CCR Short Takes

Media | 10/10/2002 4:00 am EDT

Cable gaining on satellite TV in share of digital marketCable companies are in a stronger position than recently released Statistics Canada data would indicate, according to a report by Decima Publishing Inc. While 2001 figures released by StatsCan accurately reveal that satellite TV distributors are taking customers away from cable, Decima’s more recent research shows that cable is gaining on satellite’s lead in the...

CCR People

Media | 10/10/2002 4:00 am EDT

Carole Swan has been appointed associate deputy minister at Industry Canada. She served as associate secretary of the Treasury Board for three years prior to joining Industry Canada.  Rick Brace, currently president of CTV Specialty Television Inc., has been promoted to president of CTV Inc. His responsibilities will expand to include CTV’s 27 conventional television stations across the country while continuing to...

Rogers CEO discusses many challenges now facing Canada’s cable industry

Media | 10/10/2002 4:00 am EDT

John Tory, president and CEO of Rogers Cable Inc., recently spoke about the challenges the cable industry faces in the current environment. Appearing at the Conference Board of Canada 2002 Business Outlook conference this month, he reiterated some key cable concerns, including television signal piracy, over regulation,...

CCR Editorial

Media | 10/10/2002 4:00 am EDT

The opinions expressed in this editorial are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Decima Reports.Quebecor Media can’t win with the regulator. It obviously needs a new approach. Since getting CRTC approval for the acquisition of TVA Group and its cable subsidiary Vidéotron, Quebecor has been shooting itself in the foot because it has been unwilling to play by commission rules.  A defiant...

CNM Update

Media | 10/09/2002 4:00 am EDT

Bell Broadcast and New Media Fund attracts applicantsAndra Sheffer, executive director of the Bell Broadcast and New Media Fund, tells Canadian NEW MEDIA that between 30 and 35 applications for funding were received on October 1. Historical Microreproductions wins fundingThe Canadian Institute of Historical Microreproductions (CIHM) has been granted $312,500 from the Canadian Culture Online Program’s Partnership Fund. The funding will allow CIHM to compile its database of pre-1900 public documents provided by various lending libraries and the National Library of Canada. The ultimate goal, according to a media release, is to digitize and make available 1,250 documents with about 250,000 pages of content. Documents range from those of the first colonial governments, through Confederation and up to 1920. The public can view the documents at http://www.canadiana.org. This is the second year of the ongoing project. More details. Heritage supports new media and cinema festivalCanadian Heritage has announced $131,250 in funding for...

Gallery expands Cybermuse site with support of American Express Foundation

Media | 10/03/2002 4:00 am EDT

The participation of the American Express Foundation was almost entirely responsible for a $1-million overhaul to the National Gallery of Canada’s Cybermuse web site. Without funding from the Canadian Culture Online Program, the gallery has built a rich new educational site using cutting-edge technology to put its...

Multimedia talks in Quebec take first steps

Media | 10/03/2002 4:00 am EDT

Quebec multimedia producers are pursuing "cordial" talks with the Union des Artistes (UDA) in the province toward an overarching production agreement between the parties, likely to be hammered out in one year. Both sides confirm that initial meetings toward an agreement between producers and artists in multimedia productions have taken place,...

CNM Short Takes

Media | 10/03/2002 4:00 am EDT

Throne Speech mystery won’t be revealed for days: HeritageCanadian Heritage officials are staying mum on a statement in the Sept. 30 Speech from the Throne indicating some kind of merger between two of Canada’s chief cultural agencies. The speech reads: "The government will ensure that as Canadians take charge of their future, they will have access to their history by creating a new institution that brings...

CNM People

Media | 10/03/2002 4:00 am EDT

Michael Geist, a recognized expert on Internet law and frequent media commentator, has moved law firms. Geist is now with Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP, serving the firm on a national basis as a technology counsel. He will continue to be based in Ottawa, and will continue to teach at the University of Ottawa’s faculty of law. Geist was formerly with Goodmans LLP. Telefilm Canada has appointed Earl Hong Tai to...

A computer programmer’s perspective on retransmission

Media | 10/03/2002 4:00 am EDT

Following are some of the comments of University of Waterloo PhD student Matthew Skala to the ongoing CRTC process examining Internet retransmission (PN 2002-38). Skala came to international attention when he and a colleague reverse-engineered the censorware program Cyber Patrol in 1999. 20. The CRTC has very little...

CNM Editorial

Media | 10/03/2002 4:00 am EDT

The opinions expressed in this editorial are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Decima Reports. Not a month after Canadian Heritage posted a report by Wall Communications, entitled A Study of Business Models Sustaining the Development of Digital Cultural Content, an announcement is made that the National Gallery of Canada has overhauled its children’s education site Cybermuse in partnership...

Bell Canada official says surprise over CRTC retransmission submission unwarranted

Media | 10/03/2002 4:00 am EDT

Bell Canada’s chief regulatory officer, Sheridan Scott, says it should come as no surprise that the company has come out strongly in favour of allowing some form of Internet retransmission in a recent submission to the CRTC on the issue (CNM, Sept. 18/02). While many observers were taken aback that the giant telco was in...

Quebec lobby asks for new process to establish multimedia strategy in province

Media | 10/03/2002 4:00 am EDT

Quebec’s multimedia lobby is asking the province for several new measures to focus programs intended to help the industry.  Invited by the provincial government to present a report on the industry to a panel examining proposed changes to the audio/visual funding regime, the Alliance NumériQC’s Michel Chioini,...

