TAGGED AS MEDIA

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. Stephanie Szick has left the Canadian Association of Broadcasters (CAB) as manager of communications. She will join Industry Canada’s communications and marketing branch effective August 6. Another former employee of the CAB, then-manager of government relations Andrew Cameron, has begun his new job as Parliamentary relations officer at the CRTC. Paulette Leclair, who held that position until being seconded to Canadian Heritage a year ago, won’t be returning. Michel Brisson has taken on the role of president of SAP Canada Inc. His career at SAP began six years ago as a VP of sales for SAP France. He has more than 30...

CCR Update

Media | 07/24/2002 4:00 am EDT

Craig Wireless hoping to roll out MDS service in Vancouver next monthDespite asking the CRTC for a delay until the end of the year to launch its wireless cable service in British Columbia (CCR, July 18/02), Craig Wireless International Inc. says it could be up and running as early as next month. Craig Wireless CFO Darcy Kindred tells Canadian Communications Reports that the company’s number one priority is getting the digital TV service deployed, followed by Internet access this fall. He says Craig Wireless is targeting seniors in multi-unit dwellings, and would be happy if it can sign up 2,500 cable subscribers in the first year. Kindred adds that Craig has a deal with the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. to place transmitters on its tower on Mt. Seymour, and will use IPWireless to provide the Internet service. He further notes that Craig Wireless could refurbish and transfer one of two headends from its Manitoba MDS system to B.C. Failing that, Kindred says Craig is looking at feeding the video signal from its existing headend in Manitoba...

TV5 wants Canadian content spending tied to revenues: licence renewal application

Media | 07/18/2002 4:00 am EDT

A change in the calculation of how much should be spent on Canadian content is the only substantive change requested in the licence renewal application of the French-language international specialty channel TV5. Currently, the channel operated by the Consortium de Télévision Québec Canada pays a fixed amount on Canadian...

CCR Short Takes

Media | 07/18/2002 4:00 am EDT

Persona reaches 15,070 digital subscribers at May 2002Persona Inc., formerly known as Regional Cablesystems, says its digital subscriber base almost doubled to 15,070 at May 31 from a year earlier, according to financials released July 11. Another 3,300 digital set-top boxes were deployed for use on other television sets in those households. Persona says it had 7,715 digital subscribers at May 31, 2001. "The company...

CCR People

Media | 07/18/2002 4:00 am EDT

Andrew Cameron joins the CRTC as parliamentary relations officer. He was previously manager of government relations at the Canadian Association of Broadcasters. Suzanne Gouin has been named the new president of TV5 Québec Canada Inc. Her term as head of the French-language specialty channel begins August 5. Recently, she was VP of economic publications at Transcontinental Média. Interim TV5 Québec Canada Inc....

Cablecos looking to Bell ExpressVu for exclusive delivery of diginet signals

Media | 07/18/2002 4:00 am EDT

The unavailability of some digital specialty channel signals such as CourtTV Canada via Canadian Satellite Communications Inc. (Cancom) is edging some cable operators to turn to Bell ExpressVu LP for satellite delivery to their headends. A more reasonably priced Tandberg receiver/descrambler capable of providing the...

B.C. entrepreneurs want to bring cable-to-cable competition to Whistler

Media | 07/18/2002 4:00 am EDT

Two British Columbia entrepreneurs are hoping to bring competition in the cable TV market to the upscale resort town of Whistler BC. They have applied to the CRTC for a Class 2 broadcast distribution undertaking licence for the area, which is already served by Whistler Cable Television Ltd. – Broadcasting Notice of Public Hearing 2002-8. While companies such as Suite Systems Inc., Novus Entertainment B.C. Ltd., and VDN Private Cable Inc. have initiated cable-to-cable competition in Canada, they have done so in large urban markets and targeted multiple-unit dwellings. The Whistler case represents an evolution in the development of a competitive broadcast distribution...

Public broadcaster crucial to providing Canadian perspective, says CBC chair

Media | 07/18/2002 4:00 am EDT

CBC chair Carole Taylor made a case for Canada’s public broadcaster in the 500-channel universe during an address late last month to the Canadian Club of Regina. She said that despite a plethora of choice, the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. still has a major role to play in bringing a Canadian perspective to the country. She...

Vision TV says wholesale rate increase will help ensure diversity in broadcast system

Media | 07/18/2002 4:00 am EDT

Broadcast distributors should look at the granting of a wholesale rate increase to Vision TV as an investment in the diversity of Canada’s broadcast system, says the channel’s director of corporate and legal affairs. Vision’s request for a 3-cent increase is facing opposition from the Canadian...

Craig Wireless requests another delay for MDS rollout in British Columbia

Media | 07/18/2002 4:00 am EDT

The future of Craig Wireless International Inc.’s planned wireless cable system in British Columbia remains in doubt as the company has asked the CRTC for a further delay to roll out its service. Despite the request for another extension, some industry experts question whether Craig will proceed with the venture at all,...

CCR Editorial

Media | 07/18/2002 4:00 am EDT

The opinions expressed in this editorial are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Decima Reports.Consumers and innovation could well be the winners if two B.C. entrepreneurs are successful in getting a Class 2 cable licence for Whistler BC (see story in this issue). The applicants are proposing to launch a service that would compete with incumbent Whistler Cable in a market with just 7,000...

