Metro has redesigned its website. In case anyone cares.
Didn't think so.
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Monthly Archives: January 2009
Videotron: Peachy
On Dec. 30, Videotron removed a channel from its digital cable service. WPCH, formerly WTBS, is an Atlanta superstation that would broadcast a lot of comedy reruns, movies and Atlanta Braves baseball games. For the past year it's been known as Peachtree TV.
On Jan. 15, more than two weeks after the signal on Channel 115 went dark, Videotron sent out a letter to customers who had it as a custom channel selection telling them it was no longer being offered:
The gist of it is that WPCH demanded more money for carrying the channel, and Videotron balked.
Now, I could complain that the notice came out much too late, or that there was no mention of a refund to customers who had a dead channel for weeks, or that those forced to redo their channel selection are being charged more now because of new rates established for "new services".
Instead, I'll refer to the "attached directory", a pamphlet of available channels, which apparently Videotron didn't think to update:
I have no words to describe this level of incompetence.
Gazette workers to vote on contract offer Sunday
I haven't been updating much on Gazette contract negotiations, mainly because there hasn't been much progress. Negotiations took a break for the holidays, then resumed with a conciliator, but the talks were placed under a gag order which prevented both sides from talking about what was discussed.
Nevertheless, sources close to the negotiations tell Fagstein in exclusive interviews that they really can't talk about it and I should stop pestering them with questions.
In talks this week, the Montreal Newspaper Guild, which represents Gazette employees, agreed to present management's contract offer to the units who are currently negotiating a new contract and who authorized a strike mandate last fall: Editorial, Reader Sales and Service, and (non-classified) Advertising.
I don't have any details of the terms yet. But I'll let you know after Sunday's vote how it turns out.
Rogers contract renewal: Just get a cheaper plan
The folks from Rogers Wireless have been calling me incessantly for the past week or two. They always call twice, from an unlisted Toronto number, and never leave a voice mail.
To get them to stop, I finally answered today. As I expected, they were trying to get me to sign on to a fixed-term contract by "offering" me a brand new phone.
Except my phone works fine. Sure, the plug for the charger needs to be jiggled a bit before it works, and the exterior buttons turn the ringer off when it's in my pocket. But I can still make and receive calls and text messages.
So I told the guy I wasn't interested. Then he decides he wants to sell me on cool new features, but I'm happy with what I have.
I ask him if there's anything he can offer me that would reduce my bill and keep the same features. Then he pulls out this "exclusive offer" where I get 100 daytime and 1000 evening/weekend minutes for $15 a month, $10 cheaper than my current plan (which also includes unlimited incoming calls). Knowing that I only use about 100 minutes a month anyway, I figure it's worth it (evenings also start earlier, 6pm instead of 8pm). I tell him to go ahead.
He also gets me to change my features package for another one at the same price which gives me more text messages and has caller name ID.
But when he told me I'd have to sign on for 36 months, I hestitated. I don't know where I'll be in 36 months, and I don't know if I'm ready to commit that much. No problem, he says, he can do it for 24 months instead (that's apparently the minimum).
So in exchange for a 24-month commitment, my already cheap cellphone bill is now $10 cheaper per month, and I have more features.
So if Rogers is calling you to get you to sign a new contract, consider the following:
- If you're happy with your phone, tell them that and see what kind of plan features you can get instead
- Ask them what they can offer you to reduce your bill instead of adding new features
- Don't readily accept a 36-month contract. See if they'll reduce the commitment to 24 months. (After those 24 months, you can bet they'll be calling again to repeat the process.)
- Do a quick calculation in your head to see if it's worth it. If they're not offering a significant discount, don't accept a new contract. Either get a new phone or tell them you're thinking of switching to a new, cheaper provider.
STM approves deal with maintenance workers
The STM's board of directors has approved a five-year deal with its maintenance workers union retroactive to 2007, when the union went on strike and caused a four-day service disruption (for which we were compensated with pocket change).
The deal means four of the STM's six unions have contracts. The two remaining ones are smaller professional unions representing about 400 employees in total. Presumably a disruption in either of those won't affect regular service as severely.
NFB website redesigned
Matt Forsythe wants me to mention that the National Film Board just launched its redesigned website. The NFB has been working pretty hard getting various films online for people to watch them for free.
One of the big new features is playlists, which includes suggested playlists from experts. It's a good way to get started if you're overwhelmed by the selection and want to find something new.
More details are in an NFB blog post.
I haven't had a chance to fully explore it, but at first glance the design seems slick. The homepage is unfortunately a bit cliché: Flash-based main story box which cycles between five items; grid of features below it, each with its own picture; link-farm at the bottom that's meant more for Google than for human eyes.
But if that's the worst thing I can say about it, it can't be too bad.
Talks break down at Journal de Montréal, Le Devoir says
Le Devoir this morning reports that concilitation talks at the Journal de Montréal (fun fact: next door to conciliation talks for The Gazette) have broken down and a lockout is now imminent. An agreement to keep labour peace expires on Friday, so employees could be out the door as early as this weekend.
The report breaks a media blackout imposed on both parties by the conciliator, so neither side can confirm whether this is true.
The gulf between both sides is huge. Quebecor is demanding just about every point in the contract be changed in its favour, a total of 233 points of dispute. The union is fighting this, arguing that even in this economic climate the newspaper is raking in millions of dollars in profit.
Radio-Canada has compiled more details, including comparisons to the 16-month lockout at the Journal de Québec last year. On one hand, the existence of the free daily 24 Heures (which has just hired a bunch of journalists, supposedly for its website) means lots of content that can be repurposed for the Journal. On the other hand, a decision after the Journal de Québec lockout classified a lot of work by freelancers and subcontractors as scab labour, which means those loopholes won't be available this time.
(UPDATE: News hit Twitter today that the lockout had already begun at the Journal, which would have totally showed how Twitter has scooped the mainstream media, if only it was true. Steve Proulx sets the record straight, and adds that the Journal has not changed its bargaining position at all)
UPDATE (Jan. 22): Patrick Lagacé has some thoughts on the JdM situation, and says he won't be cheering if they're stuck on the picket lines.
UPDATE (Jan. 23): Another update from Le Devoir, Proulx on the union meeting, a story from Presse Canadienne and Richard Therrien on whether we'll see scabs ejected from press conferences like what happened in Quebec City.
Lagacé reprints a letter from the union to its members saying Quebecor walked away from the table. He also has a blog post explaining how the workers' conditions, generous as they are, are not overly so for a company that's still making a lot of money.
Comedy Network website wants your help to suck more
Comedy Central videos all look like this
TheComedyNetwork.ca has launched a new user-generated-content vehicle called Upload Yours to get random people to upload their own videos (kicking it off with Debra DiGiovanni, who CP says is from a show called "Video on Trail").
Hey, you know what would make a really funny video? Having someone from Canada try to watch a clip from the Daily Show and his reaction at seeing the image above.
Someone should do that.