JumpTV set to launch subscription-based specialty television on the web

Media | 10/03/2002 4:00 am EDT

JumpTV.com Inc. will launch 15-20 specialty television stations streamed online next month on a subscription basis, says its president and CEO. Farrel Miller tells Canadian NEW MEDIA that the stations will be offered securely for between US$7.95 and US$9.95 per month and that he has deals with the broadcasters to proceed.  The move follows a year-and-a-half of free access to 11 of the TV services and marks a new stage in development for the company, which has raised a firestorm of controversy over its proposed North American retransmission plans. Since coming to international attention in September 2000 with a proposal to retransmit North American over-the-air TV signals to viewers...

Personalization puts MUSICMATCH ahead of alternative streaming music services: Bell

Media | 10/03/2002 4:00 am EDT

Personalization will be key to the success of a new music streaming service offered by Bell Canada, setting it apart from a raft of existing music services already on the market and some offered for free. On September 25, Bell Canada launched a nationwide streaming service from U.S. company MUSICMATCH Inc., available to...

WestWind juggles broad partnership to bring converged programming to web, TV

Media | 10/03/2002 4:00 am EDT

The web can be used to drive viewers to a television show and vice-versa, says the producer of the new technology show Web Watch, but content geared toward the Internet niche could be the deciding role in making the model work. WestWind Pictures’ Web Watch, which launched on the Saskatchewan public broadcaster SCN on...

CCR Update

Media | 10/02/2002 4:00 am EDT

Rogers renews agreement to carry Astral Television’s The Movie Network, Super ÉcranAstral Television Networks and Rogers Cable Inc. have signed a long-term affiliation agreement for the continued carriage of Astral’s The Movie Network and Super Écran on all Rogers systems in eastern Canada. As is usually the case, terms of the agreement were not revealed. More details. Bell ExpressVu adds channels to digital...

CCR Short Takes

Media | 09/26/2002 4:00 am EDT

Bell ExpressVu subscribers get Leafs exhibition games freeTo promote the digital channel LeafsTV, Bell ExpressVu LP subscribers can watch the Toronto Maple Leafs’ nine pre-season games this year for free. The free games are being offered through Bell ExpressVu’s pay-per-view service on a complimentary basis to subscribers in the Leafs TV broadcast area, and as part of the NHL Centre Ice package to viewers outside...

CCR People

Media | 09/26/2002 4:00 am EDT

Colette Loumède takes up the position of executive producer at the National Film Board’s Studio A (formerly known as the Society and Science Documentary Studio) on October 15. She takes over from Eric Michel, who has been at the helm of the studio since 1984, but was promoted in January to head of the NFB’s international coproduction unit. From 2000, Loumède worked for the government agency SODEC as a project manager. Prior to that, she conceived and developed La culture dans tous ses états, an award-winning series of 19 documentaries on Québécois culture that was broadcast on Télé-Québec.  Robert Hurst has been appointed president of CTV News. Hurst, who has been with CTV News for more than 28 years, will be responsible for the news operations of CTV News, CTV Newsnet, and Report on Business Television, as well as informational programming such as W-Five and Question Period. Hurst succeeds Kirk LaPointe, who resigned after two years to pursue another undisclosed position in the media industry. Bell Globemedia group...

Telus sees digital TV service over broadband as way to augment revenues

Media | 09/26/2002 4:00 am EDT

Telus Corp. is the latest Canadian telephone company vying to go head-to-head with existing broadcast distributors in a bid to realize increased revenues from its broadband network. Subsidiary Telus Communications Inc. has applied to the CRTC for broadcast distribution licences to provide digital television service in...

RDS tells CRTC to enforce its decision against Quebecor over cut affiliation fees

Media | 09/26/2002 4:00 am EDT

Le Réseau des sports (RDS), owned by Bell Globemedia, is asking the CRTC to issue a mandatory order to ensure that Quebecor complies with a commission ruling. In a September 10 letter to the regulator, RDS president and general manager Gerry Frappier notes that the situation "goes to the very core of the...

Bell-Rogers plan for Inukshuk stalled because of spectrum cap considerations

Media | 09/26/2002 4:00 am EDT

Bell Canada’s and Rogers Communications Inc.’s plan to combine their 2300 MHz and 3500 MHz spectrum holdings under the banner of broadband wireless operator Inukshuk Internet Inc. is on hold for the time being, Report on Wireless has learned. The news comes after Industry Canada informed both parties that Inukshuk had...

CCTA calls on gov’t to enforce cultural policies by cracking down on TV piracy

Media | 09/26/2002 4:00 am EDT

The president and CEO of the Canadian Cable Television Association is calling on the federal government to stand up for its own television and cultural policies by cracking down on the illegal black and grey satellite television markets. Despite proposing in a speech last week that if government inaction continues then...

CCR Editorial

Media | 09/26/2002 4:00 am EDT

The opinions expressed in this editorial are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Decima Reports.Janet Yale has given the federal government a very strongly worded ultimatum on the subject of grey and black market satellite TV enforcement: help us or get out of the way.  But even if the government was to begin coast-to-coast raids on illegal dish dealers and virtually close down the grey and...