CCTA requests expansion of small cableco exemption order to include Class 2s

Media | 07/18/2002 4:00 am EDT

The Canadian Cable Television Association (CCTA) has asked the CRTC to expand its exemption from licensing for small cablecos to include Class 2 systems unaffiliated with the four largest cable companies and all former Part III cable systems. The move is being pitched as a slight tweaking of the current exemption that will...

CNM Update

Media | 07/17/2002 4:00 am EDT

I.C.E. rehires half of its game developersI.C.E. Multimédia has reportedly rehired half of the 30 game developers it laid off last January (CNM, Jan. 23/02). Lesaffaires.com reports that the staff returned to work on Friday, July 12 and will begin working on a second edition of the company’s Land of the Magic Stones edu-tainment game. The title is expected to be released in November. There is no word on whether the...

CNM Shoet Takes

Media | 07/10/2002 4:00 am EDT

Decima Reader Poll, June 2002The June edition of the online Decima Reader Poll asked who the CRTC price cap decision pushed the telecom operating balance in favour of. Go to www.decima.ca/publishing to answer this month’s question on jurisdiction in wireless disputes. Comm companies significant donors to Liberals in 2001Most of Canada’s top communications firms are represented on the list of donors to...

CNM People

Media | 07/10/2002 4:00 am EDT

Sunny Handa, a lawyer formerly with Fasken Martineau DuMoulin, has accepted a position with Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP within its technology and communications practices. Handa came to mainstream national attention as the lawyer guiding JumpTV.com Canada Inc. through its recent retransmission battles. He tells CNM that it’s not certain JumpTV will follow him to the new firm as a client. Handa’s role as a...

CCR Update

Media | 07/10/2002 4:00 am EDT

Debt-laden CanWest Global unloads some of its newspapersCanWest Global Communications Corp. has reached an agreement to sell its community newspapers and related assets in Atlantic Canada and Saskatchewan to G.T.C. Transcontinental Group Ltd. for $255 million in cash. The assets include 10 dailies and two weeklies, 32 related publications, and related printing operations. The assets that were sold contributed about $30 million annually to CanWest’s operating profits, according to CanWest. Transcontinental said combined the newspapers employed 900 people, and generated about $100 annually in revenues. The deal, subject to the approval of the Competition Bureau, is expected to close in mid-August. CanWest also announced that "additional potential asset sales remain a high priority of CanWest, including those community newspapers located in Ontario that did not form part of today’s announcement." The broadcaster had initially acquired the newspapers as part of its convergence plan centred around content (CCR, Feb. 14/01). Under...

Capital taxes stifle Canada’s innovation strategy: CATA to HRDC

Media | 07/10/2002 4:00 am EDT

On May 9, Industry Canada minister Allan Rock put out a call to Canadian citizens and companies to submit their input on Canada’s Innovation Strategy in advance of in-depth discussions. A series of meetings has been announced that will culminate in a summit this November. Following is a letter submitted as a part of that...

Quebec producers renew commitment to drafting new multimedia bargaining deals

Media | 07/10/2002 4:00 am EDT

Quebec’s multimedia producers are determined to negotiate agreements with artists’ unions despite a recent provincial ruling that leaves the question of bargaining rights up in the air. At a meeting June 20 in Montreal, about 25 producers re-confirmed their commitment to keep the negotiation arm of the Alliance...

CNM Editorial

Media | 07/10/2002 4:00 am EDT

The opinions expressed in this editorial are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Decima Reports. While researching this issue’s story on changes at Toronto’s Liberty Village New Media Centre (LVNMC), I was struck, again, by the failure of Ontario’s new media community to coalesce around a single strong association or find leadership from the provincial government. In the past several years,...

CBC mum on details of archives posted to web

Media | 07/10/2002 4:00 am EDT

The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation has quietly posted a variety of archival media clips online, though details about the as-yet-unfinished site won’t be made known until September. The site, at http://cbc.ca/archives (http://radio-canada.ca/archives in French), was launched two weeks ago, according to a CBC spokesperson. The site was built with...

Vancouver entrepreneurs take on reality genre with new interactive web series

Media | 07/10/2002 4:00 am EDT

A group of young Vancouver entrepreneurs has come out of apparently nowhere to launch a big-budget Internet drama series. Last week, TVSTARS Entertainment (http://www.tvstars.ca) opened a call to aspiring actors and actresses from across Canada to apply to star in an upcoming web-only series that will add an interactive twist to the now-familiar reality series formula. The show, with a budget that could reach as high as $1 million, will be making five stops across the country to audition potential stars for 20 finalist positions for eight actual cast spots on the show. The auditions themselves will make up the first five episodes of the series, with successful candidates flown to...

Copper broadband networks a secure alternative to deliver copyrighted content

Media | 07/10/2002 4:00 am EDT

Aliant Telecom says it will prove the value of broadband IP networks as a secure platform for TV content and other copyrighted material with the launch of several new services including another kick at the broadcast can. This month it will launch several new services, including TV programming, video-on-demand (VOD), and...

Change at top of Liberty Village signals new directions for new media organization

Media | 07/10/2002 4:00 am EDT

Controversy surrounds the announcement that Kathrine Brown is set to leave the helm of Toronto’s Liberty Village New Media Centre (LVNMC) several months in advance of the end of her contract. Brown will be replaced by well-known new media entrepreneur Julian Wharton, founder of QEDMedia, who takes over this week. Rumours...

