Charest government needs to re-look at recent tax credit changes: O’Farrell

Media | 12/10/2003 5:00 am EST

  Speaking before the Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal on November 27, Canadian Association of Broadcasters president and CEO Glenn O’Farrell asked Quebec’s Charest government to take a second look at changes made to the province’s tax credits. If the changes stand, O’Farrell indicated that it will threaten...

Charest government needs to re-look at recent tax credit changes: O’Farrell

Media | 12/10/2003 5:00 am EST

 Speaking before the Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal on November 27, Canadian Association of Broadcasters president and CEO Glenn O’Farrell asked Quebec’s Charest government to take a second look at changes made to the province’s tax credits. If the changes stand, O’Farrell indicated that it will threaten...

Canadian drama: Everyone says they want it but no one wants to fund it

Media | 12/10/2003 5:00 am EST

A recent panel discussion on how best to reconcile the television industry’s cultural objectives with its financial capacity saw industry players passing the buck when it comes to producing more TV drama and paying for it. At the Canadian chapter of the International Institute of Communications conference in Ottawa...

Industry players continue to disagree on how best to boost domestic TV drama

Media | 12/10/2003 5:00 am EST

The CRTC faces a regulatory morass in fixing Canada’s TV drama problem as the major broadcast industry players clash on how to fix the system. The commission’s job looks to be a mission impossible as it struggles with disagreement over what should be considered TV drama, how to fund it (see article in this issue), where...

CCR Editorial

Media | 12/10/2003 5:00 am EST

The opinions expressed in this editorial are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Decima Reports. Canadian broadcasters must back up claims that they want to support Canadian TV drama by not only better scheduling it but also paying more for it. The broadcasters argue that they need increased government support to produce Canadian drama, which loses money, particularly given increasingly fragmented audiences. In making this plea, the broadcasters conveniently ignore the many protections that the regulator provides that enable them to generate profits for their shareholders.   With these protections generating big dollars, private broadcasters should support the production and scheduling of Canadian TV drama as a cost of doing business.  Sure, the private broadcasters produce other Canadian content, such as news and magazine programming, but they shouldn’t balk at having to allocate a percentage of their revenues to Canadian drama and to schedule it at times when it will be watched. Cable...

CCR Editorial

Media | 12/10/2003 5:00 am EST

The opinions expressed in this editorial are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Decima Reports.Canadian broadcasters must back up claims that they want to support Canadian TV drama by not only better scheduling it but also paying more for it. The broadcasters argue that they need increased government support to produce Canadian drama, which loses money, particularly given increasingly fragmented...

Small upstart broadcaster claims Movieola diginet is already making money

Media | 12/10/2003 5:00 am EST

A small upstart broadcaster claims to be making money from its Category 2 digital specialty TV channel Movieola. "We’ve been cash flow positive for 18 months," says Cal Miller, VP and CFO of Channel Zero Inc., which operates the short film channel and Silver Screen Classics. "We’ve had realistic...

Industry players continue to disagree on how best to boost domestic TV drama

Media | 12/10/2003 5:00 am EST

The CRTC faces a regulatory morass in fixing Canada’s TV drama problem as the major broadcast industry players clash on how to fix the system. The commission’s job looks to be a mission impossible as it struggles with disagreement over what should be considered TV drama, how to fund it (see article in this issue), where...

Separate ministries for culture, industry good for public debate: Yaffe

Media | 12/10/2003 5:00 am EST

Separate departments for culture and industry have led to healthy public debates between the cultural aspect and the more industrial side of the Canadian broadcasting system, and a merger isn’t desirable, says Phyllis Yaffe, CEO of Alliance Atlantis Broadcasting. During a session at the Canadian chapter of the...

Separate ministries for culture, industry good for public debate: Yaffe

Media | 12/10/2003 5:00 am EST

 Separate departments for culture and industry have led to healthy public debates between the cultural aspect and the more industrial side of the Canadian broadcasting system, and a merger isn’t desirable, says Phyllis Yaffe, CEO of Alliance Atlantis Broadcasting. During a session at the Canadian chapter of the...

Canadian drama: Everyone says they want it but no one wants to fund it

Media | 12/10/2003 5:00 am EST

 A recent panel discussion on how best to reconcile the television industry’s cultural objectives with its financial capacity saw industry players passing the buck when it comes to producing more TV drama and paying for it. At the Canadian chapter of the International Institute of Communications conference in...

CNM People

Media | 12/04/2003 5:00 am EST

Daniel Boismenu has left the Alliance numériQC. The former VP of communications is taking a new position with the City of Montreal’s finance department. AOL Canada has made several operational appointments. Steven Koles has been named general manager of the company’s Netscape Online unit. He has led the development and launch of that product for the last year. Alex Kroon has been appointed GM of the company’s...

CNM Editorial

Media | 12/04/2003 5:00 am EST

The opinions expressed in this editorial are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Decima Reports. Thanks to Mark Bishop this week for sending me the pilot episode for This is Daniel Cook, a new kids series that recently won Bell Broadcast and New Media Fund production money. The DVD was timely, coming as it did in the wake of a disconcerting new report commissioned by the Media Awareness...

