means no similar mechanisms exist in Canada.
The president of the CBC warned of a bleak future for conventional broadcasters if the financial playing field in Canada's TV industry isn't levelled.
Canadian cable and satellite TV operators have launched a media blitz to counter calls by local broadcasters for a new TV subscriber charge.
Advertising buying group shifts spending from broadcast TV to the online video website Hulu.
CBC President says without equilibrium in the broadcasting system, Canada's public broadcaster will have serious problems fulfilling its mandate.
Bell, Bell Aliant, Cogeco, EastLink, Rogers and Telus have joined forces on lobbying campaign which they say is designed to ensure "that Canadians hear the whole story".
National Post CEO Paul Godfrey has lined up financial support for an auction bid on the daily newspapers owned by CanWest Global.
Article looks at what community TV may look like in the 21st century.
Globalive made several changes to its corporate structure in hopes of convincing the CRTC that it qualifies under Canada's foreign ownership rules.
CKX in Brandon will stop broadcasting Friday evening after a deal to keep the station running fell through.
Analysts predict new portable people meter data will probably knock CBC Radio One out of top spot in the Toronto market.
CBC.ca is set to run daily financial stories from the Financial Post, and The National Post will run daily CBC sports stories on nationalpost.com.
Nielsen report indicates the global advertising market showed signs of bottoming out in the second quarter of the year.
New Personal People Meter data reports the Rick Mercer Report had 1,295,000 viewers for its season premier.
Report says Internet advertising has eclipsed television advertising in the U.K. for the first time.
Reports says 25 billion online videos were watched in the United States during the month of August.
CTV says the homegrown police drama "Flashpoint" earned a record 1.88 million total viewers for a recent episode.
Article profiles a group of Canadian producers who have bridged the television, Internet, mobile media and gaming worlds.
Heritage Minister Moore says supporting the arts during the economic downturn is a critical element in the federal government's economic stimulus program.
The CBC is taking Canada's Access to Information Commissioner's Office to court over the public broadcaster's fight to keep information about its journalism and programming secret.
CBC executive says the cancellation of Radio-Canada's new year's eve special has nothing to do with complaints about controversial sketches involving US President Barack Obama.
Columnist says Canada's "ancient" foreign ownership rules in the telecommunications sector need an overhaul.
BC Investor Graham Barnes is putting in money and expertise to help Victoria's CHEK TV get on its business feet under new owners.
CMG's Communications Co-ordinator raises concerns about the apparent secrecy of the government's "strategic review" of CBC's budget priorities.
CBC has locked horns with Canada's information ombudsman over the public broadcaster's right to keep information about its journalism and programming secret.
CHEK NEWS, Vancouver Island's employee-owned television station, is the latest broadcaster to join the Local TV Matters campaign advocating for fee-for-carriage.
CanWest is selling its majority stake in Australian broadcaster Ten Network Holdings in a deal worth $634 million.
Canwest stock closed 8¢ higher at 21¢ on news of the sale of its majority stake in Australian broadcaster Ten Network.
Britain's opposition culture secretary says that the BBC's corporate governance isn't working and that a Conservative government would dismantle the BBC Trust if elected next year.
A campaign launched by small internet providers for government intervention in the broadband market has spurred more than 20,000 letters to MPs, the companies say.
CBC says more than 300,000 Canadians in remote and rural areas could be cut off from CBC TV in two years, because the broadcaster doesn't have the money to convert its signals to digital from analog.
CRTC officials question how Globalive Wireless could maintain its independence despite being 65 per cent owned by Egyptian cellphone giant Orascom Telecom.
FRIENDS delivers a petition to the CBC's Ottawa studios, calling on CBC-TV to retain the one-hour format and 10 p.m. timeslot for its flagship newscast The National.
More than 5,600 people have signed a petition calling for the CBC to retain the one-hour format of The National, and keep the flagship news program in its current 10 p.m. time slot.
Business TV host says a conversation with CBC executive Richard Stursberg convinced him to bring his "slightly right of Attila the Hun" viewpoint to the public broadcaster.
U.S. regulators want to lay down new rules to ensure that Internet traffic is treated equally, a move that could put pressure on the CRTC to do the same in Canada.
Rogers will replace its system-access fee with a "government regulatory recovery fee" for new cellphone customers.
New wireless player Globalive will have to show that it's a Canadian-controlled company at a CRTC hearing.
Article profiles the expansion of U.S. TV programming into Spain's broadcasting system.
In a move to provide more money for commercially viable projects, the Tories have redirected funds that were used to help artists on the "musical fringe".
"The government has told the CRTC that it wishes to make the ultimate decision," says Bell Canada executive.
CRTC says Rogers has violated broadcasting regulations by subjecting Canadian pay-TV service Super Channel "to an undue disadvantage."
Canadian telephone subscribers can expect to receive rebates after a court decision upheld an order to reimburse about $300 million in overpayments.
TValliance.ca, a new grassroots initiative to promote a better and more transparent TV broadcasting and distribution system for Canadians has launched.
The Conservative government is taking steps to block Canada's big television networks from charging for their signals in what could be a serious blow to the hopes of CTV, CBC and Global.
Heritage Minister James Moore has inserting himself into the fee-for-carriage debate by ordering the CRTC to hold a separate set of hearings to consider consumer interests on the matter.
Canadian media companies make changes to adjust to changing market conditions.
Broadcast executives say they need to consolidate and take further costs out of the business if they are to maintain the standards.
The general manger of CBC English television says more Canadian programming isn't aired because the public broadcaster "cannot afford it on the budget that we're given."
The Government has issued an Order-in-Council requesting the CRTC "hold hearings and provide the government with a report on the implications of implementing a compensation regime for the value of local television signals."
The reconstituted CBC ensemble to perform live, while branching out to high-def video, Internet.
Deteriorating finances have reportedly led Canada's largest private television network to renegotiate loan agreements with its lenders.
Rupert Murdoch's Sky Italia paybox has filed a lawsuit against Mediaset, the Italian broadcast group controlled by Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, in a move that escalates the war between the two moguls over the local TV market.
CBC says it plans to announce changes to The National and its Newsworld service on Oct. 9.
A CRTC order issued nine months ago that requires phone companies to give wholesale customers access to faster internet speeds is in limbo as the regulator decides whether it should be enforced.
XM Canada has reached a deal to make royalty payments to several groups representing Canadian musicians and songwriters.
The CEO of Corus says he would be interested in CanWest's cable television channels if they come up for sale as part of the company's financial restructuring.
Canwest's daily newspapers are launching mobile-optimized versions of their websites, specifically designed for iPhones, BlackBerrys and other smartphones.
Article looks at submissions to the CRTC by cable/satellite companies and broadcasters on the issue of fee-for-carriage.
Rogers Wireless says the company has launched an improved wireless data network in select cities that has tripled its current download speeds for laptop and netbook users.
CTV, 'A', Global and CBC have joined together to launch a national campaign - Local TV Matters - aimed at rallying viewers and all Canadians to support local television.
Former CBC Board chair and BC Finance Minister faces criticism after taking a position on TD Bank's Board of Directors.
Community radio co-op asks concerned parties to file a CRTC intervention and oppose the Rogers expansion on Gabriola Island, BC.
The country's major television networks and its biggest cable companies are set to launch public appeals for support in their debate over new fees on customer bills.
CTV, Global and CBC launch localtvmatters.ca, along with TV, radio and print advertisements in their ongoing fight to collect fees from cable and satellite companies.
The Star Choice satellite television company has been told it should offer the CBC Regina signal to subscribers.
Rogers asks the CRTC to put the foreign ownership and control structure of DAVE Wireless, and Public Mobile Holdings under the same scrutiny that a third new entrant, Globalive Holdings, is already undergoing.
Canwest Limited Partnership has agreed to pay all outstanding interest and fees due under the senior credit facility.
Text of an email sent to Rogers customers urging them to join the company's fight against fee-for-carriage.
Victoria's CHEK-TV plans to stay on the air with a combination of local news and older programming it believes will appeal to its audiences.
BBC Director General calls News Corp. executive "desperately out-of-touch" with the public.
FRIENDS says cable and satellite TV providers are misleading their subscribers by slapping a 1.5% fee on monthly bills and then trying to shift blame to the CRTC for the price hike.
The CRTC has released the standard conditions of licence for competitive Canadian mainstream sports and national news specialty services.
Columnist says the government has no concrete plan for the digitization of the Canada's culture and heritage.
Around 45 jobs have been saved after employees at Victoria-based CHEK-TV secured an eleventh-hour deal to buy the local TV station.
Columnist says a feud between public broadcasters in Europe and their private-sector rivals is getting nastier.
Editorial says the U.S. broadcast regulator needs to ensure that customers have an array of choices among cable providers, and that there is real competition on price and program offerings.
Editorial praises the CBC for the decision to air a documentary recreating the Battle of the Plains of Abraham
Canwest is outsourcing some of its advertising production work done in Calgary and Regina to a company with operations in India and the Philippines.
In response to reports of "product integration" into CBC TV shows, FRIENDS says taxpayers expect public broadcasting services to be distinct from the private sector.
CanWest has sold its Victoria television station to a group of employees for $2, a move that will prevent the station from going off the air.
The president and chief executive of Quebecor says "a monopoly isn't the most efficient way to manage a business or meet customer expectations."
Employees of CHEK-TV in Victoria have purchased the station from Canwest.
U.S. cable companies are reportedly gearing up to launch "TV Everywhere" - an initiative that could require Web users to subscribe to cable video before they can watch TV programs online.
New report indicates nearly 70% of Canadian TV viewers say being able to access their cable channels on the web or mobile is a good idea.
FreeHD Canada says that if the transition to digital television is going to in Canada, consumers are going to need digital set top boxes – and help paying for them.
CBC spokesperson says a temporary outage on Newsworld was caused by a Rogers fibre-optics cable.
Canada's TV regulator has removed all restrictions on the number of ad minutes domestic broadcasters can carry per hour.
Major TV networks, including CBC and CTV, say they have no immediate plans to boost their ad inventory in primetime.
CTV is making new episodes of 17 series, including The Amazing Race, Criminal Minds and Desperate Housewives, available on Rogers' Video on Demand service.
Article authors say the current media system in Canada does not adequately address the social, ecological and economic challenges facing communities across the country.
In a radio interview with host Roger Currie, FRIENDS spokesperson, Ian
Morrison, discusses recent changes in Canada's TV industry.
The CRTC has sealed the fate of Canwest Global Communications' secondary E! network by approving the transfer of ownership of CHCH in Hamilton and CJNT in Montreal to Channel Zero.
An employee-led bid to buy CHEK TV in Victoria has won a last-minute extension.
New TV rules allow broadcasters to air as many advertisements as they wish and cable customers will start to see a 1.5 per cent increase to their bills.
A group that represents Canadian songwriters and music publishers is taking the company that operates XM Radio to court, alleging it has defaulted on royalty obligations.
The CEO of Europe's biggest commercial television broadcaster says "I simply don't believe that we will see a quick recovery in advertising revenues."
The CRTC has ordered Radio-Canada to apologize to its viewers for segments of last year's Bye Bye show, which featured cracks about blacks, anglophones, spousal abuse and the U.S. president.
CBC-TV's supper hour newscasts feature several new hosts and now runs from from 5 p.m. to 6.30 p.m weekdays.
Rupert Murdoch's likely heir apparent says he wants the BBC to become "much, much smaller."
Over the next few days, money-losing TV stations in in Victoria and Red Deer will be shut down, while others with new owners will attempt to climb back to profitability.
As TSN celebrates its silver anniversary, columnist say that big challenges lie ahead for the entire sports TV industry.
The government of outgoing Manitoba Premier Gary Doer has increased spending on culture over its 10 years in power, and has not cut back during the recession.
The CRTC has given the go-ahead for the E!-branded TV stations in Hamilton and Montreal to be acquired and rebranded by indie broadcaster Channel Zero.
CHEK TV is set to fade to black after Canwest announced an employee-owned initiative did not meet its guidelines to keep the station operating.
Employees at one of British Columbia's oldest television stations have submitted a bid to buy CHEK-TV from Canwest.
Shares in the Australian broadcaster TEN have nearly doubled since February, causing glitches in Canwest's efforts to restructure its debt.
Report says that in 2008, the operating revenue of private radio broadcasters rose 5.6% to $1.6 billion.
Editorial says that in search of higher TV ad revenues, CBC is pulling resources from radio.
BNN anchor Kevin O'Leary is set to co-host a new half-hour business news show on CBC Newsworld.
Columnist says the underlying message at the recent Gemini nomination announcement is that Canadian TV shows are doing really well abroad.
Columnist says Canwest and Channel Zero are approaching the last hurdles to the license transfers of CHCH-TV Hamilton and CJNT-TV Montreal.
Data show the revenue for Canada's private radio broadcasters increased in 2008, in part because transfer of AM radio stations to FM.
Media executive Moses Znaimer is calling for submissions to an art exhibition about aging.
Some Vancouver residents are benefiting from an increasingly hostile price war between Shaw Communications and upstart Novus Entertainment for television and internet customers.
A devise that accesses radio broadcasts on the Internet without a computer is now available in Canada.
The CRTC wants Bell Canada to explain the prices it plans to charge wholesale internet customers when it rolls out a new billing model.
BBM, the company that tracks ratings for broadcasters, is set to switch to a new system called the Portable People Meter, replacing the old diary method in most places.
The CBC is set to air winter sports-themed TV programming while CTV carries the Olympics.
CBC has given the production order to E1 Television and Serendipity Point Films for a pilot episode to loosely follow Paul Gross' curling comedy and directorial debut.
Journalism professor says changes to CBC's local suppertime news is all about maximizing ad revenue for the network.
A petition to abolish the CRTC will be presented to Canadian Heritage Minister James Moore if it amasses 10,000 signatures.
The Canadian broadcast industry is witnessing three rival companies vying to launch a new kind of scaled-down satellite TV service aimed at penny-pinching consumers.
The Manitoba government has commissioned a study to see if there's room on the dial and in the pocketbook for an English-language educational public broadcaster in the province.
TV industry observers are predicting that the business model which has sustained broadcasters for close to 60 years has begun an irreversible decline.
The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission has given Bell Canada approval to charge its wholesale ISP customers based on the bandwidth usage of their end users.
After becoming "frustrated by the limitations of so-called terrestrial radio", broadcaster launches an Internet radio/TV station based in Ontario's Niagara region.
Columnist says forward looking principles and metrics must be used in copyright reform that will not rendered outdated soon after introduction.
The President and CEO of VisionTV says it is "hardly onerous" to propose that the cable and satellite companies should put aside a modest 1.5 per cent of their revenues for local programming.
In reference to the government approval needed to sell assets, CBC executive says "Dealing with the government is not just difficult, it's a nightmare."
Despite raising more than $500,000, questions remain and time is quickly running out for employees trying to purchase CHEK-TV in Victoria.
CBC's iPhone application streams content from Radio One, Radio 2, and CBC Radio 3, and audio from CBC Television.
Small Internet providers are worried Bell's plan to implement usage-based billing for its wholesale Internet customers could result in higher bills for their users.
Bell Canada has dropped its court action against the federal broadcast regulator after the CRTC added the controversial network fee issue to its fall hearings.
Employees are raising money to buy CHEK-TV from Canwest Global in an effort to stop the struggling media giant from shutting down the Victoria operation at the end of the month.
An deal between the American show's distributor and Apple iTunes Canada makes Mad Men the first top-rated TV show to bypass Canada's conventional TV protocols as a paid digital download.
CTV says the CTRC should once again regulate the billing practices of cable and satellite companies.
The CRTC has approved a request by Bell Canada to implement usage-based billing for its wholesale internet customers.
The broadcast regulator has been flooded with more than 700 complaints since Rogers and Bell began informing customers their bills would inflate again next month.
The CRTC has postponed a public hearing into group-based licensing until Nov. 16 and said it would add the issue of fee-for-carriage to the hearing agenda.
The Federation of Francophone and Acadian Communities of Canada announce the mobilization of francophone in support of adequate funding for CBC/Radio Canada.
Message sent from CTV's Save Local TV website about cable and satellite companies increasing their fees.
Cable and satellite bills are set to rise this fall as those TV service providers begin collecting a mandatory new fee to subsidize local television stations in small markets across Canada.