Telefilm Canada’s Canada New Media Fund announces winners of April 29 application deadline

Media | 07/10/2002 4:00 am EDT

Telefilm Canada has announced funding recipients from its second round of applications to the re-vamped Canada New Media Fund (CNM, Dec. 13/01), applications for which were due April 29. Following is a complete list of the recipients, including the project name, company, type of project and funding...

CCR Short Takes

Media | 07/04/2002 4:00 am EDT

Shaw joins cablecos applying for basic cable deregulation Shaw Communications Inc. has filed an application with the CRTC to deregulate its basic service in its Class 1 systems in mainland Vancouver. In a June 12 letter to the commission, Shaw asks that its Burnaby; Coquitlan/Maple Ridge and Mission (Frasier); Northwest Vancouver, Vancouver; Surrey/Abbotsford; and White Rock BC systems be deregulated. Shaw filed an...

Shaw Cablesystems hoping to distinguish its VOD service with music videos

Media | 07/04/2002 4:00 am EDT

The video-on-demand (VOD) service Shaw Cablesystems is rolling out beginning September 4 in Calgary could include free music videos - a move meant to distinguish the service from other offerings. That strategy could also put a dent in the music specialty channels of mid-sized broadcasters CHUM Ltd., Craig Broadcast Systems...

CCR People

Media | 07/04/2002 4:00 am EDT

Andrée Noël and James Stuart Langford have been re-appointed as full-time CRTC commissioners for full five-year terms. In an unusual move, the re-appointments, made June 21, came five months prior to the end of their current terms. Noël's new term as commissioner for the Quebec region will begin November 1 and Langford's on November 16. The move is a surprise because CRTC chair Charles Dalfen was widely...

Dalfen encourages broadcast competition, wants to build on past regulatory success

Media | 07/04/2002 4:00 am EDT

CRTC chair Charles Dalfen addressed the Western Association of Broadcasters at its annual conference in Alberta on June 15. He spoke of a need for Canadians to tell their own stories and hear their own voices, and said one of his priorities was to increase the amount of Canadian English-language drama series on television....

Restrictions sought on low-powered broadcasting of sporting, other events

Media | 07/04/2002 4:00 am EDT

Canada's private broadcasters are opposed to an upstart Montreal company's plans to sell advertising during on-site broadcasts of live sporting and other events via fan companion wireless devices. World Audio-Visual Entertainment Systems (W.A.V.E.S.) has proposed selling 12 minutes an hour of advertising over four...

CCR Editorial

Media | 07/04/2002 4:00 am EDT

The opinions expressed in this editorial are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Decima Reports. Unless video-on-demand (VOD) is given a better window and more enticing product than pay-per-view, it's doubtful the new technology will have much of an effect on the bottom lines of cable operators in the early years. While the U.S. experience has shown that VOD can reduce digital cable churn, it will take a few years for VOD to turn a profit for cablecos. Operators have touted VOD as the killer app that will give them an edge over satellite TV distributors, who are unable to offer the service for technological reasons at this time. With digital infrastructure largely in place, big Canadian cablecos have high hopes for VOD and are beginning to roll it out. Rogers Cable announced its launch in Toronto this March (CCR, March 01/02), and Shaw Cablesystems disclosed last month that it would begin deploying VOD in September (see story in this issue). Vidéotron and Cogeco Cable are planning launches for this year...

Digital TV subscribers to top 3.6 million at year-end, Decima Publishing forecasts

Media | 07/04/2002 4:00 am EDT

The number of Canadians subscribing to digital television service will top 3.6 million by the end of 2002, with satellite TV continuing to hold the lion's share of the market, according to the latest digital TV subscriber forecasts by Decima Publishing Inc. Satellite's share of the digital TV market is expected to...

Consumers will suffer if Vision TV’s wholesale rate increases, distributors say

Media | 07/04/2002 4:00 am EDT

As expected, broadcast distributors are opposing Vision TV's request for a 3-cent increase to its wholesale rate, saying neither they nor their subscribers should be unnecessarily subsidizing the organization's broadcast operations. The distributors argue that they are burdened with their...

CNM Update

Media | 07/03/2002 4:00 am EDT

2002 EMMA awards call for entriesThe 2002 International EMMA awards have called for entries. The closing date is September 27 and nominations will be released on October 21. Winners will be announced at the end of November. More details. OMDC hires new top executiveMichel Frappier has been appointed CEO of the Ontario Media Development Corp., the province’s cultural industries agency. Frappier is a veteran of...

Feds urged to incorporate language strategy into government online initiative

Media | 06/26/2002 4:00 am EDT

Canada’s watchdog on government language issues is warning the federal government to be sure to integrate both official languages into its evolving Government On-Line initiative. In a report released June 13, the Commissioner of Official Languages (COL) outlined a series of recommendations to proactively ensure government...

Broadly understood lingo could be key to keeping people online, says report author

Media | 06/26/2002 4:00 am EDT

Online content creators can use specialized Internet lingo to help users feel good about being online, says the author of a new report on the subject. Neil Randall, a University of Waterloo professor, says web designers should take heart that a broad cross-section of online Canadians understand a new generation of emoticons and abbreviations unique to the web, and use them to enjoy their online experience and feel part of an elite group. The MSN.ca-sponsored report, Lingo Online: The Language of the Keyboard Generation, is based on a POLLARA Inc. poll. It notes, for example, that such common acronyms used online as LOL (laugh out loud) are understood by 86 per cent of respondents under...

