More Bell/Astral news

[Yeziknoradio]

Competition Bureau approves Bell’s purchase of Astral Media...will the CRTC agree???
Corus steps in to take some TV stations and 2 radio stations, (CKQB FM and CJOT FM in Ottawa) but what about the Toronto radio market and some other places?

Source: http://www.vancouversun.com/busines...Bell+purchase+Astral+Media/8047304/story.html

 

[mimo]

Teletoon retro is on the block to be sold. What is interesting is that Bell tv offers it at channel 599 for all subscribers...yet there is a nationwide free preview until April 1st. When I watch anything on there, it says free preview until April 1...so I wonder if I will have it removed from the basic package after the first. It would be odd to take away a channel that's been part of the package for years.

 

[Yeziknoradio]

[...] but what about the Toronto radio market and some other places?

Apparently, the radio spinoffs in Ottawa are in addition to (and don't replace) the station auctions in other markets that were promised during the last round. (See http://radioinsight.com/blog/headlines/81118/bellastral-merger-take-2-two-ottawa-stations-sold.)

The difference also, is that they're spoken for. Corus will take the Bear and Boom in Ottawa.
We're all wondering who will end up owning the rest of the radio stations up for grabs...

 

[Joseph_Gallant]

We're all wondering who will end up owning the rest of the radio stations up for grabs...

One possibility: Moses Zaminer, so he can expand his "Zoomer Radio" format (now heard on CFZM-740 Toronto) to Winnipeg, Vancouver, and Calgary (three cities where radio stations will have to be spun-off as a result of the Bell/Astral merger), where he can launch local versions of it.

 

[Yeziknoradio]

This is a good read.
It suggests that the CRTC still questions why it's better for viewers and listeners to allow Bell to go ahead with the purchase of Astral media...

http://www.crtc.gc.ca/eng/archive/2013/2013-106.htm#bm1