Rob Farina named head of iHeartRadio

BCE Inc. has named Rob Farina head of iHeartRadio, syndication and strategic initiatives at Bell Media Radio.

67% of anglophones stream music: MTM

More than two-thirds of anglophone Canadians use the Internet to listen to streaming audio, a number that rises to more than 90 per cent among students and those under 35, according to a new report from Media Technology Monitor (MTM).

Alphabet Inc.’s YouTube is the most popular way to listen to music, according to the report, with 55 per cent of anglophones reporting streaming music on YouTube, compared to 24 per cent who listen to online radio and personalized streaming services, and 25 who said they listened to podcasts.

CRTC to go ahead with French-language music review

The CRTC announced Thursday that it will go ahead with a hearing on rules governing French-language vocal music on commercial radio stations that had been postponed since last year.

The commission is allowing parties, who have already filed submissions, an opportunity to update them by Jan. 11. It said the new date for the hearing will be announced at a later time.

CRTC consulting on Sirius going-private plan

CRTC grants licence to radio station it previously ordered off the air

The CRTC has approved two new ethnic radio licences — one to a company it previously ordered to stop broadcasting —  and a rebroadcast transmitter for another to serve Surrey and Vancouver, British Columbia.

Obhrai would leave fate of CBC up to Canadians as CPC leader

Unlike his fellow candidates for leadership of the Conservative Party, Alberta MP Deepak Obhrai said he won’t wade into the debate about the future of CBC/Radio-Canada.

“Why are politicians getting to decide what will happen to the CBC?” Obhrai said in a Thursday press release. “The CBC is funded by Canadian taxpayers; therefore Canadians should decide the future of the corporation.”

Dismantle ‘bloated’ CBC, says CPC candidate Leitch

Conservative Party leadership candidate and Ontario MP Kellie Leitch said she has put CBC/Radio-Canada “on notice” and that if selected to lead her party and form government, she would dismantle the country’s public broadcaster.

Amély Friolet-O’Neil new CRFC executive director

The Community Radio Fund of Canada, a national independent not-for-profit organization supporting campus and community radio stations, has appointed a new executive director.

MacDonald talks competition for radio, set-top rating system

CRTC commissioner Christopher MacDonald said radio stations must build on their strengths in order to deal with increasing competition in a speech to the Ontario Association of Broadcasters (OAB) conference Thursday.

CRTC calls for radio licence applications for Hamilton-Niagara

Two communities in Ontario’s Hamilton-Niagara region can handle “at least” one radio station, the CRTC said as it issued a call for applications Thursday.

The announcement follows a January application filed by Dufferin Communications Inc. to serve Grimsby and Beamsville, Ont., with a commercial radio station.

CRTC denies N.S. radio station due to contour overlap

The CRTC has denied an application for a new radio station in Nova Scotia because its service area would have encroached that of existing stations.

It said in a decision Tuesday that Atlantic Broadcasters Ltd. had applied for a broadcasting licence for a country music station in the Antigonish, N.S., market, whose contours would overlap those of three other stations in the area.

One of those stations had launched in 2014 and “may therefore not be fully established in the market,” the CRTC said.

CRTC consulting on capacity of Ont, N.L. markets

The CRTC is looking for comment on whether the Brampton, Ont. and St. John’s, N.L. radio markets can support additional stations.

It said Friday in separate notices of consultation it has received two applications for new commercial ethnic radio stations in Brampton and one application for a commercial radio station in St. John’s.

CRTC consulting on Ottawa-area radio

The CRTC is looking for feedback on whether the Ottawa-Gatineau radio market can support additional radio stations.

In a notice of consultation posted to its website Thursday, the commission said it received an application for a new commercial ethnic station to serve the area.

Interested parties have until Dec. 5 to file interventions.

Michel Bissonnette named as Lalande’s replacement

CBC/Radio-Canada announced that Michel Bissonnette would be taking over as executive vice-president of French services at Radio-Canada.