Overhaul regulatory regime to ensure cablecos have funds to innovate: CCTA

Media | 09/26/2002 4:00 am EDT

An overly complex regulatory environment and restrictions on its ability to raise foreign capital leave the Canadian cable industry seriously undervalued compared to its U.S. counterpart, says the Canadian Cable Television Association (CCTA). As a result, the cable industry is impaired in its ability to offer...

Independently-operated Ontario cablecos share headend to offer new digital services

Media | 09/26/2002 4:00 am EDT

A group of small cable operators in southwestern Ontario has pooled resources to share a digital headend, rejecting more economical but more restrictive digital solutions offered by Canadian Satellite Communications Inc. (Cancom). The move will allow the cablecos to source digital signals from any provider rather than...

CNM Update

Media | 09/25/2002 4:00 am EDT

Yahoo top of mind with Canadians: surveyYahoo! has been recognized as the most well known brand in Canada, ranking ahead of MSN, Sympatico-Lycos and AOL in a recent online survey. The survey, conducted by ComQUEST Research and commissioned by Yahoo!, finds that the Yahoo! brand has the most recognizable, unaided top-of-mind awareness among Canadians at 15.5% – an increase of 2.5% from last year. MSN scored 6.2% in the...

SHRC, Statistics Canada unveil ambitious initiative to detail IT jobs landscape

Media | 09/18/2002 4:00 am EDT

Years of industry demand for accurate human resource tracking in the new media sector could shortly be answered by an ambitious new Software Human Resource Council (SHRC)/Statistics Canada partnership to enumerate the IT industry. A massive new survey was announced at Softworld 2002 in Prince Edward Island by the non-profit SHRC to find out how many Canadians are employed in information technology trades, including in the cultural industries. The data should put an end to the dearth of hard numbers in the sector right now, though its sustainability as an annual or even less frequent project as part of the country’s census is uncertain. The survey, now in its initial stages, will poll...

Ontario outpaces Quebec business sites in degree of interactivity: HEC study

Media | 09/18/2002 4:00 am EDT

Commercial web sites in Quebec are less interactive than their counterparts in Ontario, according to a newly released study by the international CMA chair at the École des Haute Études Commerciales in Montreal. According to report author Hugues Boisvert, Quebec sites lag behind those in Upper Canada in all but six...

Allan Rock meets with CFTPA on Western Canada tour to discuss new media

Media | 09/18/2002 4:00 am EDT

Industry Canada minister Allan Rock is apparently working to increase his slight profile in the new media community with a series of meetings and announcements in the past weeks. The minister, who has played second fiddle to date to Canadian Heritage minister Sheila Copps in the interactive digital media community, has been...

CNM Short Takes

Media | 09/18/2002 4:00 am EDT

September 11/2001 and the webA newly released study by the Pew Internet & American Life Project finds significant differences in the way Americans use and think about the Internet today than before the September 11 terrorist attacks. It finds that Americans favour more restricted disclosure of government information, a large group of people who believe the government should be able to monitor email and online...

CNM People

Media | 09/18/2002 4:00 am EDT

Executive VP and CFO W. Judson Martin is leaving Alliance Atlantis Communications Inc. to become president/CEO of a trans-border real estate income trust. He will be replaced by Rita Middleton, senior VP, corporate finance, until a search for a permanent replacement is completed. CTV Inc. has appointed Elaine Ali as senior VP, CTV Stations Group, effective immediately. She will have overall responsibility for all of...

ICrave founder weighs in on retransmission debate with CRTC comments

Media | 09/18/2002 4:00 am EDT

Unedited (except for space) comments to PN 2002-38, Sept. 13/02, submitted by iCraveTV.com Inc. founder William Craig.I was the founder, principal executive and part owner of ICraveTV.com. This is my personal reply to your request for comments on Internet retransmission and not those of anyone else. ICraveTV from December 1999 to February of 2000 retransmitted some 16 over the air TV stations from it’s headend in Richmond Hill, Ontario. All signals were freely available VHF and UHF television stations from the Toronto area. Six signals were from the US and 10 were licenced by the CRTC. We had budgeted to pay copyright fees to the Canadian Copyright Board as a percentage of revenues as...

Bell’s strong support for licensing Internet retransmitters surprises observers

Media | 09/18/2002 4:00 am EDT

A lame duck CRTC process on Internet retransmission (PN 2002-38) has become significantly more interesting in the wake of a submission by telecom titan Bell Canada that advocates removing companies such as JumpTV.com Canada Inc. from the ambit of Bill C-48 and putting them under the "light-handed" regulation of...

CNM Editorial

Media | 09/18/2002 4:00 am EDT

The opinions expressed in this editorial are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Decima Reports. The Software Human Resource Council (SHRC) is a small but active group involved in boosting the information and communications technology sector in Canada, but its sometimes low profile belies the important work it does. Its most recent initiative, a comprehensive survey that will measure the number of...

CCR Update

Media | 09/18/2002 4:00 am EDT

SaskTel launches digital interactive TV serviceAfter testing its digital television distribution service with 200 employees, SaskTel launched the service in Regina on September 12. The service, called Max Interactive Services, uses the same technology as Aliant Telecom Inc.’s VibeVision, which is in the process of being shutdown (CCR, Sept. 12/02). SaskTel officials say they are not worried about meeting the same fate...