Ottawa defends NewMIC closure as former head points finger of blame at feds

Media | 12/04/2003 5:00 am EST

 The closure last month of the New Media Innovation Centre’s (NewMIC) doors is shaping up as a chicken-and-egg scenario as the centre’s former head points a finger of blame at Ottawa, while the federal government says private-sector woes put the centre in an untenable financial position. Shahid Hussain, formerly the centre’s CEO, says government dithering resulted in a quick shutdown of NewMIC late last month. The secretary of state for Western Economic Diversification (WED), however, tells Canadian NEW MEDIA that it was clear NewMIC couldn’t survive without public-sector funding, a long-term commitment that WED wouldn’t make. NewMIC, a three-year-old...

Question & Answer

Media | 12/04/2003 5:00 am EST

Quebec-based Sarbakan still educating broadcasters on value of interactive  On November 27, Quebec City-based Sarbakan announced a new games licensing deal with VRAK TV - a specialty television channel operated by Astral Media Inc. The company also has deals with Warner Bros., WB Kids, Viacom, Sony, and the National Film Board of Canada. Curious about the company, Canadian NEW MEDIA sent a list of questions to...

No knockout blows, but signs encouraging for ISPs at Supreme Court showdown

Media | 12/04/2003 5:00 am EST

With little more to go on than body language and a few skeptical questions from the bench of the Supreme Court of Canada, hardcore gamblers might still want to place a fin on the Internet service providers (ISPs) in their ongoing battle with the music industry. No knockout blows were scored by either side on December 3 as...

Violence differentiates girls’, boys’ views on video games: Media Awareness Network

Media | 12/04/2003 5:00 am EST

 Boys and girls have radically different views on violence in video games according to a recently released report, Kids’ Take on Media. The report, commissioned by the Media Awareness Network, hightlights the results of a survey conducted of 5,756 students in grades 3 to 10 across the country...

Decima teleVox on MP3s

Media | 12/04/2003 5:00 am EST

In October, 2,030 Canadians across the country were asked their views by Decima Research Inc. about downloading music. The survey was conducted using Decima’s national omnibus poll, the Decima teleVox. A poll of this size is considered accurate to within plus or minus 2.2%, 19 times out of 20. Readers are cautioned that sub-sets of data are from smaller sample sizes, and may not have the same accuracy. For more...

CNM Short Takes

Media | 12/04/2003 5:00 am EST

Keep Copyright Board, CRTC separate, IIC conference hearsThe idea of rolling the Copyright Board of Canada into the CRTC or similar agency got a rousing thumbs down at the meeting of the Canadian chapter of the International Institute of Communications. At a Dec. 3 session examining the future structures of various regulatory agencies, all panelists dismissed the proposal. "The idea of combining the Copyright Board with the CRTC has been around a long time," Peter Grant of the McCarthy Tétrault LLP law firm told delegates. "This will exacerbate the situation and make things worse rather than better." He pointed out that the CRTC allows broadcasters to follow policies that favour Canadian content without running afoul of international trade agreements. But if the Copyright Board attempted to discriminate in favour of Canadians, it would be in violation of World Trade Organization rules. His fellow speakers agreed with him. "The Copyright Board is primarily concerned with the distributive effect, not...

Sponsorship one potential funding alternative for BookTelevision: CHUM

Media | 11/28/2003 5:00 am EST

A manager of several CHUM Ltd. specialty television channels says that BookTelevision: The Channel may have to look to alternative revenue sources other than subscriber and traditional advertising revenue to produce content for the channel devoted to books and reading. During a case study of the Category 1 digital specialty...

CNM Short Takes

Media | 11/28/2003 5:00 am EST

HD predicted to take hold by early 2005: SwitzerThe head of CHUM Ltd. says that the broadcaster is now able to acquire more high-definition (HD) TV programming, and he thinks it will really take hold with consumers by 2005. "The high-definition experience is clearly the real deal. We have our own projections, and our own team has done their own curves, and if you look at the price points and the price points continue...

CCR People

Media | 11/28/2003 5:00 am EST

Paula Pettit has joined the Canadian Film and Television Production Association (CFTPA) as the national director of industrial relations in the association’s Toronto office. She joins the CFTPA from the Writers Guild of Canada. When she left the writers guild, she was manager of agreement administration.  Lewin Webb has been named president of GFT Entertainment Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Peach Arch...

Ongoing disagreements over wholesale rates continue to divide broadcast industry

Media | 11/28/2003 5:00 am EST

Astral Media Inc. chair André Bureau is demanding that the CRTC impose a cost separation on broadcast distributors breaking down the numbers for television, Internet and telephony businesses as specialty channel broadcasters say proposed wholesale rate reductions by those companies will unfairly subsidize their rollout of...

Compton launches first high-definition PVR, and looks to VoIP, wireless technology

Media | 11/28/2003 5:00 am EST

Utica ON-based Compton Communications is the first cableco in Canada to introduce a digital set-top box that integrates personal video recorder (PVR) and high-definition television (HDTV) capabilities. Compton controller and marketing manager Travis Campbell tells Canadian Communications Reports that the cableco, which...

Specialty TV bringing French-language choices to Quebec viewers: Astral’s Roy

Media | 11/28/2003 5:00 am EST

Pierre Roy, president of Les Chaînes Télé Astral, praises the success that specialty channels (he didn’t address the failure of any Category 1 licensed French-language digital services launching) have had in delivering French-language programming to Quebecers. But speaking November 6 to the Board of Trade of...

