CCR Short Takes

Regional gets approval for AGI Cablevision acquisitionRegional Cablesystems Inc. received regulatory approval on Nov. 5 to acquire control of AGI Cablevision Inc. – Decision 2001-674. AGI is the licensee of cable distribution undertakings serving Alvinston, plus 16 other Ontario locations. AGI is a wholly owned subsidiary of Amtelecom Group Inc. In August, Regional announced that it had reached a $64.4-million agreement to buy the telephony, cable television and Internet businesses of Amtelecom (CCR, Aug. 30/01). CRTC reconvenes Digital Migration Working Group Now that the new digital channels have launched, the CRTC is reconvening the Digital Migration Working Group to develop a plan to migrate analog channels over to digital on large cable systems (CCR, June 7/01). The CRTC will host a meeting of the group on Dec. 6 at its offices in Hull. "The commission’s intended outcome for this initial meeting is the development of a preliminary workplan for addressing migration issues. Therefore, this meeting will focus on process matters including the setting of priorities and a timetable for the discussion of the issues," the commission says in Circular No. 446 released Nov. 2. The commission is giving interested parties an opportunity to submit their views to the working group. The CRTC notes that it will issue a list of interested parties at a later date. TSN nets five-year deal with NHLTSN has reached a five-year deal with the National Hockey League for exclusive specialty television rights in Canada beginning with the 2002-03 season. TSN will offer 60 regular season games and expanded coverage during the Stanley Cup playoffs. TSN also picks up the exclusive rights to televise the NHL draft. Global closes $125-million sale of Vancouver stationCanWest Global Communiations Corp. closed the $125-million sale of CKVU-TV (Vancouver) to Chum Ltd. on Oct. 31. CanWest says it will use proceeds from the sale, required by the CRTC, to pay down its corporate debt (CCR, April 26/01). Government upholds CTV, Global licence renewalsResponding to an appeal by NDP culture and communications critic Wendy Lill, the federal government has upheld the seven-year licence renewals granted this summer to CTV Inc. and Global Television Network. The government determined that the "CRTC decisions did not derogate from the attainment of the objectives of the Broadcasting Act." Lill contended that allowing CTV and Global to control both television and newspaper holdings with few safeguards presented a fundamental threat to broadcasting policy principles contained in the Broadcasting Act (CCR, Oct. 11/01). "The government recognizes the importance of the issue of editorial independence," says Heritage minister Sheila Copps. "It is essential that Canadians continue to have access to a diversity of opinion and voices. In this instance, the CRTC has put in place measures to ensure editorial diversity and independence between CTV’s and Global’s broadcasting and their print media." Newfoundland legislative debates to be televisedThe Newfoundland government announced Nov. 1 that it has agreed to have the proceedings of the House of Assembly televised, beginning with this upcoming session. CTV completes sale of SportsnetCTV Inc. announced on Nov. 2 that it had completed the sale of its 40% stake in Sportsnet to an affiliate of Rogers Broadcasting Ltd. for $138 million. CTV was ordered by the CRTC to sell off Sportsnet when it purchased Netstar Communications and acquired TSN. CTV parent company Bell Globemedia also announced that it had completed a transaction transferring 100% ownership of business specialty channel ROBTv from affiliates of Thomson Canada Ltd. to CTV. CRTC approves Astral’s intra-corporate reorganizationThe CRTC approved on Nov. 5 an intra-corporate reorganization that sees Astral Radio’s 50% ownership in MusiquePlus transferred to Astral Broadcasting Group Inc. (ABGI). The commission said it would deal with another part of the reorganization — the transfer of Canal Vie and Canal Z — from Astral Radio to ABGI in a separate public hearing — Decision 2001-673. Tobin downplays reports that broadband task force not a budget priorityIndustry Minister Brian Tobin insisted that he was not at odds with Finance Minister Paul Martin over moving ahead with a billion government promise to bring high-speed broadband to every community by 2004. The National Post reported that Tobin had secured the funding for the project, but government sources say that Martin has not committed the money in the upcoming budget. "I know that Paul Martin continues to be a strong supporter of innovation in Canada," said Tobin in a scrum Oct. 29 at the CAB conference in Ottawa. "We have an economy to sustain, we have bring confidence back," Tobin said. "I think that every that...every department and every priority has to be measured against our immediate priority — security...and a variety of priorities have been affected, but my belief is that we can and will proceed with broadband as well."

CCR Short Takes

Broadcast | November 9, 2001

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