Columnist says Canada's media ownership regulations - ironically, something that Canwest management has fought to loosen - might help the company fend off a full takeover by American bond holders.
Article profiles Canadians that are making a splash in Hollywood for the upcoming TV season.
Rogers and Bell television cable subscribers are being told they will see their monthly fees hiked by 1.5 per cent beginning September in order to satisfy new regulations ordered by the CRTC.
Columnist says that the rise of citizen journalism and social media means the gateway to coverage is no longer the exclusive watch of sanctioned news organizations.
Canada's actors' union wants copyright law strengthened.
CanWest Global has initiated talks with the federal government on a potential change of ownership.
Activist says "the Conservatives do not support the arts industry, which they view with 'mistrust.'"
The CRTC, after being slapped with legal action by BCE, is giving the television industry an extra week to craft submissions regarding carriage fees.
Columnist says NBC is airing Jay Leno at 10 p.m. because the show is cheap to produce and will boost ratings for local news at 11 p.m.
CRTC report says the communications industry contributed $54 billion to the Canadian economy in 2008.
Two of Canada's largest newspaper chains are teaming up in a distribution agreement designed to cut costs amid declining advertising revenue.
The owner of the country's largest satellite service alleges the CRTC has overstepped its jurisdiction and asks a judge to intervene in the fee-for-carriage debate.
Creditors have hired Canada's top corporate fixer to guide CanWest through its complex restructuring as it lurches toward a plan for reducing its crippling $4-billion debt load.
Article profiles the changing TV landscape that sees broadcasters scrambling to deal with collapsing advertising revenue and dropping viewership.
Satellite TV provider Bell is challenging the CRTC in court over the issue of carriage fees.
Canadians spent more time online, while watching slightly less TV last year, according to the CRTC's Communications Monitoring Report.
13 "policy priorities" will be discussed during consultations on the new Canada Media Fund, which is due to replace the Canadian Television Fund next year.
The National President of ACTRA says Canada's copyright law needs to be modernized, for the sake both of artists and consumers.
A consultation in Winnipeg on copyright reform is not open to the public and Canadian Heritage won't release a list of who was invited to participate for a number of days.
Report states Canadian telecommunications services generated $40.3 billion in revenue last year, up $2.1 billion or 5.5 per cent, from the prior year.
A report issued by the CRTC shows the price of cable, satellite and pay-television services has risen 29% in Canada since 2002.
The CBC has denied assertions that there is a plan to move The National from its 10 p.m. time slot to 11 p.m.
FRIENDS says CBC's senior programming brass has a plan to move the public broadcaster's flagship nightly news program The National from 10 p.m. to 11 p.m. to make room for prime-time entertainment programming.
CBC Media Relations says there are no plans to move The National from 10 p.m. to 11 p.m.
Notwithstanding denials from CBC representatives, FRIENDS says there are plans to move The National to 11pm.
FRIENDS and the CBC offer differing perspectives on possible changes to The National.
CanWest says it is expecting to raise $123.7 million in an equity offering for Ten Network Holdings, its Australian media division.
Canwest says the limited partnership which controls the bulk of its daily newspapers will not make an $18.5-million (U.S.) interest payment initially due August 1.
Artist writes that city politicians in Ottawa must re-evaluate priorities that give low ranking to culture.
PBS chief Paula Kerger says the Corporation for Public Broadcasting's $430 million budget for this year was left intact by President Barack Obama.
Canwest Global Communications Corp. has won another extension from its senior lenders on a deadline to come up with a recapitalization plan.
As CBC's Newsworld turns 20 years old, FRIENDS expresses concerns over a possible format change.
Unionized workers at CHCH-TV in Hamilton have approved Canwest Global Communication's proposal to sell the station to Channel Zero.
Columnist says that Irving owned Brunswick News has a history of buckling to political pressure related to the family's other, more lucrative, business interests.
Heritage Minister James Moore has announced an increase in the Canada Music Fund, the federal government's main fund to support the music industry, but changes are coming in the way the fund distributes its money.
Despite criticism for purchasing U.S. imports such as Wheel and Jeopardy, CBC president Hubert Lacroix has says the series draw audiences to the network's prime-time lineup.
Article says that CBC is moving the its local newscasts to a dead zone where it will be unlikely to get a significant audience.
Torstar has reported a $29.9-million second quarter loss related to the valuation of its holdings in CTVglobemedia.
CBC/Radio-Canada media relations officer says Canadians pay less than 10 cents a day for an accountable, national public broadcaster that provides first-rate local programming to communities across the country.
CBC-TV is adding the U.S. drama Ghost Whisperer to its weekday lineup as the new lead-in to a longer supper-hour newscast.
Columnist says Torstar has put its search for a new chief executive officer on hold because its board of directors wants more time to deliberate after adding new members.
Torstar blames Ontario's economic slump and its investment in CTVglobemedia for a $4.4 million second-quarter loss.
At the end of August, CBC News will begin running 90-minute newscasts starting at 5:00 pm, followed by the foreign programming Coronation Street, Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy!.
84% of residents in Kamloops B.C. say it is unfair that they will be deprived access to free TV signals.
Retirees from CHCH-TV in Hamilton say they face a cut to their pension payments after Canwest announced it will be winding up their pension plan at the end of August.
Canadian journalist Amanda Lang will join CBC Newsworld this fall as host of a new business program.
Report says revenue from Online advertising in Canada has more than quadrupled over the past five years.
Columnist says Golf Channel and CBS combined for a grand total of 12 hours of coverage
during the tournament, about 10 fewer than CTV and TSN provided the
previous time Canadian television was at the controls.
Columnist says John Lamb’s recent opinion piece ("It’s time for a public review of the
CBC," July 8) calling for a public inquiry into the CBC is welcome.
In an attempt to produce more popular movies, Telefilm Canada has
struck a deal with the Canadian Film Centre and Montreal's Just for
Laughs comedy festival to develop five original, feature-length
comedies that would be ready for the cameras by 2011-12.
In a memo to the U.S. broadcast regulator, editor says the FCC needs to address the troubles of TV broadcasting and take steps to bolster the financial health of the industry.
Columnist says personal video recorders and on-demand systems offer range of choices
Canwest Global Communications Corp. is closing two TV stations in its
second network, CHEK-TV in Victoria and CHCA-TV in Red Deer, Alta.,
effective Aug. 31.
Canadians with disabilities should be able to enjoy some of the new
communication tools that the rest of the public enjoy, says the federal
telecom regulator.
The CBC has cancelled the award-winning documentary TV program The
Lens, a move some in Canada's production community are calling "tragic"
because it means one fewer port of call for independent documentary
producers.
CTV Inc. says it has found a private investment firm to buy its station in Brandon, Man., for $1. CTV announced yesterday that Bluepoint Investment Corp. will pick up the station as part of a deal expected to close by Dec. 31.
Friday's deadline was extended by two weeks to July 31.
Shaw Communications Inc. (TSX:SJR.B), the dominant cable TV company in
Western Canada, has acquired a family owned cable operator with a solid
base in southern Ontario.
Corus Entertainment Inc. (TSX:CJR.B) says its radio stations are facing a worst case scenario as the weak economy continues to rip into its advertising revenues, causing the value of its radio assets to decline.
Columnist explores if it a slap in the face to the Canadian movie industry that CanCon is not on guest list for TIFF gala opener? Or is it a welcome sign the Toronto International Film Festival has
grown out of the flag-waving parochialism that sometimes made visitors
from New York and L.A. roll their eyes?
The CBC's top official in the North says the Yukon government's move to extend the CBC's lease for its AM transmitter in Whitehorse does not necessarily mean the broadcaster will scrap plans to switch from AM to FM.
Due to the continued instability of the public broadcaster's financial situation, temporary measures to reinstate jobs and programming have been scrapped.
Newfoundland Capital Corp. Ltd. (TSX:NCC.A) is selling its two FM stations in Thunder Bay, Ont. for $4.5 million, plus working capital.
Columnist says since the debut of broadcast television in this country more than 50
years ago, millions of Canadians have grown to expect free access to
local television signals. Last week, Canada's broadcast regulator issued a decision that will
bring the era of free local television to an end for many Canadians.
Columnist says CanWest Global Communications, which is in the midst of a painful
recapitalization and continues to trade on the Toronto Stock Exchange, shares no longer had any value, should not be purchased and should really be delisted
CanWest Global Communications Corp. (CGS-T) said Friday a goodwill
impairment charge in its publishing operation led to widened losses in
its third quarter, adding to mounting financial woes at the
Winnipeg-based media conglomerate.
Columnist discusses if a local Canadian TV station that was teetering on the edge of going
off the air be the blueprint for un-breaking television's battered
business model.
CanWest Global Communications Corp. (CGS-T0.07----%) said Friday a
goodwill impairment charge in its publishing operation led to widened
losses in its third quarter, adding to mounting financial woes at the
Winnipeg-based media conglomerate.
Astral Media on Thursday posted slightly higher third-quarter earnings
as subscriber revenue gains offset continuing TV advertising weakness.
Stock in Canwest Global Communications has plumbed new depths on Friday
as the struggling broadcaster prepared to unveil its third-quarter 2009
financial results.
Conventional television's recent "difficult period" can be blamed on
the loss of advertising market share to specialty television, according
to a recent Statistics Canada report on the television sector.
Columnist reports The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission has
slapped down a request from Rogers Broadcasting that its CITY-TV
stations in Toronto and Vancouver no longer be mandated to air 100
hours of Canadian films a year in prime time.
Report indicates revenues for private conventional television continues to slide while profits for the specialty and pay television segments continued to grow.
CTV is staying in Windsor for at least another year. The network
confirmed on Wednesday that it will keep the lights on at CHWI, one of
the three stations it planned to close at the end of this summer when
its licence ran out.
CTV says the Windsor A Channel station CHWI-TV will continue to operate
for the license renewal term that all of CTV's conventional stations
have received (expiring August 31, 2010).
Broadcasters should make “meaningful commitments” to Canadian content, the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) has re-stated in its decision to reject a request from Rogers Broadcasting to reduce requirements for airing Canadian content.
A Canadian Citizen says CBC’s funding has been reduced by every government since Brian
Mulroney’s — both Conservative and Liberal. All federal governments, it
seems, dislike the CBC and have found it an easy target. That means
it’s up to ordinary Canadians to speak up for the CBC.
Columnist say Canada's largest Internet providers are having a chilling effect on
independent filmmakers by slowing down certain Internet technologies
that enable producers to distribute movies and other programming
online, federal regulators heard Wednesday.
The CRTC's move to boost funding for local TV programming may not be enough to save some stations, the networks say.
Columnist says the long battle between conventional-television broadcasters
and the digital TV providers who carry their content swung in favour of
the former Monday after federal regulators — for the first time --
suggested that cable and satellite providers such as Rogers
Communications Inc. should pay for the content.
Columnist says television broadcasters have won concessions from Ottawa that will help
pay for programming, in a move that escalates their long-running battle
with the cable and satellite companies that carry their signals.
Shaw Communications says the CRTC has betrayed Canadians' trust with its announcement of two new taxes on consumers.
Agreement passes by 85.7 per cent, contains a five-year deal with two-year wage freeze.
Canada's conventional television broadcasters praised a ruling Monday
that they say takes an important step towards fairly compensating them
for their programming while boosting funding for local shows.
The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission today
announced that the Local Programming Improvement Fund will have over
$100 million to distribute during the 2009–2010 broadcast year.
The Commission today launched a public proceeding to develop a new
regulatory framework for conventional television broadcasters. The
proceeding will include a public hearing starting on September 29,
2009, in Gatineau, Que.
The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC)
today announced that the Local Programming Improvement Fund will have
over $100 million to distribute during the 2009–2010 broadcast year.
Canada's broadcast regulator has opened the doors to fee-for-carriage, increased the size of a yet-to-launch local TV fund, and harmonized the amount of local programming the English-language networks have to broadcast.
With advertising dollars evaporating amid the recession and the migration of viewers to online and specialty channels gathering pace, smaller conventional television stations are fighting for their lives, their parent networks say. Monday, they'll look to federal broadcasting regulators in Ottawa for help.
A new CTV science-fiction series, Defying Gravity, which is likely to
air later this year, has been picked up by ABC in the United States.
Columnist say European pubcasters are unhappy with a rule that means new or significantly modified services must be evaluated in advance against criteria set in Brussels.
Columnist says positive public reaction to proposed expansion of news agency outweighs the negative
The Globe & Mail newspaper reached an eleventh-hour agreement on a
new labour contract with its union Thursday night, averting a work
stoppage at the 165-year-old daily.
Columnist discusses if Shaw Communication backed out of a May offer to buy three of its
stations — CKX in Brandon, MB, and Ontario stations CKNX in Wingham
and CHWI near Windsor — for $1 each was a publicity stunt or a serious deal gone sour
Friends of Canadian Broadcasting's latest report on TV programming
content across 10 Canadian markets, released this week, found that CBC
English TV's primetime Canadian content has reached a 20-year low, with
25% of the pubcaster's primetime schedule made up of foreign, mostly
U.S., programming.
Foreign programming now makes up 25 per cent of prime-time viewing
hours on CBC English TV, according to new research by Friends of
Canadian Broadcasting.
Columnist discusses the four things Canadians should be proud of.
Canadian television giant CTV Inc. said yesterday that Shaw Communications Inc. will not proceed with the purchase of three over-the-air TV stations for $1 each.
Columnist says Canadian Jewish groups have indicated to the CRTC that they will not
oppose making the English version of the Al Jazeera available to
Canadians.
The CBC says it would consider selling buildings that house its radio and TV stations in a bid to wrangle control over its cash-strapped budget.
Money-troubled Canwest Global Communications Corp. said Tuesday it is
selling two conventional television stations in Montreal and Hamilton
to an affiliate of Channel Zero Inc., an independent Canadian
television broadcaster.
Now that 250 CBC employees have been laid off and 300 more have agreed to retire early, the public broadcaster is turning its sights on potential real estate sales that could draw in more badly needed cash, company president Hubert Lacroix said today.
Columnist says Canwest Global Communications has begun to shift its struggling E!-branded stations, with specialty and pay broadcaster Channel Zero picking up CHCH in Hamilton and CJNT in Montreal.
Canadian content during prime time on CBC English TV has reached a
20-year low, according to new research about what's on TV released this
morning by the watchdog group Friends of Canadian Broadcasting.
CRTC has a big day coming up on Monday. Not only is the network management hearing beginning that day, the Regulator is also launching a new proceeding seeking structural reform of the TV sector while releasing new rules (and potentially a new amount) for its yet-to-be-launched Local Programming Improvement Fund.
Canadian content during prime time on CBC English TV has reached a 20-year low, according to new research about what's on TV released this morning by the watchdog group Friends of Canadian Broadcasting.
Canwest Global Communications Corp. has won an extension from its senior lenders on a deadline to come up with a definitive re-capitalization plan, the media company said Tuesday.
Rita Cugini spoke at a meeting held by RTNDA Canada on concerns about the loss of local programming as a CRTC official set the stage for crucial upcoming decisions by the federal regulator that will impact the future of conventional Canadian television.
The bargaining committee that represents the 480 union workers at The
Globe and Mail newspaper recommended Friday that members reject the
company's latest offer, raising the odds that the 165-year-old
newspaper is headed for a work stoppage as of June 30.
Saying the cultural sector needs "stability," Heritage Minister James Moore announced a five-year funding package for the arts on Friday.
New Brunswick filmmaker Greg Hemmings, of Hemmings House Pictures in
Saint John, has won first place in this year's Commonwealth Vision
Awards.
Columnist says digital TV let local broadcasters create subchannels for
niche programs. But a sour ad climate and distribution problems are
preventing any revenue boost
Columnist says "it’s a very strange time to live in, to hear the Conservatives talk
about institutional heritage, such as a public broadcasting system that
drains over a billion of taxpayer dollars every year."
All major dates and events of Canadian Feature Film
Canadian government says, until the end of the 1960s, Canada did not have a bona fide feature film industry. The National Film Board (NFB), created in 1939, was for many years the primary source of films designed to interpret Canada to Canadians and to other nations.
