CBC ACQUIRES CONTROL OF COUNTRY CANADA
By Adnews Staff
The Canadian Broadcasting Corp. has acquired Corus Entertainment's 70% stake in the digital channel Country Canada. The acquisition gives CBC, which already held a 30% stake in the channel, full ownership. CBC and Corus jointly launched Country Canada in September 2001. It was part of the first group of digital channels licensed by the Canadian Radio-television Telecommunications Commission. Its programming is aimed at a rural audience. "The Country Canada channel is part of CBC's regional strategy, and full ownership of the channel will provide us with the opportunity to enhance the service and continue to serve Canadians with a digital television service that has a strong regional focus," said Robert Rabinovitch, president and chief executive officer of CBC. Financial details are unknown.