Vidéotron ltée president and COO Guy Beauchamp has left the company. Pierre Karl Péladeau, president and CEO of parent company Quebecor Media, will serve as interim president of Vidéotron. As well, Serge Gouin has been named Vidéotron chair and heads a selection committee looking for a permanent replacement. Gouin was president and COO of Vidéotron from 1991 to 1996, and the trustee of Vidéotron from October 2000 until May 23, the date the CRTC approved Quebecor’s takeover of Vidéotron.

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Star Choice, Bell ExpressVu notch up more subscribers
The number of subscribers to satellite television distributor Bell ExpressVu LP grew 51,000 in the second quarter ended June 30 to 847,000, according to financials released July 25. The numbers also reveal that 65% of net subscriber additions in the second quarter came from urban centres, compared with 58% in the same period a year earlier. Canada’s other satellite distributor, Shaw Communications Inc-owned Star Choice, reported a gain of 34,000 customers in its third quarter ended May 31, bringing the total to 596,000 subscribers. The financial figures, released July 24, also show that Shaw picked up 67,000 digital cable subscribers and 62,000 Shaw@Home customers. About 31,000 of the new digital cable subscribers were in Vancouver, where the system is being converted to digital.

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The CRTC will determine shortly whether to reinstate a call for applications to operate radio stations in the Toronto market after Industry Canada last month confirmed the availability of new radio frequencies. With only two FM frequencies available, however, it’s unlikely that many new ethnic radio stations will be licensed in Toronto anytime soon.

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Small cable distributors and broadcasters continue to be at loggerheads over whether analog specialty channels can be distributed in digital without permission from the licensee. In a CRTC process examining the digital migration of small cable (PN 2001-58), the cable industry is demanding more flexibility in the rollout. Small cablecos argue they don’t have enough subscribers to generate revenue for costly upgrades and are facing increased competition from direct-to-home satellite.

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The courts will end up replacing the CRTC in resolving disputes between cable operators and utilities unless the Supreme Court of Canada overturns a lower court ruling that effectively puts hydro poles outside the commission’s jurisdiction, the cable industry warns. The Canadian Cable Television Association (CCTA) says it will seek leave to appeal a July 13 decision by the Federal Court of Appeal that struck down a 1999 decision by the CRTC (Telecom Decision 1999-13). The court said the commission overstepped its jurisdiction in setting rates for access to hydro poles.

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Alliance Atlantis Communications Inc has rejected suggestions from Canada’s broadcast regulator that its purchase of Salter Street Films Ltd earlier this year constituted "trafficking" of a broadcast licence. The film producer and specialty channel broadcaster is in the CRTC hot seat as it seeks approval to acquire the must-carry Independent Film Channel and 20 Category 2 licences that were awarded to Salter Street.

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Canada’s reluctance to let in more foreign channels was swept aside July 13 when the CRTC cleared the way for 19 new services to be distributed here – a move that could help drive consumer demand for digital TV and encourage more partnerships with Canadian programmers.

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