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Rogers OMNI Alberta to Launch September 15th

First-ever Ethnic Television Provider in Calgary and Edmonton
        Premieres Locally Produced News for Emerging Communities
                           in 20 Language ScheduleTORONTO, Sept. 2 /CNW/ - Rogers OMNI Television is pleased to announce
the imminent launch of two landmark ethnic television stations to serve and
reflect the increasingly diverse population of Alberta. Canadian broadcast
history will be made when Rogers OMNI Alberta - the province's first
over-the-air multilingual/multicultural television broadcaster-signs on in
Calgary and Edmonton, 6:00 a.m. MT, Monday, September 15th.-   OMNI Calgary (CJCO) will air on cable channel 4; over-the-air on
        channel 38.
    -   OMNI Edmonton (CJEO) will air on cable channel 11; over-the-air on
        channel 56."We're clearly happy to be pioneering language television in two
previously underserved areas at the same time," and says Al Thorgeirson,
Regional Vice President of Television for Rogers Media. "While we are breaking
new ground with Rogers OMNI Alberta we are also providing a long-overdue
service by offering community-focused programming in 20 languages to
ethnocultural audiences we feel will be highly receptive."
    Central to OMNI Alberta's schedule of multilingual/multicultural
programming are three locally produced newscasts that each weekday will
provide in-depth coverage for and about the emerging Cantonese, Mandarin and
South Asian communities in areas served by OMNI stations in Calgary and
Edmonton. (OMNI Calgary and OMNI Edmonton will have different news teams.)
    "Rogers OMNI Alberta is pleased and privileged to bring much-needed
broadcast reflection to the ethnocultural communities of the province -- this
is a huge victory on both sides of the camera," says Madeline Ziniak, National
Vice President of Rogers OMNI Television. "Each OMNI will have a strong focus
on local news with a balance of local, regional and national perspectives as
well as the opportunity to share ethnocultural issues and stories throughout
our evolving national television system - something we've never been able to
offer before."
    When OMNI Calgary and OMNI Edmonton officially introduce themselves on
September 15th both will do so with schedules enhanced by diversity
programming from OMNI Ontario and OMNI BC. With OMNI's planned strategy of
hiring regional stringers, Rogers OMNI Alberta viewers will soon be able to
see their respective communities reflected throughout the schedule. As well,
OMNI's recently established station-wide collaboration will enable
independently produced documentaries in English and non-official languages as
well first-run Chinese and South Asian movies to be seen by an additional two
million households.

    About Rogers OMNI Alberta

    Rogers OMNI Alberta -- CJCO in Calgary and CJEO in Edmonton - represents
a significant expansion in the variety of languages, number of hours and
choice of programming being offered for ethnocultural communities throughout
the province. With more than 75 hours of ethnic programming each week,
including locally produced newscasts each weekday for the regional Cantonese,
Mandarin and South Asian communities, OMNI Alberta reflects and serves the
increasingly diverse population of Calgary and Edmonton in no less than 20
languages. In addition to specializing in Canadian multilingual/multicultural
programming, OMNI Alberta features popular sitcoms and dramatic series from
the US along with OMNI's station-wide schedule of Chinese Super Cinema and
South Asian Bollywood Freetime Movies.

    About Rogers OMNI Television

    Rogers OMNI Television is a free, over-the-air multilingual/multicultural
system made up of five regional broadcasters serving nine major markets across
Canada - OMNI BC (Vancouver and Victoria); OMNI Alberta (Calgary and
Edmonton), and flagship stations OMNI.1 and OMNI.2 in Ontario
(Ottawa-Gatineau, London, Kitchener-Waterloo, Hamilton and the Greater Toronto
Area) -- with the collective mandate to reflect Canada's diversity through the
airing of inclusive and accessible programming. All are part of Rogers Media
Inc., a division of Rogers Communications Inc. (TSX: RCI and NYSE: RCI) which
is a diversified Canadian communications and media company.