Some small cablecos opt to drop talktv due to satellite transponder change

Media | 09/12/2002 4:00 am EDT

CTV Inc.’s decision to switch the satellite transponder from which its talktv specialty channel is distributed means that the channel may no longer be offered by some small cable systems. The move will likely result in lower distribution for the specialty channel, which is still in the early stages of development. At...

U.S. cable industry says it is not “dominant,” no further regulatory intervention needed

Media | 09/12/2002 4:00 am EDT

Much like its Canadian counterpart, the cable industry in the United States argues that cable’s share of multi-channel video subscribers doesn’t amount to "dominance" in the marketplace and that no further program access rules are necessary. The National Cable & Telecommunications...

CCR Editorial

Media | 09/12/2002 4:00 am EDT

The opinions expressed in this editorial are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Decima Reports.Aliant is excitedly touting its new TV on my PC service as a complement to cable and satellite TV, but it’s a sure bet the company is well aware of the significant advantages of TV-over-DSL in the area of interactivity.  As current generations of digital set-top boxes for cable or satellite are...

Few changes needed to Canadian content, specialty, conventional broadcasters agree

Media | 09/12/2002 4:00 am EDT

In two separate filings, both the television board and the specialty and pay television board of the Canadian Association of Broadcasters (CAB) agree that the current definition and certification systems for Canadian content should not be changed, with the exception of their application to animation. Filed August 30 as part...

CBC attacks private networks’ Canadian content performance during prime time

Media | 09/12/2002 4:00 am EDT

In stark contrast to the private broadcasters, the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. says the CRTC’s television policy is not delivering greater audiences to Canadian programming, and thus must be reviewed. In its reply submission to Canadian Heritage’s review of Canadian content in the 21st century, the public broadcaster...

CBC wins on transponder tax as Supreme Court nixes Saskatchewan’s leave to appeal

Media | 09/12/2002 4:00 am EDT

The Supreme Court of Canada has denied the Saskatchewan government’s leave to appeal a court decision denying the province the right to tax satellite transponders. The decision, released Sept-ember 5, is good news for the Canadian Broadcasting Corp., which has been locked in a six-year battle over whether the province has the right to tax transponders. With the highest court dismissing the request for a leave to appeal and awarding costs to the CBC, a Dec. 4, 2001 ruling made by the Saskatchewan Court of Appeal will stand (CCR, March 15/02). The Saskatchewan Court of Appeal ruled that the province’s tax assessment on the CBC "is not authorized by the legislation and is null and...

CCR Short Takes

Media | 09/12/2002 4:00 am EDT

Bell ExpressVu pay-per-view offers new view of NASCAR racesBell ExpressVu LP has inked a deal with the National Association of Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) for a pay-per-view (PPV) service that provides viewers with in-car camera coverage of NASCAR Winston Cup Series events. The PPV offering, called NASCAR in Car on Vu!, complements the live coverage of Winston Cup events currently broadcast on SportsNet and TSN. NASCAR...

CCR People

Media | 09/12/2002 4:00 am EDT

Elaine Ali has been named as senior VP of CTV Stations Group. She will have overall responsibility for all of CTV’s 27 owned-and-operated local stations. She will be based in Winnipeg. Previously, she was VP and general manager at CKY Winnipeg, a position she held since 1998. From 1996 to January 2002, she was president of WTN, a position she held concurrently with her role at CKY.  Del Sexsmith has been appointed...

Aliant uses IP to roll out subscription-based TV service to customers in New Brunswick

Media | 09/12/2002 4:00 am EDT

Aliant Telecom Inc. has launched its second attempt at broadband television with the rollout of its subscription-based TV on my PC service earlier this month. Company officials pledge that the new product, which in the initial stages consists of 10 channels for $9.95 a month, will not be shuttered...

CNM Update

Media | 09/11/2002 4:00 am EDT

Tariff 22 leave to appeal gets crowdedA leave to appeal application filed with the Supreme Court of Canada over the Federal Court of Appeal’s decision on Tariff 22 – royalties on music distributed over the Internet – has heated up as further parties join the fray. The Canadian Recording Industry Association has filed a motion to intervene in the matter, and is now listed among the respondents in motions filed by the...

International New Media Festival fits with aggressive P.E.I. plans for broadcast and digital growth

Media | 09/06/2002 4:00 am EDT

Prince Edward Island’s digital and broadcast development agency has confirmed that it will fund the International New Media Festival to the tune of $100,000 this year, with the option of first refusal to do the same in the next five years. TechPEI says that, in return, the province expects greater national and international exposure for its burgeoning new media industry, including a new facility built specifically to attract film, television and new media business to the island.The deal, which was finally announced on August 22 (CNM, Aug. 21/02), will see the popular festival move to Rodd’s Brudenell River Resort in Roseneath PEI, October 17-19. Telefilm Canada, the CBC and several other...

Request for judicial review by Indigo and CBA argues that Amazon.ca is Canadian

Media | 09/06/2002 4:00 am EDT

Both Canadian Heritage and Amazon.com intend to oppose a leave for judicial review in the matter of Amazon.ca’s entry to Canada, according to documents filed with the Federal Court of Canada. On August 2, the Canadian Booksellers Association (CBA) and Indigo Books & Music Inc. jointly filed an application with the...

