Archived News and Articles - October 2007
Archive Date - October 31, 2007
MEMBERS OF CONGRESS SUPPORT MERGER
Diverse Group of Representatives See Merger as Strengthening Program Diversity
PRNewswire
In a letter sent to Federal Communications Commission Chairman Kevin Martin, eleven Members of Congress voiced their support for the merger of SIRIUS Satellite Radio and XM Satellite Radio. Their letter further underscores the two companies' commitment to enhancing diverse programming and the benefits a merger will bring to minority consumers.
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Archive Date - October 31, 2007
SIRIUS Q3 REVS UP 45%
Mike Boyle – Radio and Records
On Tuesday (Oct. 30), Sirius Satellite Radio reported that Q3 revenues increased 45% from a year ago to $241.8 million. The company also added 524,938 subscribers during the quarter, a 19% increase that drives the company’s total subscribers to 7,667,467, a 50% increase from Q3 2006 ending subscribers of 5,119,308. Sirius is projecting eight million subscribers by year’s end and total revenue approaching $1 billion.
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Archive Date - October 31, 2007
STATION RAPPED FOR PLAYING HITS
John Plunkett – MediaGuardian
A Southampton-based radio station owned by Canadian media giant CanWest has been given a "yellow card" warning by Ofcom for playing up to twice as many top 20 hits as its format allows.
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Archive Date - October 31, 2007
DIGITAL LAND GRAB
Mel Taylor – All Access
We are Spartans! So goes the battle cry from one of the biggest movies of the year - "300." They are a proud people protecting their land and way of life from the incoming Persians. Do I smell an historical analogy coming on?
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Archive Date - October 30, 2007
ASTRAL ACQUISITION OF STANDARD
Enhanced network gives customers broad national reach with the ability to target audiences on a local level
CNW
Astral Media Inc. today announced the closing of the acquisition of substantially all the assets of Standard Radio Inc., making it the largest radio broadcaster in the country.
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Archive Date - October 30, 2007
TRADITIONAL MEDIA MOST TRUSTED
Broadcaster
More than a decade after experts predicted online media would lead to the demise of television and newspapers, traditional forms of media remain the most credible sources of information to Canadians.
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Archive Date - October 29, 2007
CORUS PROPOSED STOCK SPLIT
CNW
Corus Entertainment Inc. announced today that it plans to implement a two-for-one stock split for its issued and outstanding Class A Participating Shares and Class B Non-Voting Participating Shares. The stock split, which has been approved by Corus' Board of Directors, must be approved by shareholders at a special meeting of Corus' shareholders scheduled to be held in Calgary, Alberta on January 9, 2008 and is subject to regulatory approval and the filing of articles of amendment. Following approval by shareholders, the effective date of the stock split is expected to be February 1, 2008.
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Archive Date - October 29, 2007
REPS PRESSURE MARTIN
Jeffrey Yorke – Radio and Records
Kevin Martin must be singing -- make that screaming -- “Who Let the Dogs Out?” On Wednesday (Oct. 25) 42 House members fired off a 527-word letter “to express our grave shock and dismay over reports” that the FCC chairman is circulating draft media-ownership rules among his FCC colleagues.
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Archive Date - October 26, 2007
ASTRAL Q4 REPORT
Strong increases in EPS, Net Earnings, EBITDA, Revenues and Cash Flow for the fourth quarter and the year
CNW
Astral Media Inc. today reported its financial results for the fourth quarter and year ended August 31, 2007, which concluded another year of strong financial performance.
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Archive Date - October 26, 2007
CORUS Q4 RESULTS
Earnings per share of $0.50 for fourth quarter and $2.53 for fiscal 2007 - Combined Radio and Television revenues up 5% for fourth quarter and 6% for the fiscal year - Segment profit of $241 million up 13% for fiscal 2007 - Increased segment profit guidance range to $255 - $265 million for fiscal 2008
CNW
Corus Entertainment Inc. announced fourth quarter and year end financial results today, led by continued revenue growth from its broadcasting businesses.
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Archive Date - October 26, 2007
BROADCASTING DECISION CRTC 2007-392
CIWV-FM Hamilton – New transmitter at Meaford
CRTC Release
The Commission denies an application to amend the broadcasting licence for commercial radio station CIWV-FM Hamilton, Ontario, in order to operate a transmitter at Meaford, Ontario.
