Archived News and Articles - May 2007
Archive Date - May 31, 2007
BYRNESMEDIA CLIENT'S FUNDRAISER
Bayshore Broadcasting Release
Bob Wallace - one half of Mix 106's Bob and Diana in the Morning - was part of a unique fundraising radiothon for the Children's Aid Society of Grey County... it was the 24 Hour Rooftop Campout!
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Archive Date - May 31, 2007
ROGERS REBUFFED CALLS TO JOIN BCE BID
Grant Robertson – Globe and Mail
Ted Rogers has no time for the private equity players who have approached his company to partner on a bid for rival BCE Inc. and on other deals in recent months. In fact, the head of Rogers Communications Inc. said Monday: "We told them all to go to hell."
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Archive Date - May 31, 2007
BLIND LEADING THE BLIND
Tim Moore – AllAccess
Remember the Pepsi / Coke blind taste test and how that red herring nearly brought Coca-Cola to its knees? Pressed for a summary statement, in the end, Coke mistook a six-second "sip test" for a true read on how soft-drink consumers really consumed. They also missed another critical point: people do not drink soft drinks blindfolded.
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Archive Date - May 29, 2007
IT WAS ONLY ROCK 'N' ROLL, BUT CHUM LIKED IT
Gayle MacDonald – Globe and Mail
In 1957, media maverick Allan Waters invested a few thousand dollars in an obscure radio station called CHUM-AM, a move his broadcast rivals predicted would be a colossal flop.
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Archive Date - May 29, 2007
K-ROCK RETURNS TO NYC
Mike Boyle – Radio and Records
At the stroke of 5 p.m. ET Thursday (May 24), CBS Radio blew up its talk WFNY (92.3 Free FM)/New York format and brought back the WXRK call letters and the “K-Rock” moniker. The station has been branded “The Rock of New York.”
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Archive Date - May 29, 2007
AFM SUPPORTS OFFER TO SMALL WEBCASTERS
AllAccess
The American Federation Of Musicians of the United States and Canada (AFM), AFL-CIO, expressed support for a proposal made yesterday by SoundExchange to extend below-market rates to certain small webcasters for the current license period of 2006-2010, in order to give them additional time to develop their businesses under subsidized rates.
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Archive Date - May 28, 2007
BROADCASTING DECISION CRTC 2007-147
Rogers Broadcasting Limited - New national pay audio programming undertaking
CRTC Release
The Commission approves an application by Rogers Broadcasting Limited for a broadcasting licence to operate a new national pay audio programming undertaking.
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Archive Date - May 28, 2007
CRTC BOWS OUT OF AD CONTROLS
Keith McArthur and Grant Robertson – Globe and Mail
For decades, the amount of advertising on Canadian television has been set in Ottawa.
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Archive Date - May 28, 2007
SALES OF LOCAL ADS REACH ONE BILLION
CRTC Release
The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) today released the financial results for the Canadian private commercial radio industry. From 2005 to 2006, total revenues for AM and FM radio stations increased by 5.7%, going from $1.3 billion to $1.4 billion, while sales for local advertising rose by 4.6%, to reach 1.04 billion dollars in 2006, compared with $990.9 million in 2005. Sales of national advertising increased by 9% in one year, rising from $322.6 million to $351.5 million.
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Archive Date - May 28, 2007
COMPETITIVE MEDIA USE UPDATE
Bridge Ratings Release
2006 was a 'tipping point' of sorts for several media competing for listeners' time and use. This report is an update to our report first published on January 3, 2007.
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Archive Date - May 28, 2007
THE CANADIAN DIVA EFFECT
Martin Richardson – Australian National University
What do Celine Dion, Shania Twain and Avril Lavigne have in common? They’re all female. They’ve all made their names and fortunes as pop singers. They’re all Canadian. And according to Professor Martin Richardson, they’re prime examples of what’s problematic about imposing cultural quotas on broadcasters.
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Archive Date - May 25, 2007
EMI BACKS TERRA FIRMA BID
Lars Brandle – Billboard
EMI Group has recommended its investors accept a cash offer for the company from European private equity firm Terra Firma, for 265 pence per share.
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Archive Date - May 24, 2007
WHAT'S YOUR STATION DOING?
Greg Gillispie – AllAccess
Sure, you know what's going on and what the advertisers are selling. You're there every day. You define the position... you write and produce the imagers and promos... you determine what events or promotions the station will do... you strategically develop and implement marketing plans... you set sales goals, determine the rates, and design the packages... you sell the inventory... you manage it all. These are your jobs.
