Jeff Baumgartner explains how a clash at the Rogers board, an unintended phone call, a family feud and a court battle thrust the control of the Canadian operator into limbo, and cast some doubt on its proposed $20.8 billion merger with Shaw Communications.

Kelsey Ziser, Senior Editor

November 9, 2021

1 Min Read
What's the story?: High drama at Rogers Communications

Light Reading Senior Editor Jeff Baumgartner joins the reboot of "What's the Story?" with an update on the unfolding drama at the Rogers Communications board amid the company's pursuit of a $20.8 billion merger with fellow Canadian cable and mobile operator Shaw Communications. The leadership and control structure of Rogers Communications has been fraught with uncertainty thanks to Succession-style power struggles and politics, family feuds and an unintended phone call that put Rogers CEO Joe Natale on notice that his job was in hot water.

"It seems like Rogers, the company, isn't going to try to appeal the court decision. For the moment, it seems like the calm after the storm, but ask me again a week from now where things are," said Baumgartner. Rogers Communications said this week that it won't appeal a court ruling that reinstates Edward Rogers as board chairman and validates his decision to reconstitute the board of the Canadian company without a traditional shareholder vote.

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— Kelsey Kusterer Ziser, Senior Editor, Light Reading

About the Author(s)

Kelsey Ziser

Senior Editor, Light Reading

Kelsey is a senior editor at Light Reading, co-host of the Light Reading podcast, and host of the "What's the story?" podcast.

Her interest in the telecom world started with a PR position at Connect2 Communications, which led to a communications role at the FREEDM Systems Center, a smart grid research lab at N.C. State University. There, she orchestrated their webinar program across college campuses and covered research projects such as the center's smart solid-state transformer.

Kelsey enjoys reading four (or 12) books at once, watching movies about space travel, crafting and (hoarding) houseplants.

Kelsey is based in Raleigh, N.C.

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