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Archive Date - October 26, 2007
CASE FOR RELAXING OWNERSHIP
Jeffrey Yorke – Radio and Records
Just hours before Sens. Byron Dorgan (D-N.D.) and Trent Lott (R-Miss.) promised to thwart FCC chairman Kevin Martin’s expected plan to relax media-ownership rules, broadcasters on Wednesday (Oct. 24) were making an argument for why a loosening was necessary.
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Archive Date - October 26, 2007
SENATE HEAT ON PERFORMANCE FEES
Jeffrey Yorke – Radio and Records
The discussion was "The Future of Radio," and, by all accounts, it's a dandy look down the road. And in the words of Carol Pierson, president/CEO of the National Federation of Community Broadcasters, "The overwhelming demand for terrestrial noncommercial radio stations coupled with the explosion of Internet-based webcasts and podcasts demonstrates that radio as a communications platform and art form is thriving."
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Archive Date - October 25, 2007
SOCAL FIRES BRING STATIONS TOGETHER
Mike Boyle – Radio and Records
In what can only be described as an unprecedented offering during trying times, Lincoln Financial Group alternative KBZT (FM94/9)/San Diego handed over its frequency Tuesday morning (Oct. 23) to crosstown NPR affiliate KPBS in an effort to continue providing the local community with news and updates on the numerous fires currently burning throughout Southern California, displacing well over 350,000 people and destroying KPBS's transmitter.
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Archive Date - October 25, 2007
MAKING THE WORLD A GIANT HOTSPOT
Catherine McLean – Globe and Mail
Technology has so far managed to take the Internet into the wireless world, but if consumers really want to take advantage of it away from their home or office they are stuck seeking out hot spots. WiMAX could change all that, delivering a new technology that promises to do what the cellphone did for phone calls.
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Archive Date - October 25, 2007
STERN RULES SATELLITE
All Access
Arbitron has just released its satellite radio data and to absolutely no one's surprise, Howard Stern reigns supreme. Stern's two Sirius channels easily lapped the competition, at least 200,000 more listeners than any other channel, be it Oprah, the NFL or Major League Baseball. Stern has a cume of 1.7 million over his two channels (1.2 million for his morning show). The highest non-Stern channel finisher is XM's "20 on 20," a Top 40-ish hits channel, which basically proves that most people want to hear the same hits heard on terrestrial hit music radio.
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Archive Date - October 25, 2007
RADIO ON THE IPOD IN 2008
But not quite the way you had hoped.
Mark Ramsey – hear2.0
Last week Apple's Steve Jobs announced that a software development kit will be made available for the WiFi-enabled iPod Touch (and iPhone) next February.
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Archive Date - October 24, 2007
MUSICIANS: “NOT IN OUR NAMES”
Recent American judgment a preview of the worst case scenario for Canadian music fans
CMCC Release
The Canadian Music Creators Coalition (CMCC) renewed its calls for the Canadian government to ensure a made-in-Canada response to copyright reform. This call comes in the wake of the landmark judgment October 4 against Jammie Thomas, the single mother of two from Brainerd, MN who was hit with a penalty of $222,000 US for downloading 24 songs (approximately 90 minutes of music with a retail value of less than $25) and the Federal Government's addition of "copyright reform" to it's list of priorities in last week's throne speech.
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Archive Date - October 24, 2007
OBAMA: FCC ‘IRRESPONSIBLE’
Jeffrey Yorke – Radio and Records
Democratic presidential hopeful Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) wants FCC chairman Kevin Martin to pull back on his proposal to "move forward aggressively" with changes to the existing media-ownership rules and vote on the changes during the commission's Dec. 18 meeting. "I believe both the proposed timeline and process are irresponsible," Obama wrote to Martin in a heated 700-word letter sent Monday (Oct. 22).
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Archive Date - October 24, 2007
WSRT PD'S WIFE CONFESSES
All Access
The tale of the three "cooked" Arbitron books at Northern Broadcasting AC WSRT/Traverse City-Petosky, MI took a new twist, but it wasn't enough to save either of the implicated employees' jobs.
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Archive Date - October 24, 2007
NPR IS NOT RADIO
Jerry Del Colliano – Inside Music Media™
There was an excellent piece by Sarah McBride in The Wall Street Journal yesterday featuring an interview with National Public Radio CEO Ken Stern.
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Archive Date - October 23, 2007
NEW BLOW TO ONLINE SONG SELLERS
Grant Robertson – Globe and Mail
Musicians and songwriters in Canada have won a fight to keep a few cents for themselves from each downloaded song sold, a move that will add a little more pressure on online retailers whose profit margins are already being squeezed by intense competition and price wars.
