CRTC hearing new OTA HD applications.

FTA:

Canada's federal broadcast regulator will start hearings Tuesday on whether it will allow two new entrants in the over-the-air television market with the unique provision that their signals would be in high definition.

Toronto businessman John Bitove has proposed to start the first over-the-air high-definition TV network with stations in Canada's eight biggest cities. Another entrant, Yes TV, wants a licence to operate a station for the Toronto market.

Bitove's proposed network would offer English-language HDTV free of charge in Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary, Winnipeg, Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal and Halifax.

Bitove, a former co-owner of the Toronto Raptors and head of Toronto's bid for the 2008 Olympics, heads Priszm Canadian Income Fund, which operates KFC and Taco Bell fast-food outlets, and Canadian Satellite Radio, which runs XM Satellite Radio in Canada.
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The more the merrier I'd say... but from the rumour mills... this Bitove guy is not nice and the 'Yes' TV lic... sounds like more of Chum group... HQ located a few blocks from the other 5 and real competition is kept outside the old families.... Catch that NFL rumour?

http://www.cbc.ca/technology/story/2008/02/11/hdtv-newstation-crtc.html

I believe that Bitove also wants the CRTC to award him the use of channel 21 in the Montreal area despite the fact that channel 21 was assigned to CTV's CFCF. His reasoning is that CTV have done nothing to upgrade CFCF to digital/HD in the years since the channel assignments were made and should therfore forfeit the channel. I agree with Bitove. CTV has ruined CFCF since they took it over in 2001.

Bitove will fund a small amount of local programming at each station after concerns were raised earlier this week, according to this article in the Globe. Canadian broadcasters are required to produce between nine hours and 42 hours a week, depending on the station. If approved, HDTV Networks would be the first national network to come along in decades, competing with mainstays such as Global, CTV and the CBC.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20080214.RBITOVE14/TPStory/Business

He also criticized the broadcasting industry as a tight-knit club that protects its own members, saving his harshest words for the Canadian Association of Broadcasters which has opposed the bid. "Everything seems to protect the club," Mr. Bitove told the CRTC.

A decision on the application is expected later this year.

A decision on the application is expected later this year.

Let's hope that Bitove is successful. It's time CTV and Global got a big kick in the @ss for deliberately dragging their feet on the digital transition and also got some much needed competition in the process.

Let's hope that Bitove is successful. It's time CTV and Global got a big kick in the @ss for deliberately dragging their feet on the digital transition and also got some much needed competition in the process.Bitove is asking for 'special treatment' with less local programming requirements and the CRTC isn't too generous... especially after the statement "Everything seems to protect the club," Mr. Bitove told the CRTC. Don't hold your breath.

I mean come-on... this is just another selfish power hungry greedy guy wanting a piece of the pie and isn't even prepared to anti up. Offer something different... offer alternatives.... but nope, gimme gimme.

I'd love the NFB & CBC archives to open up on HD, What about great provincial shows like the 'Agenda' nation wide... Give us some of BBC, or NZ... It's been a while since I've seen some of Aussy's best. What about a Canadian 'ART's channel, dedicated to music, ballet, and gallery's.

Let's hope that Bitove is successful. It's time CTV and Global got a big kick in the @ss for deliberately dragging their feet on the digital transition and also got some much needed competition in the process.
Well Bitove got his answer today, his application was crushed.

http://www.cbc.ca/arts/tv/story/2008/04/03/hdtv-crtc.html