By David Farrell
Quebecor moving forward with wireless launch, won’t wait on Rogers-Shaw deal
Quebecor Inc. is moving forward with plans to launch a national cellphone network, rather than waiting to acquire any wireless businesses that regulators may force rival Rogers Communications Inc. RCI-B-T to sell in order to acquire Shaw Communications Inc.
In an interview on Tuesday, Quebecor chief executive officer Pierre Karl Péladeau said the Montreal-based company’s experience in its home province shows there is strong consumer demand for competition. In less than two decades, the company captured 22 percent of Quebec’s cellphone market. – Andrew Willis & Alexandra Posadzki, The Globe and Mail
Rogers removes CEO Joe Natale after boardroom power struggle for control of telecom giant
Joe Natale has been removed as chief executive of Rogers Communications Inc by the company’s board led by chair Edward Rogers, whose desire to replace the CEO led to an unprecedented power struggle that split one of Canada’s wealthiest families and left the telecom industry veteran caught in the middle.
The company’s former chief financial officer, Tony Staffieri, will be interim CEO, the company said late on Tuesday. – Alexandra Posadzki, Jason Kirby & Andrew Willis, The Globe and Mail
Toronto lands massive new film and TV production hub
Toronto just fired off its latest salvo in a war being waged against Vancouver for the symbolic crown of Canada's film and television production capital, or Hollywood North.
Toronto Mayor John Tory was joined Tuesday morning by fellow city politicians to announce the private development team that will lead the charge for an enormous film, television and digital media hub coming to an 8.9-acre waterfront site in the Port Lands starting in 2023. – Jack Landau, blogTO
The price of truth: Al Jazeera marks 25 dangerous years
Killings, threats, and full-on aerial attacks on its bureaus; Al Jazeera has endured a staggering amount of tragedy and obstacles during its 25 years of covering the human story.
Al Jazeera launched its first TV broadcast as an Arabic-language satellite news channel in 1996 from Doha, Qatar — dedicated to providing comprehensive news and live debate as the first independent news channel in the Arab world.
Since then, it has grown into the Al Jazeera Media Network, with several outlets in multiple languages. A private corporation for public benefit, the network now includes television channels, websites and other digital platforms.
Al Jazeera has led international coverage of some of the world’s most pivotal events — the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq and the Arab Spring uprisings of 2011, for example — while reporting on crucial ongoing stories, including the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the war in Afghanistan. – Farah Naijar, Al Jazeera