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Archive Date - May 22, 2007
LISTENERS SHOCKED BY SUSPENSION
Many cancel the service. Some suspect a proposed merger with Sirius is a factor in the punishment.
Jim Puzzanghera and Amy Kaufman – Los Angeles Times
Satellite radio bills itself as the Wild West of the airwaves, an uncensored outpost beyond the reach of federal regulators where expletives fly with impunity and the banter can get as raunchy as at a strip club.
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Archive Date - May 22, 2007
RADIO RUNS NEW MEDIA GAUNTLET
1998-2007
Bridge Ratings Release
Terrestrial radio was having a great run when in 1996 the U.S. Congress passed a bill that allowed consolidation among broadcast companies expanding ownership by any given company within a radio market. The buying and selling frenzy which followed this legislation had never been experienced before and the industry was excited about the prospect of how cost savings and sales strategies developed by virtue of these consolidations would improve the radio business and make it more competitive than ever.
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Archive Date - May 22, 2007
NEWCAP ACQUIRES ALBERTA LICENCES
CNW
Newcap Inc., (a wholly-owned subsidiary of Newfoundland Capital Corporation Limited) announced today that it has acquired Standard Radio Inc.'s 23.66% minority interest in certain Alberta radio licences for $11.0 million. The original 76.34% was acquired in April 2002.
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Archive Date - May 22, 2007
XM SUSPENDS OPIE & ANTHONY
Reuters
XM Satellite Radio Holdings Inc. said on Tuesday it suspended the ribald radio show "Opie & Anthony" for 30 days about one week after a guest fantasized about raping Condoleezza Rice and Laura Bush.
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Archive Date - May 22, 2007
CRTC SCRUBS CTV'S PLAN TO SELL STATIONS
Grant Robertson – Globe and Mail
Canada's broadcast regulator has denied a proposal by CTV Inc. to sell off as many as three CITY-TV stations, which the network hoped would help it gain regulatory approval for the takeover of CHUM Ltd.
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Archive Date - May 18, 2007
IS SHOCK RADIO DEAD?
Bad boys of radio living on borrowed time as sexist, slur-filled gags garner suspensions, firings.
Gil Kaufman – MTV News
It was a good, flatulent, slur-filled and sexist-gag-soaked run, but the bad boys of radio appear to be living on borrowed time.
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Archive Date - May 18, 2007
RTNDA CANADA PRAIRIE AWARD WINNERS
Broadcaster
RTNDA Canada - The Association of Electronic Journalist has honoured the best in electronic journalism in the Prairie region in 2006. RTNDA Canada presented the coveted RTNDA Awards at the Association's annual Prairie Regional Professional Development Seminar.
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Archive Date - May 17, 2007
HD RADIO FINDINGS
The Good News: Awareness and knowledge are much improved
The Bad News: Major barriers to purchase HD Radio remain
Jacobs Media Release
Jacobs Media’s third annual Technology Web Poll, conducted among more than 25,000 Rock radio listeners around the U.S., paints a mixed picture for the future of HD Radio.
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Archive Date - May 17, 2007
MAJOR CHANGE COMING FOR RADIO RULES
Regulation to ease if content protected, CRTC chairman says
Grant Robertson – Globe and Mail
Canada's broadcast regulator is laying the groundwork for a dramatic shakeup of the television and radio industries by suggesting it will entertain "a lighter approach to regulation" as long as support for Canadian programming is upheld.
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Archive Date - May 16, 2007
MEDIA BOSSES SIZE UP CRTC HEAD
Grant Robertson – Globe and Mail
Anyone who glanced around the crowded hearing room in Gatineau, Que., last week where executives with CTV Inc. had come to seek approval from Canada's broadcast regulator for the proposed takeover of CHUM Ltd. would have noticed something unusual.
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Archive Date - May 16, 2007
BROADCASTING DECISION CRTC 2007-133
Licence amendment for XM Radio Canada
CRTC Release
The Commission denies an application to amend the condition of licence that stipulates XM Radio Canada’s required contributions to Canadian talent development.
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Archive Date - May 16, 2007
BROADCASTING DECISION CRTC 2007-134
Licence amendment for Sirius
CRTC Release
The Commission denies an application to amend the condition of licence that stipulates Sirius’ required contributions to Canadian talent development.
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Archive Date - May 16, 2007
CTV PROPOSES STATION SALES
AllAccess
CTVglobemedia has amended its proposed deal before the CRTC to buy CHUM Ltd. and is now offering to sell independent CHMI-TV (CITY-TV)/Winnipeg and is also proposing to sell its CKAL-TV (CITY-TV)/Calgary and CKEM-TV (CITY-TV)/Edmonton contingent on the CRTC rejecting Global TV's application to allow its independent CHCA-TV (CH)/Red Deer, AB local status in Calgary and Edmonton.