Young Canadians watching TV but they’re mostly tuning into the same shows: report

Media | 11/28/2003 5:00 am EST

Watching television is a daily pastime for 75% of children from grades 3 to 10, and they’re mostly tuning into the same shows, according to a report released this month that surveys kids’ views on and use of media. The report conducted by ERIN Research on behalf of the Canadian Teachers’ Federation (CTF) and the Media...

CCR Editorial

Media | 11/28/2003 5:00 am EST

The opinions expressed in this editorial are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Decima Reports.In the wake of a new survey on kids’ media habits, it again becomes clear that Canadian broadcasters need to step up to the plate in support of Canadian children’s programming by commissioning more of it and supporting it with related interactive Internet sites and games. The recently released...

CRTC likely to mandate DTH carriage of regional CBC signals in licence renewals

Media | 11/28/2003 5:00 am EST

The CRTC is likely to require that direct-to-home (DTH) satellite TV distributors carry all the regional signals owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corp./Radio Canada when it renews the licences of Bell ExpressVu LP and Star Choice Communications Inc. Much of the public hearing into those licence renewals last month was devoted to how many regional English-language and French-language signals were currently carried by each of the DTH operators, and there’s no reason for the regulator not to heed the government’s direction on the matter. In a report earlier this year, the House of Commons Standing Committee on Official Languages urged the CRTC to require satellite TV distributors to...

CNM Update

Media | 11/26/2003 5:00 am EST

Former NewMIC head blames feds for closureThe New Media Innovation Centre (NewMIC) in Vancouver would still be operating today had Western Economic Diversification Canada, which is part of the Industry Canada portfolio, decided to renew funding, says the centre’s former head. Shahid Hussain, who was CEO of the now-defunct NewMIC, tells Canadian NEW MEDIA that months of dithering on Ottawa’s part created uncertainty...

CNM People

Media | 11/21/2003 5:00 am EST

Kelly Beaton, VP of communications at the Canadian Association of Broadcasters, is leaving the organization to take the job of senior policy analyst at the sound recording branch at Canadian Heritage. The CAB announced its new board members for 2003-04 at its annual convention in Quebec City. The executive consists of Alain Gourd (joint chair), Paul Robertson (past chair), Rob Braide (chair, radio), Bob Templeton...

CNM Editorial

Media | 11/21/2003 5:00 am EST

The opinions expressed in this editorial are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Decima Reports. Recent news, especially coming from Markham ON, about the important role electronic voting can play in bolstering our democracy is encouraging, but great care needs to be taken moving forward. The potential is great but serious questions must be raised before the practice - especially that of voting...

Federal government to pull plug on NewMIC funding, centre to close: sources

Media | 11/21/2003 5:00 am EST

The New Media Innovation Centre (NewMIC) in Vancouver is closing as the federal government appears set to pull the plug on funding, say sources including some close to the situation. The institution’s head, Shahid Hussain, will say only that he will have further information by the end of the weekend. Western Economic...

Manitoba association continues fight for provincial funding as it eyes national voice

Media | 11/21/2003 5:00 am EST

Manitoba’s not-so-fledgling interactive media association is working with a nascent coalition of its western counterparts to create a new Western Canada coalition of new media lobby groups. The Manitoba Interactive Digital Media Association (MIDMA) is working quietly with New Media BC, Alberta New Media, and groups in Saskatchewan and the Yukon to create a new western voice to deal with national issues.  The move parallels other initiatives nationally as the sector deals with the crushing blow of a major cut to the Bell Broadcast and New Media Fund and other frightening trends toward less funding support for new online and digital content. MIDMA president John Jameson tells...

Sympatico commitment helps shape new OMDC Pl@tform program

Media | 11/21/2003 5:00 am EST

The Ontario Media Development Corp.’s (OMDC) new Pl@tform program for small companies sees the extensive participation of Bell Sympatico, a partnership that may surprise some new media producers. Sympatico, believed for years to be a difficult entity with which to deal, and one that had little interest in third-party...

Heritage committee attempt to reform copyright on quick timetable stalls

Media | 11/21/2003 5:00 am EST

An attempt by members of Parliament in Ottawa to speed adoption of international digital copyright treaties has apparently hit a brick wall in the face of departmental disagreement. A letter written by Industry Canada minister Allan Rock indicates he’s prepared to stick with the government’s original one- to two-year...

Organizers eye 2004 nextMEDIA as P.E.I. festival lauded as success

Media | 11/21/2003 5:00 am EST

 Organizers of the nextMEDIA festival held last month in Prince Edward Island say the event was a success and they look forward to further marketing the conference and expanding it in response to participant demand. Executives have announced a new venue for the event in response to the single largest criticism - the...

CNM Short Takes

Media | 11/21/2003 5:00 am EST

Decima Reader Poll - September 2003Decima Publishing Inc. readers have spoken loud and clear about regulation in the sector. This fall, readers soundly rejected the thought of adding a content surcharge to be paid by ISPs. We asked: "New media producers are battling cuts to funding across the country. One solution being floated is to add a ‘Canadian content’ surcharge to consumers' Internet service bills to...

CNM Special Edition Update

Media | 11/19/2003 5:00 am EST

Federal government to pull plug on NewMIC funding: sourcesThe New Media Innovation Centre (NewMIC) in Vancouver faces possible closure, as the federal government appears set to pull the plug on funding, say credible sources including some close to the situation. No information, however, has been confirmed. The institution’s head, Shahid Hussain, will say only that he will have further information by the end of the...