Ronnie Stanton leaving Corus Radio VP position

Ronnie Stanton will leave his current position as vice-president of radio programming for Corus Entertainment Inc.’s Corus Radio Network, though he will continue to consult for the company.

Corus spokeswoman Samantha Simic said in an email Tuesday he would be “moving to the U.S. at the end of the month to focus on his radio consulting business full-time.”

For the first time in 10 years, broadcast sector revenues fall: CRTC

The broadcasting sector saw its first overall revenue decrease in the previous decade last year, while traditional TV viewership among youth continued to fall, according to numbers reported by the CRTC Monday.

CBC execs talk digital shift, competition at Heritage committee

OTTAWA — CBC/Radio-Canada has prioritized a shift to digital platforms to reach all Canadians, but ensuring they are able to access those platforms isn’t part of the public broadcaster’s mandate, CBC representatives told parliamentarians Tuesday.

CRTC tells 3 exempt stations to stop operating

The CRTC has issued mandatory orders to stop three radio stations, operating under its exempt licensing rules, from broadcasting in British Columbia.

South Asian Broadcasting Corporation Inc., licensee of commercial ethnic radio station CKYE-FM in Vancouver, B.C., filed the complaints with the commission on Sep. 11, 2015. It said that the three radio stations were operating as unauthorized commercial ethnic FM radio stations rather than exempt tourist information radio stations.

Shaw Media carries Corus to 99% revenue increase in Q4

Corus Entertainment Inc. reported Wednesday a 99 per cent increase in revenues for the fourth quarter, despite a decline in radio revenues.

The three-month period, which ended August 31, saw Corus close with total revenues for both television and radio of $384.4 million, compared to $193.5 million in the same period last year, before it bought Shaw Communications Inc.’s media division. Profit was up 90 per cent to $105.3 million for both segments, from $55.4 million compared to last year.

CRTC says no more radio stations for Sudbury, Ont.

The Sudbury, Ont. radio market can’t sustain any more stations, the CRTC said yesterday, citing high unemployment, no projected population growth in the next few years, and below-average profitability of the city’s existing radio stations.

New Native FM radio station in B.C. approved

The CRTC has approved a new Native FM radio station in Campbell River, British Columbia, the regulator said in a decision Friday.

The station will operate at the 100.7 FM band and will broadcast each week 106 hours of musical content and 20 hours of “community news, sports, weather, traffic and other community information in the English and Comox languages.”

The broadcast licence application was filed by the non-profit Aupe Cultural Enhancement Society, the CRTC said.

CRTC approves radio stations in Ont., N.L.

The CRTC has approved two separate applications to operate English-language radio stations in Ontario and Newfoundland and Labrador.

iHeartRadio launches in Canada

iHeartMedia Inc.'s free digital radio and music streaming service is now available in Canada, according to a press release from BCE Inc.’s media division.

The free app, iHeartRadio, is available on a preview basis ahead of its official launch on Oct. 10.

Improve Internet access to help news media, committee hears

OTTAWA — Raising the level of broadband Internet service for Canadians would go far in levelling the playing field for both media producers and consumers, a House of Commons committee heard Thursday, as it continued its study of the media and local communities.

CPC backbencher tables CBC-privatization bill

A Conservative Party leadership candidate has tabled legislation with the aim of privatizing CBC/Radio-Canada.

On Thursday, Saskatchewan MP Brad Trost introduced a private member’s bill, C-308, “to provide for the incorporation” of the country’s public broadcaster.

The proposed legislation would create one million shares in the CBC that would be controlled by a designated minister and then be made available for public offering.

500 Canadian radio stations to be available through app

Radio stations from some of Canada’s biggest broadcasters—including Rogers Communications Inc., Cogeco Inc., Newcap Inc., and Corus Entertainment Inc., among others—will soon be available through an app.

Rogers buying two Ontario radio stations

Rogers Communications Inc. said Monday the company is buying Tillsonburg Broadcasting Company Ltd., which operates the Country 107.3 and Easy 101 radio stations in southwestern Ontario.