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Archive Date - October 23, 2007
PLAN WOULD EASE LIMITS ON OWNERS
Stephen Labaton – New York Times
The head of the Federal Communications Commission has circulated an ambitious plan to relax the decades-old media ownership rules, including repealing a rule that forbids a company to own both a newspaper and a television or radio station in the same city.
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Archive Date - October 23, 2007
CEO ON MADONNA DEAL
Lee Brodie – CNBC
With shares of one-time tune titan Warner Music Group down nearly 60% in the last year, it’s hard to argue that the music industry isn't in "Dire Straits".
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Archive Date - October 19, 2007
ARDEN, RIVARD TO HALL OF FAME
CAB Release
Music icons Jann Arden and Michel Rivard will be inducted into the Canadian Association of Broadcasters' Broadcast Hall of Fame in the Music Star category at the 2007 CAB Convention. The induction ceremonies will take place during the CAB Gold Ribbon Awards Gala on Monday November 5 at the Westin Hotel in Ottawa.
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Archive Date - October 19, 2007
RTNDA NAMES AWARD AFTER GZOWSKI
RTNDA Release
The Association of Electronic Journalists is pleased to announce the new RTNDA Canada Award for Best Radio News Information Program will be named after the late Peter Gzowski.
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Archive Date - October 19, 2007
UNIVERSAL TAKES ON ITUNES
Universal chief Doug Morris is enlisting other big music players for a service to challenge the Jobs juggernaut
BusinessWeek
Relationships in the entertainment world can be famously fraught. And few are more so these days than the one between Steve Jobs and Universal Music chief Doug Morris. You may recall that Morris recently refused to re-up a multi-year contract to put his company's music on Apple's iTunes Music Store. That's because Jobs wouldn't ease his stringent terms, which limit how record companies can market their music.
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Archive Date - October 19, 2007
NO CALLS/NO E-MAILS/NO THANKS
JD Gibbs – All Access
From time to time, whether I'm happily employed in a gig or not, I cruise the employment opportunities on various websites. I look for on-air work. Some would call that "communications work."
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Archive Date - October 18, 2007
MADONNA JOINS LIVE NATION
CNW
Live Nation's President and Chief Executive Officer, Michael Rapino officially confirmed today that Madonna has entered into an unprecedented global partnership with Live Nation and will become the founding artist in its Artist Nation division.
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Archive Date - October 18, 2007
BROADCASTING DECISION CRTC 2007-368
Acquisition of assets
CRTC Release
The Commission approves the application by CTV Limited to acquire the assets of the radio programming undertaking CFBT-FM Vancouver from The Beat Broadcasting Corporation.
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Archive Date - October 18, 2007
BROADCASTING PUBLIC NOTICE CRTC 2007-114
Call for comments on a proposed Practice Direction on the Provision of Confidential Access to Confidential Information
CRTC Release
In this notice the Commission sets out a proposed Practice Direction on the Provision of Confidential Access to Confidential Information and related issues, and requests comments on its proposal. The deadline for comments is 24 October 2007.
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Archive Date - October 17, 2007
CTV CREATIVE AGENCY
CTV Inc. unites design and promotions teams under umbrella department
CNW
Susanne Boyce, President, Creative, Content and Channels, CTV Inc., announced today the establishment of the CTV Creative Agency, an innovative, dynamic and strategic new approach to marketing, promotions and advertising for Canada's largest private broadcaster. Led by broadcast veteran Rick Lewchuk, Senior Vice President, CTV Creative Agency and Brand Strategy, the CTV Creative Agency is now positioned to service CTV's integrated assets as announced last week. The CTV Creative Agency unites the internationally-recognized creative resources of CTV Inc. with the former CHUM Ltd. to produce the most powerful, in-house creative group in North American television.
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Archive Date - October 17, 2007
ARBITRON IN-TAB PROGRESS
All Access
If there could be an overriding theme to Arbitron's monthly PPM update conference call that concluded earlier today, it's that the ratings service is firmly on top of things. Cognizant of its oft-reported in-tab problems and underwhelming 18-34 response numbers, Arbitron executives used this conference call to assure all listening that they're working on solutions to the major issues to minimize their impact in current PPM markets, as well as markets in the PPM pipeline.
