Tag Archives: Chum

Front Page, Industry News

MuchMusic’s ELECTRIC CIRCUS Returns for the Holidays

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TORONTO, Nov. 22 /CNW/ – GROOVE-A-LICIOUS ALERT! Much VJs Sarah Taylor, Matte Babel, Leah Miller & Tim Deegan host a special holiday edition of Canada’s premier televised dance party – ELECTRIC CIRCUS – and MuchMusic wants the nation’s best dancers to audition.

It was the ultimate playground for the funky ‘n’ flashy. The place to get noticed. Its booming megawatt pulse resounded nationwide direct from the CHUM TV building’s street-level headquarters in the heart of downtown Toronto.

Chart-topping house, dance, R&B and hiphop music videos throbbed as those inside – and coast-to-coast – gyrated to EC’s mesmerizing beat. For more than 15 years, DJ dynamos spun sonic delights with performances by music’s hot list including everyone from Grandmaster Flash to Britney Spears. And the fans… oh, the fans. Rhythmically-gifted glitterati flocked to the corner of Queen & John Sts each week to join the action. It’s time to get Canada’s groove on once more. ELECTRIC CIRCUS returns for the holidays.

The Nation’s Music Station wants the hottest dancers around to show their stuff on November 25th from 1pm ET – 4pm ET at MuchMusic HQ (299 Queen St. West). No Macarena here! Only those 18 to 26 years of age with eye-poppin’dancing skill and style will make the cut. It’s a big time chance for true talents to get spotted. Hopefuls can e-mail casting@muchmusic.com for more info.

On December 1st @ 9pm ET (90min.) the show records live-to-tape. MuchMusic’s chosen dancing elite will descend upon the station’s famed street-front headquarters at this time. In true EC style, fans can drop by to watch the excitement.

The EC holiday special airs December 30th @ 9pm ET (60min.). This big buzz hour features some of the country’s top groovers shakin’ it to the best dance hits of 2006. Plus the hottest dancers get profiled and choice packs highlight the best and worst EC auditions.

ELECTRIC CIRCUS FACTOIDS

Tracey Armstrong, who has choreographed for Jay-Z, Missy Elliott, P. Diddy and more, will be on site at Much on Nov. 25th to help decide who’s EC-worthy.

Broadcast on Citytv Toronto from September ’88 to July ’93, then nationally on MuchMusic until December 2003. Over 700 episodes aired.
-  EC dancers were celebrities in their own right, appearing in videos, TV ads and movies.
-  Some of the many special guests included Bobby Brown, Salt-N-Pepa, Naughty By Nature, Backstreet Boys, Busta Rhymes, Brandy, Maestro Fresh Wes, Ice T, Chris Sheppard, Queen Latifah, Moby and Deee-Lite.

In July ’98 about 40,000 descended upon Canada’s Wonderland for a full-on EC rave.
-  Another one of the most memorable EC specials took place in Ottawa during Winterlude ’99 with 15,000 screaming fans dancing on Parliament Hill.
-  99 Queen St. E -Citytv’s original headquarters -used to be a dance club called Electric Circus.

Headline, Industry News

BGM completes CHUM acquisition

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TORONTO, Oct. 30 /CNW/ – CHUM Limited ("CHUM") announced today that at a special meeting of shareholders of CHUM held this morning, the amalgamation (the "Amalgamation") of CHUM with an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of Bell Globemedia Inc. ("BGM") was approved. The amalgamation was completed shortly after the meeting.

BGM has completed a compulsory acquisition (the "Compulsory Acquisition")of all of the common shares ("Common Shares") of CHUM that were not tendered to BGM’s offer (the "Offer") to purchase all of the outstanding Common Shares and any and all of the outstanding non-voting Class B shares ("Class B Shares") of CHUM, which expired at 5:00 p.m. (Toronto time) on September 12, 2006.

As previously announced, all Common Shares acquired by BGM have been placed in the hands of an independent trustee pursuant to a voting trust agreement approved by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications

Commission ("CRTC"). Pursuant to this voting trust agreement, such Common Shares will be voted by the trustee and control of CHUM will reside with the trustee pending consideration by the CRTC of BGM’s application for approval of its acquisition of control of CHUM.