CNM Short Takes

Media | 06/26/2002 4:00 am EDT

Parents site joins MSN.ca familyMontreal-based PetitMonde.com, a resource and shopping site for families, will now be featured on MSN.CA, the portal operated by Microsoft Canada. PetitMonde counts 2 million page hits and 100,000 unique visitors each month, and is operated by Micro-Accès, also based in Montreal. CRIA to launch anti-piracy education campaign in fallDetails won’t be available for several months, but...

CNM People

Media | 06/26/2002 4:00 am EDT

Brian Tobin, former minister of Industry Canada, has taken a non-voting, advisory position on the board of directors of the Canadian Recording Industry Association for a term of at least one year.Wmode, a wireless ecom clearinghouse, has appointed Brian Josling to the company’s board of directors. Josling has previously served as the western division founding president of Rogers Cantel Inc., and as a senior executive in...

Open access debate key to broadband use

Media | 06/26/2002 4:00 am EDT

Broadband has changed the way people use the Internet, argues the Pew Internet and American Life Project. The following is an excerpt from the conclusion to its report, The Broadband Difference. The full report is available at http://www.pewinternet.org. Broadband Internet users clearly drive in both directions on the information superhighway,...

CNM Editorial

Media | 06/26/2002 4:00 am EDT

The opinions expressed in this editorial are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Decima Reports. The case brought by singer Mia Girard against TQS for the unauthorized use of her image will be carefully watched by many looking for signs of where authorities will draw the line at using copyrighted material. The debate in the current copyright reform process is about exceptions and the extent...

Lawsuit to test journalistic use of images taken from Quebec singer’s web site

Media | 06/26/2002 4:00 am EDT

The lawyer acting for up-and-coming pop singer Mia Girard (who goes by her first name only) says fair dealing provisions built into copyright law won’t get TQS Inc. off the hook for the unauthorized use of nude pictures of the chanteuse. Mia is suing the Quebec broadcast network and the producers of its info-tainment show...

G8 Gallery project proposal nixed as partnership bid abandoned

Media | 06/26/2002 4:00 am EDT

G8 Summit officials have cancelled their proposal to build an online gallery associated with the event because no company stepped up with a suitable proposal. Those organizing the event called for expressions of interest last April by companies interesting in building a virtual gallery of art and furniture objects being...

Telefilm performance satisfies industry, but key improvements needed, says report

Media | 06/26/2002 4:00 am EDT

New media companies are generally more satisfied than their film and television counterparts in their dealings with Telefilm Canada, a new report reveals. Telefilm’s recently published Client Satisfaction and Needs Identification Study indicates that new media respondents to a March 2002 survey scored the agency higher on...

Door still open to Internet retransmission issue even as Bill C-48 passes

Media | 06/26/2002 4:00 am EDT

While the regulatory door has been shut to JumpTV.com Canada Inc. to take advantage of this country’s compulsory licensing regime, several avenues remain open to its owners to pursue network retransmission in future. Until the amended Bill C-48 becomes law this fall after being dealt with by the Senate, retransmission...

Alias tax credits ruling won’t likely affect SR&ED Canadian ownership requirements

Media | 06/26/2002 4:00 am EDT

The lawyer who represented Silicon Graphics Ltd.’s subsidiary graphics company Alias Research Inc. in its bid to be determined a Canadian-owned and -controlled company for the purpose receiving tax credits for two years in the early 90s says a favourable ruling by the Federal Court of Appeal won’t likely have broader implications. The case was argued on very narrow grounds, says Ernst & Young LLP tax lawyer Roger Taylor, and the grey area of tax law surrounding scientific research and experimental development (SR&ED) credits has since been closed. Last week, the court ruled that Alias, despite being overwhelmingly owned by non-residents in the aftermath of its 1990 IPO on...

CCR Update

Media | 06/26/2002 4:00 am EDT

Slow digital cable growth, basic customer losses hit Shaw in Q3 . . .Shaw Communications Inc. experienced a sharp decline in digital cable growth and lost several thousand basic cable customers in its 2002 fiscal third quarter ended May 31, according to company financial and subscriber results released June 25. Shaw added just 5,976 net digital cable set-top boxes in its third quarter, compared to 43,925 net additions in...

CCR Editorial

Media | 06/21/2002 4:00 am EDT

The opinions expressed in this editorial are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Decima Reports.Canada has taken the first baby steps toward migrating to conventional digital television with the release of the CRTC’s licensing framework. But with no deadline imposed, don’t expect free over-the-air television anytime soon. That’s the way the industry wants it, and the CRTC has heeded...

French-language European TV channels expected to drive digital cable in Quebec

Media | 06/21/2002 4:00 am EDT

Lagging digital penetration in Quebec is expected to get a shot in the arm with the launch of three new French-language European television channels this week. The move means foreign channels will get a head start for audience share on licensed Canadian French-language digital specialty channels, which have delayed...

RFI says it has right to launch in Canada, despite ongoing CRTC process

Media | 06/21/2002 4:00 am EDT

Radio France Internationale (RFI) launched this week on digital cable in the Quebec market despite the fact the CRTC announced last year that it was deferring authorizing foreign audio programming services for distribution in Canada. The commission said it would first finalize a licensing framework for Canadian specialty...

