CCR Short Takes

CTV, Quebecor trim staffCTV Inc. announced Oct. 18 that restructuring would result in the elimination of about 150 positions. Most of the positions are in Toronto, with almost 20% currently vacant due to a hiring freeze imposed in the summer, management said. Efficiencies are expected from the centralization and reorganization of administrative areas such as marketing, promotion, technical and management services, CTV said. CTV’s announcement of layoffs came just days after Quebecor Inc. eliminated another 125 jobs from its newspaper division, including shutting down the free commuter paper in Toronto, FYI. The layoffs come on the heels of debt-ladden Quebecor reducing its workforce by 5 percent about five months ago. The National Post, owned by CanWest Global Communications Corp., let go 130 of its newspaper employees in September. Rogers adds digital subs, Cogeco losses on digital frontRogers Communications Inc. registered year-over-year subscriber growth for digital cable of 109.7% and for high-speed Internet access of 40.7% in the third quarter ended Sept. 30, the company announced Oct. 18. In the quarter, 48,400 digital set-top boxes were added. Rogers ended the quarter with 286,500 devices in 247,000 households. The company recorded a basic cable subscriber loss of 2,700. Cable revenue grew 10% or by $34.4 million in the quarter. Despite the higher revenues, Rogers had a third-quarter loss of $57.8 million, or 37 cents a share, due to higher expenses. In contrast, Cogeco Cable Inc. lost 13,669 basic customers in the fourth quarter, ending Aug. 31, if subscribers gained through the acquisition of new cable systems are not included. It also lost 184 digital subscribers in the quarter, while registering a profit of $464,000. Digital subscribers added by major distributors in latest quarterSubscribers AddedTotal Digital SubscribersCable OperatorsRogers Cable44,000 (Q3, ended Sept. 30)247,000*Shaw Cablesystems92,000 (Q4, ended Aug. 31)363,336Cogeco Cable -184 (Q4, ended Aug. 31)105,292Direct-to-Home SatelliteStar Choice 33,000 (Q4, ended Aug. 31)628,607Bell ExpressVu83,000 (Q3, ended Sept. 30)930,000*Rogers ended the quarter with 286,000 digital boxes in 247,000 households.In-depth analysis of the latest digital subscriber numbers will be included in Vol. 1, Report 2 of The Digital Domain, Decima Publishing’s quarterly report tracking the growth and development of the Canadian digital TV distribution market. For details, contact Mario Mota at 230-1984, or via email at mmota@decima.ca. Corus on growth pathThe CRTC has removed a growth constraint for Corus Entertainment Inc. with its landmark decision to allow cable-affiliated companies from acquiring analog specialty channels, the company notes in its fourth-quarter financials released Oct. 25. The programming division of Corus, which has ownership in such specialty services as YTV, Treehouse TV, CMT, and Movie Central, saw its subscriber revenue rise 28%. The increase was fueled by an increase in digital subscribers, the company notes. CAB seeks expert help in establishing cultural diversity planThe Canadian Association of Broadcasters is looking for an expert to help it develop phase one of an action plan on cultural diversity for private broadcasters. Interested parties have until Oct. 25 to submit a work proposal to the CAB, which must file the action plan with the CRTC by Dec. 31 – Public Notice 2001-88. In phase one, the CAB anticipates that a consultant will work with its Joint Societal Issues Committee and CAB staff to develop an action plan. It will also detail how the action plan will be implemented and identify working group members who will oversee phase two, the implementation phase. It involves conducting baseline data research that will be used to measure the industry’s progress in accurately representing Canada’s ethnic, racial and cultural diversity on the television screen. The working group will also develop "best practices" for the industry. Phase three involves the establishment of a Cultural Diversity Governing Body, which will oversee the industry’s adherence to the "best practices" and monitor the industry’s progress. The CRTC ordered the CAB to tackle cultural diversity on Aug. 2, when it granted licence renewals to CanWest Global Communications Corp., and CTV Inc. The CRTC told both private broadcasters it expected them to participate in, and financially support, the cultural diversity task force. Specialty nets biting into conventional TV: StatsCanadaThe audience share of conventional television fell from 99% to 65% from 1982 to the fall of 2000, according to a report on television viewing released Oct. 23 by Statistics Canada. In contrast, the audience share of specialty and pay services rose from 1% to 30% during the same period.StatsCanada said the growth of access to cable and satellite transmission (with 84% of the population having access in 2000) contributed to the rise in viewing to Canadian and foreign specialty and pay channels. According to the report, Canadians watched on average 21.5 hours of television a week in the fall of 2000, virtually unchanged from 1999 but down from the 1995 peak of 23 hours. Of the time Canadians were in front of the tube, close to 40% was spent tuned to Canadian programs. CAB names 10 Canadians to Broadcast Hall of FameMichel Arpin, Bruce Cowie, Harry Dekker, Alden Diehl, Réal Giguère, Gordon Lightfoot, Michael McCabe, Duff Roman, Geoffrey Stirling and James Sward will be inducted into the Canadian Broadcast Hall of Fame in 2001. Candidates are nominated annually by Canada’s five regional broadcasting associations and the executive committee of the Canadian Association of Broadcasters (CAB). The new inductees will be honoured at a luncheon, featuring Canadian Heritage minister Sheila Copps, on Oct. 29 during the CAB’s annual convention in Ottawa. The new inductees bring the total membership of the Broadcast Hall of Fame to 177.

CCR Short Takes

Broadcast | October 26, 2001

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