Columnist likens the troubles facing U.S. broadcasters to the plight of the Big Three automakers.
Columnist says free, over-the-air, high-definition TV signals will doom the current cable monopoly in Canada.
Rogers Media has announced its takeover of the specialty channel OLN.
Columnist says Nova Scotia based Newcap Radio is proving there is profit in owning small-market radio stations.
Columnist says television is a critical ingredient for phone companies to offset declines in their land-line business from cable and VOIP competition.
Columnist says The National Post appears to be up for sale and a contender for the national paper is a group headed by Liberal Senator Jerry Grafstein.
FRIENDS says the organization is watching the Rogers takeover of CityTV closely to ensure commitments of the sale are honoured.
The CRTC wants XM Canada and Sirius Canada to immediately explain any merger plans and how those plans will affect their broadcasts.
XM Canada chief executive officer says the company is prepared to go it alone if it can't agree on the terms of a merger with Sirius Canada.
Newfoundland Capital Corporation has agreed to acquire 12 FM radio broadcasting licences in Ontario from Haliburton Broadcasting Group for $18.95 million, subject to CRTC approval.
Analysts say that XM Canada and Sirius Canada will be forced to merge now that the consolidation of their U.S. affiliates has been approved.
The U.S. broadcast regulator has approved the merger of the nation's only satellite radio companies, combining Sirius and XM into a single entity with 18 million subscribers.
The FCC reportedly is ready to approve the deal if the satellite radio operators agree to new conditions.
Sources say a tentative deal has been struck by a majority of commissioners at the U.S. Federal Communications Commission to approve the merger of Sirius and XM Satellite Radio.
A FCC commissioner says that he would vote in favour of the Sirius/XM satellite radio merger if the companies agree to his tougher requirements.
CRTC is looking to alter its benefits policy for ownership transactions so that a percentage is directed to the Canadian Television Fund – and that the buyer could request the money be used on new media.
FRIENDS says Entertainment One is bringing together former players from Alliance Communications in a "critical mass of talent and capacity."
Entertainment One looks to acquire Blueprint Entertainment, Barna-Alper Productions, Oasis International and Maximum Films.
The founder of MySpace has made public a competing offer for Toronto-based, Internet broadcaster JumpTV.
Canada's largest media union says the CRTC's decision to allow TQS to slash local news demonstrates that the CRTC is eroding its mandate to serve the public interest.
Columnist says that Time Warner may be looking to NBC as a new broadcast partner.
Time Warner has announced it will formally split off its cable TV business.
Sirius and XM Satellite Radio have delayed annual shareholder meetings scheduled for May as they await a regulatory review of their combination.
A U.S. Senate committee has voted to nullify recently approved legislation that allows media companies to own a newspaper and a television station in the same market.
Bell says its traffic shaping initiatives do not result in undue preference, since it applies the same controls to its own customers as those of Internet service providers that resell its service.
Internet scholar analyzes Bell response to Internet service provider complaint filed with CRTC concerning traffic shaping practices.
Canadian Association of Internet Providers files CRTC complaint against Bell Canada's Internet traffic shaping practices.
New TV distribution player calls on CRTC to eliminate requirement to carry "basic" channels.
Bell ExpressVu promises free basic services after analogue to digital changeover, if CRTC rejects fee-for-carriage.
Despite having been granted national "must-carry" status by the CRTC, six-month-old Canadian pay television service Super Channel says it has struggled to receive carriage from cable and satellite distributors.
Editorial criticizes decision to reformulate CBC Radio 2 to easy listening, relegate classical music to off-hours.
Bell Canada takes negative view of fee-for-carriage despite its ownership stake in CTV.
FRIENDS releases joint poll showing Canadian subscribers believe reduction in regulatory "burden" sought by cable industry is likely to reduce choice in Canadian programs available on TV.
CRTC broadcast distribution hearings are exposing divisions within integrated companies and unusual corporate alliances.
FRIENDS says CRTC television distribution rules give Canadians among the greatest choice of television programming in the world.
Pollara survey co-sponsored by FRIENDS shows three-quarters of Canadians believe less cable and satellite regulation would reduce Canadian program choice on TV.
FRIENDS is sceptical of big cable's prediction that fee-for-carriage would result in a loss of subscribers any more than the fee increases cable companies routinely levy.