CRTC digital TV licensing framework called good first step toward digital conversion

Media | 06/21/2002 4:00 am EDT

Michael McEwen sees the CRTC’s regulatory framework for the transition to over-the-air digital television (DTV) as a step in the right direction in rolling out the new technology. Unlike in the United States, the commission has not set a deadline for the transition, preferring instead to let broadcaster investment and consumer demand dictate the speed of the rollout. "It’s nice to have a licensing framework so that broadcasters can start to build it into their strategies and future plans," McEwen, who is president of Canadian Digital Television (CDTV), tells CCR. Most observers, McEwen included, believe the U.S. will not make its 2006 deadline of having digital receivers...

CRTC outlines options for distribution of digital channels

Media | 06/21/2002 4:00 am EDT

While the CRTC has released a broad framework for the licensing of over-the-air digital TV (DTV) signals, it has not yet decided how they should be distributed. On June 12 in conjunction with the release of the licensing framework, the CRTC issued a proposed policy for the distribution of digital channels once they are...

Montreal digital test transmitter delayed

Media | 06/21/2002 4:00 am EDT

The implementation of a digital test transmitter in Montreal has been delayed due to "hot spots" on Mount Royal, according to Canadian Digital Television (CDTV) president Michael McEwen. Industry Canada has decided not to issue licences for any more transmitters at the location due to "hot spots" from existing transmitters, which...

Aliant pulls plug on VibeVision digital TV service; opts for Bell ExpressVu instead

Media | 06/21/2002 4:00 am EDT

Atlantic Canada telephone company Aliant Telecom is winding down its digital TV service VibeVision and will instead offer Bell ExpressVu LP’s satellite TV service to its customers, the company announced this week. While some industry observers predict that other Canadian telcos planning digital TV deployments using...

Court rules that House proceedings must be distributed in both English and French

Media | 06/21/2002 4:00 am EDT

A recent Federal Court of Canada ruling means that the House of Commons Broadcasting Service (HCBS) will likely have to change its agreement with the Cable Public Affairs Channel (CPAC) to ensure that broadcast distributors provide both the English and French feeds of House proceedings. The HCBS currently provides three...

CCR Short Takes

Media | 06/21/2002 4:00 am EDT

Persona Communications continues acquisition spreePersona Communications Inc. has inked a $550,000-deal to purchase some of the fibre assets of Gateway Telephone Ltd. from an interim receiver, the company formerly known as Regional Cablesystems announced June 13. Persona will acquire over 250 route kilometres of Gateway’s fibre network between Sudbury and North Bay and local loop fibres within the two cities. Persona...

CCR People

Media | 06/21/2002 4:00 am EDT

Sylvia Sweeney has been appointed as executive director of the National Film Board (NFB)’s Ontario Production Centre. The appointment is effective June 24. Prior to joining the NFB, Sweeney was president since 1987 of Elitha Peterson Productions Inc. She replaces Louise Lore, who is leaving the NFB after six and a half years in the position. Gordon Lee, senior director of uplink services, has left Canadian...

Telefilm moving in new directions

Media | 06/21/2002 4:00 am EDT

At the Banff Television Festival earlier this month, Richard Stursberg, the executive director of Telefilm Canada, announced a series of measures to improve the corporation’s decision-making, processes and overall performance. He told producers that the changes centre on a modified management structure, simplified processes, and the development of a...

CNM Update

Media | 06/19/2002 4:00 am EDT

Bill C-48 passes in House, Senate to examine bill this fallControversial Bill C-48, amended by the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage to include an express Internet carve-out, passed third reading yesterday in the House of Commons (CNM Special Update, June 18/02). The Senate won’t approve the bill until this fall when Royal Assent will make the legislation official. Parliamentarians amended the bill to specifically...

CNM Special Edition Update

Media | 06/18/2002 4:00 am EDT

Heritage Committee creates Permanent moratorium on Internet retransmission The Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage has approved amendments to Bill C-48 that would create an explicit, permanent moratorium on compulsory Internet retransmission (CNM, June 14/02). There was all-party agreement to the Canadian Alliance-sponsored amendments, which change the bill’s language to define a "new media retransmitter" according to the CRTC’s new media exemption order, and then specifically decline those companies the benefit of a compulsory licence. The bill is not expected to encounter opposition in the House of Commons when it is reported for third reading this week, possibly as early as today. Glenn O’Farrell, president and CEO of Canadian Association of Broadcasters, expressed pleasure with the committee’s action, saying Bill C-48 creates minimum conditions for entry into the broadcasting market, and restores an orderly market. Canadian NEW MEDIA will carry full details, including analysis of JumpTV.com...

Options all on table as Parliamentarians debate final shape of C-48 legislation

Media | 06/14/2002 4:00 am EDT

After an intense two weeks of hearings, members of the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage are poised to vote on the controversial Bill C-48 to clarify the role of Internet retransmitters within the Copyright Act. After hearing from final witnesses on June 11, the committee will proceed to clause-by-clause examination...

IDCS steering committee seeks ways to put recommendations into action

Media | 06/14/2002 4:00 am EDT

Proposed hikes to private copying tariff draws record number of objectors

Media | 06/14/2002 4:00 am EDT

An unusual number of individuals, organizations, and companies have objected to the Canadian Private Copying Collective’s (CPCC) proposed tariff on music storage media including blank CD-Rs and MP3 players. There are currently 83 formal objectors to the levy, which would double the tariff collected on CD-Rs and could more...

