CCR Short Takes

CorrectionThe article entitled "Craig files amendment for pop channel; also asks for leave to appeal CRTC decision" in CCR, July 31/03 should have stated that the extension of time was to allow more time for the respondents (CHUM, Directors Guild of Canada, et al) to file their memoranda of fact and law. Craig has already filed its memorandum of fact and law. As well, Craig’s VP of corporate and regulatory affairs said unlike a radio station that can intersperse its programming with news and spoken word programming, a 24-hour-per-day music video channel has a requirement for a more extensive library to prevent burnout. CRTC sides with SaskTel, MTS in PPV fight with ShawThe CRTC has ruled that Shaw Communications Inc. and its pay-per-view (PPV) subsidiary breached section 6.1 of the Pay Television Regulations in failing to offer Saskatchewan Telecommunications (SaskTel) and MTS Communications access to its PPV offering under similar terms to its own cableco (Broadcasting Decision 2003-408). SaskTel and MTS alleged in complaints filed earlier this year that Shaw PPV wanted them to pay minimum guarantees and offered them a different revenue split than what it provided to Shaw Cablesystems (CCR, March 27/03). Shaw countered that the different terms were based on the use of DSL technology by the telcos (CCR, April 10/03). But the commission ruled that Shaw "did not provide any substantive documentation to support its arguments." In its August 21 ruling, the CRTC states that "the facts clearly demonstrate that Shaw PPV’s offer to SaskTel and MTS gives a preference to Shaw’s cable BDUs (broadcasting distribution undertakings) and other affiliated and unaffiliated cable BDUs in western Canada, and subjects SaskTel and MTS to a disadvantage that is significant in the circumstances." Telus BDU licence bid finally wins CRTC approvalThe CRTC has approved Telus Communications Inc.’s application for a broadcast distribution licence to serve various communities in Alberta and British Columbia (Broadcasting Decision 2003-407). But the telco’s request to be relieved of the requirement to distribute all local radio services in the affected markets was denied. As well, the commission ruled that Telus could not carry the signals of CISA-TV Lethbridge (Global) and CKAL-TV Calgary (Craig) on the basic service in Medicine Hat. The commission notes in its decision that Monarch Cablesystems Ltd., which serves Medicine Hat, distributes the Edmonton Global affiliate rather than CISA-TV and CKAL-TV only on a discretionary basis (CCR, April 25/03, March 13/03). Shooting begins on Cold SquadPrincipal photography on 13 further episodes of the detective series Cold Squad began this month in Vancouver. That will bring the total number of episodes to 98. The series goes into its seventh season and will air on CTV. Sports channels among first specialties to launch in HDTVSports specialty channels TSN and Rogers Sportsnet are the first specialty channels to launch in high definition (HDTV), along with CTV Inc.’s Discovery Channel Canada. The high-definition broadcast on TSN began at 7 p.m. in an unconverted form with coverage of the Rogers AT&T Cup tennis tournament on Friday, August 15. A massive power outage affecting southern Ontario delayed the HD broadcast of a Montreal versus Hamilton CFL football game. The game originally scheduled for August 15 was rescheduled to August 16. The HD versions of TSN and Discovery Channel Canada are available on channel 675 and on 670 respectively on Bell ExpressVu LP. TSN also plans to acquire and produce HD programming for selected NHL games throughout the 2003-04 season. Sportsnet plans to launch Sportsnet HD on September 1 with the broadcast of a Toronto Blue Jays versus New York Yankees game. It plans to broadcast 13 Toronto Blue Jays home games in HD in September. No carriage deals or channel placement details have been released. CHUM Ltd.’s Citytv is so far the only conventional channel to launch an HDTV version (CCR, Feb. 28/03, Jan. 16/03). Global wants to air documentaries on Cool TVGlobal Television Network Inc. has applied for a licence amendment to add long-form documentaries to the program categories it can broadcast on its yet-to-launch Cool TV, formerly known as The Jazz Channel (Broadcasting Public Notice 2003-44). Global says the category was not included in its original application due to "an oversight" and that the category is "consistent with Cool TV’s nature of service." Comments on the requested licence amendment must be filed by September 17. Multivan wants retransmitter in Victoria for Vancouver stationAs expected, Multivan Broadcast Corp. has applied for regulatory approval to add a retransmitter in Victoria for its Vancouver-based over-the-air multicultural