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Archive Date - May 16, 2007
ATLANTIC JOURNALISM AWARD WINNERS
CNW
A celebration of excellence in Atlantic Canada journalism was hosted tonight at the 26th Atlantic Journalism Awards, at the Halifax Marriott Harbourfront Hotel. Awards were presented in 25 categories.
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Archive Date - May 16, 2007
HD HITS THE AUTO AIRWAVES
As satellite radio fights for listeners, new player enters market
Shane Kite – Forbes
The air war for in-car listeners is spreading. As the satellite radio stations fight for subscribers, and as more drivers cue up their iPods with slick car-stereo interfaces, a new entrant has entered the drive-time marketplace: HD Radio. As HD Radio promises superior sound quality and subscription-free content, auto manufacturers like BMW and Jaguar are perking their ears. Should you?
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Archive Date - May 14, 2007
REHR URGES CONGRESS TO OPPOSE TAX
AllAccess
NAB President/CEO David Rehr sent a letter to every senator and representative today, urging lawmakers to oppose any attempt to levy a "performance tax" on local radio broadcasters for music airplay.
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Archive Date - May 14, 2007
INTERNET RADIO ACT INTRODUCED IN SENATE
AllAccess
As expected, Sens. Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Sam Brownback (R-KS) today introduced the "Internet Radio Equality Act," which would vacate the Copyright Royalty Board (CRB) decision to increase fees webcasters pay to play music online. Similar legislation was introduced in the House of Representatives on APRIL 26 by Reps. Jay Inslee (D-WA) and Don Manzullo (R-IL).
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Archive Date - May 14, 2007
SHOCK RADIO SHRUGS AT IMUS’S FALL
Jacques Steinberg – New York Times
Almost two weeks after CBS Radio fired Don Imus for his racially and sexually demeaning remarks about the Rutgers women’s basketball team, Nick Di Paolo opened his talk show on another CBS station in New York by mocking a manual that, he said, one of his bosses had given him that morning.
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Archive Date - May 11, 2007
PATTISON BUYS VERNON FROM ROGERS
Jim Pattison Broadcast Group Release
The Jim Pattison Broadcast Group was delighted to announce today that it has agreed to acquire from Rogers Broadcasting its market-leading radio station, CKIZ-FM (KISS FM) in Vernon, BC.
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Archive Date - May 11, 2007
NEWCAP Q1 RESULTS
CNW
Newfoundland Capital Corporation Limited, one of Canada's leading radio broadcasters, today announces its financial results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2007.
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Archive Date - May 11, 2007
LABELS WANT PERFORMANCE RIGHT
Susan Butler – Billboard
Record label and artist groups are gearing up to lobby Congress for a performing right over terrestrial radio. This is the first step in a long process that's likely to take a couple of years.
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Archive Date - May 11, 2007
CIRPA NAMES NEW PRESIDENT
CIRPA Release
The Canadian Independent Record Production Association (CIRPA) is pleased to announce the appointment of Duncan McKie as its new President and Executive Director. He will assume this position on Monday, June 4, 2007.
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Archive Date - May 11, 2007
CANWEST TO SELL MEDIAWORKS (NZ)
Expects gross proceeds of approximately NZ$386 million (C$314 million)
CNW
CanWest Global Communications Corp. announced today that its subsidiary, CanWest MediaWorks Ireland Holdings (CMIH), had entered into a lock up agreement with HT Media Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of certain funds managed or advised by Ironbridge Capital Pty Limited, an Australian private equity firm, to sell all of the shares of CanWest MediaWorks (NZ) Limited (MWL) that it holds for a cash price of NZ$2.43 per share. This represents an enterprise value of NZ$727 million and a 49% premium to the closing trading price (NZ$1.63) of the MWL shares on October 20, 2006, the day prior to the announcement of CanWest's decision to reconsider its ownership in MWL.
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Archive Date - May 11, 2007
MEDIA EXECS DONATED TO HERITAGE MINISTER
Jennifer Ditchburn – Canadian Press
Heritage Minister Bev Oda's riding association declared donations from seven top broadcasting executives last year, some of whom have major policy issues before the department and federal regulators.
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Archive Date - May 11, 2007
DESTINY SOFTWARE SUES MUSICRYPT
CNW
Destiny Software Productions Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Destiny Media Technologies and a leader in online media solutions, announced today that it has filed a lawsuit in Ontario Superior Court, Ontario, Canada, against Musicrypt and two of its officers, John Heaven and Clifford Hunt, claiming $25,000,000 (CDN) in damages for defamation and injurious falsehood, breaches of the Trade-marks Act and Competition Act, and interfering with Destiny's economic interests.
