Canada’s FCC Plans November Satellite Radio Hearing

Canadian broadcasters and partners with Sirius Satellite Radio in their quest to bring satellite radio to that country were pleased to hear the Canadian government plans to hold a public hearing on the topic in November. Partners CBC/Radio-Canada, Standard Radio Inc. and Sirius have filed an application proposing a new Canadian-controlled company that will offer Canadian subscribers Sirius service, including four Canadian-produced channels.
As reported by Radio World, if licensed by the CRTC, Canada’s version of the FCC, the new subscription-based service would be available to all Canadians and the four CBC/Radio-Canada services would also be available to U.S. subscribers.
The CBC/Radio-Canada offering will include two new music channels (one English, one French) featuring a mix of new Canadian music and emerging artists, live concerts, studio sessions, stories and sounds from across Canada. CBC Radio One and Radio-Canada’s la Première Chaîne will also bring distinctly Canadian voices and journalistic perspectives to Sirius’ diverse information and entertainment line-up, which already includes BBC World, National Public Radio and Public Radio International.
The Canadian companies are excited at the prospect of growing their program distribution platform.
If licensed, the partners’ agreement would ensure that Canadian performers, writers and creators gain broader exposure to audiences across Canada and the U.S. Canadian artists and performers also stand to benefit financially from additional copyright fees and from the investment of five percent of gross revenues in Canadian talent development.