The Canadian Heritage Minister rejects the idea of privatizing CBC/Radio Canada, by Joêl-Denis Bellavance
A columnist says a
"fee-for-carriage" in the range of $6 a month
per subscriber – would undoubtedly be passed on to consumers, and there
is no guarantee it would be spent on local TV programming.
Columnist says a few months from now, an upstart music channel will make its debut on
cable television in more than one million Canadian homes and, in doing
so, Aux TV will carve out a place for itself in broadcasting history.
France is getting ready to welcome a new cultural minister, with
Frederic Mitterand confirming rumors Tuesday on public TV network
France 2 that he will replace cultural minister Christine Albanel.
Irish broadcaster Setanta Sports filed for bankruptcy protection on Tuesday, saying it will shortly cease broadcasting to customers in Britain after failing to make a number of payments to football organizations.
The CRTC has granted licences for 10 new digital channels to Asian Television Network, covering movies, sports and music.
Canadian phone giant Bell Canada on Monday emerged as part of the winning bid for the Montreal Canadiens pro hockey team by Montreal's Molson family, part of the Molson Coors beer empire.
Television remains the best medium for advertisers to reach the
critical and hard to reach 18-34 year-old demographic, according to a
new Angus Reid survey.
Television distributors such as cable companies should pay more money
into a proposed fund designed to save local programming, a
parliamentary committee has recommended.
Globe and Mail news and sales employees on Saturday voted 97 per cent in favour of authorizing their bargaining committee to call a strike unless the company comes up with a better deal to replace their expiring contract.
"The Liberal Party supports the principles of net neutrality and an
open and competitive Internet environment," Liberal Industry, Science
and Technology Critic Marc Garneau said during yesterday's Question
Period.
Don Newman completes his last Politics program for CBC Newsworld. He will sign off and a storied career will end its most significant chapter.
The Standing Committee issued a much anticipated report on local television.
UK taxes set to be diverted from broadcaster
After dominating the three months worth of hearings earlier this Spring, the House of Commons committee on Canadian Heritage left out any recommendation on the controversial issue of fee for carriage in its report on the state of local television released Friday.
A leading shaper of cultural policy in Canada and a lifelong trade unionist, Mr. Siren died in Toronto on May 31 of pneumonia at 91.
A group of local residents has filed a legal injunction to try to stop the CBC from discontinuing its French-language local radio news and programming in Windsor, Ont.
Super Channel, an Edmonton-based TV network that is one of just three players in Canada's pay-television industry, has filed for bankruptcy protection.
National radio sales fell 13.9% in the third quarter of 2009, according to data from Canadian Broadcast Sales (CBS).
The Canadian Press has learned that a unanimous report by the House of Commons heritage committee, to be tabled tomorrow, makes no recommendation about whether broadcasters should be able to charge cable companies for carrying their signals, referred to as "fee for carriage."
Columnist explains the Canadian lag with U. S. shows.
A Canadian first, all of Team Canada's sledge hockey games during the 2010 Paralympic Games in Vancouver will be broadcast.
Canadians get around the geo-blocking of American sites, including abc.com, nbc.com, pandora.com, fox.com, cbs.com, hbo.com and others. Hulu, too.
Approximately 480 workers at Canada's Globe and Mail newspaper will vote this weekend on whether to give their union a strike mandate.
The Quebec Community Groups Network will be holding a conference on June 17, 2009 to discuss concerns about the latest round of cutbacks at CBC and Radio Canada.
The Boston Globe is losing $1-million (U.S.) a week, and its owner, The New York Times Co., has put it up for sale.
Breaking news from the CBC: It is no longer a TV network but a "content provider." This, according to the CBC's Richard Stursberg who was a keynote speaker at Tuesday afternoon's Canadian Telecom Summit in Toronto.
ZoomerMedia is spending $25-million to buy Vision TV, a small collection of multicultural and religious channels, with an injection of funds from Fairfax Financial Holdings.
CBC News staff have been told that a unified assignment desk will resemble the model used by CNN, in which a constant flow of news reports feeds into different programs throughout the day.
Montreal's La Presse says it will stop publishing its Sunday edition as of next month as part of a cost-cutting drive.
FRIENDS says that if CBC Newsworld shifts focus from current affairs programming to news programming, it may run into issues over its mandate under the Canadian Radio-Telecommunications Commission.
Six of seven members of the new Canada Media Fund board have been chosen, including four of five nominated by Canada's large cable providers.
The Canadian Film and Television Production Association has released
its 2009 report on children's and youth screen-based production in
Canada.
CBC says that Game 7 of the Stanley Cup final between the Detroit Red Wings and Pittsburgh Penguins drew an average of 3.529 million viewers, making it the most watched game of the series.
Canwest Global says a key group of creditors agreed to extend a midnight deadline to reach a deal on a long-term recapitalization.
ZoomerMedia says it has struck a deal to acquire religious broadcast channel VisionTV in a move that brings Moses Znaimer back into the television business.
The BBC could be forced to hand $163 million of the license fee to fund local news on ITV under proposals that will be put forward by a major British government report.
Columnist says the cash-strapped U.S. TV networks looking north for dramas as there are obvious benefits (for Canadian networks) for a show to be broadcast simultaneously on Canadian and American prime time.
Report says both access and local origination principles have suffered in Canadian community television since 1997, when the sector was partially deregulated.
Article profiles the creators of Flashpoint, a top-rated drama about a Toronto-based SWAT team that airs on both CTV and CBS.
Industry observer says the next few years is going to be a very interesting in the Italian television market, both for economic but also for political reasons.
Television stations across the United States are now expected to be broadcasting solely in digital form, bringing an end to the analog signals that have delivered TV shows to viewers for the better part of a century.
Columnist says a national regulatory strategy for digital media for Canada is long overdue.
The CWA/SCA Canada union says Canwest is asking for wage cuts of up to five per cent, which could save it $20 million a year and help it avoid a bankruptcy protection filing.
The CRTC says Canadian private radio stations enjoyed increases in both revenue and profits before they hit severe turbulence in the fall caused by the recession.
Canada's former ambassador to the European Union says the greatest emphasis for a revitalized CBC should be on the "inform" side of its mandate.
Current TV has been granted a channel license by the CRTC.
Columnist says Canadian TV is at a very important point in its development and its time writers close the door on "sniping, snobbery and self-importance".
Columnist says Pierre Karl Péladeau doesn't quite have the reach of Orwell's Big Brother, but in Quebec, he comes pretty close.
Tom Murphy has been named chief Nova Scotia correspondent for CBC News and anchor of the network's supper-hour newscast in the province.
Shaw Communications has launched an e-campaign against fee for carriage.
Columnist says those Canadians who live in small towns and who use an antenna TV could lose some channels altogether with the shutdown of analog TV signals in 2011.
Quebec broadcaster Quebecor Media has put a formal bid for the Montreal Canadiens pro hockey team on the table.
Guy Fournier, who resigned his post as chair of the CBC three years ago, has been named to the board of the revamped Canada Media Fund.
BBC director general Mark Thompson has told the broadcaster's biggest stars that they face pay cuts of between 25% and 40% as the pubcaster comes under increasing pressure to cut payments and costs.
The newest media technology Ownership and Trend study by Knowledge Networks shows that 27% of TV homes have at least one set that uses through-the-air signals only.
Arts columnist Kate Taylor will delve into thorny Canadian cultural issues at a pivotal moment as the recipient of the 2009 Atkinson Fellowship in Public Policy.
Conference seeks to help make digital media a part of the country's economic plan.
Fox News owner Rupert Murdoch says "If we weren't fair and balanced, we wouldn't have the number one network in news."
CTV has unveiled a raft of new fall series for its specialty channels.
Rogers executive says "We are in the big-league sandbox" during the launch of the City TV fall schedule.
Columnists says it is not true that Canada leads the world in illegal file-sharing activity.
Outgoing host Don Newman says CBC should 'be careful' with changing the format of the political news program 'Politics'.
The Chairman of the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission speaks about new media policy.
Journalism professor says without an organization like the CRTC, there would be little or no Canadian programming on television.
ACTRA and the Writers Guild of Canada have both spoken out against the CRTC's recent decision to not regulate new media.
The news that the CRTC will continue to exempt new media broadcasting services from its regulation got high marks from Internet service providers Telus and Rogers.
CRTC commissioner says that it is impossible to apply the Broadcasting Act, which was last updated in 1991, to a transformative technology like the Internet.
According to a recent Nanos/Policy Options poll, television is still the number one source of news for Canadians, by a wide margin over newspapers, radio and the Internet.
Canwest's new lenders have put the company on a short leash in return for new financing, including the appointment of a chief restructuring officer.
Editorial says selling off the CBC today would raise a storm of protest of such ferocity that even a majority government would be unlikely to complete the project.
President Obama has reaffirmed that June 12 is the cutoff date for TV stations to cease their analog broadcasts.
Former CRTC chairperson says the current regulated environment in the media industry stifles creativity and threatens the survival of mainstream newspapers and television networks.
Following months of deliberation, the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission says it would not impose the same domestic content regulation it applies to television and radio.
Event organizers say breaking into the U.S. market will be a key focus of this year's Banff World Television Festival.
The head of CBC's English language operations says "So few people [in English Canada] are preoccupied with CBC TV."
The CRTC will stay away from new media for at least another five years, but has sided with the NFB in calling for a broader, national strategy to keep Canada competitive in the global, digital marketplace.
Sources indicated that that former Heritage Minister Sheila Copps is one of the finalists for the position of president and CEO of the Canadian Broadcasters Association.
Canwest executive says there have been no shows purchased for the E! network and no scheduling made for a fall lineup.
The Conservative party was unable to get television commercials aimed at Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff broadcast by the CBC because the ads violated the network's ban on political advertising.
Columnist says plans are being made at CanWest to bring in a senior executive who would lead a financial restructuring of the media company, possibly superseding chief executive officer Leonard Asper.
Imposing 'net-neutrality' regulation on broadband providers will raise prices and hurt consumers
A former creative head at the CBC says he has grown frustrated that Canadian kids TV is securing fewer dollars and broadcast slots.
Video clip from the June 2nd Question Period in the House of Commons.
CTV bolster's A-Channel's lineup to compete with Rogers owned CITY-TV.
Arts groups fear a 'Strategic Review' will result in funding cuts to the CBC, Telefilm Canada, the Canada Council for the Arts and the National Film Board.
CBC Radio's director of programming says there's no need for drastic changes to Radio 2 this year.
Finance Minister Jim Flaherty has defended the government's asset review while the opposition accused the Conservatives of embarking on an "ideological mission" to dump public institutions.
Lawyer for Sun Media is taking CBC to court for allegedly withholding content and documents from access to information requests.
Finance Minister Jim Flaherty says the federal government isn't reviewing the assets this year of the department that oversees the CBC.
Video clips from the June 2nd Question Period in the House of Commons.
Columnist says that Britain's public broadcaster should buck the trend towards "popularization" and provide a national radio station targeted to people over 55 years old.
The managing director of Al Jazeera English is confident that the network will get regulatory approval to broadcast across Canada, perhaps as soon as the fall.
A "massive computer breakdown" at the CBC left the nation's public broadcaster "flying blind" during its flagship news program.
A government source says no government asset - including the CBC - is being spared scrutiny as the Harper government considers auctioning off holdings while it grapples with record deficits.
Columnist notes that former CBC host Carole MacNeil is set to marry the man - Richard Stursberg - who recently OK'ed the cancelation of her show CBC News: Sunday.
According to a new OECD report, Canada has one of the slowest and most expensive consumer broadband networks in the developed world.
The newspaper division of Canwest Global Communications missed a scheduled $10-million interest payment, raising questions about its future.
Columnist says CITY-TV, the country's third largest conventional network, has purchased the rights to several more U.S. TV shows than it has in the past.
Documents show Ottawa has flagged several Crown corporations, including the CBC, as "not self-sustaining," and has identified them as entities that could be sold as part of the government's asset review.
CTV says their 'Save Local Television' campaign has received more than 100,000 Expressions of Support from Canadians.
With newspapers' traditional business model in free fall, a global design firm was asked to imagine: How will we get our news after the traditional model falls apart?
According to a poll commissioned by broadcast industry watchdog Friends of Canadian Broadcasting, most Canadians believe that the CBC is "being starved of funds by a government with a vendetta against it".
CBC Radio One ranked first in Toronto and Vancouver between March 2 and April 26, 2009, according to BBM's S2 2009 top-line results.
The majority of Canadians say the Conservative government is "hostile to the CBC and would like to diminish public broadcasting in Canada," according to a new poll from the Friends of Canadian Broadcasting.
A group of private citizens is launching a movement to mobilize public support to counter moves being made by Stephen Harper's Conservative government following its decision to abandon much of its support for Radio-Canada.
Charles Dalfen, the chairman of the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission from 2002 to 2006, called the creation of new Canadian TV shows a matter of "national self-respect."
The Canwest Global subsidiary that runs the company's chain of local and community newspapers has decided to "defer payment" on about $10 million in interest.
In a radio interview with host Kathleen Petty, FRIENDS spokesperson Ian Morrison, discusses the challenges facing Canadian TV broadcasters and the debate over 'fee-for-carriage'.
In response to the CTV "save local TV" campaign, the publisher of the Winnipeg Free Press says "local news and news coverage is not threatened".
2009 Dalton Camp Award winner says "a journalist's foremost obligation is to tell the truth and to provide a check on government power, not to protect state officials".
2009 Dalton Camp Award winner says the Internet can enable a future where we no longer remain passive recipients of news and culture, but where we are inspired to contribute to the discussion.
A number of popular American TV shows, including "Grey's Anatomy," "House" and "Desperate Housewives," are now available for download on iTunes in Canada.
Columnist says Canadian television networks may get the right to pull their feed from cable and satellite services, and possibly black out shows on U.S. channels, if the broadcasters can't reach a deal with distributors on compensation for their signals.
In a speech at York University, Canadian author Margaret Atwood says the "cultural industries are under great stress everywhere".
CBC English Services has sent 158 redundancy notices to its Canadian Media Guild employees in a cutback program that will see the broadcaster lose several of its best known faces and voices.
For the second straight ratings period, CBC AM leads all Vancouver radio stations in listeners.
Columnist says CBC Windsor will lose some of its best-known personalities to retirement in July.
BBC executive says the public broadcaster's online media platform pumps out 12GB of data every second, and seven petabytes (PB) of data every month.
A new Pollara study commissioned by FRIENDS shows nearly two thirds of respondents believe that Stephen Harper and his government are hostile to the CBC, and that half of them feel he "has a hidden agenda that favours private corporate broadcasters."
The Canadian Broadcast Standards Council has ruled that CTV violated provisions of the Code of Journalistic Ethics in its airing of an interview with Stéphane Dion during the October 2008 federal election campaign.
In a radio interview, FRIENDS spokesperson, Ian Morrison, discusses a major new Pollara study of Canadians' attitudes about and expectations for the CBC.
Charles Dalfen, the former head of the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission and a respected telecommunications lawyer has passed away.
Reports indicate Rogers, which owns City-tv stations, have been aggressive in its purchases of U.S. programs at the L.A. Screenings.
Columnist says that TSN has outscored CBC in this years NHL hockey coverage.
Industry observers say Canadian broadcasting is at a tipping point as it endures both technological shifts and economic challenges that have left it in a precarious financial position.
The federal broadcast regulator says TV networks will have to make meaningful commitments to local news and programs if they want financial relief.
The Canadian Broadcast Standards Council is investigating allegations of "simplistic, belittling, hurtful and prejudicial" segments on Radio-Canada's controversial Bye Bye 2008 New Year's Eve sketch show.
The chairman of the CRTC says he simply misspoke when he suggested to heritage committee members that the broadcast regulator wasn't allowing broadcasters to charge cable companies a fee for carrying their signals because the broadcasters weren't going to direct the money they received to local programming.
CRTC chair Konrad von Finckenstein tells parliamentarians, rather than regulating a new, set, fee-for-carriage, it would be better to have distributors and broadcasters get together and come up with their own payment plan.
Columnist profiles the debate over "fee-for-carriage" between broadcasters and cable/sattelte companies.
Columnist says at this year's LA Screenings, Canadian broadcasters have paid lower prices for Hollywood TV series compared to former years.
Columnist says there is anecdotal evidence that TV antennas are making a tentative comeback in this country.