TV channel that launched June 27 (Broadcasting Public Notice 2003-44) (CCR, July 17/03). Comments are due by September 17. CRTC grants third extension to French-language diginetsThe CRTC has granted a third extension in the launch time for five Category 1, French-language digital channels. Perfecto, La Chaîne; Télé Ha !Ha !; LCN Affaires; Canal Mystère (previously known as 13ième Rue) and Info-Sports, which were all licensed in November 2000, now have until September 30, 2004 to launch (Broadcasting Decision 2003-400). The applicants said that the current climate was not conducive to the launch of new French-language diginets, the same argument they used to secure the two other extensions. Shaw, Bragg found at fault over local availabilitiesThe CRTC has ruled that the broadcast distribution divisions of Shaw Communications Inc. and Bragg Communications Inc. must file quarterly reports for the next three years to the commission after they were found to have breached conditions of licence relating to their use of local availabilities. The ruling against Shaw follows a June 14 complaint by the Canadian Association of Internet Providers (CAIP) that stated that Shaw had unlawfully used local availabilities to advertise its Internet service. Aliant Telecom Inc. complained on September 4, 2002 that Bragg was distributing advertisements for non-programming services provided by EastLink Ltd., an affiliated company, during the local availabilities of U.S. satellite services. In its August 11 decision, the CRTC also directed Shaw and Bragg "to cease airing, during local availabilities, all programs that the commission has found in this decision would violate the condition of licence on local availabilities." (Broadcasting Decision 2003-383). Last year, Rogers Cable Inc. was found to have also breached rules regarding local availabilities in advertising its Internet service (CCR, Aug. 15/02). Craig’s Toronto 1 confirms September launch dateCraig Media announced earlier this month that its new over-the-air conventional station in Toronto will launch on September 19 on Rogers basic cable on channel 15. Second season of Train 48 to air Train 48, the low-budget drama about some train commuters, will return for a second season on Global Television Network. The broadcaster has renewed the series, produced in association with Protocol Entertainment. Vidéotron basic cable subscriber losses continueQuebec cable operator Vidéotron ltée continued to lose basic cable subscribers in its fiscal 2003 second quarter ended June 30, the seventh consecutive quarter of decline, according to financial results released late last month. The cableco lost 21,000 net basic cable customers in the quarter, compared to a loss of 7,000 in the previous quarter and 29,000 in the second quarter of 2002. Year-over-year, basic cable customers decreased by 4% or 52,000. On the positive side, Vidéotron grew its digital cable subscriber base by 13,000 net digital cable set-top boxes and 12,000 net digital households in the second quarter, ending the quarter with a total of 208,000 digital boxes deployed in 194,000 digital households. On the financial front, Vidéotron had revenues of $184.7 million in the quarter, up from $179.7 million in the same quarter of 2002. Operating income rose to $73.9 million in the quarter from $60.8 million last year. Canadian Heritage wants CPAC carriage on two video channelsCanadian Heritage minister Sheila Copps announced August 20 that the government would direct the CRTC to require most cablecos to distribute the Cable Public Affairs Channel (CPAC) on two separate video channels. One of the channels will be for the English-language telecast of the channel, and the other for the French-language broadcast. The directive will ensure that 97% of cable subscribers have access to both video channels. Only Class 3 cablecos will be exempt. The recommendation stems from a report by the Standing Committee on Official Languages (CCR, Feb. 13/03). Copps also stated that the government will add the CRTC to the list of designated federal institutions under Part VII of the Official Languages Act, another committee recommendation. It also directed that the issue of requiring satellite TV distributors to carry all CBC regional TV stations be dealt with at the licence renewal hearings later this year of Star Choice and Bell ExpressVu. The CRTC has set the public hearing for the licence renewals of the satellite TV operators, as well as Look Communications Inc. and Image Wireless Communications Inc., for October 20 (Broadcasting Notice of Public Hearing 2003-8). The deadline for written interventions the licence renewals is September 25.

CCR Short Takes

Broadcast | August 22, 2003

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