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Archive Date - October 15, 2007
SIRIUS ACHIEVES 500,000 SUBSCRIBERS
First satellite radio company in Canada to achieve 500,000 subscribers - Canadians adopting Sirius faster than cable, wireless and satellite television technology - Leads industry with 82 per cent retail market share year-to-date - More than 100,000 vehicles with factory-installed Sirius radios built since January 2007
CNW
Sirius Canada Inc., Canada's number one choice for satellite radio, announced today that it has achieved more than 500,000 paying subscribers nationwide, adding more than 200,000 since February, 2007. Sirius is Canada's fastest growing satellite radio company and the first to surpass the key 500,000 subscriber milestone in the 22 months since the category was first introduced.
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Archive Date - October 15, 2007
NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING CRTC 2007-14
CRTC Release
The Commission will hold a public hearing commencing on 10 December 2007 at 9:30 a.m at the Delta Hotel London Armouries, 325 Dundas Street, London, Ontario, to consider the following applications. The deadline for submission of interventions/comments is 15 November 2007.
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Archive Date - October 15, 2007
HALL OF FAME INDUCTEES
CAB Release
The Canadian Association of Broadcasters is pleased to announce that nine distinguished Canadians will be inducted into the CAB's Broadcast Hall of Fame at a special luncheon ceremony on Tuesday, November 6, 2007 at this year’s CAB Annual Convention in Ottawa. The Hall of Fame recognizes Canadians in private broadcasting or related industries who have achieved outstanding success in helping raise industry standards from a material or humanitarian standpoint.
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Archive Date - October 15, 2007
4TH CANADIAN SMOOTH JAZZ AWARDS
Smooth Jazz Now Release
The nominations for the 4th Annual Canadian Smooth Jazz Awards were announced today. This year's roster is led by Edmonton singer/songwriter, Alfie Zappacosta, with 3 nominations. They are "Male Vocalist," "Best Original Composition" for 'Dreams will Come True', off his latest CD, 'Bonafide' which received a nod for "Best Album." Nine other artists were nominated for two awards each, including Michael Buble, Gregory Charles, Julie Crochetiere, Allistair Elliott, Dave Sereny, Les Sabler, Carol Welsman and Darren Rahn.
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Archive Date - October 11, 2007
MINORITY STATIONS FEAR NEW RATINGS
David Hinckley – New York Daily News
The average radio listener doesn't care that Arbitron, the main source of radio ratings, has launched a new system to compile those ratings.
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Archive Date - October 11, 2007
SLAIGHT TO RECEIVE 2007 GOLD RIBBON
CAB Release
Gary Slaight, President and Chief Executive Officer of Standard Broadcasting Inc. has been chosen as the recipient of the Canadian Association of Broadcasters’ 2007 Gold Ribbon Award for Broadcast Excellence. The award honours truly outstanding service to Canadian private broadcasting, and recognize exceptional human qualities and practical, innovative achievements that reflect a genuine concern for the highest broadcasting standards.
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Archive Date - October 11, 2007
MUSIC BIZ LIMPS TO TEPID Q4
Ed Christman – Billboard
Nine months into 2007, CD and total album sales are still dropping -- just not as quickly as they were plummeting when the year began.
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Archive Date - October 10, 2007
LABELS WIN SUIT AGAINST SONG SHARER
Jeff Leeds – New York Times
In a crucial legal victory for record labels and other copyright owners, a federal jury yesterday found a Minnesota woman liable for copyright infringement for sharing music online and imposed a penalty of $222,000 in damages.
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Archive Date - October 10, 2007
NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING CRTC 2007-13
CRTC Release
The Commission will hold a public hearing commencing on 3 December 2007 at 9:30 a.m., at the Conference Centre, Portage IV, 140 Promenade du Portage, Gatineau, Quebec, to consider the following applications. The deadline for submission of interventions/comments is 8 November 2007.
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Archive Date - October 9, 2007
KONRAD VON FINCKENSTEIN ADDRESS
Chairman, Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission at the CRTC New Media Invitational Session
CRTC Release
Good morning. I'm delighted to welcome such a distinguished group of leaders from industry, academia and government to this invitational session on new media.
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Archive Date - October 8, 2007
S3-07 TOPLINES
BBM Release
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Archive Date - October 8, 2007
XM/SIRIUS TO VOTE ON MERGER
Associated Press
Shareholders of the nation's only two satellite radio companies are scheduled to vote Nov. 13 on Sirius Satellite Radio Inc.'s proposed multibillion-dollar acquisition of XM Satellite Radio Holdings Inc.