Much redesign more than cosmetic: CHUM

Media | 09/06/2002 4:00 am EDT

Visitors to MuchMusic’s newly redesigned web site will notice crisper new graphics and improved navigability, but parent company CHUM Television officials say the upgrade has greater benefits on the back end.  On August 28, Much unveiled its new site with updated features such as on-demand downloads. The key to providing several new features is...

CNM Short Takes

Media | 09/06/2002 4:00 am EDT

Copyright Board extends date for private copying hearingsResponding to a request by the Canadian Private Copying Collective (CPCC) for delayed hearings into the private copying tariff (CNM Update, Aug. 28/02), the Copyright Board of Canada has advanced the hearing date to January 21. Dates for the various stages stand as follows: Filing of CPCC’s case, Oct. 4/02; Filing of objectors’ cases, Nov. 22/02; Filing of...

CNM People

Media | 09/06/2002 4:00 am EDT

Rogers Cable Inc. senior VP of sales, marketing and product development Alex Krstajic has joined the board of directors of ViXS Systems Inc., Toronto. Also at ViXS, Tim Zahavich has been appointed as CFO. Zahavich was most recently CFO of ComDev International, and brings more than 20 years of financial experience in the technology industry to the company. Industry observers guess that Krstajic’s appointment signals a...

The proceeding that no one wanted?

Media | 09/06/2002 4:00 am EDT

Broadcasting Public Notice CRTC 2002-38, Call for comments concerning Internet Retransmission (Order in Council P.C. 2002-1043) is, arguably, a proceeding that no one ever wanted – least of all the CRTC. The proceeding, which the CRTC is required to conduct in response to Cabinet’s request, seeks comment regarding the broadcasting regulatory...

CNM Editorial

Media | 09/06/2002 4:00 am EDT

The opinions expressed in this editorial are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Decima Reports. Wall Communications has hit the nail on the head with its recommendations for creating sustainable cultural content online. If it’s the federal government’s intention to wean its cultural agencies from the taxpayers’ teat, it has as an option to adopt a user-driven approach, possibly creating...

User demand must drive federal digitization: Wall Communications report

Media | 09/06/2002 4:00 am EDT

A new report on federal cultural agencies online suggests organizations such as the National Archives of Canada and National Library of Canada must pay closer attention to user demand in future digitization efforts. That, and other key recommendations for creating online cultural content, is in the recently released A...

Second season is “acid test” for Snap/BGMI/CTV Degrassi online experiment

Media | 09/06/2002 4:00 am EDT

The second season of Degrassi: The Next Generation will be a make-or-break one for proving the value of its online corollary, says a senior executive with Snap Media Corp. VP Roma Khanna tells Canadian NEW MEDIA that the Degrassi online site continues to grow and that it will be up to the show’s...

Spectre of equipment costs potential concern in proposed lawful access laws

Media | 09/06/2002 4:00 am EDT

Internet service providers are guarded in their comments regarding a recently released federal paper on access by law officials to online communications. Both the Canadian Cable Television Association (CCTA) and Canadian Association of Internet Providers (CAIP), which represent the majority of Internet providers in Canada, say they are examining the document, especially with an eye to understanding its implications for burdensome new costs. If implemented as is, new lawful access legislation could impose steep equipment costs on ISPs as it forces them to store communications or buy new equipment to allow new forms of digital wire-tapping.  The document, released August 25 by the...

CCR Update

Media | 09/04/2002 4:00 am EDT

CRTC sets rate of 52 cents per subscriber per month for use of inside wiringThe CRTC has set a rate of 52 cents per subscriber per month for the use of wiring by broadcast distributors in multiple-unit dwellings (MUD) – Broadcasting Public Notice 2002-51. The commission notes that it "sought to establish an inside wire fee for MUDs that would ensure consumers enjoy the full benefits of competition in distribution,...

CCR People

Media | 08/29/2002 4:00 am EDT

Sandra Macdonald has been named president and CEO of the Canadian Television Fund (CTF). She replaces former president and CEO Garry Toth, who is on leave of absence for medical reasons (CCR, June 21/02). Macdonald was government film commissioner and chair of the National Film Board from 1995-2001, and president of the Canadian Film and Television Production Association from 1992-95. She has also worked for the CRTC and...

Broadcasting industry players major contributors to federal Liberals

Media | 08/29/2002 4:00 am EDT

Members of the broadcast community were generous in donating to Canada's major political parties, particularly the ruling Liberals, in 2001. Figures released this month by Elections Canada reveal that Craig Broadcast Systems Inc. has recently become a major donor to the Liberal Party of Canada, with Craig Broadcast...

CCR Editorial

Media | 08/29/2002 4:00 am EDT

The opinions expressed in this editorial are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Decima Reports. CRTC chair Charles Dalfen was rightly praised this past winter when the commission took quick action on several key industry issues, but that initial quick burst of energy appears to have disappeared as quickly as a two-year-old's sugar rush. Since moving quickly on a re-examination of World...

Broadcasters, cablecos split on need for changes to basic cable in digital

Media | 08/29/2002 4:00 am EDT

Broadcasters and cablecos are reacting very differently to the CRTC's process to establish rules governing the distribution of specialty services by cablecos in an all-digital environment - Broadcasting Public Notice 2002-48. Even as broadcasters are not surprisingly seeking continued protection for specialty channels in the basic package in digital, cablecos are asking for the wider flexibility already accorded to their all-digital direct-to-home (DTH) satellite TV rivals.  "It's like a seniority system, based on when you happened to get your initial licence (whether you're in basic). Why aren't we at a point of relative maturity in this marketplace, where the...