Rogers, Bell, Telus, Cogeco, Eastlink and the Canadian Cable Systems Alliance are accusing CTV of "one-sided and unbalanced coverage" of its "Save Local TV" advocacy campaign.
The dean of the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto says the CRTC should regulate the amount of Canadian-content viewership rather than the amount of Canadian-content programming.
Reports indicate more than a thousand people came out recently to support CTV Ottawa's "Save Local Television" campaign.
Cable company says local TV doesn't need saving and that Canada's major
broadcasters should be responsible for their own businesses instead of
looking for a new TV tax.
Broadcasting executives say there's no business case for spending $1 million to upgrade a transmission tower that serves a small pocket of people who don't have cable or satellite dishes.
Bernard Dérome, the anchor of the Radio-Canada national newscast for more than three decades, is speaking out against the "dismantling" of the public broadcaster through cuts and underfunding.
CBC will soon lay off up to 180 employees in its English-language service, says Richard Stursberg, executive vice-president of CBC English Services.
The country's largest cable and satellite TV operators have filed a formal complaint with communications authorities alleging CTVglobemedia "Save Local TV" advertising campaign has violated the Broadcasting Act.
CTV says it has remained in full compliance with the Broadcasting Act and the CAB's Code of Ethics throughout its "Save Local" campaign.
Radio-Canada famed Bernard Derome takes the Harper government to task over its treatment of SRC/CBC on the occasion of receiving the medal of honour of Quebec's National Assembly.
Small internet service providers are challenging a ruling that gave Bell Canada the green light to selectively slow down internet speeds for some of their customers.
CanWest Global has secured $175-million of new loans which it will use to pay off bank credit, leaving its bondholders with effective control.
The chairman for Fox Entertainment says "Broadcast television still reigns supreme."
The BBC has warned the politicians likely to form the next British government that their attitude toward the pubcaster's funding risks undermining its political independence.
Columnist says Los Angeles agents and distributors deserve credit for recent U.S. network deals for Canadian series.
The federal NDP's critic for culture, heritage and digital issues calls allegations that Canada is a haven for copyright offenders "absurd."
Columnist says two U.S. cable channels plan to significantly expand an initiative that pairs commercials with relevant scenes in the shows they interrupt.
Columnist says Canadian broadcasters looking to buy Hollywood prime-time shows for fall will be packing much lighter wallets than in past years.
The CRTC has indicated the revenue could be generated through a "negotiation" between the conventional broadcasters and cable and satellite operators — as opposed to a carriage fee the regulator would impose.
CTV has accused cable operators of killing local news shows, and cable companies have accused broadcasters of downloading billions of dollars in bad business decisions onto defenceless consumers.
CanWest Global has sold its Turkish radio business, part of a continuing effort to shed assets as the company negotiates with banks and bondholders to restructure its debt.
A push by federal regulators to place restrictions on how Canadian television networks buy prime-time shows in Hollywood has been put on hold.
The general manager of CTV Atlantic invites Canadians to join a campaign advocating fee-for-carriage for conventional broadcasters.
FRIENDS says both broadcasters and newspapers are currently facing "cyclical change" and "structural change."
Conventional broadcasters have applauded a decision from the CRTC to shelve plans that would impose conditions on the purchase of U.S. programming.
FRIENDS says the CRTC has come up with a "good, sensible decision" in not imposing the requirement on broadcasters who face considerable financial headwinds already.
Performers are pleased by the CRTC's announcement that it will look into re-instating programming expenditures for Canadian programming this fall.
Rogers Media has launched the first Canadian all news radio Blackberry application offering up-to-the-minute news headlines, weather forecasts and live traffic updates for the Greater Toronto Area.
Canada's major television networks have been told they will most likely lose their bid to charge cable and satellite carriers for their signals unless they dramatically alter their approach in Ottawa.
Schedule changes will see local noon programs cut to an hour on CBC Radio One and classical music earlier in the day on Radio 2.
CBC president Hubert Lacroix tells a parliamentary committee that CTV is refusing to compensate Radio-Canada to carry its Olympic coverage to francophones outside Quebec.
Mike Finnerty has announced that he is leaving the CBC Radio One morning show in Montreal to move back to England to take a job at The Guardian newspaper.
Article says despite more public demand for news content, the established news industry is being blown away.
CTV and CBC are dialing down the glitz on this year's fall launches, which traditionally feature a parade of U.S. stars and lavish parties to promote prime-time plans to advertisers.
In an appearance before Parliament's Heritage committee, ACTRA spoke out against deregulation of the Canadian TV industry while offering its own proposals on fee-for-carriage.
Funding for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation in the 2009-10 budget will increase Australian content and help establish a dedicated ABC children's television channel.
the CEO for UK broadcaster Channel 4 chief has slammed the BBC for competing to buy U.S. shows, arguing that the pubcaster should not spend license fee income on U.S. shows.
The French National Assembly has approved a plan to punish digital pirates with the possible suspension of their Internet connections.
The president and CEO of Quebecor Media says "rather than using quotas and regulatory requirements... the evolution of Canadian broadcasting must be driven by the success of Canadian programming".
A Heritage Department spokesperson denies that there will be more cuts to the CBC, noting that all government departments must take part in a "strategic review".
Australia's public broadcaster is set to get an increase in government funding by $185.3 million.
FRIENDS says Heritage Minister James Moore misleading the House of Commons Heritage Committee when he guaranteed there would be no cuts to the CBC budget.
FRIENDS asks whether Minister Moore knew that a funding review was in the works when he gave his guarantee to parliamentarians that the CBC's budget would not be cut.
CBC president tells employees that the public broadcaster must find $50 million in its budget that could potentially be cut or redirected.
Canada's largest media union says parliament should ensure Canada's broadcasting legislation keeps step with the times, including proper accountability and transparency.
Columnist says debt-laden Canwest Global is looking at a possible financial life raft from existing and potentially new investors to stave off bankruptcy protection.
A presentation regarding quality television in Spain.
CTV launches an online campaign encouraging Canadians to advocate on behalf of local TV news and programming.
Article profiles the friction between FRIENDS and the House of Commons over the posting of committee proceedings that eventually lead to a liberalization of the rules.
Article says CanWest is reviewing as many as four proposals from outside investors to restructure the company and avoid filing for protection from creditors.
Media executive calls a new trend in merging news operations of local TV stations and newspapers a "circling the wagons" approach.
Columnist says at times, Leonard Asper literally runs from room to room at his lawyers' office in Toronto, attempting to strike a package with various creditors that keeps everyone happy.
Shaw Communications has announced it will offer Canada's first programming of 3-D content on it's Video on Demand service.
Pierre-Karl Péladeau writes about the urgency of action to preserve a future for television.
In a note to staff, Hubert Lacroix says the government has asked the public broadcaster to evaluate all program and spending activities and identify the lowest priorities in terms of carrying out CBC's mandate.
A grassroots campaign has started to stop the reduction of staff at CBC North's headquarters in Sudbury, Ontario.
A new agreement will see Telus sell Bell's satellite TV service to customers in British Columbia and Alberta under the Telus brand, with the companies sharing the proceeds.
The Public Radio Tuner allows anyone with an iPhone or iPod Touch to listen to more than 300 U.S. public radio station streams.
The CRTC calls for public comments on a proposal to allow Al-Jazeera English to broadcast in Canada.
Sirius XM Radio says it lost more subscribers for its satellite radio service than expected in the first quarter due to weak car sales.
Scott Moore is adding management of media sales and marketing to his existing role as executive director of CBC sports.
The Canadian Media Guild opposes the broadcast industry's plans to shut down transmitters that send free TV signals to one-third of Canadians.
A new study shows that large broadcast conglomerates that own both conventional and specialty channels are "well-positioned" to profit from domestic programming.
CBC's executive editor of news operations says advent of new media platforms has prompted the public broadcaster to review its Journalistic Standards and Practices.
Columnist says that in 2007, the NHL leveraged the CBC and newly appointed Executive Vice-President of English Services, Richard Stursberg into giving up too much for little gain to keep the Hockey Night In Canada franchise.
CBC Radio veteran Jennifer McGuire has officially been handed the title of general manager and editor-in-chief of CBC News.
Reports indicate a $34.5 million first-quarter 2009 loss for CTVglobemedia.
An Associate Professor at the University of Toronto says the current economic crisis provides opponents of public broadcasting with a new opportunity to ensure that the CBC signs off once and for all.
Outgoing CEO Rob Prichard faced a barrage of questions at Torstar's AGM about his $9.6-million severance package – which comes amid layoffs and a stock price that has lost more than 80 per cent from its peak.
Canwest Global says it has been granted another two-week extension on a $30.4-million interest repayment.
Columnist says it's high time that television coverage of Ottawa politics was shaken up.
A freelance writer who disputed the inclusion of articles submitted to the Globe and Mail's print edition into electronic databases without proper compensation has agreed on an $11-million settlement.
Rogers Broadcasting has received CRTC approval to buy two more Ontario radio stations, Kingston's K-Rock and KIX Country.
Jim Shaw has sent a letter to CTV formalizing his offer to buy three of the network's struggling small-market stations for $1 each, but the letter suggests certain adjustments might be necessary to complete the deal.
Columnist says the CRTC needs to realize that the moment has come to adapt to changing times and the brave new world of new media.
Ontario's public broadcaster TVO picks up 'Search Engine', a technology podcast recently cancelled by the CBC.
The CRTC has renewed all of CBC/Radio-Canada's licences for one year, until 31 August 2010, subject to the same terms and conditions as those contained in the current licences.
Broadcaster Don Newman has decided to take a voluntary retirement package offered to CBC staff as a way of reducing the number of layoffs at the network.
The mayor of the City of Greater Sudbury is outraged, angry and frustrated that the CBC is cutting half its staff in his community.
Columnist says after years of lobbying and deal-making in China, American media companies have little to show for their efforts there and are increasingly shifting their attention instead to India.
Documents obtained through an access to information request show Senior managers at Radio-Canada expensed more than $1,400 in alcohol during a two-day retreat in 2006.
The executive vice-president CBC English services says CBC television may now be entering it's "golden age."
Columnist says with purchase of three stations for $3 from CTV, Jim Shaw is trying to make a statement that local television can stand on its own.
Columnist says local television is dying, and the most sensible strategy for saving it involves cable companies paying a fee.
Industry watcher says Jim Shaw's motivation for purchasing three local TV stations is to "embarrass the broadcasters, weaken their argument and put pressure on the CRTC and politicians."
Resolution passed by the Liberal Party at its Vancouver convention regarding the future of CBC/Radio-Canada.
Shaw Communications of Calgary is buying three television stations CTV had pegged for closure.
Walt Disney has announcing it is taking an equity stake in the U.S. video streaming site Hulu.com.
CTVglobemedia president Ivan Fecan says the time might be right to start regulating cable rates again in order to save local television programming.
Columnist notes that the costs for traditional TV service offered by cable companies is rising faster than subscription fees.
Liberal and NDP MPs accused the Tories of being more interested in discussing CBC expenses than in helping the broadcaster avoid cuts to local programming.
Heritage Minister James Moore appears before the House of Commons Heritage Committee and is grilled by Opposition MPs regarding the government's financial commitment to public broadcasting.
Canadians should be alarmed at the CRTC hearing now underway about their broadcasting system, and must hope that Parliament intervenes, says Canada's largest media union.
Rick Mercer says the public broadcaster is trying to be "all things to all people."
Columnist says conventional TV is worth saving and the CRTC should introduce fee-for-carriage and direct the funds to local services.
Columnist says there is chaos in the Canadian broadcasting industry and the CRTC looks "hopelessly unable to deal with it".
Columnist says the CRTC is trying to get CTVglobemedia and Canwest to commit to not closing money-losing stations in exchange for new financial concessions, but has failed to win the necessary assurances.
Highlights from a report that profiles behavior and attitudes about Internet use.
Minister of Canadian Heritage James Moore says the CBC will receive a promised $60 million in funding for special programming this year.
The National Post will not publish a Monday edition this summer, a move designed to save costs for its parent company CanWest Global.
A new Pollara survey finds that a majority of Canadians support increased funding for the CBC.
Canadian Heritage Minister James Moore has confirmed the CBC will once again this year receive about $60 million in top-up funding for Canadian programming.
Survey data show six in ten Canadian voters believe that Prime Minister Harper and the Conservative government are "hostile" to the CBC/SRC, and would like to "diminish public broadcasting in Canada"
Heritage Minister James appears before the House of Commons Heritage Committee and fails to persuade opposition MPs and Friends' spokesperson regarding the government's commitment to public broadcasting.
Canadian Heritage Minister James Moore has confirmed the CBC will once
again this year receive about $60 million in top-up funding for
Canadian programming.
Rogers Communications is accusing conventional TV operators of engaging in a "public relations" campaign with the aim of generating a crisis and building support toward additional financial relief.
Canwest Global president Leonard Asper says CRTC rules are to blame for the problems plaguing the TV sector - not the economic crisis or the staggering debt his company faces.
Broadcasters say the cost of replacing analog transmitters with digital ones, as required by August 2011, will be too high in some smaller communities.
Former BBC News editor Rachel Nixon has been appointed director of digital media for CBC News.
CBC president Hubert Lacroix says 553 managers — or 5% of CBC's overall workforce — are eligible for "incentive pay," but only if they achieve targets.
Columnists says the debate about the financial future of Canada's television industry has come down to a key point - whether the country's big networks, such as CTV and Global, should have the same funding model as specialty channels.
CTVglobemedia's chief executive says CRTC decisions have lead to distributors making record profits while conventional broadcasters are losing money.
The president of CBC/Radio-Canada urged MPs to make sure the public broadcaster is not excluded from any financial relief offered to the other broadcast media.
Executives at CTVglobemedia say that the federal government might have to step in to ensure households have universal access to TV signal starting September of 2011, when the switch to digital TV occurs.
CBC's president and CEO has renewed calls for a memorandum of understanding with Canadians that would ensure stable, long-term public funding for the CBC in exchange for delivering agreed-upon programming and services.
Columnist says because of growing competition and dwindling TV ad dollars, the big networks will quickly be forced to make major changes.
CRTC has released, for the first time, its own calculations of how much money television networks would collect if they were allowed to charge cable and satellite carriers for their signals.
Under siege from all around, many say the newspaper won't survive. Others, say it's premature to pronounce its death.
Richard Stursberg says there is nothing wrong with the CBC's strategy; the problem is that the economy is in a stall and the current funding model for television broadcasting is broken.
Columnist looks ahead to six ways the Canadian television industry may change if the networks get their way.
Columnist says TV executives are dealing with the recession by shifting programing away from dark crime procedurals toward sunnier, more relatable characters.
The Rwandan government has suspended the British Broadcasting Corporation's local-language radio service in the country saying it threatened the country's national reconciliation.
Article profiles Vancouver's changing radio landscape that now sees CBC Radio One as the the top rated station.
CRTC data show revenues for the cable and satellite industry eclipsed $10-billion for the first time in 2008.
CTV and Global say they would commit new funds from fee-for-carriage to local programming, and would let the CRTC set the terms.
FRIENDS says Barrie Ontario isn't getting a CBC Radio One station because the government hasn't given the public broadcaster the funds necessary to make local programming a priority.
CRTC data show that total revenues for cable companies rose 16.1% in 2008.
New legislation will give the CRTC the ability to impose fines of $1 million against individuals and $10 million against businesses who 'spam' Canadians.
CTVglobemedia and Canwest say they will sell or shut down local TV stations in small or medium-size markets if their pleas for new funding sources are turned down.
Some members of an online forum are upset the CRTC is posting personal information on its website along with participants' comments.
The Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage has issued a report saying last year's culture cuts have had "major negative impacts on Canadian arts organizations."
Canwest has received another two-week extension from senior lenders.
Columnist says someone is going to make some "serious money" from an expected CanWest restructuring.
Broadcasters tell House committee profits are in decline and that they want to charge cable and satellite companies for their signals.
Executives from CTVglobemedia and Canwest Global tell MPs that the industry is in the midst of a crisis from which it can recover only with a second source of revenue and fewer regulatory obligations.
MPs on the Canadian heritage committee say they are concerned that Konrad von Finckenstein may have misspoken or misled the committee when answering questions recently about "fee-for-carriage."