CCR Update

Media | 11/19/2003 5:00 am EST

November 19, 2003   CTV to broadcast in high definition beginning todayCTV Inc. has announced that it will begin broadcasting in high definition beginning today. The national network will transmit a new "CTV East" signal (CFTO-TV Toronto) in high definition that will be carried nationally on Bell ExpressVu (channel 630 CTVHE) and on Rogers Cable (channel 287). The first show to be broadcast in high...

CCR People

Media | 11/14/2003 5:00 am EST

John Murphy has been appointed as director of affiliate promotions at CTV Inc. and Kevin Watson as director of advertising. Murphy, who will continue to be based in Montreal, will oversee the promotional efforts at CTV’s 21 local stations across the country. Previously, he was manager of advertising and promotion at CFCF. Based in Toronto, Watson will oversee the scheduling of on-air promotions and third-party...

Challenges await Canadian producers: Barna

Media | 11/14/2003 5:00 am EST

Laszlo Barna, chair of the Canadian Film and Television Production (CFTPA), talked about the coming challenges for Canadian producers in the domestic and international markets on October 29 at the Film and Television Summit in Toronto. Below is an excerpt from his speech. ...Let me begin by offering just a few statistics, some of which you may...

CCR Editorial

Media | 11/14/2003 5:00 am EST

The opinions expressed in this editorial are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Decima Reports.If the Canadian Association of Broadcasters (CAB) is going to keep its attendance up at its annual convention, it’s going to have to offer more in informative and forward-looking sessions and workshops than it did this week in Quebec City. While the sessions contained experts in the field, there was little focus to or new information that emerged from most.   For example, the plenary session titled "New Voices: Reflecting Diversity in Canadian Broadcasting" contained no updates on the progress of the CAB’s diversity task force, a baffling omission given that its co-chair Madeline Ziniak was on the panel. At what stage is the task force at in its research and what is the research indicating so far? No answers. Instead, bored delegates watched an unfocused discussion on cultural diversity on the airwaves and the hiring practices of the networks. Hélène Wavrock, to her credit, generated some...

CCTA vows to continue fight to get more U.S. specialty channels added in digital

Media | 11/14/2003 5:00 am EST

Dean MacDonald, executive VP and COO of Rogers Cable Inc., says the cable industry will continue efforts to have more foreign channels authorized for carriage in Canada, despite the CRTC’s decision last week to turn aside the cable industry’s request to change its policy and allow HBO and other popular foreign channels...

Radio Nord says union unwilling to adapt to tougher small-market conditions

Media | 11/14/2003 5:00 am EST

The president and CEO of Radio Nord Communications inc. says problems with its striking workers boils down to the need to rationalize the company if it is to survive as a small-market TV and radio broadcaster. Pierre Brosseau tells Canadian Communications Reports that Radio Nord cannot continue to lose money on its radio...

Craig contemplates national expansion in bid to remain competitive with CHUM

Media | 11/14/2003 5:00 am EST

Craig Media Inc. president and CEO Drew Craig says that the Canadian market is large enough to sustain four private national broadcasters - Global Television, CTV Inc., CHUM Ltd., and Craig - along with the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. "Absolutely, there is room in the market," he says, as his company prepares...

CRTC requires BDUs to carry digital, analog versions of over-the-air TV channels

Media | 11/14/2003 5:00 am EST

The CRTC released a policy framework this week that requires broadcast distributors to carry the digital versions of over-the-air television stations along with the analog signal. Distributors are required to carry both the digital and analog versions of conventional stations until at least 85% of their subscribers are...

Canadians value ‘Canadian perspective’ on news, Decima survey reveals

Media | 11/14/2003 5:00 am EST

Canadians value a "Canadian perspective" on news and current events and believe that the volume of foreign media is threatening to overwhelm Canadian voices in Canadian media, according to a survey conducted for the Canadian Association of Broadcasters (CAB) and the Canadian Newspaper Association. Attitudes Towards Canadian Media, a report summarizing the custom survey conducted by Decima Research Inc. that was released at the CAB convention this week, reveals that about 84% of Canadians report a need for a "Canadian perspective" in news coverage. Similarly, if given the choice, 69% of Canadians would prefer to watch a sports event that features Canadian athletes or...

CBC sees arts programming as a way to differentiate itself from private TV

Media | 11/14/2003 5:00 am EST

The executive director of network programming at the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. is convinced that the public broadcaster was granted $60 million in top-up funding in 2001-02 due to its added arts coverage (CCR, May 10/01). "We got that added funding because of our arts coverage," said Slawko...

CCR Short Takes

Media | 11/14/2003 5:00 am EST

Lincoln not surprised by gov’t response to broadcasting reportClifford Lincoln, who chairs the House of Commons Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage that issued a report on the broadcasting industry, says he is not surprised by the non-committal government response to the report. "I didn’t expect their response to be very specific or detailed because of the circumstances we find ourselves in. It was bound to...

CNM Update

Media | 11/12/2003 5:00 am EST

Rock responds to Heritage committee request on WIPO treatiesIndustry Canada minister Allan Rock has given a non-committal response to the House of Commons Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage about an accelerated timetable for implementing the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Internet treaties (CNM, Nov. 7/03). In a November 6 letter to committee chair Clifford Lincoln, Rock writes: “I recognize the...