Whistler Cable, CCTA want cable competition shut out of B.C. resort town

Media | 08/29/2002 4:00 am EDT

The incumbent cable operator in Whistler BC is arguing that allowing another Class 2 cable operator into the resort town would fragment the market and result in reduced cable service. Whistler Cable Television Ltd. is urging the CRTC to deny a broadcast distribution licence to David Reid and Richard Hazell, two...

CRTC rejects SaskTel’s U.S. 4+1 signal request

Media | 08/29/2002 4:00 am EDT

The CRTC has rejected an application by Saskatchewan Telecommunications (SaskTel) to replace its current condition of licence on the distribution of U.S. 4+1 signals with a more general condition - Broadcasting Decision 2002-248. The decision reaffirms the regulatory practice of authorizing the carriage of specific U.S. 4+1 television network signals by...

Startup provides cable and DTH operators with tools to connect to multiple TVs

Media | 08/29/2002 4:00 am EDT

A Toronto-based startup will soon unveil technology that will allow broadcast-quality digital video to be streamed wirelessly to multiple televisions and other consumer electronics devices without the need for duplicate set-top boxes. ViXS Systems Inc. has developed a chip set that turns the digital cable box into a home...

Gov’t funding of culture falling flat, says Canadian Conference of the Arts report

Media | 08/29/2002 4:00 am EDT

In May 2001, the Canadian government announced it would invest an additional $500 million in Canadian arts and culture over three years (CCR, May 10/01). More than a year after the announcement, the non-profit arts advocacy group the Canadian Conference of the Arts has examined the effect of the new...

CCR Short Takes

Media | 08/29/2002 4:00 am EDT

CHUM Ltd. converts five all-sports stations to musicCHUM Ltd. will convert its Toronto all-sports radio station 1050 CHUM back to oldies radio, the company announced August 27. As well, the music format will be reintroduced at its all-sports stations in Winnipeg, Kitchener/Waterloo, Kingston, and Halifax. Its sports stations in Vancouver, Ottawa and Montreal will remain. "After over a year in the sports radio...

CNM Update

Media | 08/28/2002 4:00 am EDT

Baddeck move confirmed by P.E.I.Prince Edward Island's government, through TechPEI, has confirmed that the Baddeck International New Media Festival will be held in the island province this year. The festival, the new media industry's pre-eminent event, will be held October 17-19 at Rodd's Brudenell River Resort in Roseneath. Telefilm Canada and the CBC have confirmed their participation as sponsors. The event...

CNM People

Media | 08/21/2002 4:00 am EDT

Laurie Haines has been named group VP, information technology, at Bell Globemedia. Previously, Haines was VP, information technology at CTV Inc., a position he held since March 2001. There, he was responsible for the integration of CTV and NetStar Communications Inc. (now known as CTV Specialty Television Inc.). He was with the CBC for 17 years, then became VP of information technology and chief information officer of...

Building a highly skilled workforce through collaborative R&D

Media | 08/21/2002 4:00 am EDT

Canada’s Innovation Strategy acknowledges that, "To succeed in the global, knowledge-based economy, where highly skilled people are more mobile than ever before, a country must produce, attract and retain a critical mass of well-educated and well-trained people." At the New Media Innovation Centre (NewMIC) we...

CNM Editorial

Media | 08/21/2002 4:00 am EDT

The opinions expressed in this editorial are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Decima Reports. The Baddeck International New Media Festival’s impending move to Prince Edward Island should be cause for celebration by the industry as a whole. P.E.I. boasts better accessibility, more facilities, and apparently a government funding agency that understands the import of such events. By the time the festival is over this October, dozens of new media company executives will doubtless have made the trip to Charlottetown’s shiny new Atlantic Technology Centre. Real business is bound to follow as the island agency aggressively pursues companies now located in the high-cost centres of Toronto, Vancouver and Montreal. Unfortunately, that’s not the story Canadian NEW MEDIA is carrying on its front page. Barring an official announcement by the province’s responsible minister, the industry is still in the dark about the details of the deal, or even whether both sides can confirm that the agreement will, in...

New Heritage fund complements, doesn’t compete with ARIM: CCOP official

Media | 08/21/2002 4:00 am EDT

A newly announced Canadian Heritage funding program to assist in the creation of new media research clusters shouldn’t be confused with a similar fund already implemented by the department last December (CNM, Jan. 23/02), says an official with the department. Ruth Bacon, manager of the new media content policy...

CCR Update

Media | 08/21/2002 4:00 am EDT

Look focuses on reducing customer churn Look Communications Inc. experienced a further decline in its digital television subscriber base in its 2002 fiscal second quarter ended June 30, ending the period with 51,000 subscribers, down from the 55,000 at the end of March. According to financials released August 16, Look managed a stronger EBITDA in its second quarter despite the decline in subscribers by migrating both...

Copyright Board, SOCAN expected to weigh in on Tariff 22 leave to appeal

Media | 08/21/2002 4:00 am EDT

No one’s betting on the likelihood of the Supreme Court of Canada hearing an appeal of a lower court’s decision on the controversial Tariff 22 online music decision, but a cross-appeal by the Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada (SOCAN), as well as an anticipated leave to intervene by the...

