The satellite radio industry in Canada could be facing some competition from a terrestrial broadcaster after a media source in Canada revealed a large Canadian broadcaster has been quietly testing the appetite for a rival for the XM and Sirius.

But… and there always seems to be a but, when these things occur; the broadcaster only has until Dec. 31, 2007, to launch its terrestrial radio subscription service.

CTVglobemedia had requested the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications (CRTC) extend their terrestrial subscription radio service licence until June of 2009. But they were only granted a three-week extension. It now seems unlikely that the new service will fly. But….. and there always seems to be a but in thise situations…

“We are still reviewing our options,” said Paul Sparkes, who is in charge of regulatory affairs for CTVglobemedia.

Talk Radio Nation will keep an ear out for developments…..

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Radio talk show host Michael Savage sued an Islamic civil rights group this week for copyright infringement over the organization’s use of a portion of his show in which he called the Quran a “book of hate.”

Savage said the Washington, D.C.-based Council on American-Islamic Relations, (CAIR), violated his rights by wrongfully using a 4-minute segment of his Oct. 29 “The Savage Nation” show in a letter-writing campaign directed against talk radio sponsors.

Audio from the show remained on CAIR’s Web site Monday.

During the broadcast, Savage described the Muslim holy book as “a throwback document” and a “book of hate.”

“What kind of religion is this? What kind of world are you living in when you let them in here with that throwback document in their hand, which is a book of hate,” Savage said during the portion of the broadcast highlighted by CAIR. “Don’t tell me I need re-education. They need deportation.”
(more…)

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“While I knew I wasn’t still working for (Sirius CEO) Mel Karmazin or (Citadel Broadcasting CEO) Farid Suleiman, Les Moonves could not have been more honorable or more straightforward or more decent or more honest in dealing with me. There was never any point that he said `Ah, everything’s going to be fine,’ or whatever. We understood the gravity of the remark. We understood the consequences for the young women at Rutgers. We all recognized, I certainly did, that it was just a matter of time before he did what he had to do. Read the full article here…

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Shock Jock Don Imus is set to return to radio and television Monday, seven months after he was fired from CBS for making racial comments.

Imus will hit the radio waves on New York radio station WABC and other Citadel stations around the U.S. Company Vice President Phil Boyce is confident the controversial host will behave. He said Imus is “very motivated” to “get back on the air and make it work.”

Imus’ morning show will be simulcast on cable’s RFD-TV, which is owned by the Rural Media Group, and will be rebroadcast on radio in the evenings.

CBS Radio fired Imus last spring after he uttered a racial and sexual insult directed at the Rutgers women’s basketball team.

A spokeswoman said they have a game Monday and won’t be paying attention to Imus.

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