CNM People

Media | 11/07/2003 5:00 am EST

Canadian Heritage has appointed Filix (Fil) Fraser as a member of Telefilm Canada. Fraser is an adjunct professor of communications studies at Athatbasca University, and past president and CEO of VisionTV. He also founded the Alberta Film Festival in 1974, and the Banff Television Festival in 1979. The terms of CRTC commissioners Cindy Grauer and Andrew Cardozo ended on October 26. Neither one has been reappointed to...

CNM Editorial

Media | 11/07/2003 5:00 am EST

The opinions expressed in this editorial are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Decima Reports. Discussion at this year’s nextMEDIA festival in Prince Edward Island was focused on industry efforts to organize the sector to more effectively lobby the government and public for funding. The issue and timing are critical - by all accounts, producers made great strides in identifying key challenges...

Producers, government and associations take steps toward dialog at nextMEDIA

Media | 11/07/2003 5:00 am EST

New media producers, funding agencies and associations took a step closer to national coordination at a closed-door session during the recent nextMEDIA industry conference in Prince Edward Island. Though no concrete measures were announced at a public wrap-up session, industry representatives say they’ve identified a...

TELUS fund under fire for conditions attached to e-learning loans

Media | 11/07/2003 5:00 am EST

One of Canada’s leading multimedia shops says the $5-million Canada-TELUS New Media Learning Fund is plagued by onerous conditions that finally convinced the company to stop pursuing financing it was promised by the fund.  Last January, marblemedia was announced by the TELUS Foundation as one of several winners of...

Heritage committe sees controversy over timetable for WIPO ratification

Media | 11/07/2003 5:00 am EST

Breaking news: See Short Takes in this issue for breaking news on this story, obtained as this issue of Canadian NEW MEDIA was being finalized. Members of the House of Commons Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage used the occasion of their October 30 meeting to defend their decision to press ministers Sheila Copps and...

Culture.ca launches as populist gateway to Canadian arts

Media | 11/07/2003 5:00 am EST

 Government officials in charge of the new Culture.ca gateway portal say the site is being driven from the grassroots, with an emphasis on interactivity that will make the site popular with ordinary Canadians. In the wake of criticism from producers about the multi-million dollar gateway, officials say the site isn’t intended to push commercial content but to provide a single gateway to the many government and non-government cultural sites across the country, including material culled from the academic, public-sector and museum communities. The portal had its official launch last week with new marketing campaigns in partnership with media giant Viacom Outdoor and Sympatico.ca. Over the coming weeks, Canadians interested in the performing and other arts, history, geography,...

Beauchamp bullish on digital content, promises Quebec policy for aid in 2004

Media | 11/07/2003 5:00 am EST

Quebec’s new minister of culture and communications has encouraging words for the digital content industry in that province, though word on specific aid measures will have to wait until next year when the government develops a comprehensive strategy for the sector. In an exclusive interview with Canadian NEW MEDIA, Line...

Books to play key role in Digital Wizards multi-platform strategy

Media | 11/07/2003 5:00 am EST

Multi-platform has taken on a more traditional meaning with the new Juno Beach project created by Cambridge ON-based Digital Wizards Inc. A successful Pioneering Content fund applicant, Digital Wizards has extended its web and CD-ROM work backwards into traditional book publishing - something company president Diane...

CNM Short Takes

Media | 11/07/2003 5:00 am EST

Copps supporting quick changes to copyright lawCanadian Heritage minister Sheila Copps made a surprise appearance at the House of Commons Standing Committee on Canadian Heriage November 6 to support an accelerated timetable for changes to the Copyright Act. Changes are needed if Canada is to ratify WIPO treaties on digital copyright issues that would strengthen the ability of creators and their intermediaries to protect...

CCR Update

Media | 11/05/2003 5:00 am EST

November 5, 2003  MTS looks to Federal Hill for help with VOD offeringManitoba Telecom Services Inc. (MTS) has contracted U.S.-based Federal Hill Communications to help it negotiate content-licensing agreements with movie studios and independent producers for its video-on-demand (VOD) service. It is still awaiting final approval of its VOD licence application from the CRTC, but hopes to roll out VOD in 2004. Federal...

CCR Short Takes

Media | 10/31/2003 5:00 am EST

CRTC dismisses Wagg complaint against ShawThe CRTC has rejected a complaint by Wagg Communications related to Shaw Communications Inc.’s refusal to distribute its exempt real estate channels (Broadcasting Decision 2003-518). The commission found that Shaw did not contravene section 21(3) of the Broadcasting Distribution Regulations or section 9, which deals with undue preference. Wagg complained on Nov. 30, 2001 that Shaw had informed it that it would not carry the real estate channels on its systems in Sault St. Marie ON, Fort McMurray and Red Deer AB, and Courtenay BC. Wagg contended that Shaw was contravening section 21(3), which states that if a licensee distributes one or more analog channels (sic) the programming services of an exempt programming undertaking of which the licensee or an affiliate, or both, controls 15% or more of the total shares, then it must make available an equal number of analog channels for the distribution of programming services of third-party exempt programming undertakings. Wagg considered that Shaw’s...