Tucows strikes back in defamation fight

Media | 08/21/2002 4:00 am EDT

Tucows Inc., the domain name registry being sued over alleged defamatory statements it made about the Domain Registry of Canada Inc. (DROC) and the Domain Registry of America Inc. (DROA), has fired back with a counter suit of its own (CNM, July 25/02). Late last month, Tucows asked the Supreme Court of Ontario to hear its own case that the business...

Cape Breton loses Baddeck new media fest to P.E.I. as funding squabbles escalate

Media | 08/21/2002 4:00 am EDT

A disappointing decision by Cape Breton’s economic development agency to stop funding the Baddeck International New Media Festival has reportedly led the event to relocate to Prince Edward Island. Following notification by key sponsor Enterprise Cape Breton Corp. (ECBC) that it wouldn’t continue to put money into the industry event, TechPEI has apparently picked up the ball with a multi-year commitment to organizers to put the festival on the western tip of the island.  TechPEI officials, however, are mum on the deal, neither confirming nor denying it at this point. A news release and announcement were expected on August 19, then August 20, but were still not available at press...

New coalition to fight copying levy

Media | 08/21/2002 4:00 am EDT

Several of the largest consumer product manufacturers, retailers and technology companies in North America are in the final stages of creating a new body to fight the federal government’s private copying levy. While many of the members of the newly formed Canadian Coalition for Fair Digital Access (CCFDA) are also members of the Canadian Storage Media...

Government stands up for users at ICANN

Media | 08/21/2002 4:00 am EDT

Industry Canada has taken a strong stand in favour of users in its latest consultation document on reforming the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) – the international agency responsible for governing the domain name system. This month, the department released its consultation paper with several proposed positions for a...

CNM Short Takes

Media | 08/21/2002 4:00 am EDT

B.C. organizations win new federal fundingA recent influx of funds and tenants bodes well for the rapidly filling New Media Innovation Centre (NewMIC) in Vancouver BC. Late last month, the new media incubator and research facility announced hundreds of thousands of dollars in new funds from the federal government – partly to open even more research facilities – as well as a new co-location agreement with the prominent...

Craig Wireless gets extension for rollout in B.C.

Media | 08/15/2002 4:00 am EDT

The CRTC has extended the deadline for the rollout of Craig Wireless International Inc.’s wireless cable service in British Columbia until December 31 – Broadcasting Decision 2002-218. The commission states in its decision that the service must be operational by that date, unless another request for extension is requested at least 60 days before...

Copps reiterates need for cultural diversity

Media | 08/15/2002 4:00 am EDT

Canadian Heritage minister Sheila Copps spoke about the importance of preserving cultural diversity last month at the annual meeting of the Réseau français de coopération et d’action culturelle dans le monde. Her plans for cultural diversity includes the adoption of a legal instrument on cultural diversity. Below is an excerpt from her July 18...

Star Choice applies for licence amendment that would allow it to bulk bill in MUDs

Media | 08/15/2002 4:00 am EDT

Star Choice Inc. has applied to the CRTC for a licence amendment that would allow it to bulk bill customers in multiple-unit dwellings (MUDs). The application is likely to be successful as the commission has already indicated that the inability of direct-to-home (DTH) satellite distributors to bulk bill without restrictions...

CCR Editorial

Media | 08/15/2002 4:00 am EDT

The opinions expressed in this editorial are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Decima Reports.A major shakeup with the digital specialty channels appears inevitable as the new ventures put financial drains on their parent companies. Some channels may merge and others may be taken off the air. From the start, broadcasters acknowledged that the digital channels would not make money for years. But...

Telephony option in bundles is helping reduce cable churn, says EastLink CEO

Media | 08/15/2002 4:00 am EDT

The co-CEO of Canada’s only cableco offering telephony, Internet access and television programming to residential subscribers says service bundling is helping retain cable TV customers in the face of intense competition from direct-to-home (DTH) satellite TV distributors.  "Offering the three products under one...

CRTC orders Rogers to file compliance reports over Internet announcements

Media | 08/15/2002 4:00 am EDT

The CRTC has rapped Rogers Cable Inc. on the knuckles for breaching conditions of licence and broadcast distribution rules by advertising its Internet service in local availabilities and on its community channels. As a result, the commission is requiring Rogers to file quarterly compliance reports for the next three years, beginning September 1 – Broadcasting Public Notice 2002-44. But the commission stopped short of granting the Independent Members of the Canadian Association of Internet Providers (IMCAIP) the compensation that they had requested. IMCAIP had urged the CRTC to require Rogers to supply its members operating in Rogers’ territory with an equivalent amount of airtime...

CCR Short Takes

Media | 08/15/2002 4:00 am EDT

Manitoba telco gets limited broadcast distribution licenceThe CRTC has approved in part an application by MTS Communications Inc., a subsidiary of telephone company Manitoba Telecom Services Inc., for a broadcast distribution licence (CCR, May 23/02). The telco has been licensed to serve only the communities that it proposed to serve initially, namely Winnipeg and surrounding areas, which is in line with past commission...

Digital shakeup expected as revenues, audiences for channels lag after one year

Media | 08/15/2002 4:00 am EDT

Huge investments in the new digital specialty channels with low returns to date, coupled with dismal ratings, likely mean that major changes are not far on the horizon. Even the large broadcasters have begun slashing staff and budgets, and many industry observers are now predicting that mergers and the shuttering of some of...

