I’m not a big TV person but I’ve recently re-discovered BNN, Canada’s Business News Network. Maybe I’m going through a phase, but I think I could watch this at any hour of the day. Definitely between projects and other activities. Every half hour there’s a different “program” on — Market Watch, Night Cap, Taking Stock are some of the good ones — but usually they all involve the host in conversation with a CEO or Senior managment person from a financial holdings company. They take callers and emails from viewers and the CEO answers the questions.

Almost all of these questions are like “Can you comment on Barrick Gold.” Or, “I bought Penn West back in the 25-range, what do you see it doing now?” Or, “What are your thoughts on the one-year-outlook for Suncor?” The host brings up a year-to-date chart of the stock, and the CEO spouts off his opinion. It’s great, insightful fun.

I don’t know about how these channels work through satellite or cable, but it might be possible for Americans to tune in, too. If anything, you can check out their website. BNN is a superb resource on investing in Canadian stocks. I’ve been totally impressed over the last week or so that I’ve been watching it again. And it’s pretty easy to understand. Even my bf, who has no interest in investing, has started to learn the basic terminology pretty quickly just from hearing BNN in the other room.

I’ve done so much research on my own with Canadian stocks that it’s great to hear some live impressions from analysts in the field. Especially when they confirm my own holdings:). And you’ll learn stuff about the management of these companies that is more difficult to get on your own, unless you’re a serious investigator, I’d imagine. And with the time to do it.

They do have some other, related shows, such as “CAR Business” and a segment on career counseling. And some segments are repeated twice daily. Overall, though, I would say I most recommend “Taking Stock” with Kevin O’Leary. That should get anyone interested in dividend investing:)

So I recommend checking out BNN. On TV, or on the web. But I’ll prefer semi-live programming for the moment. Are there any other BNN fans out there? By the way, I thought that Kevin O’Leary really reminded me of Don Cherry. Then a viewer calls in asking the same question. Turns out that Kevin O’Leary once worked for Cherry!

I’d forgotten about the Migao Corporation (TSX: MGO) several posts back when I wrote about junior Canadian potash plays (see related posts, below).

Migao was once (prior to 2006) a private, wholly-Chinese owned company, but then became a Canadian, China-based company traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange in May 2006. It has offices in Toronto and Beijing.

If you want to capitalize on China’s need for potash, I don’t think you can get much closer than Migao, which specializes in processing potash, turning it into fertilizer and selling it directly to the Chinese market.

Recently, (May 2008), Migao raised the prices of its fertilizer and also received a patent on their production process. MGO is still a bit pricey (PE at 23), but has significantly pulled back from its 52-week high around $12 CAD. Their earnings are right now around 34 cents/share.

I’ll be watching this one and picking it up when I get a chance. How does it look to you?

In a previous post I said I’d talk about some of the smaller silver mining companies.  Here they are.  It’s just a quick list to get you started on your own research.  These are some of the companies that interested me.  They’re all silver-focused and interestingly, they’re almost all Canadian-based.  You’ll see that many of these companies also focus their mining in Mexico.

Junior Companies

ECU Silver Mining Inc - (TSX: ECU) - Since 1997, ECU has been working on the Velardena property in Mexico for the last decade, an under-exploited property in central Mexico’s silver belt.  This Canadian company also explores for gold, lead and zinc.

Golden Goliath - (TSX.V: GNG) - Headquartered in Canada (Vancouver) and Mexico, Golden Goliath Resources Ltd. explores and extracts gold and silver from the mountainous region in Northwestern Mexico.  This old mining camp contains mines that produced going all the way back to 1763, during the original Spanish colonial period.  GNG does not pay a dividend, but their share price is super cheap, at $0.24 CAD.

Silver Eagle Mines - (TSX: SEG) - Another Canadian-based company focusing exclusively on silver production.  They have 100% ownership of a property in Zacatecas, Mexico that was also used by the Spanish in the 1500’s.  They also mine two other properties, which lie just north of Sudbury, Ontario (Canada).  SEG does not pay a dividend.  Share price is currently near $0.56 CAD and it has a higher trading volume than GNG.

Silver Fields Resources - (TSX.V: SF) - This company focuses on silver production, also working in the Zacatecas region, but also in British Columbia, Idaho,and Montana - they work on a total of 9 silver properties.  Pays no dividend.  Last traded around $0.10 CAD.

Silvercrest Mines - (TSX.V: SVL) - In addition to Mexico, this Vancouver-based company also produces silver from El Salvador and is looking to expand more into South America in the future.  No dividend; share price was recently at $1.21 CAD.

Sabina Silver - (TSX: SBB) - Headquartered in London, Ontario (Canada) and Thunder Bay, Ontario (Canada), Sabina is one of a few companies exclusively focused on mining in Canada.  They focus on four projects: Hackett River (in the Northwest Territories), Del Norte (BC), Red Lake (Ontario) and Rockstone (Ontario).  To stay up to date, join their email list on their website (not the most user-friendly website (it’s all downloads)).  No dividend; trades infrequently.  Was last at $1.38 CAD.

Sterling Mining - (TSX: SMQ) - This company is over 100 years old and wholly focused on silver production.  Founded in 1903 in Wallace, Idaho — which is where they are still headquartered — Sterling got a breath of fresh air when it acquired the rights to new mines in 2004.  They now mine in Idaho (Silver Valley and Sunshine Mine), Montana (Troy, Rock Creek) and Mexico (also in the Zacatecas district).  Good website, too.  No dividend.  Last traded around $1.00 CAD.

Silvermex Resources Ltd - (TSXV: SMR) - Silvermex is focused solely on silver mining in Mexico, and they have ownership of approximately one ounce per share (29 million ounces and shares).  Headquartered in Vancouver, Canada.  Does not pay a dividend; has extremely low trading volume.  Last traded around $0.72 CAD.

For a longer list of silver producing companies, see the one provided by Junior Miners.