CCR People

Media | 10/31/2003 5:00 am EST

Felix (Fil) Fraser has been appointed as a member of Telefilm Canada. Fraser, an adjunct professor of communications studies at Athabasca University, is past president and CEO of VisionTV. He also founded the Alberta Film Festival in 1974, and the Banff Television Festival in 1979.  Frank McKenna has been named as interim chair of the board of CanWest Global Communications Corp. He succeeds Israel Asper, who passed...

Government’s proposed amendments to Radiocomm Act deficient, lawyer says

Media | 10/31/2003 5:00 am EST

A lawyer active in fighting television signal piracy warns that changes the government is proposing to the Radiocommunication Act don’t go far enough, and ignore the huge leaps in technology available to those engaged in the trade. While encouraged that the government has finally indicated a willingness to amend the...

CBC calls for stable, multi-year funding

Media | 10/31/2003 5:00 am EST

Appearing before the Senate Committee on Transport and Communications, CBC brass called for increased, stable five-year funding. On October 28, CBC president and CEO Robert Rabinovitch repeated a similar message before the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage. Below is an excerpt from his presentation.  We are here today because you have...

Radio Nord using labour dispute to save on local news production, union charges

Media | 10/31/2003 5:00 am EST

Union officials in northern Quebec charge that there’s no incentive for Radio Nord Communications inc. to resolve an ongoing labour dispute because the broadcaster is saving money by not producing local news, and using non-unionized employees to air network programming from its facilities. Last Saturday marked a year...

CCR Editorial

Media | 10/31/2003 5:00 am EST

The opinions expressed in this editorial are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Decima Reports.The CRTC has been negligent in regulating Radio Nord in northern Quebec, an area that has had inadequate news coverage for years. It’s time the commission resorted to the toughest tactics at its disposal. Residents have received no TV news coverage for a year due to an ongoing labour dispute....

Shaw eyeing VoIP, Quebecor downplays adding telephony in fight with telcos

Media | 10/31/2003 5:00 am EST

Two giants in the Canadian cable market are singing different tunes about the potential of Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) as a way for cable to battle telcos on their own turf. In a reversal of its previous direction, Shaw Communications Inc. announced this month that it was looking at VoIP as part of a year-long...

UBS poised to take charge of Look Communications; Craig shifts legal battle to Ontario

Media | 10/31/2003 5:00 am EST

Unique Broadband Systems Inc. (UBS) appears to be winning the battle against Craig Wireless International Inc. for control of wireless cable operator Look Communications Inc., having received conditional approval from the CRTC last week to increase its stake in Look from 29.99% to 51.06%. But the...

Land-use authorities must respond in a timely manner to tower requests: CAB, CBC

Media | 10/31/2003 5:00 am EST

Broadcasters want Industry Canada to force land-use authorities (LUAs), generally municipalities, to respond within two months to tower requests. Both the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. (CBC) and the Canadian Association of Broadcasters (CAB) argue that a policy incorporating strict timelines is necessary, particularly as...

CNM Update

Media | 10/29/2003 5:00 am EST

Court overturns Internet-as-broadcast decisionThe Ontario Court of Appeal has overturned a controversial decision by a lower court that, for the purposes of libel law, the Internet is broadcasting. On October 22, the court ruled 3-0 that Ontario Superior Court of Justice judge Helen Pierce was wrong in her April 2 decision determining that, for the purposes of Ontario’s Libel and Slander Act, the Internet is the equivalent of a regular newspaper or television station (CNM, May 1/03). In rendering its decision, the appeal court writes that “the experts’ opinions conflicted on a number of issues, including whether the word ‘dissemination’ can properly apply to information distributed by internet and whether internet publication is immediate and/or transient. Summary judgment applications are not a substitute for trial and thus will seldom prove suitable for resolving conflicts in expert testimony particularly those involving difficult, complex policy issues with broad social ramifications.” The full decision is available at...

Toronto mayoral candidates promise support for city’s new media sector

Media | 10/22/2003 4:00 am EDT

Three of the candidates for the mayor’s chair in Toronto recently spoke with Canadian NEW MEDIA about their platforms as they relate to digital media. Candidate John Tory tried hard, but was unable to schedule an interview in time for this piece. Candidate Barbara Hall’s office did not respond to repeated requests for...

SMS trial on Global bodes well for future polling applications by Dominion Institute

Media | 10/22/2003 4:00 am EDT

The head of the Dominion Institute says a recent experiment in using broadcast and wireless platforms to inform Canadians about foreign policy and solicit their views was successful enough to continue through new initiatives. On September 10, the non-profit educational body broadcast its Foreign Fields documentary,...

Puretracks launches to fanfare as stakeholders ask government for support

Media | 10/22/2003 4:00 am EDT

The new and much-heralded Puretracks music service likely only has a matter of months before American entrants begin competing in earnest for Canadian customers, say company executives, and government support could be the key to helping the business survive. In candid interviews with Canadian NEW MEDIA, Graham Henderson, VP...

ISPs fire reply to SOCAN charge they are responsible for paying music tariffs

Media | 10/22/2003 4:00 am EDT

Internet service providers (ISPs) have no control over the content passing through their pipes and thus shouldn’t be liable for copyright payments on music distributed over their networks, says a coalition of ISPs and their industry associations in a written argument to the Supreme Court of Canada. On October 16, the...