CRTC to hold Edmonton radio hearing Sept. 17

The CRTC will consider 11 applications for radio stations in the Edmonton area next week.

It will hold a four-day hearing starting Sept. 27, the commission said in a press release Friday.

The hearing will consider applications “to operate new ethnic commercial AM and FM radio stations, as well an application for a new French Language community radio station to serve Edmonton.”

Early, authentic engagement key for young audiences, public broadcasters hear

MONTREAL — The key to reaching young viewers is to have content made by them, not just for them, panellists at the Public Broadcasters International conference said Friday.

“The conversation must be young people to young people,” Thomas Sessner, chief digital officer of Germany’s BR, said in response to a question about interacting on social media and authenticity — a word that came up repeatedly at the two-day event focused on reaching millennial audiences.

Vennard shouldn’t have accepted birthday gift from Red FM: watchdog

CRTC commissioner Linda Vennard broke conflict of interest rules by accepting a birthday gift from a stakeholder, the ethics watchdog announced Tuesday.

“All public office holders should be mindful of their obligations under the Conflict of Interest Act when they are offered gifts or other advantages, particularly by stakeholders of their public sector entity,” Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner Mary Dawson said in a press release.

Court OKs Sirius going-private plan

The Ontario Superior Court of Justice has given Sirius XM Canada Holdings Inc. its approval for its proposal to take the company private.

CRTC tells CBC to drop ads on Radio 2, ICI Musique

The end of August also marked the final day CBC/Radio-Canada could broadcast national advertising on its Radio 2 and ICI Musique stations, following a CRTC decision denying a request to extend their ability to air ads for another two years.

In a decision posted to its website and coming into effect on Wednesday, the regulator rejected the public broadcaster’s May application to continue the practice that was initially granted on a three-year temporary basis because it wasn’t spending enough money on radio during its leaner years.

Sirius shareholders OK going private

Sirius XM Canada Holdings Inc. shareholders approved a move to take the company private Tuesday, the company said in a press release.

“With these shareholder approvals in place, we will continue to work to secure the necessary regulatory approvals to close the transaction in a timely manner," president and CEO Mark Redmond said in the release.

CRTC denies Durham Radio Toronto proposal

The CRTC has denied an application by Durham Radio Inc. to change the transmitter of its FM tower to expand its service into Toronto.

In a decision Monday, the commission said that the proposal to modify the CJKX-FM-2, a rebroadcasting transmitter of the English-language commercial country music radio station CJKX-FM Ajax, to expand the service to an additional 654,000 residents in the west side of Toronto and east side of Mississauga is not warranted because “the primary market that Durham is licensed to serve is Ajax and Oshawa.”

Sirius disputes shareholder complaints

Sirius XM Canada Holdings Inc. said in a press release Tuesday that it “strongly disagrees” with a group of shareholders who filed a complaint with the Ontario Securities Commission regarding the move to take the company private.

CRTC consulting on capacity of two Ont. radio markets

After receiving radio licence applications for Aurora and Georgina, Ont., the CRTC is asking for comments on the market capacity of the two markets to support an additional station.

Interested parties have until Aug. 10 to submit their views, which the commission said in a Tuesday notice it would “take into consideration before making a final determination on whether it should proceed with a call for applications.”

CRTC allows less CanCon for unprofitable radio station

The CRTC has approved a transfer of ownership for CKJN-FM in Haldimand County, Ont. from Vista Radio Ltd. to Durham Radio Inc.

In a decision Friday, it also said it approved a request to decrease the amount of Canadian content the station must broadcast from 60 per cent to 40 per cent, five per cent more than Durham had requested.

Elliott Anderson named ACTRA director

The Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists (ACTRA) has announced that Elliott Anderson is its new director of public policy, reseach and communications.

Anderson has served in the role on an interim basis since December, when he was recruited to replace the outgoing Jacob Leibovitch, ACTRA said in a Thursday press release.

NextRadio expands into Canada

NextRadio LLC is bringing its FM radio app across the border into Canada.