As a result of the completion of the Compulsory Acquisition and the Amalgamation, BGM now owns all of the outstanding Common Shares and all of the outstanding Class B Shares.

The Common Shares have been de-listed from the Toronto Stock Exchange ("TSX") and the Class B Shares are expected to be de-listed from the TSX within three business days. CHUM intends to apply to the applicable securities regulatory authorities to cease to be a reporting issuer under the applicable securities legislation as soon as practicable.

Headline, Industry News

Bell closes Chum deal

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TORONTO, Sept. 12 /CNW/ – Bell Globemedia Inc. ("BGM") and CHUM Limited ("CHUM") announced today that approximately 8,200 additional common shares("Common Shares") and approximately 1 million additional non-voting Class B Shares ("Class B Shares") of CHUM have been deposited pursuant to BGM’s offer(the "Offer") to purchase all of the outstanding Common Shares and any and all of the outstanding Class B Shares. The Offer, which was extended on September 1, 2006, expired at 5:00 p.m. (Toronto time) today.

Upon taking up these additional shares, BGM will own approximately 6.71 million Common Shares, representing more than 99% of the issued and outstanding Common Shares, and approximately 21 million Class B Shares, representing more than 98% of the issued and outstanding Class B Shares.

BGM intends to instruct the depositary for the Offer, Computershare Investor Services Inc., to take up all of the shares deposited to the Offer since the extension of the Offer on September 1, 2006. Payment to depositing CHUM shareholders will be made by the depositary as soon as practicable.

BGM intends to acquire the remaining Common Shares and Class B Shares as soon as practicable in accordance with applicable law. Upon the completion of any such acquisition, BGM intends to de-list the Common Shares and the Class B Shares from the Toronto Stock Exchange.

Pursuant to the Offer, which was initially mailed to CHUM shareholders on July 26, 2006, Bell Globemedia Acquisition Corporation, an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of BGM, offered to purchase all of the outstanding Common Shares for $52.50 cash per Common Share and any and all of the outstanding Class B Shares for $47.25 cash per Class B Share.

As previously announced, all Common Shares taken up under the Offer are being placed in the hands of an independent trustee pursuant to a voting trust agreement approved by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission ("CRTC"). Pursuant to this voting trust agreement, such Common Shares will be voted by the trustee and control of CHUM will reside with the trustee pending consideration by the CRTC of BGM’s application for approval of its acquisition of control of CHUM. In accordance with the support agreement entered into by BGM and CHUM on July 12, 2006 (the "Support Agreement"), the trustee has been appointed to CHUM’s board of directors.

Editorials

BELL GLOBEMEDIA’S BUYOUT OF CHUM ALARMING

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Toronto – Canadian performers are alarmed by reports that Bell Globemedia is buying CHUM Ltd. The proposed acquisition will have major ramifications on the Canadian media landscape, leaving essentially two major media conglomerates and private broadcasters,

Bell Globemedia and CanWest Global. Bell Globemedia’s holdings already include CTV, The Globe and Mail and 17 specialty channels.

“We’re seriously concerned about the impact this excessive media concentration will have on diversity, competition and choice,” said Stephen Waddell, ACTRA’s National Executive Director. "Canadians’ viewing choices are already limited by the swath of duplicated U.S. product carried by private TV broadcasters. This merger will leave us with even fewer voices and less options for seeing our own distinctive stories."

ACTRA also warns that the proposed acquisition could have a devastating impact on communities across the country that have both CHUM and CTV-owned stations. Job losses could be major, and local news and production will be severely compromised.

“We expect the CRTC to carefully examine this proposed acquisition. We can’t imagine how this increase in media concentration could possibly be in the best interest of Canadians or further the principles of The Broadcasting Act,” said Waddell.

“Prime Minister Stephen Harper has to act on this issue and stop this growing media monopoly. Canadian culture, diversity and openness in our media are being trampled on as power is concentrated in fewer and fewer hands,” he added.

ACTRA (Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists) is a national organization of professional performers working in the English-language recorded media in Canada. ACTRA represents the interests of 21,000 members across Canada – the foundation of Canada’s highly acclaimed professional performing community.