Rogers Media

Rogers Media, Inc.
Subsidiary
Industry Mass media
Predecessor Maclean-Hunter
Founded Toronto, Ontario (1994)
Headquarters 545 Lake Shore Boulevard West, Toronto, Ontario
Key people
 See: Rogers Communications
Parent Rogers Communications
Website rogersmedia.com

Rogers Media, Inc. is a subsidiary of Rogers Communications, which owns Canada's largest publishing company, Rogers Publishing Limited, which has more than 70 consumer and business publications. Rogers Media Inc. also owns 52 radio stations, and several television properties including terrestrial television stations and cable television channels.

Rogers Media logo prior to 2015 redesign.

History

Rogers Media was created in 1994 after the acquisition of Maclean-Hunter properties to manage all television station and specialty channels, radio stations and publishing assets. The division is split into two areas:

Rogers Media holds Rogers Communications' radio and television broadcasting operations, as well as the consumer and trade publishing operations, other television properties and the Toronto Blue Jays and Rogers Centre. Rogers Media also produces content and conducts e-commerce over the Internet relating to many of its individual broadcasting and publishing properties.

The group has 52 radio stations across Canada (as of 2015), (44 FM and 8 AM radio stations, thus making Rogers Media the third-largest radio broadcaster behind Bell Media and Newcap Radio); both the City and Omni Television networks consisting of 10 television stations. The division also operates specialty channels, including Sportsnet, OLN, G4, and others, and also owns an interest in the pay-per-view service Viewers Choice. Through Sportsnet, Rogers Media also holds 50% ownership in Dome Productions, a mobile production and distribution joint venture that is a leader in high-definition television (HDTV) production and broadcasting in Canada.

Rogers Media’s Publishing group (“Publishing”) publishes more than 70 consumer magazines and trade and professional publications and directories in Canada.

Broadcasting

Rogers Broadcasting, Limited operates 52 Canadian radio stations, (44 FM and 8 AM radio stations) including formerly three (now two) FM stations launched in the Maritimes in October 2005; Omni Television, which operates five multicultural television stations (two in Ontario, two in Alberta, and one in British Columbia); City; which operates 7 stations in Toronto, Winnipeg, Calgary, Edmonton, Vancouver, Montreal and Saskatchewan (cable-only) with 3 privately owned affiliates in Prince George, Kamloops, and Medicine Hat; Sportsnet, a specialty sports television service licensed to provide regional sports programming across Canada; The Shopping Channel, Canada's only nationally televised shopping service, The Biography Channel Canada, acquired outright in August 2006 when Rogers bought out the 40% stake owned by Calgary's Shaw Communications and A&E Television Networks' 20% ownership.[1] and a majority and managing interest in G4 Canada, a technology themed digital channel. Rogers has returned to Canada's third-largest radio broadcaster behind Bell Media and Newcap Radio.

Rogers also is a partner in DTour and Viewers Choice. Rogers also is a non-managing partner in OLN, although on November 16, 2007, it was announced that Rogers will be acquiring 100% interest in the service from the remaining interest holders, CTVglobemedia and Comcast.

Some of the better known radio stations are CHFI Toronto (Canada's most-listened to radio station), Kiss 92.5, CJCL Toronto (The FAN 590), CFTR Toronto (680 News), and various stations operating under the Jack FM brand. In summer 2006, Rogers acquired five stations from OK Radio in Alberta and, with regulatory approval, will be operating in Edmonton, Fort McMurray and Grande Prairie. Existing clusters of stations are in Vancouver-Victoria-Whistler, Calgary-Lethbridge, Winnipeg, Toronto, Ottawa, Kitchener and Halifax-Moncton-Saint John, NB.

In 2007, Rogers entered a tentative deal to purchase the A Channel stations, CKX-TV, Access Alberta, Canadian Learning Television and SexTV: The Channel from CHUM Limited, as part of the latter company's pending takeover by CTVglobemedia. On June 8, 2007, the CRTC approved the CTV transaction of CHUM, but it added a condition that CTV must divest itself of Citytv rather than A-Channel, effectively voiding the deal. On June 12, it was announced that Rogers had made a new offer of $375 million for the Citytv stations. On June 28, Rogers further offered to sell the two religious-licensed Omni stations in Winnipeg and Vancouver as part of the Citytv deal, although the company stated that it intended to retain the multilingual-licensed Omni stations. That same year, Rogers also applied to the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) to acquire a 20 per cent interest in CP24, a local news channel in Toronto which shares the same staff and resources from Citytv Toronto. Both stations were previously owned by CHUM Limited, but CTVglobemedia retained ownership of CP24 following the CRTC's approval of the CHUM purchase.[2] In early December, CTV withdrew the application and announced that Rogers Media and CTVgm had come to a deal in which Rogers waived their 20 per cent stake. In July 2008, Rogers filed an application with the CRTC to launch a separate 24-hour news station to be affiliated with Citytv Toronto, and to be known as CityNews Toronto.[3] On December 10, 2008, the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission approved the application by Rogers to launch CityNews Channel, a 24-hour cable news channel that served the GTA starting October 3, 2011 but which was shut down in 2013.

On March 1, 2007, Rogers filed an application to operate a new English language FM radio station at Parry Sound, Ontario on a frequency of 94.7 MHz with 10, 000 watts. The station proposed a rock music format. Rogers application was denied on January 16, 2008.[4]

Over the years, Rogers acquired a minority interest in the web-based video production firm, Vuguru in 2009.[5] It had entered into an agreement to buy London, Ontario's radio station, CHST-FM from CHUM Radio, a division of CTVglobemedia, (subject to CRTC approval).[6]

On August 25, 2012, Rogers Media acquired Score Media's broadcast business (including The Score Television Network) for $167 million, including a 10% stake in its digital business. The channel has since been rebranded to Sportsnet 360.

In November 2013, Rogers Media signed a 12-year, $5.2 billion deal with the NHL to carry all national games that took effect in the 2014-15 season.

Publishing

Rogers Publishing publishes more than 70 consumer magazines and trade and professional publications, digital properties and directories in Canada, including Maclean's, Canada's weekly newsmagazine; its French-language equivalent, L'actualité; Chatelaine; Flare; and a variety of other magazines and their companion web sites. The publishing arm was once part of the Maclean Hunter Publishing empire.

References

  1. ↑
  2. ↑ CRTC application 2007-12
  3. ↑ CRTC Broadcasting Notice 2008-9
  4. ↑ Broadcasting Decision CRTC 2008-6, English-language FM radio station in Parry Sound, CRTC, January 16, 2008
  5. ↑ Rogers buys stake in web video firm Vuguru, CBC, 2009-10-28
  6. ↑ http://www.digitaljournal.com/pr/60187

External links

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Thursday, May 05, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.