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Archive Date - October 8, 2007
NYC PREPS FOR PPM
Mike Boyle – Radio and Records
Arbitron assembled New York radio, agencies, buyers and the press Thursday morning (Oct. 4) for an update on PPM progress and a Q&A session designed to help the assembled navigate from the decades-old diary methodology to electronic data collection, which is currently in a “pre-currency” period in the Big Apple and its embedded markets, Nassau-Suffolk and Middlesex/Somerset Union.
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Archive Date - October 5, 2007
CANADIANS TO SPEND BIG ON DIGITAL
Big Screen HD Sets, Digital Cameras and Laptops are Top Items of Desire
CNW
Canadians' love affair for all things digital is in full bloom - over 80% identified a digital lifestyle product as an item on their wish list leading up to the Christmas season according to a national survey by Solutions Research Group.
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Archive Date - October 5, 2007
BELL ADDS DOWNLOADS TO SYMPATICO
DRM-free music catalogue playable on a wide range of music devices
CNW
Bell Canada today announced the availability of unrestricted MP3 music files on Sympatico/MSN Music Store musicstore.sympatico.msn.ca. Canadian consumers can purchase downloadable tracks playable on a wide range of compatible music and mobile devices, including iPod(™) and MP3-enabled mobile phones.
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Archive Date - October 5, 2007
GROUPS INITIATE ITUNES TAGGING
Jeffrey Yorke – Radio and Records
A half dozen of the nation’s leading radio broadcasting companies have begun equipping their local HD Radio stations with iTunes Tagging technology that gives listeners the opportunity to snag and buy new music with the touch of a button.
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Archive Date - October 5, 2007
P1S IN THE PPM WORLD
Insights Into the Listeners Who Matter Most
Arbitron Release
For over a decade the radio industry has focused on P1, or first preference, listeners—those who listen most to a station. In the Diary world, a rule-of-thumb says that P1s represent 33% of a radio station’s cume and 70% of its Average Quarter-Hour (AQH) audience.
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Archive Date - October 3, 2007
NYC COUNCIL SPEAKER SAYS 'SHELVE PPM'
All Access
New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn and a group of her colleagues yesterday urged Arbitron to ditch the scheduled PPM monitoring of New Yorkers' radio habits -- saying the method will skew results against minority-audience stations, reports The New York Post.
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Archive Date - October 3, 2007
ALL WE HEAR IS RADIO GAGA
Dan Roberts – UK Telegraph
'Digital insertion" sounds like the sort of procedure you might expect in hospital. But news that culture secretary James Purnell was digitally airbrushed into an NHS promotional photograph is just a taste of the real jiggery-pokery he has planned for us.
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Archive Date - October 3, 2007
ASTRAL WELCOMES CRTC DECISION
CNW
Astral Media Inc. welcomes the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) decision to approve the Company's acquisition of substantial y all of Standard Radio Inc.'s assets.
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Archive Date - October 3, 2007
BROADCASTING DECISION CRTC 2007-359
Acquisition of assets
CRTC Release
The Commission approves an application by which Astral Media Radio (Toronto) Inc. and 4382072 Canada Inc., partners in a general partnership, carrying on business as Astral Media Radio G.P., will acquire the assets of the radio and television undertakings owned by Standard Radio Inc. The approval is subject to three conditions of approval, set out in Appendix 4 to this decision, which relate to the proposed tangible benefits package.
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Archive Date - October 3, 2007
BROADCASTING DECISION CRTC 2007-360
Transfer of effective control of 1708487 Ontario Inc., 1738700 Ontario Inc. and CHUM Television Vancouver Inc. to Rogers Media Inc.
CRTC Release
The Commission approves an application for authority to transfer the effective control of 1708487 Ontario Inc., 1738700 Ontario Inc. and CHUM Television Vancouver Inc. to Rogers Media Inc.
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Archive Date - October 3, 2007
NATIONAL SALES UP 5.9% IN 2007
Broadcaster
According to the August TRAM report, national radio advertising in Canada grew by 5.9% for the year ending August 26th. Of the 12 reported markets, Hamilton stations saw the largest increase, up 22.9% over last year.
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Archive Date - October 2, 2007
FINALISTS FOR GOLD RIBBON AWARDS
CAB Release
The Canadian Association of Broadcasters (CAB) announced the finalists for the prestigious Gold Ribbon Awards, honouring excellence in private broadcasting. The awards will be presented during the CAB 2007 Convention in Ottawa on November 5th and 6th.
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