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Archive Date - May 11, 2007
MUSICRYPT ASSERTS INTELLECTUAL RIGHTS
CNW
Musicrypt Inc., the industry's leading secure digital media distribution company, has recently asserted its intellectual property rights in Canada by advising certain Canadian users of Destiny Media Technologies' Play MPE that there is serious patent litigation in progress regarding the use of PlayMPE in Canada, and that such use may constitute infringement of Musicrypt's Canadian patent No. 2,407,774 titled "Content Distribution System and Method".
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Archive Date - May 11, 2007
WHEN DOES TSL REALLY HAPPEN?
Tom Watson – AllAccess
As the Portable People Meter comes into our world, the old system of keeping a diary will eventually fade away. My feeling is that for most markets, the People Meter is at least three to five years away from being reality. Therefore, the following is an extremely important document on how to ensure that you hit your target -- the diary keeper (the person who votes) -- in your market and increase your ratings and revenue.
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Archive Date - May 8, 2007
WHAT TO LOOK FOR IN PPM RATINGS
John Snyder – Radio and Records
As an experienced programmer, odds are you can break down a quarterly survey or a monthly trend with your eyes closed. But now that Arbitron’s Portable People Meter is coming to town in the top 50 markets, “the book” will go from quarterly to monthly, and “trends” will go from monthly to weekly. That means it’s time to learn a few new tricks when breaking out your PPM ratings reports. Here are a couple of guidelines to get you started.
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Archive Date - May 8, 2007
MEDIABASE TO PUBLISH ADD ALERTS
AllAccess
Beginning Monday (5/7), Mediabase and AllAccess.com will present the Top Adds from every major format within an hour of the format close time, delivered via the new "Airplay Add Board Alerts."
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Archive Date - May 8, 2007
HIRED GUNS LOBBY AGAINST SAT MERGER
Jeffrey Yorke – Radio and Records
FCC commissioner Robert McDowell is being urged by an old friend to vote against the $13.6 billion merger of Sirius Satellite Radio and rival XM Satellite Radio. According to a report by the Center for Public Integrity in Washington, D.C., former Virginia attorney general Jerry Kilgore met with McDowell on Tuesday at the FCC to press McDowell to reject the proposed merger.
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Archive Date - May 8, 2007
ADVANCING DIVERSITY: CAB MAJOR STRIDES
CAB Release
The Canadian Association of Broadcasters (CAB) has filed its second annual report to the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) on the progress made by broadcasters to ensure diversity both on the air and behind the scenes. The CAB’s report describes initiatives taken on matters of cultural diversity, as well as those concerning the presence, portrayal and participation of persons with disabilities in broadcasting.
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Archive Date - May 5, 2007
CTV RAISES ANTE TO GAIN APPROVAL
Grant Robertson – Globe and Mail
The owners of CTV Inc. put an additional $27-million on the table yesterday in a last-minute effort to have their proposed takeover of rival broadcaster CHUM Ltd. approved by federal regulators without any major changes to the deal.
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Archive Date - May 5, 2007
CLEAR CHANNEL TO SPIN OFF 362 STATIONS
$820M divestiture is in line with a contested $19.5B deal to take the broadcaster private.
Reuters
Broadcaster Clear Channel Communications Inc. said Wednesday it agreed to sell 362 radio stations for $820 million as it divests assets in accordance with its embattled $19.5 billion plan to go private.
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Archive Date - May 5, 2007
IMUS WON'T GO QUIETLY
The talk show host has hired a top First Amendment lawyer, and an unusual clause in his contract could give him a $40 million payday
Tim Arango – Fortune
Don Imus, the tousled and acerbic radio host whose racial remarks engendered a media storm that triggered a swift upending of his career, is not going away quietly even if the imbroglio has all but disappeared from the national conversation in the wake of the Virginia Tech massacre.
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Archive Date - May 4, 2007
REGULATOR TO REJECT CALLS TO BLOCK DEAL
Alexandre Deslongchamps – Bloomberg
Canada's broadcasting regulator will reject calls to bar CTVglobemedia Inc. from taking over rival Chum Ltd. because the agency will ensure the company produces enough Canadian shows to meet standards.