CBC has unveiled its upcoming prime-time schedule features a half-hour show with comedian Ron James, a Juno-esque sitcom and a father-son P.I. show set in Newfoundland.
Documents released under Access to Information show the CBC spent at least $61,500 on nine meetings between January and June 2006.
In a radio interview, FRIENDS spokesperson Ian Morrison discusses, local programming, "fee-for-carriage", the plight of CanWest.
A one-hour drama about warring families in Alberta has been cancelled by the CBC.
American journalism professor discusses how 'Corner Gas' has informed her perceptions of Canada.
Rogers tells the government that despite pleas for protectionism, CTV and CanWest still managed to earn over $350 million in operating profits from television last year.
Rogers executive says the company would support a U.S. model for TV fees, which gives broadcasters the choice of either "mandatory carriage" or a negotiated fee-for-carriage.
Rogers Communications says TV networks are exaggerating their financial woes in order to get regulatory concessions.
The vice-chairman of Rogers Communications says the fee-for-carriage conventional broadcasters are pushing for is nothing more than a "tax on consumers," with the funds raised to be used on acquiring U.S. programming.
Quebecor chief executive says there could be bankruptcies in the TV industry unless broadcasters are given regulatory concessions and fee-for-carriage revenues.
Columnist advocates for a 'free market' approach to fix problems with Canada's television industry.
A new pilot program is launching in the Baltimore-Washington, D.C. area that will allow people to watch free mobile digital television on cell phones and other mobile devices.
Columnist says CBC executives are really bumping up local news programming so that Coronation Street can air at 6:30 p.m., followed by Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune.
Columnist says that the solution to the crisis in the television industry will likely involve Canadians paying – directly or indirectly – for the continuation of local broadcasting.
Editorial says a proposal for public money to flow to private broadcasters - after a government rebuff of an appeal from the CBC - should be buried before it gains momentum.
Save-On-Foods has provided the funds needed for the cash-strapped public broadcaster to broadcast all Vancouver Canuck games in High Definition.
Freelance Journalist interviews FRIENDS spokesperson Ian Morrison on the recent CBC cuts and how the recession is affecting Canada's broadcasting industry.
NBC Universal's 45% drop in profit has set the stage for what is expected to be a rough round of quarterly results from media companies.
MP for Barrie says Ottawa should be looking at all options – including new cable fees and an infusion of government advertising – to help ensure the survival of local television stations.
More than 100 people held a rally outside the CBC building in Calgary to protest planned job cuts by the public broadcaster.
CBC says it will adopt an "info-now" approach to newsgathering and delivery to meet a growing appetite among young Canadians for breaking news.
TD Securities warns Torstar is likely to disappoint when it next reports financial results.
Rogers Communications is accusing conventional broadcasters of fear-mongering with their plans to shutter or sell some local stations.
FRIENDS says the parliamentary allocation model for funding the CBC is the most logical.
Columnist says if CanWest ends up filing for creditor protection, assets will likely be sold to satisfy lenders.
The CBC plans to expand several supper-hour local TV newscasts across the country - even as it faces a $7-million budget cut and the loss of 70 staff.
Jennifer McGuire, interim head of news for CBC, says specific announcements of changes to programs and schedules would come later this year and through early 2010.
Columnist says the government should look at fee-for-carriage, not ad buys as a way to support the local TV industry.
Fairfax Financial Holdings has written down its investment in CanWest Global, whose stock has plunged 94 percent in the past 12 months.
Company CEO says the largest mistake that Fairfax Financial Holdings made in the past year was underestimating the effect of the recession on the newspaper industry.
Columnist calls CBC management's decision to cut 'Maritime Noon' an "attack on rural Canada".
Columnist says programming decisions have dragged the public broadcaster back into the centre of the "Whither CBC?" debate.
A majority of the American creditors have agreed not to call in US$761 million after Canwest failed to make a $30.4-million interest payment.
Ottawa is looking at a proposal to buy more government ads to help local TV stations make it through the recession.
The Tyee, a B.C. online web magazine, is collecting pledges from its readers to fund its election reporting.
Columnist says that Corner Gas dispelled the myth that "Canadians don't want to watch Canadian shows."
Columnist says international co-productions, which U.S. networks would have never considered purchasing a few years ago, are suddenly in vogue, thanks to their thrifty sticker prices.
Columnists says the Asper family will soon likely lose control of debt-laden Canwest.
CTV Saskatoon will lose 10.5 positions this summer when the television station moves a large chunk of technical operations to Calgary.
Photos from a rally to support the local CBC station in Thunder Bay, Ontario.
Actor Dave Foley says he is in favour of a quota system for Canadian film, just like the one that is credited with kick-starting the Canadian music industry.
CanWest Global has taken a $1.2-billion writedown on its newspaper assets.
More than 200 CBC fans showed up to protest coming job cuts at the corporation's Cape Breton bureau.
The cash-strapped CBC, struggling with layoffs and cuts to regional programming, wants a slice of any government funding meant to rescue local newscasts of struggling private broadcasters.
Industry experts says as long as CBC TV continues to find a substantial portion of its operating revenue in advertising, it is doomed to irrelevance and eventual death.
Magazines Canada uses FRIENDS as a model to build a network of citizens to advocate on behalf of the Canadian magazine industry.
A rally is being planned to protest CBC cuts on April 17 in Calgary.
Article says two key flaws in Telefilm's Corporate Plan are that it enshrines a bias toward broadcaster interests at the expense of independent producers, and fails to support the growth of broadcaster-independent new media creation.
Former CRTC commissioner says community based, hybrid ownership models for media companies should be encouraged in Canada.
Editorial says the government should change the financing model and governance structure of the CBC so that it becomes an independent public broadcaster.
Quebec's largest media organization says it wants to buy the Montreal Canadiens.
The Canadian Media Guild says the CBC should have access to a new fund designed to help local television.
ACTRA is concerned by reports that the government is considering bailing out private broadcasters while the CBC is being forced to cut staff and programming.
Faced with the potential closing of several small-market television stations across the country, the federal government is considering a $150-million fund to keep community TV in business.
Canadian Heritage Minister James Moore appears to be pouring cold water on a report that Ottawa is considering a $150-million fund to help ailing TV broadcasters.
Shaw Communications says its digital cable business will thrive during the recession, as consumers opt to stay in over going out for entertainment.
Sources say CanWest Global has abandoned serious attempts to sell assets.
The U.S. Federal Communications Commission has commenced efforts to develop a national broadband Internet plan.
Article profiles the often misunderstood technology, HD radio.
Columnist says Fox News is playing an increasingly erratic and dangerous game by embracing paranoid insurrection rhetoric and conspiracy theorists.
The Local Community Radio Act, a bill curently before the US House of Representatives.
Columnist says the federal cabinet is considering a $150-million fund for the country's private broadcasters to help rescue local TV stations and their newscasts.
Government committee warns the BBC is in danger of becoming the monopoly supplier of programming that commercial broadcasters increasingly can't afford to make.
A group calling itself the Friends of CBC Cape Breton has scheduled a rally in Sydney Nova Scotia to protest the potential loss of local jobs.
Columnist says a public debate is necessary to reaffirm the value of public broadcasting.
The Canadian Press is cutting 25 employees as the national news service restructures itself to trim costs.
The Prime Minister says no decisions have been made on funding to help private broadcasters cope with the downturn in the economy and the long-term problems faced by the industry.
Google CEO says the media service of the future will deliver some professional coverage from sources like newspapers, but will depend heavily on user-generated content.
Canwest Media has received another two-week extension in talks with senior lenders to renegotiate a $300 million credit facility.
The B.C. Court of Appeal issued a ruling that allows Adbusters to pursue legal action against the CBC and CanWest Global for refusing to screen its anti-consumerist television ads.
Canada's privacy commissioner has opened an online discussion on a technology that allows internet service providers to intercept and examine packets of information as they are being sent over the internet.
Columnist says that the Harper Conservatives' arts funding policies dominated conversations at the Genie Awards.
A U.K. Parliamentary report says BBC Worldwide, must scale back its commercial operations, share its license fee and exit its investments in overseas production companies and commercial Web sites.
A member of the Saskatchewan legislature speaks about the planned closure of the CBC's one-person bureau in La Ronge.
Canadian celebrities press the Conservative government to bolster support for film and other cultural industries.
Internationally acclaimed film and theatre director Robert Lepage has scolded the federal government for having cancelled programs supporting artistic touring last fall.
CBC Radio One has taken the top audience share in the Vancouver radio market for the first time in 20 years.
U.K. media regulator Ofcom has fined the BBC £150,000 for its "flawed editorial processes".
Editorial cites www.friends.ca as a place to connect with other supporters of public broadcasting.
Australian broadcaster, Ten Network, has announced it has stopped handing out dividends, after sending $10-million (Australian) in an interim payment to parent company Canwest.
Canadian director is using the internet to allow fans to participate in the filmmaking process.
In a note to staff, the CBC president says the only way the public broadcaster could avoid staff cuts is with new, additional and permanent public funding.
Canwest has applied to reduce local programming commitments from 18.5 hours to 5 hours at a Southern BC TV station.
A House of Commons committee studying the TV industry will call a cross-section of witnesses including cable giants, private broadcasters, the CBC and media unions.
Heritage Minister James Moore has confirmed that the Harper government is looking at loosening broadcast regulations and changing tax rules to help give struggling private broadcasters some relief.
A planned 24-hour walkout by BBC news journalists has been called off after BBC bosses agreed to negotiations over planned compulsory layoffs.
Apr 2, 2009 — Professional Writers Association of Canada: Save the CBC
Letter sent to the Heritage Minister from the President of the Professional Writers Association of Canada asking the Conservative government to reconsider the "disastrous" treatment of the CBC.
Alberta Culture Minister Lindsay Blackett promises arts funding will hold steady in the next provincial budget.
China's State Administration of Radio, Film and TV has ordered all online content providers to apply for a license before broadcasting material on the Internet.
A report from Desjardins Securities says Canwest's financial problems are affecting the stock of its competitors Corus and Astral.
Article says longtime wireless industry executive Nadir Mohamed will have his work cut out for him as he steps into the CEO's role at Rogers Communications.
Columnist says at a time when the new media environment is being molded and the traditional news industry is in a state of decline, creative approaches to journalism are urgently needed.
The CRTC has launched an online consultation on the traffic management practices of internet service providers, allowing Canadians to voice their opinion on the issue of "net neutrality."
Despite the economic slump, Canadian cable and pay TV channels continue to churn out profits and remain a bright spot in an otherwise struggling broadcast landscape.
Columnist says some wireless carriers worry that consumers will opt to use software like Skype to make mobile phone calls instead of using more expensive, high-margin voice-calling plans.
Skype, the Internet telephone unit of eBay, is planning to launch its service for iPhone and Blackberry users as part of its effort to expand beyond desktop computers.
Walt Disney's television division has become the latest media company to make a distribution deal with YouTube, saying that it would share short-form content with the world's largest video Web site.
Columnist says that unless something changes, hundreds of communities across Canada will shortly lose most, if not all, of their local news coverage.
Time Warner Cable is working with customers in the U.S. to test a subscriber model for online TV viewing.
Scott Moore, Executive Director of CBC Sports, explains the network's decision to cut back on its figure skating coverage.
Columnist says Canada needs a publicly funded national broadcaster, since we know private, for-profit outfits simply can't cover small communities across the country.
CBC executive says the half-hour comedy "Sophie" is being cancelled due to low ratings.
Article details the issues facing CTV, Global and CBC and possible next steps for each broadcaster.
Columnist says Canada's public broadcaster is too valuable an institution to let wither on the vine.
Marie Chouinard writes that in a media environment where the private sector dominates, the Société Radio-Canada (CBC), through its cuts, risks losing its identity.
Canwest Broadcasting interim president Peter Viner told says while there has been interest in the company's E!-branded TV stations, it will wait until after this summer to decide what it will do with them.
Editorial says that given the alternatives, reducing staff costs at the CBC appears the right thing to do in order to make its budget.
The makers of Little Mosque on the Prairie and The Border say that despite CBC reductions, their shows will not suffer in terms of production value and will not lose any staff.
Columnist says the recording industry landscape has shifted in a way that few could have foreseen 38 years ago when CanCon was born.
Listener talkback to CBC's Maritime Noon regarding CBC's plan to cut the program in half.
Data show that while while conventional television broadcasters slash staff and close stations, Canada's specialty and pay TV operators are in solid health.
CBC executives say that "there will be reduction or elimination" in coverage of figure skating, skiing, aquatics, athletics and CONCACAF soccer.
FRIENDS says cuts at the CBC will result in the regions becoming hinterland, receiving programming from a centralized operation, rather than places where their own stories can be told.
CBC prime-time shows The Border, Being Erica and Little Mosque on the Prairie are being told to produce fewer episodes this season.
CBC president says there might be more major cutbacks to come if the corporation is unable to successfully sell $125 million worth of assets.
CBC English Services plans to cut up to 80 positions from its news division and 313 from sports, entertainment, current affairs, sales and support as part of its efforts to make up a $171-million shortfall.
260 jobs will be eliminated from the Montreal staff of Radio-Canada, the French-language service of CBC.
CBC executives say regional stations in Sydney, N.S., Saint John and Moncton, N.B. will lose between three and seven full-time positions.
CBC says it will cancel "The Simpsons" and "The Martha Stewart Show" in a cost-cutting maneuver.
Veteran Canadian broadcaster Norm Bolen has been named named top lobbyist for Canadian indie film and TV producers.
CBC President says if the public broadcaster can't sell off $125 million in assets, CBC management "will have to consider taking drastic action that would compromise the very services we deliver to Canadians".
Canadians will see fewer regional programs and more reruns in the wake of the CBC's plans to slash 800 jobs.
Op-ed writer says cultural magazines provide an essential service to the nation as incubators of creative innovation and should not be valued solely on circulation.
MPs criticize the CRTC for not moving quickly enough to address problems in the television industry that could cause several cities to lose local TV service.
CBC will cut about 800 jobs in an effort to save $171-million amid a flagging economy that has seen advertising revenues plummet.
FRIENDS says regional and local CBC programming will be hit hard by budget cuts.
CRTC chairman Konrad von Finckenstein says that the broadcasting industry is in "desperate" need of a "systemic solution" to withstand the economic and structural storm that is hitting the sector.
Toronto's CHUM AM radio station has been rebranded CP24 Radio 1050, and will run programming from TV's CP24 all-news channel.
CBC announces major cuts to services, programs and people in order to bridge a $171 million financial shortfall in 2009-2010.
FRIENDS says Canadians will be upset when they see cuts to CBC's local and regional programming implemented.
Live Blog of Town Hall event where CBC executives lay out a plan to deal with a $171 million budgetary shortfall.
Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff says Conservative inaction has forced CBC to make difficult decisions that will have disastrous consequences on its ability to carry out its national mandate.
Liberal and Conservative MPs debate public broadcasting support during question period.
800 jobs losses represent roughly 10% of the CBC's workforce and break down to some 393 positions on the English side, 336 at Radio-Canada and 70 corporate positions.
Data show that traffic to the video website Hulu.com grew 42% in February.
Shaw Communications executive says the recession has resulted in more demand for the company's digital television services.
New media expert says newspapers should get used to the idea of publishing without presses.
Internet radio site, Last.fm, is set to charge $3 a month for users outside of the U.S., United Kingdom and Germany.
Analyst says in a recessionary environment, advertisers want to buy ads in major markets or choose channels that air across most of the country - usually specialty channels.
The BBC has warned staffers that they will not be paid if they refuse to cross picket lines during two days of planned strike action in April.
Columnist says that U.S. TV executive grumbling about scheduling conflicts caused by President Obama's updated on the economic crisis show just out of touch they are.
A backlog of funding applications at the department of Canadian Heritage has left dance groups looking at cancelling programming and scrambling to make provisional plans.
Columnist says insensitive remarks on American cable news about Canada's role in Afghanistan reenforce the need for a strong public broadcaster in Canada.
FRIENDS says that facing an estimated $65 - $100 million shortfall, it's almost certain that CBC local programming nationwide will take a hit.
Columnist says hanging Radio-Canada and the CBC out to dry is one more sign that the Conservatives have given up on Quebec in the next election.