Telesat owed $2.6 million as client refuses to pay its portion of contribution levy

Media | 08/15/2002 4:00 am EDT

Having lost an attempt to get the federal government to exempt it from the CRTC’s new contribution regime, Telesat Canada is now faced with an undisclosed customer that won’t pay the levy that the satellite provider has passed onto its customers.  In its second-quarter financials released last month, Telesat noted...

CCR People

Media | 08/15/2002 4:00 am EDT

Sheila de La Varende heads international development and promotion at Telefilm Canada, which replaces the International Relations divison. Stéphane Odesse has been appointed general counsel and access to information coordinator. Louise Deslauriers has been promoted to director of feature films business unit, Quebec.  Michèle Fortin will be leaving her position as executive VP of the Canadian Broadcasting Corp.’s...

Look Communications has expansion plans after getting $5 million in investment

Media | 08/15/2002 4:00 am EDT

Struggling wireless cable and high-speed Internet provider Look Communications Inc. has received a cash infusion of $5 million that it will use to expand its customer base and better serve existing customers. Concord ON-based Unique Broadband Systems Inc. (UBS) has chipped in the money through a private placement worth about $1.392 million that will see it acquire a nine per cent share of Look. It will also invest about $3.608 million in consideration for a debenture with a five-year term that could be converted after a year into more shares of Look that would bring UBS’ ownership to 23 per cent. The two companies also signed a $2.4-million equipment supply agreement that will see UBS...

CNM Special Edition Update

Media | 08/01/2002 4:00 am EDT

ISPs seek leave to appeal Tariff 22 ruling  A coalition made up of the Canadian Cable Television Association (CCTA), Canadian Association of Internet Providers (CAIP) and Bell Canada is seeking the leave of the Supreme Court of Canada to argue for the overturn of last May’s Federal Court of Appeal decision on Tariff 22 (CNM Special Update, May 2/02). The leave to appeal is expected to be filed today. Last...

CNM Short Takes

Media | 07/25/2002 4:00 am EDT

Education-related activites ever doneA recent Ipsos-Reid survey indicates high interest in education matters online. A survey of 1,000 online Canadians polled in mid-March 2002 finds that 26% of them have at least searched for education information online. It’s estimated that 59% of Canadian Internet users are likely to take an online course in future. Types of health-related web sites usedA recent survey by NFO...

CNM People

Media | 07/25/2002 4:00 am EDT

Lawyer Mark Hayes, a partner in Davies Ward Phillips & Vineberg LLP’s technology, e-commerce & communications group, is leaving the firm to join Ogilvy Renault. Hayes is one of Canada’s leading media and technology lawyers, and has represented such groups as the Canadian Association of Internet Providers, the Canadian Cable Television Association, and Bell Canada before the Copyright Board of...

Canada balances cultural programming between U.S. and domestic: McDonald

Media | 07/25/2002 4:00 am EDT

 An edited excerpt of a speech by Canadian Film and Television Production Association president/CEO Elizabeth McDonald in the U.K., July 19. There is a very famous Canadian philosopher, Wayne Gretzky. Actually, he is a very famous hockey player and the coach (sic) of this year’s Olympic gold medal winning Canadian...

CNM Editorial

Media | 07/25/2002 4:00 am EDT

The opinions expressed in this editorial are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Decima Reports. Since its inception, Canadian NEW MEDIA has rarely focused on public stock exchanges as an editorial avenue worth much ink. That’s partly because the mainstream media do a superb job of reporting market activity, and we would find little appetite for yet more coverage. More than that, though,...

Domain Registry of Canada adopts “aggressive use of law” to silence critics

Media | 07/25/2002 4:00 am EDT

Adopting a best-defence-is-a-strong-offence approach to a bitter domain name registry dispute, a prominent web registry is suing Tucows Inc. for more than $20 million over statements it claims are false and defamatory. The case stems from a longstanding debate over a practice some have claimed is...

CTV benefits fund seeks industry direction as cash goes untapped; hired gun on board

Media | 07/25/2002 4:00 am EDT

A little publicized cash pool offered by CTV Inc. to encourage convergent TV/interactive products is struggling to find projects to fund, according to numerous sources. The $28-million, five-year Groundbreaker Fund, offered by BCE Inc. as part of its 2000 benefits package arising from its takeover of CTV, appears set for...

CRTC set to wade into retransmission debate with call for comments

Media | 07/25/2002 4:00 am EDT

As asked to by the federal government, the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) has issued a call for comments in a new public process to examine Internet retransmission. It has set a deadline of September 6 for comments on how Canada’s broadcasting laws, and the 1998 new media exemption...

North American Aboriginal Games site among most complete at Virtual Museum

Media | 07/25/2002 4:00 am EDT

The newest addition to the Virtual Museum of Canada (VMC) is being touted as a rich multimedia learning experience that may serve as a model for future exhibits. Not every site on the VMC is as interactive, says a spokesperson, but the Living Traditions: Museums Honour the North American Indigenous Games exhibit may be held up as an example as museum officials decide how to deal with exhibits that approach the end of their five-year hosting contracts. The Games exhibit makes prodigious use of cutting-edge Flash games and other teaching resources to educate visitors about the North American Indigenous Games (NAIG) being held this week in St. Boniface MB. Seven North American museums...