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Archive Date - May 4, 2007
ROGERS REPORTS STRONG Q1
Consolidated Revenue Grows 15.8% to $2.3 Billion and Consolidated Operating Profit Increases 34.3% to $798 Million; Wireless Postpaid ARPU Grows 8.7% Year-Over-Year, Postpaid Churn Falls to under 1.2% and Postpaid Subscriber Net Additions Grow 5.5%, while Quarterly Net Additions of Basic Cable, Digital Cable, High-Speed Internet and Cable Telephony Subscribers all Increase versus First Quarter 2006;
CNW
Rogers Communications Inc. today announced its consolidated financial and operating results for the three months ended March 31, 2007.
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Archive Date - May 3, 2007
SIRIUS QUARTERLY LOSS NARROWS
Franklin Paul – Reuters
Sirius Satellite Radio Inc., which plans to merge with rival XM Satellite Radio, said its quarterly loss narrowed as it reaped increased revenue from new subscribers to its pay radio service.
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Archive Date - May 3, 2007
CTV'S PROPOSAL GETS CHILLY RECEPTION
If it bends rules, CRTC fears sheer size could make network 'national predator'
Grant Robertson – Globe and Mail
If Canada's broadcast regulator is to approve the $1.4-billion takeover of CHUM Ltd. by the owners of CTV Inc., the deal will require an unprecedented bending of federal rules, network executives have been told.
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Archive Date - May 3, 2007
RTNDA FORMS ETHICS COMMITTEE
Broadcaster
The Association of Electronic Journalists - is pleased to announce the formation of a new Media Ethics and Communications Committee. The mandate of the Committee is to assist RTNDA Canada in responding to journalistic issues facing Canadian broadcast journalists.
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Archive Date - May 3, 2007
INTERNET ADS SURPASSES $1-BILLION
Keith MacArthur – Globe and Mail
Online advertising in Canada broke the $1-billion mark for the first time in 2006, and is expected to grow another 32 per cent this year, according to a study to be released today.
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Archive Date - May 2, 2007
'TWIN STICKS' AT HEART OF LATEST BATTLE
CRTC ruling will dictate whether assets are sold
Grant Robertson – Globe and Mail
When CTVglobemedia Inc. goes before the federal broadcast regulator Monday to seek approval for its $1.4-billion purchase of CHUM Ltd., the question looming over the hearing is whether it will be forced to sell off more assets to get the deal cleared.
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Archive Date - May 2, 2007
CANADA'S MUSIC SALES FALL 35% IN Q1
Decline compounds 12% drop in 2006 - the largest year-over-year decrease in Canada since the advent of widespread unauthorized file-swapping in 1999 - Unabated counterfeiting and Internet file-swapping cited as primary factors in decline - Recording industry, other business groups step up call for government action against piracy
CNW
Following the largest-ever annual decline in Canada's music market - a 12 percent drop from 2005 to 2006 - sales of CDs, music DVDs and other "physical" music formats fell an unprecedented 35 percent in the first quarter of 2007 compared with the same period a year earlier, the Canadian Recording Industry Association (CRIA) reported today.
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Archive Date - May 1, 2007
URBAN DJS CATCH CORPORATE ATTENTION
Hip-Hop DJs Trigger Influx of Urban Marketing in Canada
CNW
The hip-hop business generates over $2 billion a year in sales across North America, but the gems who arguably have the biggest influence in setting trends that drive sales in Canada are urban hip-hop DJs.
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Archive Date - May 1, 2007
ROGERS PITCHES FOR PAY AUDIO
Grant Robertson – Globe and Mail
One of Canada's biggest broadcasters is placing a bet that the future of radio isn't necessarily in radios.
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Archive Date - May 1, 2007
MUSICRYPT ANNUAL RESULTS FOR 2006
Revenues Up 45%, Indie Revenues Double, US Deliveries Increase Five-fold
CNW
Musicrypt Inc., the industry's leading secure digital media distribution company, today announced its annual audited results for the year ended December 31, 2006.
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Archive Date - May 1, 2007
MEL KARMAZIN'S $31 MILLION PAY DAY
Douglas A. Mcintyre – 24/7 Wall St.
Wall St. can whine about something else going on at Sirius. The stock is down. The merger with XM is not progressing smoothly. Howard Stern makes too much money.
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Archive Date - May 1, 2007
PHILADELPHIA PPM SERVICE
Radio enters a new era of increased accountability to its advertisers; African-Americans have highest time spent with radio and highest overall persons using radio ratings; New insight: PPM says radio is a “working persons” medium; Average audience composition confirms targetability of the radio formats
Arbitron Release
Arbitron Inc. today released the first “currency” radio ratings from the Philadelphia Portable People Meter™ radio ratings service, officially inaugurating the era of electronic measurement of radio audiences in the United States.
Click here or above for the complete story.
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