Columnist says then the government's TV industry policy priority should be the application of fee-for-carriage in order to keep local TV stations viable and thriving.
Former CBC employee says that public broadcaster's highest paid staff should be willing to make sacrifices to address the budget shortfall.
Op-ed says CBC should reduce ads on TV in exchange for stable, long-term funding; but, this is not a new idea...
Columnist says that the CBC is a political hot-potato and there would be as much trouble for a government that increases the public broadcaster's budget to one that cuts it.
Media Studies professor says the biggest challenge facing media companies is heavy debt load assumed to finance corporate expansion and media consolidation.
The Heritage Minister says he'd like television broadcasters to take a hard look at the horizon and reflect on what's broken with their business plans.
Video of The National's "At Issue" panel talking about the financial problems facing Canada's public Broadcaster.
The executive director of programming for CBC Television says success for a public broadcaster must be measured by the extent to which the public supports and endorses its programs.
Columnist says subscription fees should be used to remove advertising from CBC TV.
The Saskatchewan Justice Minister is accusing the CBC of "needless sensationalism" for its plan to broadcast an interview with a convicted Mountie-killer.
Heritage Minister James Moore says he has never been approached by the CBC for an emergency advance on future federal funding — a statement disputed by the public broadcaster.
Radio reporter says that "more than ever in this age of opinion-fuelled bloggers, specialty channels and PVRs, Canada needs the CBC".
The head of the CBC's largest union says the 50-per-cent reduction in bonuses for executives doesn't seem like much of a sacrifice compared to what unionized staff are facing.
Former National Public Radio vice-president says Canada should look to the U.S. for a new model for public broadcasting.
Columnist says the economic crisis should breed a new kind of journalism; one that is tougher, less knee-jerk, less beholden to elites, more beholden to the truth.
CBC's former chair says the crisis facing the CBC offers the public broadcaster a chance to refocus and separate itself from private stations, making it less reliant on ratings.
A report by Montreal's public-consultation office concludes a $1.6-billion plan to redevelop Radio-Canada's campus should include more social housing.
Representatives of Cape Breton Regional Municipality are urging the public to pressure the CBC to keep its Sydney Nova Scotia station open.
The Harper government is considering help for Canada's troubled private TV broadcasters, including the possibility of looser regulations and tax changes.
In and open letter to Canadian Heritage Minister James Moore, the Canadian Media Guild says the CBC should be adequately funded so that it is able to reduce its reliance on commercial revenue.
The president of Caldwell Asset Management says there is a place for public broadcasting, but in its current form, the CBC does not fill it.
CBC executives will receive half their yearly bonuses despite thousands of employees bracing for layoffs.
The House of Commons Heritage Committee will hold hearings on the "crisis" facing the Canadian television industry.
A spokesman for the federal heritage department has confirmed that the government has drawn up plans for regulatory and tax changes to help private broadcasters deal with a growing TV ad revenue shortfall.
Columnist says the Asper family and Stephen Harper have enjoyed a symbiotic relationship and is therefore not surprising that the Conservative government will pull whatever levers it can to ensure the Aspers retain control over Canwest.
CBC spokesman says the that details of a newly approved budget will be revealed by month's end.
CBC president Hubert Lacroix says that the public broadcaster will freeze executives' salaries and slash their bonuses in half.
Guy Mayson has stepped down from his post as head of Canada's producers' association after 12 years with the organization.
Letter from CBC's president updating staff on the recent board of directors meeting.
Columnist says Stephen Harper has demonstrated a willingness to adjust course on issues to stay in power.
Documents obtained through Access to Information show board members of the CBC regularly flying executive class on short haul flights inside Canada.
A non-profit society that wants to set up a low-wattage, community radio station on in B.C. is worried opposition from Rogers Communications will stop its application for a broadcast licence.
A Canadian Press Harris-Decima survey found that half of respondents were in favour of the Conservative government providing bridge financing to the public broadcaster, while 41 per cent opposed the idea.
CBC spokesman says "Ads on radio are not currently among the things that are being looked at."
The NDP heritage critic says CBC's current financial crisis should be used as an opportunity to refocus the national broadcaster on news, drama and documentaries with less reliance on advertising.
The Prime Minister makes a critical reference to the CBC in a speech to a conservative think-tank.
Columnist says the CBC is heading into a potentially historic showdown with the Conservative government in a clash over cash that may well reshape public broadcasting in this country forever.
Editorial suggests that a highly partisan speech given to Conservative faithful - that includes a snide reference to the CBC - reflects the real Stephen Harper.
CBC English Television's report to the CRTC for the 2007/2008 Broadcast Year.
FRIENDS applauds the Heritage Minster's comments that the CBC needs to "stop chasing revenues and eyeballs," but says it is unlikely the Minister is controlling the purse-strings on this file.
Canadian Heritage Minister James Moore says that ads on public radio go against CBC "tradition" and would hurt private radio, which is also competing for scarce advertising dollars.
Reports indicate Canwest is informally marketing its majority stake in Australia's Ten television network to local investors.
Columnist says that the Conservative government will use the CBC's current financial problems to restructure the public broadcaster into a model more to their liking.
Jeopardy! host Alex Trebek voices concern over the possibility of politicians influencing programming decisions on Canada's public broadcaster.
Columnist says the CBC has a left-wing bias and the government should "pull down its office buildings and stations and pour salt in their foundations".
Columnist says there are two arguable justifications for public broadcasting in Canada: cultural nationalism and intellectual elitism.
FRIENDS says the CBC Board is likely looking at deep cuts to staff and programming and introducing ads to CBC Radio to address financial woes.
Columnist says the CBC needs to be funded to a high standard, and then held to it.
FRIENDS says the CBC's revenue shortfall springs equally from the recession and the public broadcaster having overpaid for American game shows that did not meet "rosy" sales projections.
FRIENDS tracks Stephen Harper's comments on public broadcasting and cultural sovereignty over the years.
Former Tory cabinet minister say a little-noticed clause in the federal budget emasculates ability of Ottawa to review foreign takeovers.
Viral email circulating on the web raises alarms about the Conservative government's changes to the CTF.
In a radio interview, FRIENDS spokesperson, Ian Morrison, discusses the implications of placing ads on CBC Radio.
The Heritage Minister discusses funding for the CBC, Canadian content and the potential of ads on CBC Radio.
Article references FRIENDS' campaign to keep ads off CBC Radio.
The CBC's board of directors, faced with a possible $200-million shortfall, has approved a budget for the coming year that includes deep cuts.
Article says Hollywood TV production is returning to Canada because of local production incentives and currency exchange-rate advantages.
Reports indicate Nadir Mohamed will become the next CEO of Rogers Communications.
The CBC has abruptly cancelled a scheduled meeting with Heritage Minister James Moore, acknowledging the planned encounter fuelled perception of political interference.
FRIENDS says if TV networks don't provide high-profile promotion and reserve online space for Canadian shows and news broadcasts, Canada's broadcasting industry will suffer.
Columnist says content has value, and cost - if advertisers can no longer bear all that cost, then consumers who want the content will have to.
Study suggests that by portraying a skewed version of Brazilian society, soap operas have affected birth and divorce rates in the country.
The President and CEO of CBC/Radio-Canada to speak about the Future of Public Broadcasting in Canada.
Industry observers say Canwest is lumbering towards an inevitable bankruptcy protection filing sometime in 2009.
FRIENDS says that if public investment replaced ad revenue on CBC television, it would help private sector television operators who are in financial difficulty.
A Hamilton community group is hoping to purchase CHCH TV and return it to its roots of quality local programming.
FRIENDS says that local programming on over-the-air television doesn't shouldn't be allowed to wither away and die forever because of a temporary economic down cycle.
Observers say complex international licensing deals threaten the Canadian TV broadcast industry because viewers seeking online content will find ways to bypass the networks.
Writer and former CBC producer says "trying to be everything to everyone, CBC-TV ended up being nothing to anyone."
Conrad Black says that if professionally approached, CBC could become a first class national and international voice in public broadcasting.
CanWest's restructuring plan includes the Asper family keeping control of the company.
Cable and Satellite company appointments to the Board of the Canada Media Fund cause the national executive director of ACTRA to question the Heritage Minister's intentions towards Canadian content.
Columnist says CBC's "popularization" strategy has alienated core audiences, and exchanged them for audiences for whom CBC is just one choice among many, and therefore not worth fighting for in difficult times.
Sirius XM Radio is planning to stream its subscription radio service to Apple's iPhone and iPod Touch devices, beginning this spring.
FRIENDS says the CBC should follow the BBC model in which the board of directors, composed of TV veterans, nominates the president, who reports back to the board.
Canwest has compromised with Sun-Times Media and agreed to settle a dispute over the purchase of Hollinger's Canadian newspaper group for $34 million.
Columnist says the closure of local TV stations may get politicians interested in making rapid changes to the economics of conventional TV.
Independent stakeholders in Canada's production community say the revamped Canada Media Fund gives too much power to cable companies.
Sun Media has given notice that it plans to pull out of The Canadian Press national news organization.
Canwest says its senior lenders have agreed to extend a waiver of certain borrowing conditions until April 7.
In a radio interview, FRIENDS spokesperson, Ian Morrison, discusses the implications of amalgamating the Canadian Television Fund, the Canada New Media Fund and Aboriginal Television fund.
Cable monopolies say a proposal to impose a levy on Internet service providers to fund Canadian new media content is an illegal idea that will burden consumers with higher costs.
CTV Television has laid off more than 24 employees at its Canada AM morning show and cancelled First News in Montreal.
Columnist says the optics of the CBC's plight would be improved if it committed itself to local coverage when commercial broadcasters are balking at the cost and their regulatory requirements.
Canada's largest media union says Canada's Heritage Minister should step in to demand that local news and information remain a cornerstone of the Canadian broadcasting system.
Critics of a proposed integrated media fund say that a condition for multi-platform distribution will mean innovative new media projects likely won't qualify for funding, since they are too edgy for TV.
The CRTC will hold a public hearing to determine whether the way that CBC re-branded specialty channel 'Country Canada' to 'bold' has negatively impacted "the integrity of the licensing process".
The director of music division at Boston Conservatory speaks about the importance of music and the role of artists in society.
FRIENDS says losing a local TV station would be devastating to a community because of the effect on the economy and decrease in local information.
Columnist says the decisions by CanWest and CTV to cut staff and programs at small-market channels are part of a strategy to force regulatory changes.
Columnist says new rules will see CBC having to compete for a share of funds in the amalgamation of the Canadian Television Fund, the Canada New Media Fund and Aboriginal Television fund.
In advance of a debt payment deadline, Canwest has sold the American political magazine New Republic.
Heritage Minister James Moore says the government will not provide bridge financing to the CBC.
The country's first television channel dedicated to funerals and mourning could start broadcasting as early as this summer.
Rogers has proposed offering its cable customers a Web site where they could view popular television programs free of charge as a way to promote Canadian Internet content.
The Heritage Minister says the emphasis of the government's new broadcast policy will be on drama, comedy, and children's programming, and will favour productions developed for distribution platforms other than prime-time television.
Artists say that cuts by Conservative government to programs that helped Canadian artists export their work now threatens Canadian jobs and puts the nation's international cultural influence in peril.
Channel 4 executives have offered to take pay cuts amounting to as much as 35%, as the publicly owned U.K. broadcaster seeks additional funding.
The Canadian government has rejected a proposal by the CRTC to curb domestic broadcasters' spending on U.S. series.
Canadian Heritage Minister says Canadian viewers will have better access to Canadian programming on all media platforms following the creation of the Canada Media Fund.
Columnist professional hockey can be looked to as a model for to monetize new media content.
The company that owns the Weather Network in Canada alleges that the wireless industry is engaged in practices that stifle innovation by privileging access or controlling content on their networks.
Columnist says the uncertainty over Canwest's fate has weighed heavily on Australian broadcaster Ten's shares and prevented attempts to raise equity.
Columnist says CBC should follow the example of the Irish national broadcaster and institute staff pay cuts.
CanWest has been granted a two-week extension in talks with its banks as the company tries to stave off filing for creditor protection.
Political editor says it is time for broadcasters to stop blaming new technologies and regulations for their financial problems and start attracting viewers by producing quality Canadian programming.
Op-ed says that at a time when Canadian television broadcasters should be thrown a lifeline, CRTC chairman Konrad von Finckenstein is tossing them an anchor.
A small American company has started selling a set-top box that plugs into a TV set and delivers programming, on-demand, over the Internet — for free.
Reports indicate Canwest is in talks to sell The New Republic magazine back to its editor-in-chief.
The Canadian Media Guild says a new fund to improve local TV programming in small markets is the key to saving local news.
Industry observer says that unlike Canadian media giants such as TorStar, Canwest and CBC, ethnic publications aren't struggling to find advertising revenue.
Market analyst says a recent 33% drop in Torstar stock price now better reflects the company's circumstances.
The union that represents 1,500 Radio-Canada and CBC employees in Québec and Moncton says the Harper government must provide adequate funding for CBC/Radio-Canada, even in these difficult times.
An analysis of the 2006 census reveals that artists are declining as a percentage of the overall Canadian work force.
In an excerpt from his book, the former vice-president of the National Citizens Coalition says Stephen Harper was appointed to the organization's top job in 1997 because he fit the criteria of viewing the CBC as a "socialist-run boondoggle".
US President Barack Obama has nominated veteran technology executive Julius Genachowski to be chairman of the Federal Communications Commission.
Columnist says that without giving TVA, TQS and Radio-Canada access to new sources of revenue – such as fees-for-carriage – more dubbed U.S. programming appears inevitable on Quebec TV.
Columnist contrasts how the current economic crisis is being covered by CTV and CBC newscasts.
Industry Minister Tony Clement says the Canadian government has no plans to relax foreign ownership limits in the country's struggling media sector.
Freelance writer and communications consultant says old thinking is failing the news business.
CTVglobemedia executive says "Without fee for carriage, we're only going to be witness to the demise of conventional television in this country."
CTVglobemedia executive says "We are doing everything we can to hang on to conventional television, but as we continue to stress, the conventional model is now broken."
CTV will cut 118 newsroom jobs at its A branded stations and will cancel some morning shows, in the hopes of riding out the drop in advertising revenue from the beleaguered economy.
Rogers has submitted licence renewal applications to the CRTC for its conventional TV stations, seeking a seven-year extension and telling the regulator it wants to focus on local programming.
Representatives from the Canadian arts sector went to Parliament Hill pleading for the restoration of arts programs cut last year, but it appears their requests will be ignored.
CTVglobemedia is canceling the 6-9 a.m. morning shows produced in Victoria, London and Barrie, and the 6 p.m., 11 p.m. and weekend newscasts produced in Ottawa.
Broadcasters call for lower local programming obligations and ending priority programming requirements in primetime.
Rogers is asking the federal broadcast regulator for permission to program more sitcoms, movies and hockey games on the Outdoor Living Network.
Columnist says if CBC executives wants to go 'Hollywood', then it's not entitled to special treatment, but if it's a public broadcaster, then a case can be made for government support.
Analyst says it is likely Canwest already has some sales lined up to offload assets in advance of a financing deadline.
The Canadian Television Fund has announced that it has increased its program commitments for 2009-2010 by almost 14% over the previous year.
The Canadian Media Guild is "seeking clarifications" from the CBC's management, saying that it has not been notified of layoffs and had been assured no decisions have been made.
The national coordinator for the Campaign for Democratic Media says the current financial problems in the news business is caused by highly concentrated media ownership and a deepening bottom-line mentality of Big Media corporations.
Columnist says the CRTC has limited its new media hearings by explicitly excluding issues such as net neutrality and the potential regulation of user-generated and non-commercial content.
In a submission to the CRTC ahead of upcoming licence renewal hearings in April, CTV said there is no point discussing short-term solutions for the industry amid a steep drop in advertising revenue.
The Canadian Film and Television Producers Association has warned members with CanWest Global contracts to seek legal advice to protect their interests amid rumors that the broadcaster could be on the brink of filing for bankruptcy protection.
Liberal MP Bob Rae says the Conservative government is using the recession as cover to gut the CBC.
Canwest says it has extended a debt deadline by 12 days and agreed to a reduction of nearly two-thirds on its $300 million credit line.