CNM Short Takes

Media | 10/22/2003 4:00 am EDT

Heritage committee hears testimony from witnessesThe Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage will begin hearing from witnesses this week as part of its review of the Copyright Act. On tap October 23 to make presentations are representatives of the Canadian Photographers’ Coalition, the Canadian Library Association, the Writers’ Union of Canada, the Société des auteurs de radio, télévision et cinéma, and others. The hearing is scheduled to be held from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in room 308 of the West Block on Parliament Hill.  Feedback trickling in over Froman proposal for CNMAsComments from both New Media BC and from the board of directors of CANEMA Inc. have been received regarding a controversial proposal circulating regarding the future of the Canadian New Media Awards (CNM, Oct. 10/03). Jane Green, executive director of New Media BC, writes: "It’s an interesting proposal. I don’t know how achievable it is given the financial precariousness of most provincial associations and the limited pool of government funding...

CNM People

Media | 10/22/2003 4:00 am EDT

Miles Faulkner has been named as president of the Internet Advertising Bureau of Canada. He is a past president of the association, and has led Ernst and Young’s Internet Solutions practice as partner. He is now principal of his own firm Faulkner Consulting. Wendy Lill, the New Democratic Party’s critic for culture and communications, will not be seeking re-election due to an illness. Isme Bennie is the...

CNM Editorial

Media | 10/22/2003 4:00 am EDT

The opinions expressed in this editorial are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Decima Reports. CTV has gone on record with the CRTC to defend the use of its Groundbreaker Fund to mount the massively successful Canadian Idol. In its letter to the commission (CNM, Sept. 26/03), CTV misreads both the consensus opinion within the new media industry and the editorial that ran in this space (CNM, July...

RoW Short Takes

Media | 10/21/2003 4:00 am EDT

HP Canada lands wireless LAN deal with PearsonHP Canada has secured a deal with the Greater Toronto Airports Authority (GTAA) that will see the IT services and personal computing giant deploy a wireless local area network (LAN) covering the entire campus and surrounding area of Pearson International Airport. The agreement was announced at the International Telecommunication Union’s Telecom World 2003 conference last...

CCR People

Media | 10/16/2003 4:00 am EDT

Peace Arch Entertainment Group Inc. has appointed Mara Di Pasquale as CFO and COO. She has 15 years experience in senior positions in the entertainment industry, including working at Gullane Entertainment, Lions Gate Entertainment and Catalyst Entertainment. She replaces Juliet Jones, who will continue to serve on the company’s board of directors.  Miles Faulkner has been named as president of the Internet...

CAB calls for Canadian TV strategy; ACTRA wants more broadcaster requirements

Media | 10/16/2003 4:00 am EDT

The Canadian Association of Broadcasters (CAB) says policy conflicts between various government bodies are hampering the industry’s ability to supply Canadian television programming. Appearing before the House of Commons Standing Committee on Finance on October 8, association president and CEO Glenn O’Farrell said...

Cultural diversity will continue in world with one superpower: Rabinovitch

Media | 10/16/2003 4:00 am EDT

  CBC president and CEO Robert Rabinovitch says that cultural differences will survive in the world, even if one super power dominates. Speaking to the International Chapter of Young Presidents Organizations, he delivered a speech entitled Living in the World With One Super Power. Excerpts from his speech appear...

Bell ExpressVu to introduce interactive sports service, more iTV offerings in the works

Media | 10/16/2003 4:00 am EDT

Bell ExpressVu LP, the satellite TV distributor that bills itself as a leader in interactive television (iTV), is adding another interactive service to its offerings on October 20. The new TSN Extra service will provide subscribers with on-demand sports news, game results, team standings and player...

CCR Editorial

Media | 10/16/2003 4:00 am EDT

The opinions expressed in this editorial are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Decima Reports. It’s time for the CRTC to come out with a framework for interactive television (iTV). The commission has already surveyed the iTV field, and it’s now time for it to officially announce if it intends to take a more laissez-faire market approach or go by a rules-based framework. The iTV market is at...

Access to more Hollywood-type content key to driving VOD penetration: Decima

Media | 10/16/2003 4:00 am EDT

Access to more Hollywood-type programming is a key to achieving higher penetration of video-on-demand (VOD), concludes a soon-to-be-released consumer research report from Decima Publishing Inc. and Decima Research Inc. "Canadian cable operators have only recently begun to sign VOD content deals with major Hollywood studios. Decima believes more agreements will have to be inked for VOD to achieve greater consumer takeup," reads The DIGITAL DOMAIN: Consumer Attitudes on Digital Television Services, Benefits and Features in Canada. Another major factor affecting the penetration rates of VOD is the release window for VOD product, numerous cable operators have told Canadian...

Rogers criticizes overlap of requirements, but wants only minor changes to tower policy

Media | 10/16/2003 4:00 am EDT

Rogers Communications Inc. wants current broadcasting procedures changed to allow prospective broadcasters to hold off on notifying local land use authorities of their intention to set up towers until they have actually been granted a CRTC licence. Rogers notes in its response to Industry Canada’s...

CBC to shoot two hockey games in HD

Media | 10/16/2003 4:00 am EDT

The Canadian Broadcasting Corp. plans to broadcast its first hockey game in high-definition television (HDTV) on November 22 as part of a larger plan to begin offering more HD content. The Heritage Game on that date in Edmonton between the Wayne Gretzky team and the Guy Lafleur team, as well as the subsequent NHL match-up between the Edmonton Oilers and...

