CCR Short Takes

Canal Évasion seeks licence change on spending on Canadian programmingCanal Évasion has again asked the CRTC for a licence amendment relating to its required expenditures on Canadian programming – Public Notice CRTC 2001-104. The French-language specialty channel is requesting authorization to defer the balance of underexpenditures on Canadian programming for the fiscal year ending Aug. 31, 2001 over the next three years, ending Aug. 31, 2004. In June, the commission denied an earlier licence amendment application from Canal Évasion because it would have reduced the channel’s required Canadian programming expenditures. Stornoway buys diginet focusing on short filmsStornoway Communications has acquired a controlling interest in digital specialty television network Movieola – The Short Film Channel. Terms of the deal, which is subject to CRTC approval, were not disclosed. Stornoway, which owns diginets i channel and bpm:tv, will operate Movieola in partnership with its original creators. The channel was launched last month and is carried by Bell ExpressVu LP, Rogers Cable Inc, Cogeco Cable Inc, Vidéotron ltée, and Canadian Cable System Alliance members. Cogeco, Bell Globemedia propose $73.9 M in benefitsCogeco Inc and Bell Globemedia Inc have proposed a public benefits package totaling $73.9 million over a six-year period as part of its application to the CRTC to acquire the French-language TQS television network. Nearly $6.8 million of the total will be invested in on-screen benefits to be directed to independent producers for the production of priority programming. The CRTC will consider the application at a public hearing in Montreal that begins on Nov. 19 – Notice of Public Hearing CRTC 2001-10-4. Regional digital subs top 8,000Persona Inc, previously named Regional Cablesystems Inc, had 8,235 digital subs at August 31, the company noted in financial results released Oct. 4. At the same time last year, the company had only 4,825 digital subs. Currently, about 30% of Regional’s subscriber base have access to digital services. The company plans to increase that number to 52% by the end of fiscal 2002. CRTC sets phone subsidy contribution charge at 4.5%The CRTC on Oct. 1 set the final charge for contribution at 4.5% for telecommunications providers – Decision CRTC 2001-617. That’s the same amount levied against telecomunications service providers with annual revenues of at least $10 million on an interim basis since the new national contribution regime came into effect Jan. 1. Telesat Canada has estimated that it will cost the company about $8.3 million annually at a rate of 4.5%. It has indicated that it would pass on these additional costs to its customers, including broadcasters. Telesat and the broadcasters have asked the federal Cabinet to overturn the CRTC telecom decision (CCR, Sept. 27/01). Copyright consultation process extended to October 22Over 600 submissions have now been received by the departments of Industry Canada and Canadian Heritage commenting on the Consultation Paper on Digital Copyright Issues and its corollary on section 31 of the Copyright Act. Because of the volume of submissions, which now include the Canadian Association of Broadcasters, the National Association of Broadcasters, the Canadian Cable Television Association, AOL Time Warner Inc and hundreds of private submissions, the departments have elected to extend the reply period to Oct. 22. CCR affiliate publication, Canadian NEW MEDIA, has been covering the copyright reform process extensively and will report on the submissions of the largest U.S. and Canadian stakeholders. CRTC approves four new FM radio stations for Ottawa-HullThe CRTC has granted licences for four new FM radio stations in the Ottawa-Hull market – Decisions CRTC 2001-625 to 628. Radio 1540 Ltd, an affiliate of Toronto’s CHIN Radio, was awarded a licence for an ethnic station. A subsidiary of Radio Nord Communications Inc was awarded a licence for a French-language classical music station. Gary Farmer, on behalf of a corporation to be incorporated (Aboriginal Voices Radio), received a licence for a native station. Newcap Inc was awarded a licence for an English-language dance station. Competing applications from seven groups were denied – Decision CRTC 2001-629. CTV gets extension for launch of French-language Category 1CTV Inc’s digital specialty channel Info-Sports (formerly Réseau Info Sports) on Oct. 5 became the latest Category 1 French-language service to get approved for an extension to its launch date. The CRTC granted the headline sports channel an extension to Sept. 30, 2002. CTV spokesperson Tom Curzon said that the channel hadn’t yet gone to air, and that the network had not yet set a target date for launch. At the Canadian Cable Television Association convention in May, CTV president and COO Trina McQueen had indicated that Info-Sports would be the only French-language Category 1 to launch (CCR, June 7/01, Feb. 28/01).

CCR Short Takes

Broadcast | 10/11/2001 4:00 am EDT

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