The President and CEO of CTVglobemedia discusses the closure of local TV stations and the financial state of the company in a note to staff.
Video Blog post on the challenges facing the media business in Canada.
FRIENDS says that it is time for the CRTC to grant over-the-air broadcasters fee-for-carriage revenues.
Columnist say the whole business model of broadcast television may need to adapt to changing times.
Article profiles the financial challenges of CanWest Global Communications.
Canwest will learn shortly whether its lenders will reinstate a credit facility that would help the media giant stave off a potential bankruptcy protection filing.
Columnist says Stephen Harper's political strategy of aiming his message directly at local voters may be threatened with the possible closures of many community television stations.
FRIENDS says it is doubtful whether Canadian taxpayers would be willing to pay for a public broadcaster that carries American TV shows and commercialized radio.
CBC president says senior management at the public broadcaster is looking at options that "would substantially change the very nature of our service to Canadians."
FRIENDS says possible cuts to CBC programs and less regional content would result in more of a Toronto broadcasting corporation than a Canadian broadcasting corporation.
Speaking Notes for Hubert T. Lacroix, President and Chief Executive Officer, CBC/Radio-Canada, to the Empire Club of Canada.
The president of CBC/Radio-Canada says ads on CBC Radio are "on the table."
Torstar is set to hand departing chief executive Rob Prichard a multimillion-dollar severance package as part of a management shuffle and a host of moves designed to combat slumping fortunes.
Columnist says a move by Torstar to slash the value of its investment in media rival CTVglobemedia suggests that CTVglobemedia has had to write down the value of its conventional television assets by more than $1.5-billion.
CHUM Radio, a division of CTV, is cutting 40 jobs across the country as a result of weaker revenues caused by the recession.
CBC president says he is considering introducing more American programming into television schedules, downgrading or selling parts of TV or radio services, increasing on-air advertising, or closing local stations.
FRIENDS say the gamble by CBC executives to purchase expensive U.S. TV shows hasn't paid off.
CBC executives say Internet Service Providers have become broadcasting distributors, and as such, should be required to contribute to program funding.
Columnist says there is mounting speculation that U.S. media groups are interested in collaborating in a new U.K pubcaster that would merge Channel 4 and BBC Worldwide.
CTV says it would rather close two Ontario stations in Windsor and Wingham than continue to absorb financial losses in those cities.
A spokesman for the Prime Minister says "The CBC cannot be insulated from all market realities." after executives at the public broadcaster floated the idea of a bridge loan to cover a sharp drop in ad revenue.
The Conservative government has signaled it would not bail out the CBC after the public broadcaster asked for help to compensate for a drop in advertising revenue.
FRIENDS says a CBC revenue shortfall is as high as $125 million, and that watertight, multi-year acquisition of American shows have contributed to the corporation's woes.
CBC spokesman Jeff Keay says the public broadcaster wants Ottawa to provide immediate relief for a budgetary shortfall expected in 2009-2010 but he dismissed suggestions that bridge financing would amount to a handout.
FRIENDS says CTV's decision to close two small Ontario television stations put's pressure on the CRTC to re-examine its ruling on fee-for-carriage.
Former New Brunswick Premier Bernard Lord, on behalf of the Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association, says the 2007 CRTC decision to exempt mobile content from broadcasting regulation should be upheld.
Columnist asks in the age of cross-ownership, when the proprietors of most major print publications also own broadcast outlets, will the CRTC look to regulate the print media next?
CanWest has unloaded its stake in the sports specialty channel The Score, selling the shares back to the broadcaster's majority owner.
The CBC espionage series The Border has been sold to American cable network ION TV, which will have exclusive U.S. broadcast rights to the show.
CBC brass is denying a report that it's asking the federal government for help, but admits the corporation could soon be in a deficit position.
CBC senior management says it is having to consider job cuts and changes to its services and programming to manage a revenue shortfall.
FRIENDS says a CBC revenue shortfall is likely caused by the decision to purchase several expensive U.S. TV properties, including Jeopardy, Wheel Of Fortune and The Martha Stewart Show.
FRIENDS says it is reasonable to extend the same public policy and Broadcasting Act support for Canadian content in all media, including new media.
A debt-rating agency has downgraded two divisions of Canwest with the company facing a deadline at the end of the week for a $100-million debt facility.
Gail Asper says Canwest's fortunes will not impact the Asper family foundation's activities, in particular the development of the Canadian Museum for Human Rights.
Richard Stursberg, CBC's Executive Vice-President, English Services, says advertising revenue has fallen "off a cliff," and the CBC is considering asking the government for bridge financing to weather the recession.
The Recording Industry Association of America has appealed a decision granting a request by a grad student to Webcast his trial for allegedly sharing music files online.
Nielsen's fourth-quarter report says the average American watches more than 151 hours of TV per month — an all-time high.
Canwest's president and CEO, Leonard Asper, has sent out an internal memo to his staff, hoping to downplay the persistent reports that the company is in financial trouble.
Columnist says Canada's slow migration to digital TV will hinder innovation in harnessing the freed-up spectrum when broadcasters abandon analog transmissions.
Editorial says Al Jazeera English provides an unique perspective from the developing world and should be approved for broadcast in Canada.
A Princeton University professor says the financial problems facing the newspaper business are bad for society and politics.
Columnist says Canada must start moving in a positive direction toward ensuring an accessible, open Internet for everyone.
DBRS has scaled back estimates on what lenders can recover from CanWest Global Communications.
CBC President Hubert Lacroix's internal memo to all employees on the corporation's financial challenges.
Columnist says Rupert Murdoch's lifelong fondness for newspapers has become a significant drag on the fortunes of his company, the News Corporation.
In a note to staff, CBC president Hubert Lacroix says he is looking at alternatives to address a budget shortfall "including the sale of some of our assets."
Article says potential bids are being drawn up for CanWest Global's coveted specialty channels in the event the media company is forced to liquidate assets.
Columnist says some potential investors - including Fairfax Financial - want to take control of CanWest away from the Asper family in exchange for any cash infusion.
Police say a bomb threat contained in a letter was mailed to Canwest's head office in Winnipeg.
Letter to the Editor says the government should increase funding to the CBC, rather than allowing ads on CBC Radio.
CBS has signed a deal to co-produce its second cop drama with CTV after the Canadian network last year brought it "Flashpoint" during the WGA strike.
The CRTC chair says the commission is inclined to introduce a condition of license for English-language broadcasters requiring a 1-to-1 ratio between Canadian and non-Canadian programming expenditures.
Cultural groups say introducing Canadian content regulations for radio helped strengthen Canada's domestic music industry and the same could be done for the country's new media creative community.
Canwest says its Australian TV broadcasting unit has decided to scrap a proposed equity offering because of weak financial markets.
Rogers Communications says its conventional television operations, suffering from a decline in advertising sales, dragged the company to $138-million loss in the fourth quarter.
Middle East-based news and current affairs channel Al Jazeera English is asking the CRTC to add it to the list of eligible satellite services in Canada.
Viewer data show that the CBC-TV decision to move 'Being Erica' to a Wednesday time-slot hasn't worked.
Tony Burman, managing director of Al Jazeera English, says he hopes the channel will obtain CRTC approval and be available in Canada by autumn of this year.
Canadian arts groups say the time has come to protect homegrown content by making Internet distributors obey the same rules applied to radio and television broadcasters.
A proposed scenario would see Internet service providers pay 3 per cent of their subscriber revenue - roughly $100-million - to a fund that would help produce Canadian programs for the Web.
While the call for new media regulation "doesn't mean the CRTC should regulate videos of kids or singing dogs on YouTube," says actor Colin Mochrie, inaction could mean "our stories will get lost and our culture will drown in a sea of non-Canadian content."
Heritage Minister James Moore has announced the government is going ahead with plans to create a new $75.5-million Canada Periodical Fund.
The FCC says more than 400 television stations in the U.S. have stopped broadcasting analog signals, months before the rescheduled transition to digital TV.
Columnist says Canwest will dilute its ownership of Australian TV network TEN by issuing the sale of 120 million shares.
Article profiles Geoblocking - a technique for making sure only the people within a specific geographical region can view online content such as a video stream.
The cofounder of the SaveOurNet.ca says Canadians should take a stand against telecommunications companies that are undermining "Net neutrality" guidelines of the Internet.
Columnist says that a Harper government review that may lead to the sale or privatization of several well-known Crown corporations could become a political minefield when expanded to include the CBC.
Columnist says the CBS/CTV co-production "Flashpoint" has opened doors for Canadian Producers in Los Angeles.
Canadian actor says if the CRTC doesn't create shelf-space and funding for Canadian new media content, "our culture and our industry will drown in a sea of foreign content".
Carleton University professor compiles a list of factors that could affect the outcome of the CRTC hearings on new media.
The U.K.'s largest commercial broadcaster is preparing to lay off 10% of its staff and sell a social networking website in a bid to protect its programming budget.
Columnists says much of the CRTC new-media hearings will concentrate on whether there should be additional funding of Canadian programming for the Internet and wireless devices.
Industry analyst says the CRTC may loosen some traditional media restrictions for broadcasters in exchange for concessions in new media.
Columnist looks at the players involved in the race to save Sirius XM Satellite Radio from bankruptcy.
Columnist says the CRTC took the right approach not to regulate the Internet 10 years ago and reversing it would be a huge mistake.
FRIENDS says the prime responsibility of the CRTC is to ensure that a certain amount of Canadian content in the audio-visual system - including the Internet - is available to Canadians.
FRIENDS says a CRTC plan to issue one-year licences and review local programming rules will be good for TV companies but bad for viewers.
CRTC commissioners say they are considering a proposal that would require CTV, Global, CITY-TV and other TV Networks to spend the same amount on Canadian programming as they do on U.S. shows.
Columnist says there is a growing belief that Internet security issues and privacy concerns have become so serious that the only solution is to start over.
FRIENDS spokesperson Ian Morrison discusses options for CHCH TV Hamilton and the importance of local news in a radio interview with host Bill Kelly.
Canada's broadcast regulator says it wants to allow one-year licence renewals to conventional television broadcasters because of the financial issues faced by the industry.
Sirius XM Radio says that it could file for bankruptcy protection as early as Tuesday if it could not successfully negotiate with the holders of its debt.
ACTRA is optimistic the CRTC will heed Canadian performers' concerns that private TV broadcasters must do more to support Canadian programming.
Columnist says that investing in quality local news programming could save Sirius XM satellite radio.
FRIENDS says it is likely that CHCH television will continue to operate in Hamilton, but the sagging financial fortunes of parent company Canwest may mean less local programming.
Columnist says the CRTC is expected to announce a new kind of television licence designed to give some of the country's cash-strapped small-market TV stations some relief in an economic downturn.
Manitoba aboriginal leaders charge the CBC has failed to police its website and has given racists a forum to spew hatred.
Industry analysts say Canwest may face bankruptcy as the weak economy wreaks havoc on its stable of television stations and newspapers, and buyers for its assets fail to materialize.
Arts groups complain a proposed competition could reward international artists, while their Canadian counterparts are struggling to make ends meet or facing bankruptcy due to lack of federal support.
Google has announced it's scrapping its radio advertising service, Google Audio Ads, because the ad selling service wasn't meeting expectations.
The Managing Editor of the Wall Street Journal says Google doesn't distinguish between the quality of the content around which it serves up ads, it is concerned with quantity rather than quality.
FRIENDS says Heritage Minister James Moore may have blurted out more than he intended when saying he would consider putting ads on CBC Radio.
In a radio interview, FRIENDS spokesperson, Ian Morrison, discusses the possible implications of placing ads on CBC Radio.
The federal broadcast regulator says it is scrapping its limits on the number of "hit" oldies in English markets.
FRIENDS spokesperson, Ian Morrison, takes part in a call-in radio show on the Conservative government's openness to allow the commercialization of CBC Radio.
Reports indicate Sirius XM Radio, the satellite radio giant that is on the brink of bankruptcy, is in preliminary talks with the company that controls DirecTV.
FRIENDS says a mandate to ensure shelf space for Canadian programming puts pressure on the CRTC to reconsider fee-for-carriage.
The deadline has been extended for submissions to the CRTC's hearings into the issue of "net neutrality" and the traffic management practices of internet service providers.
Data show that while Canadian private broadcasters are increasingly spending big on American programming, their profitability took a huge hit in the 2008 broadcast year.
New study shows radio reaches 90% of Canadian adults over 18 years of age every week, and 56% of them listen to the radio seven days a week, particularly business executives, parents and affluent Canadians.
CBC/Radio-Canada says it is not currently considering putting ads on CBC Radio but is looking for 'financial flexibility' to offset a revenue shortfall from TV operations.
A day after the federal government rejected pleas for financial assistance, CBC cancels Steven & Chris and Fashion File.
Columnist says Canwest's looming cash crunch has made several of its independent producers jittery about renewals of programs slated to air this fall on specialty channels.
The latest data from the federal broadcast regulator reveals Canada's biggest private television broadcasters saw their profits plummet by almost 93 per cent last year.
Data show Canada's national conventional TV networks, including CTV, Global, CITY-TV, and French broadcasters such as TVA, saw their biggest-ever drop on a percentage basis in profits before income tax.
NDP Heritage critic says Minister James Moore "revealed his government's inclination to support the introduction of commercials on CBC Radio."
FRIENDS says that if the government and CBC executives are considering putting ads on CBC Radio they can expect a firestorm of protest.
Reports indicate Sirius XM Radio Inc. has been working with its advisers to prepare for a possible bankruptcy filing.
Data show revenues for private conventional television stations decreased by 1.5% last year while expenses increased by 4%.
Recent cutbacks and sharp shift in focus for the Canadian Association of Broadcasters is something that should be re-thought, say its independent broadcast members.
Heritage Minister James Moore says that commercial advertising on CBC Radio should be be considered if the public broadcaster needs extra cash to to dig itself out of a financial hole.
Responding to a question from Charlie Angus, the NDP Heritage Critic, Minister Moore says he would consider putting ads on CBC
Radio.
A national coalition of Internet democracy watchdogs are urging Canadians to get involved in the debate over Canada's open Internet and "Net Neutrality" before a February 16 deadline.
Article profiles options for Canadians that want to watch geo-blocked content from websites such as Hulu and TV.com.
Columnist says the imminent closure of A-channel Windsor is another example of the fragile state of local news in Canada.
When contracts with CTV and ACCESS TV expire next year, the Alberta legislature will have to choose between creating its own broadcasts or scrapping coverage of question period.
FRIENDS says the Canwest TV station in Hamilton is in a strong position to carry on under new ownership.
The Canadian Press is looking to restructure itself by seeking investment from media companies and, potentially, investors from outside the industry.
Columnist says all-sport radio can expect cuts and perhaps a decrease in local content as a result of the recession.
Journalism professor says it is time to stop focusing on the decline of newspapers and start worrying about the loss of mass media in general.
Canwest says five of the company's E!-branded conventional television stations are no longer "core assets."
The tightening cash squeeze has forced CanWest to put its secondary television network, E!, up for sale, but the company says the stations may be shut down if a buyer can't be found in the next two months.
Canwest executive says the company is exploring options to sell, rebrand, reprogram or shut down TV stations in Montreal, Hamilton, Red Deer, Kelowna and Victoria.
FRIENDS says about two million Canadians who use rabbit ears or rooftop antennas to watch American television will be affected when U.S. broadcasters switch to digital TV signals in June.
Major U.S. television networks CBS, NBC, ABC and Fox will transmit TV signals in analog until the new June deadline for a national switch to digital signals.
Canwest says it retained RBC Capital Markets to shop five E! Entertainment-branded TV stations in Montreal, Hamilton, Red Deer, AB, Kelowna, BC and Victoria.
Research shows earnings by most Canadian artists are hovering at poverty levels and the situation is likely to worsen as the worldwide recession deepens.
FRIENDS says the CRTC should not be making seven-year decisions about broadcasting entities in a recession, where one of the major players might be failing.
A U.S. initiative could soon see this country blanketed by cheap, high-speed Internet with the potential to change the way Canadians share information, make cellphone calls and watch TV.
Quebec artists are furious about a $25-million grant in the federal budget they say will reward two businessmen from Toronto to stage an international competition, while it leaves local professionals on the verge of bankruptcy.