CNM Short Takes

Media | 06/14/2002 4:00 am EDT

Leitch, UWaterloo open multimedia communications labLeitch Technology Corp. and the University of Waterloo will build one of the largest and most advanced multimedia communications labs in the country, it was announced June 6. Leitch has pitched in $330,000 in cash and equipment for the lab and much of the infrastructure, including audio and video conversion and interface equipment, test generators and a 3D non-linear...

IDCS steering committee seeks ways to put recommendations into action

Media | 06/14/2002 4:00 am EDT

A final report published by the Infomation Deficit: Canadian Solutions (IDCS) forum held in October 2001 isn’t the end of the group’s efforts to put Canadian content online. Janice Dickin, chair of the group’s steering committee, says she and her colleagues are in the process of finalizing several grant applications that put the report’s recommendations into practice. Potential funding could come from CANARIE Inc.’s Applied Research in Multimedia fund, the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council’s Initiative on the New Economy envelope, as well as through the Networks of Centres of Excellence and the Canada Foundation for Innovation. The money, if successfully...

CNM Short Take

Media | 06/14/2002 4:00 am EDT

CNM People

Media | 06/14/2002 4:00 am EDT

Sylvia Sweeney has been appointed executive producer of the National Film Board’s (NFB) Ontario production centre effective June 24. Prior to joining the NFB, Sweeney was president of Elitha Peterson Productions Inc. She is a longtime producer and director, and a director of the Ontario Media Development Corp. Sweeney replaces Louise Lore, who has served in the executive producer capacity for a six-and-a-half-year...

Congress opposed to “hurried” passage of Bill C-48, warns of trade friction

Media | 06/14/2002 4:00 am EDT

Last month, a group of major U.S. copyright holders wrote their government asking for its assistance in fighting Bill C-48 (see story in this issue and CNM, May 31/02). On June 4, the U.S. Congress’ House of Representatives Committee on the Judiciary wrote the following to Canada’s ambassador to...

CNM Editorial

Media | 06/14/2002 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 Residential Broadband Users Association has a valid argument when it states that capping users’ bandwidth usage could stifle future innovation – up to a point (see story in this issue). The argument falls apart, however, if ISPs can’t recoup enough of their expenses to continue to provide...

New media industry unlikely to be affected by bit caps, say entrepreneurs & observers

Media | 06/14/2002 4:00 am EDT

New media executives are greeting news of restricted bandwidth usage at Canada’s largest high-speed Internet service provider with trepidation. They’re concerned that while the limits are sufficient for today’s applications, consumers might be frightened off using new services for fear of...

New media industry unlikely to be affected by bit caps, say entrepreneurs & observers

Media | 06/14/2002 4:00 am EDT

Options all on table as Parliamentarians debate final shape of C-48 legislation

Media | 06/14/2002 4:00 am EDT

Proposed hikes to private copying tariff draws record number of objectors

Media | 06/14/2002 4:00 am EDT

CCR Update

Media | 06/13/2002 4:00 am EDT

Illegal satellite descrambling cards cause interference to public safety communicationsIndustry Canada has determined that certain devices used to provide unauthorized access to direct-to-home (DTH) satellite TV signals can cause interference to communications systems used by law enforcement agencies and emergency response teams. The department began an investigation into the interference issues after receiving several complaints from public safety organizations in Canada. Industry Canada concluded that illegal AVR cards, used to bypass DTH companies’ conditional access systems, were causing the interference and subsequently made a Determination of Interference. DTH broadcasters use conditional access systems to protect their transmissions from unauthorized reception. "These analyses have demonstrated that certain devices used to defeat conditional access systems of DTH broadcast satellite receivers, when used in conjunction with such receivers, cause the emission of radio frequency signals of sufficient strength that interference...

Broadcast players divided on need for harmonization of CanCon definitions, rules

Media | 06/07/2002 4:00 am EDT

Opinions are split on the need for a greater harmonization between CRTC content rules and those for funding purposes, according to submissions filed with Canadian Heritage in the government’s review of Canadian content definitions (CCR, Apr. 12/02). The Canadian Broadcasting Corp. (CBC), the Independent Film and...

CCR Editorial

Media | 06/07/2002 4:00 am EDT

The opinions expressed in this editorial are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Decima Reports.Despite all the recent political and public pressure on Radio-Canada for losing the rights to broadcast Montreal Canadiens games on Saturday nights, the public broadcaster is taking the right stance. CBC president/CEO Robert Rabinovitch should stay the course and not be swayed into a bad TV deal....

Disagreement evident as committee hears various stances on Internet retransmission

Media | 06/07/2002 4:00 am EDT

JumpTV.com Canada Inc., in its bid to retransmit over-the-air television signals via the Internet, has told the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage that if compulsory Internet retransmission is permitted, it will abide by the same conditions as cable and satellite TV operators (CCR, Mar. 28/02). Jump’s promise came...

Bill S-7 returns to House without changes, including exemptions

Media | 06/07/2002 4:00 am EDT

Bill S-7 was sent back to the House of Commons for a vote unchanged although some members of the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage did want changes made. The bill’s sponsor, Liberal MP John Harvard, and Bloc Québécois MP Christiane Gagnon wanted small broadcasters to be exempt from subsidizing third-party...

