Last week’s Together for China – Earthquake Relief Telethon, an effort by Fairchild Television in partnership with the Canadian Red Cross, raised $2,286,300 across Canada. The event featured renowned performing artists from Asia and was simulcast on Shaw TV Cable and Shaw Multicultural Channel, Cable 109. Shaw, Rogers, Cogeco, Telus and Star Choice also made Fairchild Television available to customers across Canada for the duration of the telethon. A toll free number from Red Cross with over 100 designated phone lines and a website was effective on Friday to assist in taking donations. In addition, Fairchild Television and Talentvison contributed all commercial revenues generated within the programs to the China Earthquake Relief Fund.
Mobile wallet comes to Canada
The promise of the mobile wallet – the mobile devices capable of purchasing goods and services – is coming to Canada, albeit in a limited trial. MasterCard Canada announced a four-month trial of its PayPass service on mobile phones in conjunction with Bell Mobility this morning.
White Radio adds sales engineer
Industry veteran Joe Enright has been named national sales engineer at Burlington-based White Radio. Enright brings more than 20 years of technical and distribution experience to the clients of White radio through his previous work with companies such as Motorola, Lucent and Proxim Wireless. He also was an active participant in the first successful city-wide Wi-Fi network in Canada in Fredericton NB. "We are excited to have a person of Joe Enright’s calibre and experience join our team," said Jack Van Kessel, president and GM, White Radio. "We know Joe will offer a tremendous value to our client base and wish him continued success at White Radio."
AWS spectrum auction starts tomorrow: RoW to provide daily coverage
New media industry set to enter regulatory arena
Digital media may be averse to regulation, but they still want a seat at the regulatory table when federal policy impacts their business. The Canadian Interactive Alliance (CIAIC) has chosen to do just that by announcing that it will participate in the CRTC‘s recently-announced new media consultation on behalf of Canada’s digital media community. Having interactive content creators involved in regulatory proceedings has been a long time coming, but will it be maintained for other pressing issues?
Look to Fredericton for right approach to Muni-Wi-Fi: US analyst
The municipal wireless market has been rocked by recent decisions from EarthLink to shutter several high-profile muni-Wi-Fi deployments, including Philadelphia. But a wireless industry expert in the US says supporters should look to the City of Fredericton in New Brunswick for how a project can be successful.
Canada’s culture workers demand government action
Canadian actor R.H. Thomson and labour activists from the Canadian Labour Congress (CLC) media caucus will hold a new conference Monday, May 26 at 1 p.m. at the CLC Convention in Toronto to outline cultural issues. Thomson will join with other workers in media and culture, including Communications, Entergy and Paperworkers Union VP Peter Murdoch, in calling for government action to stop the censorship provisions of Bill C-10, limit foreign ownership of media companies, stop further media convergence, fix the crisis in Canadian dramatic television programming and restore local news. The CLC affiliated unions include: the Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists; the American Federation of Musicians; the Canadian Auto Workers Union; the Canadian Union of Public Employees; the CEP; Communications Workers of America/Syndicat des communications d’Amérique; the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees; Teamsters Canada; and the United Steelworkers. The news conference will take place in Room 203 D Metro Toronto Convention Centre.
Mitec appoints new chair of the board
Jeffrey Mandel, president of AMR Securities Inc., has been named chair Mitec Telecom Inc.’s board of directors. He joined the board in May 2006 and has played a pivotal role in the development of Mitec’s financial structuring and turnaround strategy.
Mobile marketing finally hits Canada; global market forecast to hit $25 billion by 2013
Toronto’s chorus of billboards and arena-sized television screens are about to face some stiff, interactive competition. Silverback Media and the Yonge Street BIA recently joined forces to quietly launch a marketing campaign with local merchants using much anticipated Japanese QR (quick response) codes embedded in storefront windows and posters, and corporate giants like Molson Canada and Ford Canada have become comprehensive adopters of mobile marketing tools.
MTS wireless consortium comes apart
Citing an inability to reach "agreement on a handful of key issues", MTS Allstream Inc. and its two main financial backers Canada Pension Plan Investment Board and Blackstone Capital Partners have decided to dissolve the consortium created to bid on spectrum in the Advanced Wireless Services (AWS) spectrum auction scheduled to begin on May 27.