The U.S. House of Representatives have voted to extend the deadline for the signal switch to digital TV until June 12.
A new study says CBC.ca is the number one ranked news website in Canada for buzz generated from its online content.
CanWest lenders have cut back a $300-million credit facility to $112-million.
Corus Entertainment has signed a deal that will bring its live radio stations to Apple's iPhones.
Investment analysts expect Rogers Communications to post 17-per-cent growth in fourth-quarter profit.
Longtime CBC broadcaster Russ Germain, former host of flagship radio news programs World Report and The World at Six, has died at the age of 62.
A survey done for the Department of Heritage found almost three-quarters of Canadians are familiar with home-gown musicians and one-third of all music we listen to is Canadian.
Members of the Canadian Media Guild have voted overwhelmingly in favour of a new five-year collective agreement with CBC/Radio-Canada.
U.K. public broadcaster Channel 4 has implemented a pay freeze for all staff, and top executives will not receive bonuses this year.
Article profiles a new $25 million venture called the Canada Prizes for Arts and Creativity, which plans to offer four annual awards of about $100,000 to emerging artists in theatre, dance, music and visual arts.
Columnist says a timeslot shuffle make it look like CBC-TV is hiding its "public" broadcasting face in order to give a desperate boost to programming that is undistinguishable from "commercial" TV fare.
The former publisher of the Toronto Star explores the decline of the newspaper industry and how the quality of democracy could be affected.
Media researcher says newspaper companies are making a mistake in assuming that a shift in focus to the Internet alone will rescue their business model.
Article profiles "geo-blocking", a system that blocks the transmission of Internet TV channels to certain parts of the world.
Columnist says that just days away from a scheduled switch to digital TV, there are an estimated 6.5 million families in the U.S. still relying on unconverted televisions.
FRIENDS says broadcasters may ask for relief on what they must spend on local programming or Canadian drama at CRTC licence renewal hearings set for this spring.
Columnist says Canada's broadcast regulator is contemplating significant changes to the way it issues broadcast licences for the country's largest commercial television networks.
The Canadian Radio-television Telecommunications Commission says it will narrow or reduce the scope of license renewal hearings for CTV and Global Television.
The national executive director of ACTRA says by not making a significant investment in Canada's cultural industry, the Conservatives passed on an opportunity to create thousands of well-paying, creative, skilled jobs and in turn stimulate the Canadian economy.
The Canadian Association of Broadcasters, which represents the sector in Ottawa, says it will not hold its annual gathering of the television and radio business.
Reports indicate the U.K. government is leaning heavily towards the creation of a British TV distribution giant from a tie-up between the two public broadcaster, Channel 4 and the BBC.
Canwest has been awarded about C$51 million in a long-running dispute with Hollinger International over the sale of many of Canada's daily newspapers in 2000.
The British government has outlined plans to bring broadband Internet service to every home in Britain by 2012, and proposed ways to support the music industry and other media businesses by cracking down on online piracy.
The injections of cultural cash in the federal budget are being hailed by many in the arts community as a landmark moment showing national politicians' heightened attention to the arts.
TiVo executive says the TV advertising marketplace is facing a meltdown in the next few years that will be far more destructive than what is currently being felt in the financial crisis.
CTV has announced that Calgarians will now be able to pick up television signals in HD off the airwaves.
An attempt to delay the U.S. switch to digital-only television transmission by four months has been scuttled by the House of Representatives.
Citing "economic and market realities" the the private broadcasters' lobbying group has fired 14 people, about half its staff.
Japan's public broadcaster is relaunching its NHK World channel as a 24-hour English-language news service in a bid to create an Asian counterpart to Al Jazeera, the BBC and CNN.
The Canadian Heritage Minister says the cash infusion for arts and culture expected in the federal budget will be placed squarely on infrastructure, festivals and training.
$160 million in new money is expected in the budget for the arts.
CanWest Global's President Peter Viner has asked employees to save costs by refraining from printing too many documents.
Columnist calls on the CRTC to apologize to the creators of Canadian "televised fiction" for the distress caused by the Commission's vice-chairman in charge of broadcasting.
Columnist says Canadian media companies will enjoy a boost in the federal budget, but mostly in the form of renewed commitments to funding that already existed.
CW Media Holdings, the operator of HGTV, Showcase and other specialty cable channels in Canada, says it posted a net loss of $53.3-million in the first-quarter.
Despite higher ad and subscriber fee revenue, foreign exchange losses led Canadian cable channel broadcaster CW Media, which is partly owned by Goldman Sachs, to post a steep first-quarter loss.
The Canadian Conference of the Arts says new media and mentorship programs for young people should benefit from new arts and cultural funding expected in federal budget.
Demonstrators have conducted a sit-in at BBC headquarters to protest the broadcaster's refusal to carry a video appeal for relief aid for Gazans.
Columnist says online video, the social Web and mobile applications took center stage during the U.S. Presidential inauguration as millions worldwide accessed and shared information online.
Representatives from U.S. film, television and other sectors of the arts are recommending that some of the Obama administration's economic stimulus package should go to their industries.
CRTC vice-chair responds to an article that questions the appropriateness of his comments concerning Canadian drama programming.
Toronto's film and television industry is pleading for help from the federal government, hoping to lure American productions back with bigger tax credits.
The Obama administration is expected to make universal broadband a priority, but a new report suggests that achieving that goal will require more than just better infrastructure.
National Association of Broadcasters executive says that while Internet users experienced glitches and spotty online coverage of the Obama inauguration, TV broadcast coverage was live, clear and reliable.
The interim publisher of CBC News says the public broadcaster has started a renewal initiative with the goal to make news programming better and more relevant to Canadians.
Columnist says there is very little appetite in Canada to follow the model in France and remove commercials from prime-time television.
Columnist says arts advocates are making a hard argument for the economic soundness of policies that support the arts, rather than dwelling on their nation-building or soul-sustaining functions.
President Obama appointed Michael J. Copps as acting chairman of the Federal Communications Commission.
Democrats cite mounting concerns that too many Americans who rely on analog TV sets to pick up over-the-air broadcast signals won't be ready for a proposed switchover to digital on Feb 17.
CBC/Radio-Canada has announced a study to evaluate the breadth and depth of its news content and to gauge Canadians' expectations of the public broadcaster's news services.
Canwest has canceled its Global Television's noon newscast from Toronto and rival Astral has cut 23 jobs from its English-language radio station business.
The U.K. Culture Secretary has signaled that the government would prefer an agreement between Channel 4 and BBC Worldwide to a merger with RTL-owned Channel Five.
Canada's largest media union says the CRTC should demand that broadcasters who are threatening to shut down service in small Canadian communities return their licences now, and give others the chance to run them.
Ottawa is spending $10.7-million to support a private-sector, high-tech research initiative called the "Corridor for Advancing Canadian Digital Media" in southwestern Ontario.
CBC Media Relations calls CBC Television a "publcly-subsidized commercial network."
FRIENDS says the lack of a clearly defined transition plan from analogue to digital TV broadcasts will cause trouble for over-the-air viewers.
Columnist calls comments from the vice-chairman of the CRTC about not being interested in television comedy and drama 'indiscreet' and 'out-of-touch'.
Censors at China's state owned broadcaster hastily cut the feed to U.S. President Barack Obama's inaugural speech when 'communism' was mentioned.
Columnist explores the differences in TV watching between Canada and communist Cuba.
Columnist says CTV and Canwest are considering shutting down smaller stations across the country, fearing that some local markets may never again be profitable in a TV industry where dollars are increasingly migrating to cable.
In response to public pressure, including from FRIENDS, Heritage Minister James Moore has promised not to cut the CBC's parliamentary grant by $200 million in the upcoming budget. �
New music show featuring Canada's emerging independent music acts bypasses TV and launches on the Internet.
Global TV's Toronto station is eliminating its noon newscast, resulting in an unspecified number of layoffs.
Columnist says TV audiences for pro hockey are up 17 percent this year on TSN and 4 percent on CBC.
Article says it is unclear whether veteran newsman George Hoff has left the CBC or been let go as the Ottawa bureau's managing editor.
U.K. broadcaster Channel 4 says it will invest as much as $7 billion in creative content over the next decade if it secures investment to support its public service mission.
Article profiles QuickPlay Media, a Toronto-based company that collects and formats videos for mobile phones.
Columnist says between 20 and 35 people will lose their jobs as a result of Canwest's decision to scrap its Toronto noon-hour newscast.
Data show Canadian films made up 3% of domestic theater receipts earning $26.7 million in 2008, with eight of the top-10 homegrown releases coming from Quebec.
Industry sources say both XM Canada and Sirius Canada have hired investment bankers to negotiate terms of a possible merger.
Newfoundland Capital has called off a $19-million purchase of 12 small-city FM radio outlets in Ontario, citing "seriously deteriorating credit markets."
CBC Radio 2 listeners have selected the top 49 Canadian songs that best defined the country's image for Barack Obama.
BBM Nielsen data show the CTV/CBS co-production "Flashpoint" delivered 1.74 million viewers for its latest episode.
Columnist says Canadian broadcasters are seizing on a new revenue stream by acquiring digital rights of popular U.S. series for their broadband and entertainment portals.
Canwest wants to loosen the rules governing its newsrooms and has asked the CRTC to lift certain conditions of licence at its E! and Global stations.
Rogers says it will launch a new website, everbetter.ca, in April targeting the 50+ or "zoomer" demographic.
Assistant managing editor questions CBC's handling of a disqualified contestant on its reality TV program 'Canada's Next Great Prime Minister."
Article profiles strategies used in other parts of the world that could be implemented to preserve and enhance the lives of Canadian artists.
Industry professionals offer advice on how to improved Canada's public broadcaster.
CBC has tapped Jeopardy!'s Alex Trebek to host the upcoming installment of its one-hour special Canada's Next Great Prime Minister.
The Commissioner of Official Languages says the CRTC and the federal government should contribute to strengthening the CBC's role in producing regional programming in both official languages.
The Harper government is expected to introduce an infrastructure program that would expand high-speed Internet access for everyone in the country in the coming budget.
The parent company of XM Satellite Radio Canada is giving no clear signal on its future, five months after XM Radio in the U.S. merged with rival Sirius Satellite Radio.
The head of Channel 4 has dismissed the idea of a merger with rival U.K. broadcaster Five as "a mess."
CBC programs are using fictional blog entries to extend storylines from the TV broadcast to the Internet, or the other way around.
CanWest says it will consider selling off assets if the economic downturn gutting the media sector puts increased pressure on its lending agreements with banks.
Article profiles two new CBC TV dramas, Being Erica and Wild Roses.
Astral Media enjoyed a boost from its radio business helping to push its first-quarter results ahead of analyst expectations.
Columnist says the CRTC and parliamentarians should enact and enforce policies that support the 'open Internet' in order to produce a more democratic media system.
A group convened to solve the plight of the France's newspaper industry has tabled its report.
CBC executive says the public broadcaster couldn't make televised professional baseball work financially in tough economic times.
Columnist says that a closer look at Canwest financial numbers reveal "breathtakingly unsustainable borrowing."
The incoming Obama administration has submitted a former FCC top aide to the top job at the U.S. broadcast regulator.
Canwest saw its operating profit increase by 13 per cent to $558 million in the last fiscal year but still posted a net loss of $1.04 billion.
Astral Media says it outperformed its industry in the fall months of 2008 but has begun to feel the effects of a softening economy.
Shares in CanWest tumbled after the company said it lost almost $33 million in the first quarter and might breach some credit conditions.
The publisher of USA Today has imposed one-week unpaid furloughs for most of its U.S. employees, saying the move could help minimize the need for further layoffs amid a severe advertising downturn.
Columnist says a CBC Radio Two promotion to help the incoming U.S. President learn about Canada though music may be a bright spot in an otherwise rocky transition from classical music.
Columnist says CBC producers had to resort to cold-calling potential contestants for its reality series 'Canada's Next Great Prime Minister.'
Canwest says it could sell its lucrative specialty channels acquired last year from Alliance Atlantis to avoid a possible breach of key loan covenants.
Canadian Heritage Minister James Moore is preaching sustained cultural funding, saying the CBC's budget is safe and the Conservatives intend to deliver on their election promises despite the financial downturn.
Columnist says that in spite of a mandate to promote national unity, CBC's English and French-speaking divisions are firing insults across the language fence for profit.
A new report says people aged 14 to 25 spend less time watching television as other electronic devices become important sources for entertainment.
A new Nanos Research poll suggests Canadians want an economic stimulus package that puts investment in public services at the top of the federal agenda.
The Heritage Minister defends his government's cuts to cultural programs last summer at a meeting with representatives from the Quebec arts community.
In a bid to avoid sharing license fees, BBC director general Mark Thompson is backing a proposed merger between public broadcaster Channel 4 and commercial broadcaster web Five.
Investment ratings agency concludes that Canwest has "no meaningful ability to reduce its debts" for the next few years.
Columnist says cable TV is better suited to survive in a recession than network TV.
Columnist notes that all sketches for a controversial New Year's eve program were vetted by Radio-Canada's brass days before they went on air.
Federal Heritage Minister James Moore says "Support for the arts is not just a want but a need."
Editorial says the U.S. government should put more money into digital TV conversion program or delay the transition date.
The Globe and Mail plans to cut about ten per cent of its workforce - or about 80 jobs - in an effort to reduce costs in an uncertain economy.
AT&T's Cruisecast, a satellite-based in-car TV and radio service, is set to launch this spring.
The CRTC has granted Rogers the license to operate a baseball TV channel with 15% Canadian content in its first year of operation.
Corus and MTV have extended a deal for all digital rights, including broadband, mobile and video-on-demand, to Nickelodeon shows in Canada.
TV stations in 22 U.S. cities have announced that they will start broadcasting signals in a format designed to be received by mobile devices like cell phones, MP3 players, GPS units and in-car entertainment systems.
A senior aid to President-elect Barack Obama says government funds to support the change are "woefully inadequate" and that the digital switch date, Feb. 17, should be "reconsidered and extended."
Presentation by the European Alliance of Listeners' and Viewers' Associations to the European Parliament.
Score Media executive says the sports broadcaster has experienced strong growth in a challenging media environment.
The price of the most popular songs on Apple's iTunes will increase by 30 per cent, vaulting to $1.29 US from 99 cents US.
Article profiles Stephanie Azam, the head of Telefilm Canada's English Canadian market.
The producers of CBC's 'Being Erica' are using social media tools on the internet to extend and promote the show.
Scotia Capital predicts Canadian advertising spending will drop by 4.6 per cent this year.
Advertisers say that the CTV-Rogers consortium broadcasting the Vancouver Olympics is dreaming if it thinks it can command big dollars in these gloomy economic times.
Columnist says that Radio-Canada's New Year's Eve prime-time variety show known as the Bye Bye crossed the line with gags such as the assassination of U.S. president-elect Barack Obama.
Team Canada's gold medal victory at the 2009 IIHF World Junior Championship made ratings history for TSN as the most-watched broadcast of all time on the network.
Film and TV industry representatives tell federal Finance Minister Jim Flaherty that a stimulus package for the Canadian economy should include financial support for their industry.
Columnist says a new breed of Internet-connected televisions is threatening to shake up both the technology and broadcasting industries.
The legal fight between CanWest and some pro-Palestinian activists in Vancouver rumbles along in B.C. Supreme Court.
According to BBM Nielsen Media Research, the CBC's new comedy 'Being Erica' had 575,000 viewers for its pilot episode.
Vancouver Island citizen says the CBC is leaving many people with no window to Canada and the world with the decision not to replace a communications tower.
Columnist says Canada deservers a great deal of credit for brightening up the television landscape.
Researcher challenges the notion that the arts are the exclusive purview of an urban elite.
French viewers have for the first time watched prime-time television without advert breaks, as President Nicolas Sarkozy's media reforms get under way.
Data show children ages 6-11 are increasingly using the Internet to check out products they see in advertisements.
Records show that in November 2008, CanWest CEO Leonard Asper communicated with the Minister of Canadian Heritage, the Industry Minister and senior CRTC representatives.
Columnist offers suggestions to Canadian television networks for 2009.
Columnist says NBC, CBS and ABC are changing programs and philosophies on the fly to compete with each other and new media.