The Indianapolis-based company said in a press release Wednesday that its app has been live in the Google Play store since the beginning of the month.

Sirius fined for bad telemarketing

Sirius XM Canada Holdings Inc. had to cough up $650,000 after being investigated by the CRTC for breaking telemarketing rules, the regulator said Wednesday.

Telecom, media ‘safe haven’ after Brexit: Barclays

Minimal exposure to the United Kingdom and Europe will leave the Canadian telecom and media industries relatively unscathed following the U.K.’s vote to exit the European Union last week, according to Barclays Capital.

Analyst Phillip Huang said in a research note on Tuesday that given “no/minimal exposure to [U.K]/Europe, we see them as relative safe havens in an environment of heightened macro uncertainty.”

Federal government looking for new CRTC vice-chair

After seven months of vacancy, Canadian Heritage is moving to fill the vice-chair of broadcasting position at the CRTC.

Radio station must air message about licence non-compliance

The CRTC has directed a Truro, N.S., radio station to broadcast a message about its non-compliance with its licence conditions.

The commission said that “considering the serious and repeated nature of CINU-FM’s non-compliance with respect to requirements for the submission of monitoring materials,” it’s appropriate to require the Christian music station Hope FM to broadcast a message once a day for five days.

Rogers launches HD radio in Toronto, Vancouver

Rogers Communications Inc. is now using HD radio technology in broadcasting a number of stations in Toronto and Vancouver.

The company said in a press release Monday that the stations include Toronto’s Kiss 92.5, 680 News, Sportsnet 590 The Fan, and Vancouver’s 96.9 Jack FM and News 1130.

“More than just a heightened listening experience, listeners will also enjoy enhanced digital content on their HD radio devices, featuring song titles, album art, and artist information,” it said.

Louis Lalande retiring from Radio-Canada

Louis Lalande, CBC/Radio-Canada’s executive vice-president of French services, is stepping down at the end of the year, the public broadcaster said Thursday.

CBC president Hubert Lacroix announced Lalande’s retirement in a press release, adding that as head of French services, Lalande had led many projects to help modernize public broadcasting.

CAB announces new radio marketing and advocacy team

The Canadian Association of Broadcasters (CAB) has launched and staffed its new radio marketing and advocacy arm, Radio Connect, the organization announced Thursday.

The CAB CEO Radio Council said in a press release that Radio Connect will “demonstrate the many advantages of radio, from the medium’s incredible ROI to clients looking to meet business goals, to its unique ability to provide engaging relevant, and locally-focused entertainment to listeners from coast to coast.”

SOCAN signs on with European rights management group

The Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada (SOCAN)  has signed an agreement with a European partner to manage Canadian rights overseas.

In a Friday press release, the French authors’ rights society, Sacem (Society of Authors, Composers and Publishers of Music), said it will be “the first society in Europe assigned to represent the digital rights of a North American music rights organization in pan-European licences.”

Remove foreign ownership rules: OECD

The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) is recommending giving Canada’s economy a boost by removing foreign ownership rules for telecommunications and broadcasting.

CRTC issues call for radio station licence renwals

The CRTC has issued a call for radio stations with licences expiring next year to submit their renewal applications.

CBC applies for advertising extension on Radio 2, ICI Musique

CBC/Radio-Canada has applied to the CRTC to continue broadcasting ads on its ICI Musique and Radio 2 networks and stations, according to a notice posted by the regulator Wednesday.

Sirius XM to go private

Sirius XM Canada Holdings Inc. is going private in a move it plans to close by the end of the fourth quarter of 2016, the company announced Friday.

“SiriusXM and certain Canadian shareholders will form a new company to acquire shares of Sirius XM Canada not already owned by them pursuant to a plan of arrangement,” it said in a press release.

Campaign for smartphone radio brewing

A collection of radio stations are gearing up for a campaign for easy access to FM radio on smartphones in Canada.

Similar to a campaign in the United States, Free Radio on My Phone is looking for collaboration with carriers to activate the FM chip in smartphones and inviting Canadians to contact their carrier directly and sign a petition advocating for the change.

