Shaw Plans National All News Channel

[jon]

Shaw Media tells CRTC it plans to apply for a national all-news channel
(The Canadian Press)​

TORONTO - Shaw Media is making plans to launch a national TV news channel called Global News 1.

In filings to the CRTC, the media division of Shaw Communications (TSX:SJR.B) which operates Global Television says it wants to launch a "hybrid local/national'' English-language channel. A brief outline of the plans were included in Shaw's submission to the broadcast regulator as part of the CRTC's formal consultation on the evolution of the broadcasting system.

While the company didn't outline exactly how the channel would operate, it's likely Shaw would tap into the assets of numerous local TV stations it owns across the country. Shaw also operates a regional news channel in British Columbia called Global News BC 1.

A spokeswoman for the broadcaster declined to talk about the plans until after the licence application is finalized.

[Howaboutthat]

Didn't Shaw also 'plan' to introduce another cellphone wireless network across the country? (That's a rhetorical question)

[jon]

Didn't Shaw also 'plan' to introduce another cellphone wireless network across the country? (That's a rhetorical question)

Sure, this plan could get shelved, too, but I think it would require a change in leadership, which is what sunk the wireless network: one Shaw brother to another.

A couple of weeks back, I was reading some major investment types poorly rating Shaw because of their lack of Wireless, when compared with their peers, essentially putting them in a perpetually declining market, as Wireless share of media consumption continues to grow.

Though doubtful, in my mind, Shaw could still get back into the Wireless market at some point, likely by acquisition rather than another bandwidth buy, but who knows?

[Mike Cleaver]

A national news channel as bad as BC1?
That channel is an embarrassment, with straight out of "broadcasting school" employees and re-rolls of Global News clips ad-nauseum.
They've fired all their experienced (expensive) people and replaced them with those of the knowledge and attention span of gnats.

[Doug]

Still, I wish the other BDUs like Telus Optik TV would offer Shaw's BC1 (is Shaw going to keep BC1 or merge it with their national news channel?).

When I was in Kimberley last Christmas, I have to say, I appreciated BC1. It wasn't bad, but actually better than CTV News Channel. I'm so sick of CTV News Channel and CBC News Network passing their newscasts off as "news" when all they do is have interviews with reporters and pundits. BC1 reminded me of the old "news wheel" that I loved about Headline News (remember the 'goodies' of TV news, like Lynne Russell, Chuck Roberts, Linda Stouffer, Catherine Callaway, the lovely Denise Dillon and even Andrea Thompson [she wasn't half bad compared to the crap HLN shows now!}!?).

Cheers,
Doug