Kings of Convergence: The Fight for Control of Canada's Media

Robert W. Sexty is a professor of commerce and business administration
at Memorial University of Newfoundland and the author of Canadian
Business: Issues and Stakeholders.

Kings of Convergence is a solid primer on the topic of convergence in
the Canadian media. The term “convergence” is broadly defined as a
blending of content with delivery. Content refers to broadcast materials
such as television programs and print material such as newspapers and
magazines. Delivery, sometimes referred to as the “pipes” of
convergence, is accomplished through television, cable, radio, the
Internet, and print media. Convergence can be implemented through a
variety of approaches. Fundamentally, it is the consolidation or merging
of companies referred to as concentric or related diversification.

This book, based on extensive interviews carried out by the author, is
divided into three parts. Part 1 presents profiles of five Canadian
media moguls: Ted Rogers (Rogers Communications), J.R. Shaw (Shaw
Communications), Izzy Asper (CanWest Global), Pierre Karl Péladeau
(Quebecor), and Jean Monty (Bell Canada Enterprises). Part 2 examines
the deals each man completed in order to achieve what he considered to
be convergence. Part 3 speculates about the future of each player and
his successors.

In a concluding chapter, the author points out that there is no
“business case” for convergence and that the corporate acquisitions
were too expensive—views that are widely held in the financial
community.