CSUA says progress made despite Cabinet rejection of contribution regime appeal

Media | 06/07/2002 4:00 am EDT

Even though the federal government recently denied an appeal by satellite users including broadcasters of the CRTC’s contribution regime, the executive director of the Canadian Satellite Users’ Association (CSUA) believes the petitioners still made some progress on the issue. Don Braden notes that the parties were able to make the case that contribution funds should not be used for purposes other than supporting the provision of local telephone service in high-cost areas. "We’re disappointed with the decision. But on a broader level, I think we’ve been able to get our message out on not expanding the contribution regime to other things, such as the rollout of broadband. We...

CCR Short Takes

Media | 06/07/2002 4:00 am EDT

ARTV and WETV Canada seek licence amendmentsThe arts channel ARTV Inc. is asking the CRTC to amend its licence so that it can broadcast in prime time a weekly one-hour program pertaining to events, artists and Canadian artisans – Broadcasting Public Notice 2002-27. The deadline for filing comments on the matter is June 18. As well, WETV Canada Corp., which operates The Green Channel, has asked the CRTC to amend its...

CCR People

Media | 06/07/2002 4:00 am EDT

Gordon Whittaker has been named a new investment analyst at Telefilm Canada’s operations in Atlantic Canada. For the last two years, he was VP and COO at Helix Animation Inc. Previous to that, he was executive director of the Atlantic Film Festival. As well, Michel Pradier has been appointed director of Telefilm’s Quebec operations. An employee of Telefilm since 1997, he has been in the position in an acting capacity...

Craig gets to keep Toronto licence, has plans to expand into more markets

Media | 06/07/2002 4:00 am EDT

Now that it’s been confirmed that Drew Craig will keep his licence for a conventional television station in the crowded Toronto market, he can move ahead with plans for expansion. Calling the Toronto licence "critical" for Craig Broadcast Systems Inc., the president and CEO of the Calgary-based broadcaster says...

Rabinovitch places Radio-Canada’s loss of Habs games on shoulders of rights holders

Media | 06/07/2002 4:00 am EDT

A Parliamentary committee pondered out loud this week whether it should get involved in a programming agreement that excludes coverage of the Montreal Canadiens hockey team on Radio-Canada on Saturday nights. Robert Rabinovitch, president and CEO of the Canadian Broadcasting Corp., told members of...

How Radio-Canada is meeting the objectives of the Official Languages Act

Media | 06/07/2002 4:00 am EDT

The loss of the Montreal Canadiens on Radio-Canada accounted for most of questioning of CBC president and CEO Robert Rabinovitch during his appearance before the Standing Joint Committee on Official Languages on June 4 (see story in this issue). But in introductory remarks to the committee, Rabinovitch updated it on how...

Oppose C-48: U.S. copyright industry to U.S. Trade Representative Robert Zoellick

Media | 05/31/2002 4:00 am EDT

The following is shortened version of a confidential letter sent by the major sports leagues, National Association of Broadcasters, actors and writers guilds of America and others to the U.S. trade representative. For more details, please see the May 16/02 edition of Canadian NEW MEDIA. We, the undersigned members of...

CNM Editorial

Media | 05/31/2002 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 move to refer Internet retransmission to the CRTC for consultation will be greeted with relief by some people and trepidation by others. The end-run around the federal government’s promise to have regulations on the table to define Bill C-48 before it passes gives the Canadian Association of...

Deadlock on C-48 regulations prompts ministers to throw ball into CRTC court

Media | 05/31/2002 4:00 am EDT

Unable to break an impasse over regulations for proposed Bill C-48, the federal government has asked Parliament to pass the legislation without a final determination on whether Internet retransmission will or won’t be allowed. In return, Canadian Heritage minister Sheila Copps and Industry Canada minister Allan Rock have...

Standard buys out partner Iceberg Media as radio webcaster gives up on markets

Media | 05/31/2002 4:00 am EDT

Iceberg Media.com Inc. is supporting a $1.3-million takeover by Standard Radio Inc. as the only alternative to shutting its doors. On May 22, the company announced that Standard would be tendering an offer to purchase all outstanding shares at $0.05 each, a measure already agreed to by Iceberg and partners Newfoundland Capital Corp. and Universal Studios Canada Ltd. It’s expected that CHUM Ltd., which owns 16.5% of Iceberg, will also tender its shares as part of the takeover. Though Iceberg maintains a healthy $3.8 million war chest, and has consistently managed monthly operating expenses on a strict basis since going public, company president and CEO Ted Boyd tells Canadian NEW MEDIA...

CCOP dollars flow into education with Telus partnership deal announced at CNMAs

Media | 05/31/2002 4:00 am EDT

Canadian Heritage minister Sheila Copps ended months of speculation on May 27 by announcing that Telus Corp. would be the department’s chief e-learning partner. During the third annual Canadian New Media Awards in Toronto, Copps and Telus executive VP John Chang announced the creation of the new $5-million Canada-Telus...

I.C.E. to develop video games for console market in addition to PC platform

Media | 05/31/2002 4:00 am EDT

I.C.E. Multimedia will soon end a five-month hiatus from developing video games and begin producing titles for the video game console market, Canadian NEW MEDIA has learned. While the company is keeping full details secret for another several weeks, company spokesperson Ron Vaillancourt confirms that the company would begin...

