By David Farrell
Edmonton radio stations head to court over 'POWER' branding
The owners of two Edmonton radio stations are headed to court this week as part of a copyright battle over the word “power.”
Corus Radio Inc. is suing Calgary-based Harvard Broadcasting, alleging Harvard brazenly copied the brand, marks, slogans, advertising materials and other identifiable attributes of Corus Radio Inc.’s successful POWER 92 radio station in Edmonton.” — Johnny Wakefield, Edmonton Journal
Province-wide radiothon for Jim Pattison Children’s Hospital
The Jim Pattison Broadcast Group will be joined by Harvard Broadcasting, Missinippi Broadcasting Corporation and Saskatoon Media Group for a two-day radiothon Nov. 6 and 7, live from the main lobby of the Jim Pattison Children’s Hospital in Saskatoon. Funds raised will support the families in the province who need specialized care close to home. — Pattison Radio Group
Ontario gov’t spending $765M on new Public Safety Radio Network
The government has selected Bell Mobility to rebuild core components of the aging PSRN that include core infrastructure, replacing outdated equipment and maintaining the new radio network.
"In a crisis, every second counts. Replacing our ageing emergency radio network is not only vital to public safety, it's long overdue," said Premier Doug Ford. "Working with our chosen vendors, we're confident this investment will give our first responders on the frontlines access to a reliable, cutting-edge network, so they can do their jobs and keep our families and communities safe." — Gov’t handout
The ongoing lure of making a radio request in a Spotify world
A study by marketing communications firm Wunderman Thompson New York (JWT) found fame and fortune are replacing faith and family as the core of the American Dream. A radio request allows attention-seekers to broadcast a message to others (whether through actual speech or song choice) without the hassle of accumulating followers, finding the perfect filter or tracking likes.
More than mere narcissism, song requests can also foster a sense of community. — Sabrina Maddeaux, National Post
Tech firms cool interest in broadcasting live sports
There’s no shortage of sports content across social networks, but the behavioral data shows consumption tends to be in a shallow way. They don’t lend themselves well to long-form content consumption,” said Phil Stephan, director at sports marketing agency Two Circles. “Users don’t engage with content for longer than a few minutes, and this will be a hard behavior to break if they look to push long-form live content on their platforms.” — Seb Joseph, DigiDay
Trump phones U.K. radio show and slams Boris Johnson’s Brexit deal
The president’s call to Nigel Farage came after Britain set the date for its next election on Dec. 12. In his interview Thursday, Trump suggested that Farage’s Brexit Party should team up with Johnson’s Conservative government in the upcoming vote.
“I’d like to see you and Boris get together because you would really have some numbers,” Trump said, suggesting that Farage and Johnson would be an “unstoppable” pair. — Adam Taylor, Washington Post