CCR Short Takes

Media | 10/16/2003 4:00 am EDT

CCTA urging viewers to push for more foreign channelsThe Canadian Cable Television Association (CCTA) says it’s too early to tell how effective its promotional efforts, including a new web site, have been in getting Canadians to push for the entrance of new U.S. channels to the country. The web site http://tvchoice.ca/ allows people to vote "yes" or "no" to the online poll: "Do you want more...

Future of CNMAs in limbo as Froman circulates controversial industry plan

Media | 10/10/2003 4:00 am EDT

A controversial proposal has been circulated to industry stakeholders by the chief organizer of the Canadian New Media Awards (CNMAs) that asks Canada’s new media companies to pony up cash to keep the high-profile awards event going. Adam Froman, whose firm Delvinia Interactive Inc. provides the marketing and...

Timing of provincial contest could be boon to Markham online voting trial

Media | 10/10/2003 4:00 am EDT

The Town of Markham’s official in charge of elections says it’s impossible to tell what effect holding Ontario’s provincial election concurrent with the municipal vote will have on an innovative test of the role of technology in voting. Frank Edwards, Markham’s manager of administration and the person in charge of elections communications, says that confusion has already crept into voters’ minds, but that an integrated campaign being conducted electronically, in print, at public events and in other ways will help. Markham will be among the first municipalities in Canada to conduct a local election electronically on November 10, and Delvinia Inc. has been awarded the town’s...

CHRC offers new media steering committee as base for lobby voice

Media | 10/10/2003 4:00 am EDT

The Cultural Human Resources Council (CHRC) is offering what services it can to the new media industry to help the sector organize behind a single organization as it faces staffing, funding and other challenges moving forward. On the eve of the organization’s human resources forum set for Toronto in late November – a...

Academics and industry lawyers pose questions of government at symposium

Media | 10/10/2003 4:00 am EDT

A well-attended copyright policy lunchat the recent University of Ottawa Comparative IP & Cyberlaw Symposium saw academics and industry lawyers pepper federal government officials on implementation of the World Intellectual Property Organization’s Internet treaties. At the October 2 event featuring Industry Canada ADM...

Canadians support Do Not Call and anti-spam lists; willingess to pay lags behind

Media | 10/10/2003 4:00 am EDT

Canadians enthusiastically endorse the concepts of Do Not Call and Do Not Spam lists, according to new research from Decima Research Inc. But the data also show that they don’t want to pay for it. Those are two key findings from a survey done by Decima Research last month for Decima Publishing Inc. Decima interviewed...

CNM Short Takes

Media | 10/10/2003 4:00 am EDT

Section 92 deadline pushed ahead to September 2004The House of Commons Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage has been given authorization to extend its deadline for making a report on copyright reform to September 30, 2004. In the meantime, hearings have begun into digital copyright and WIPO treaty ratification issues. Final submissions into the process are due October 17. The first meetings have featured briefings by...

CNM People

Media | 10/10/2003 4:00 am EDT

Robert Olsen, David Outhwaite, Michael Lipton, Norman Inkster and John Reilly have all resigned from the board of directors of dot com Entertainment Group Inc., replaced by Perry Malone, Ted Colivas, Scott White and Tony De Werth. David Callandar, CFO and corporate secretary, and Andrew Branscombe, director of sales, remain in their positions. The company recently undertook to de-register its shares from the Securities...

CNM Newsmakers

Media | 10/10/2003 4:00 am EDT

Following is an edited version of a letter circulating among new media stakeholders written by Delvinia Interactive Inc. head Adam Froman seeking support for a new model upon which to base the annual Canadian New Media Awards (see story in this issue). Having seen the recent article in the Globe and Mail...I am looking for your thoughts about a proposal to help restore the declining New Media industry. Having...

CNM Editorial

Media | 10/10/2003 4:00 am EDT

The opinions expressed in this editorial are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Decima Reports. Unlike the fast-approaching nextMEDIA festival, participation in which is hemmed and hawed over by many like a second apertif, the Canadian New Media Awards are so well attended as to be almost mandatory for many in the industry. In the heart of Canada’s new media capital, the awards draw well from...

CCR Update

Media | 10/08/2003 4:00 am EDT

October 8, 2003   ACTRA asks for more funding for Canadian Television Fund, review of 1999 TV policyThe Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists (ACTRA) converged on Ottawa on October 7 to push the government to restore the $50 million it cut from the Canadian Television Fund over two years. “It is ACTRA’s position that the government must restore its contribution to the CTF to the pre-2003...

Broadcasters chide Star Choice, urge CRTC to be strict in licence renewal

Media | 10/03/2003 4:00 am EDT

The Canadian Association of Broadcasters (CAB) is asking the CRTC to renew Star Choice’s licence for fewer than the normal seven years, and to provide "explicit direction" to the distributor with regard to its obligations to distribute local signals within its market area. The demands come during the direct-to-home (DTH) satellite TV’s distributor’s current licence renewal process in response to what the CAB is calling Star Choice’s propensity to "avoid regulatory and contractual obligations." In separate submissions to the CRTC, broadcasters also independently complain about Star Choice’s reluctance to distribute more channels. The CAB...