Cogeco sued by former Quebec politician

Former Quebec deputy premier Nathalie Normandeau is suing Cogeco Inc.’s media division for wrongful dismissal, according to media reports.

Heritage’s CanCon review could take a decade to play out, panel hears

OTTAWA — The results of the sweeping review of Canadian content in a digital age announced by Heritage Canada last week could take 10 years to materialize, University of Ottawa law professor Jeremy deBeer said Thursday during a panel discussion at the New Developments in Communications Law and Policy conference.

CRTC consulting on Quebec City radio market

The CRTC is asking for input on whether the Quebec City market has the capacity to support an additional radio station and on whether it should issue a call for applications.

It said in a notice Thursday it has received applications for new radio licences in Quebec City.

Sweeping government review to include CRTC, Broadcast Act, CanCon

Industry insiders and observers are calling Canadian Heritage’s impending study of Canadian content in the digital age — which could potentially affect CBC/Radio-Canada, legislation like the broadcasting, telecom and CRTC acts, and Canadian content rules for TV and radio — long overdue.

Commercial radio revenue fell 0.7% last year: CRTC

Canadian commercial radio stations earned $1.6 billion in revenue in 2015, a 0.7 per cent decrease from a year earlier, according to new data from the CRTC.

“Ethnic radio services’ total revenues have recorded an average 1.3 [per cent] growth per year since 2011, while French- and English-language services have reported declines” averaging 0.1 and 0.3 per cent a year during that time, the commission said Monday in a press release.

It noted that advertising revenues in radio “have remained relatively stable since 2011.”

CRTC approves one Ontario radio station, denies another

The CRTC has approved an application for a radio broadcasting licence in St. Catharines, Ont., while denying a licence for a developmental community station in Mississauga, Ont.

Rob Farina to advise on iHeartRadio launch

BCE Inc. is bringing in a new face to help lead the launch of iHeartMedia Inc.'s free digital radio and music streaming service in Canada.

As of May 1, Rob Farina will be Bell Media's senior advisor for the "development, launch, and overall execution" of the iHeartRadio service in Canada, Bell said in a press release.

Rural broadband, CBC funding in 2016 federal budget

In its first budget, the new Liberal government is continuing the previous Conservative government’s practice of setting aside funds for broadband service in underserved areas, cyber security and research frameworks, according to the financial plan released Tuesday, but isn’t shedding much light on its own telecommunications strategy.

Budget documents highlighted a five-year investment of $500 million, starting with $6 million in 2016-17, for a new program to “extend and enhance broadband service in rural and remote communities.”

Radio-Canada still mulling options for Montreal headquarters

CBC/Radio-Canada said in a French-language press release Tuesday that it hasn’t decided on the future of its Montreal headquarters.

It said it is currently studying its options, which include selling the building and moving to an outside location or into a new one built on the same site, or renovating the existing structure.

Radio-Canada said it issued the release in response to “various opinions” that have been expressed on the subject recently. 

CRTC licenses two Native FM stations in Ont.

The CRTC approved Friday two radio licence applications from Wawatay Native Communications Society to operate in two Ontario markets.

Heritage committee kicks off study on news media

OTTAWA — News quality came up as an issue at the first day of a study into the news media by the House of Commons heritage committee.

12 applications for revoked, reinstated radio licences

The CRTC said Tuesday it received 12 radio licence applications to serve urban indigenous Canadians through frequencies used by five aboriginal radio stations whose licences were revoked.

CBC board to be gender-balanced: Joly

OTTAWA — Heritage Minister Mélanie Joly told a Senate committee Wednesday evening that the government aims to have a gender-balanced board of directors for CBC/Radio-Canada, as part of review of the governance structure of the public broadcaster.

“We want to make sure that there’s an open and transparent process in order [to] have the right governance,” she said at the Senate heritage committee, where she appeared as part of a study into ministerial mandate letters.

Sirius XM responds to privatization claim