S-VOX has been cleared to purchase CHNU-TV in Vancouver and CIIT-TV in Winnipeg from Rogers Media.
FRIENDS says if the proposed merger of Sirius Satellite Radio and XM Satellite Radio in the United States goes ahead we will see the Canadian tail getting wagged by the American dog.
Columnist says that if approved by the FCC a $9-billion satellite radio merger-to-monopoly in the U.S. would likely force Canada's XM and Sirius into a merger.
Article examines the complex relationship between Toronto's twin news organizations CityNews and CP24 after they were purchased by Rogers and CTV, respectively.
Article looks at challenges and opportunities for independent producers working with a now merged CanWest/Alliance Atlantis.
Remstar Corp., a film production and distribution company, is the winning bidder for TQS, the cash-strapped French-language network owned by Cogeco and CTVglobemedia.
Analysts calls Canadian Learning Television "beach-front property" on the analogue TV dial.
FRIENDS says the buyout of Edmonton-based Canadian Learning Television by Corus might mean a consolidation of some services in Toronto.
Subject to CRTC approval, Corus Entertainment plans to buy the Canadian Learning Television specialty channel from CTVglobemedia for $73-million.
CRTC upholds media concentration rules and turns down billionaire Jimmy Pattison's bid for FM radio stations in Vernon and Penticton.
Virgin Media says it will appeal to the UK Competition Appeal Tribunal that rival British Sky Broadcasting should have to sell more stake in ITV PLC.
CTV executive claims the consolidation of media companies means broadcasters have to be leaner and more efficient in their operations and provide programming that appeals to the viewing public.
Toronto-based Aurora Cable is being purchased by Rogers Communications.
A Toronto businessman wants to launch Canada's first TV network that broadcasts over the air exclusively in high definition free of charge to viewers.
The British government is ordering pay-TV operator British Sky Broadcasting PLC to cut its stake in independent broadcaster ITV PLC.
Canwest Broadcasting has announced a new nine-member executive management team that will report to president Kathy Dore.
CanWest restructures senior management following CRTC approval of the company's acquisition of Alliance Atlantis.
The president and CEO of S-VOX says the CRTC has taken a step in the right direction by defining limits on cross-media ownership that will prevent any single company from exercising monopolistic power.
Columnist looks at the constantly evolving relationship between Canada's broadcast media and the federal government.
Analysts say mid-sized media companies and those hoping to sell shares to the public are likely to take the hardest hits from new regulations that limit media consolidation and cross-ownership of TV, radio and newspapers.
Columnist says large broadcasters looking to swallow a major rival will likely have to break it up in order to meet CRTC regulations.
Columnist says that a recent CRTC decision merely cements the status quo in media cross-ownership.
Article highlights who owns what in the Canadian media landscape.
Analyst says new CRTC media concentration rules mean "Rogers can't buy Canwest; Canwest can't buy Corus."
Columnist says that neither national newspapers nor free daily newspapers were factored into the CRTC's Diversity of Voices analysis.
New CRTC guidelines say that if a company's TV assets attract more than 45 per cent of viewing hours across the country it will be blocked from buying more channels.
Some critics say that the CRTC's new cross-media ownership policy will have no impact on Canada's highly concentrated media industry.
The Canadian Media Guild says the CRTC is preserving the current unacceptable levels of media concentration and is not adopting meaningful measures to stop it from getting worse.
The Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union says the CRTC decision on media ownership will do very little to limit media concentration in Canada.
FRIENDS says the CRTC is recognizing that as a result of media concentration, there are levels of concentration that could well pose a threat to diversity and, therefore, democracy.
FRIENDS welcomes the CRTC's decision to restrict a person or company to ownership of two different types of outlets in a single market.
Score Media's chief executive officer says the next time he opens the door to selling his controlling stake in Canada's third-largest cable sports channel, the price will be higher.
Leonard Asper says programs acquired in the Alliance Atlantis purchase will act as a stopgap for Global TV if the Hollywood writers strike continues.
Columnist says that the timing of the CRTC approval of the Alliance Atlantis transaction was curious given the announcement was made one day before the broadcast regulator's operation budget was increased by $4.5 million.