Law Society library ruling offers clarification on communication right

Media | 05/31/2002 4:00 am EDT

A May 14 ruling by the Federal Court of Appeal clarifies the right to communicate to the public by telecommunications by adding a new element of control until now missing from the jurisprudence. As part of its finding for legal text publishers CCH Canadian Ltd. (Carswell Thomson Professional Publishing) against the Law...

Awards season in Canada recognizes cross-country talent thriving in tough times

Media | 05/31/2002 4:00 am EDT

Awards shows in both Montreal and Toronto this month were a powerful reminder of the considerable talent, energy and passion that makes up the new media industry, even through a tough year. In Montreal, the National Animation and Design Centre (CentreNAD) honored graduates from its 2001 program on May 22 at the Théâtre du...

CNM Short Takes

Media | 05/31/2002 4:00 am EDT

Corus acquires major stake in pay TV channelCorus Entertainment Inc. has acquired a 50% stake in The Locomotion Channel, an action-oriented animation pay television service. The service, which targets young adults aged 18-35, is available in more than 27 countries and seven million homes throughout Latin America and the Iberian Peninsula. Corus purchased the interest from Claxson Interactive Group Inc. for US$10.5 million and a holdback in the event of certain economic changes that may impact revenue projections. The remaining 50% interest is held by The Hearst Corp., a diversified communications company. VerticalScope introduces compact car racing portalToronto-based VerticalScope Inc. has launched an information resource portable for the sport compact car industry. Dubbed Modified.com, the portal will provide information on a variety of subjects including timely news, the hottest cars, comprehensive event coverage, industry trends, new and innovative products and photography. In launching its latest portal, the company is building...

CNM People

Media | 05/31/2002 4:00 am EDT

MGM Worldwide Television Distribution Group has hired Susan Hummel to serve as VP television distribution for Canada. Based in Toronto, she will be responsible for distribution and sales of all MGM programming to stations in Canadian pay, basic cable, pay-per-view and free television markets. Hummel joins the company from Comedy Central in New York, where she most recently served as VP programming and acquisitions. She...

CCR Update

Media | 05/29/2002 4:00 am EDT

Government spending on culture on the riseThe three levels of government combined spent almost $5.9 billion on culture in the fiscal year 1999/2000, the second consecutive increase, according to data released this week by Statistics Canada. The increase in the two years follows eight years of decline, when spending is adjusted for inflation. Spending on culture includes everything from libraries to nature parks and...

Cabinet rejects broadcasters’ appeal on contribution regime

Media | 05/28/2002 4:00 am EDT

The federal government has rejected an appeal by broadcasting interests of the CRTC’s contribution regime, a move that will result in broadcasters indirectly paying millions of dollars to subsidize the cost of providing telephone service to rural and remote areas of Canada. "Having considered the petition, the...

CAB opposes general licence condition on 4+1 signals

Media | 05/23/2002 4:00 am EDT

The Canadian Association of Broadcasters (CAB) is opposing an amendment to SaskTel’s broadcast distribution licence over concerns about simultaneous substitution. The CAB argues that if SaskTel is given a general condition of licence allowing it to distribute different U.S. 4+1 network signals in different locations of the province, it could...

Ontario TV licensing decision appealed

Media | 05/23/2002 4:00 am EDT

As expected, Torstar Corp. has appealed the CRTC’s decision to award a licence for a conventional TV station in the crowded Toronto market to Craig Broadcast Systems Inc. Global Communications Ltd., a subsidiary of CanWest Global Communications Corp., also filed an appeal on May 21. Torstar is asking the federal Cabinet to set aside or refer back...

CCR Short Takes

Media | 05/23/2002 4:00 am EDT

CCTA granted right to appeal pole access decisionThe Supreme Court of Canada last week granted the Canadian Cable Television Association the right to appeal a lower court decision on access to electric utility poles. Canada’s highest court will now be asked to decide whether the CRTC has the right to mandate access to poles and at what price (CCR Update, May 16/02). Vision applies to CRTC for 3-cent increase to...

CCR People

Media | 05/23/2002 4:00 am EDT

Mark Hemingway has been elected as a director of the board of Look Communications Inc. He held the position of senior VP, general counsel and secretary of Look from January 2000 to January 2002. Other incumbent directors were re-elected to the board at a special meeting of shareholders on May 14. They are: chair Michael Cytrynbaum, Colin Campbell, Scott Colbran, Paul Lamontagne, Jean Noelting, and Chip Vallis....

Canadian company looking to broadcast sporting and other events to spectators

Media | 05/23/2002 4:00 am EDT

A Montreal-based company is hoping to change the way spectators watch live sporting and other events by providing them with an on-site broadcast service that includes video, related statistics and event-related information via wireless devices. World Audio-Visual Entertainment Systems (W.A.V.E.S.) has applied to the CRTC...

MTS calls digital TV trial an internal test after proceeding without a licence

Media | 05/23/2002 4:00 am EDT

Manitoba Telecom Services Inc. is now claiming the trial it announced last week of its digital television service isn’t a real test because there are no paying customers. The telco issued a media release May 16 stating that 200 participants in Winnipeg had begun testing the television service. The glitch is that although MTS, through its subsidiary MTS Communications Inc., has applied for a broadcast distribution licence, it has not yet been granted by the CRTC. "It’s just an internal trial, really," says Bob Gowenlock, a regulatory affairs consultant with MTS. "Those participants are largely just MTS employees. We don’t really call them customers; we call them...