REVOLVING DOOR:
Bell Media has promoted Karine Moses, president of its Astral out-of-home advertising division and head of Québec sales, to president, Bell Media Québec. Based in Montréal, Moses’ new role encompasses all programming, production, and scheduling operations for Bell Media’s French-language TV properties including RDS. Reporting to Bell Media president Randy Lennox, she’ll continues to lead Astral and retain her current sales responsibilities in Québec. The move follows Gerry Frappier’s decision to retire on Mar. 31. Formerly president, French-language TV and RDS, Frappier will remain with Bell Media as a Special Advisor during the transition and leading up to his retirement. Moses has been with Bell for more than 20 years, previously holding several roles managing operations, before joining the Media division in 2016.
Wendy McKernan has been appointed to the role of vice-president of Thunderbird Entertainment Group’s factual division, Great Pacific Media. McKernan, who has been with Thunderbird since 2012, has worked on more than 25 productions, including Discovery Canada series’ Highway Thru Hell, Heavy Rescue: 401 and Airshow. In her new role, she’ll oversee all production, including lifestyle and factual programming, and become a senior member of a team working to develop fact-based events into scripted projects.
Leo Baggio has added the title of General Manager to his duties with the Jim Pattison Broadcast Group Kamloops Division. Baggio returned to Kamloops last year to take over as GSM for CIFM-FM, CKBZ-FM, and CFJC-TV & Radio. He was previously GM/GSM of Pattison’s East Kootenay operations, based in Cranbrook, and before that was director of radio programming and operations in Kamloops.
Murray Battle will leave his post at The Knowledge Network this summer. Battle has been the director of Independent Production and Presentation with the B.C. public broadcaster for the last 11 years. His replacement has yet to be named.
Aimee Lemieux has joined CityNews Montreal. Lemieux has previously worked as a reporter with Télévision Rive-Sud, and behind-the-scenes with TCF, La télévision communautaire de Montréal, and Radio-Canada.
Ryan McKenna is leaving the Canadian Press Regina bureau and returning to his former role at the end of January as a sports reporter/editor at CP in Toronto. McKenna arrived in Regina just one-year ago. Stephanie Taylor, who was most recently with CBC Regina, will replace him.
Theresa Tova has been re-elected as ACTRA Toronto president for a two-year term. Tova has been in the role since 2017 when she succeeded David Sparrow.
Ginella Massa returned to her anchoring duties at CityNews Toronto this week after taking time to recover from major surgery in November to remove a benign mass from her pancreas.
After nearly two months off recovering from surgery, I’m back to work today! Tune in to @CityNews at 5, 6, and 11pm to see if I remember how to read the news 🤔😂 pic.twitter.com/MC7sw65l3P
— Ginella Massa (@Ginella_M) January 15, 2019
RADIO/AUDIO/PODCAST:
Stingray has revealed it’s expanding the Canadian footprint of The Breeze “easy, relaxing, and familiar favourites” format to Halifax. At 12 a.m. on Jan. 17, Mix 96.5 (CKUL-FM) was relaunched as 96.5 The Breeze…Halifax’s Relaxing Favourites. The rebrand follows Stingray’s move to flip Classic Hits stations LG 104.3 (CHLG-FM) Vancouver and 96.3 Capital FM (CKRA-FM) Edmonton on Boxing Day to The Breeze format, which has been meeting with success in several U.S. markets, including San Francisco, Philadelphia, and Detroit. Dan Barton, Stingray’s Director of Contemporary Programming for Nova Scotia, told Broadcast Dialogue, in a tight market with 10 commercial radio stations, it’s been an ongoing search “to find that proper niche.” Read the full story here.
Evanov Radio Group preemptively pushed up the launch of its Soft AC format The Jewel in Halifax, on news of Stingray’s plan to introduce an easy listening station to the market. The format flip comes almost six months to the day Evanov rebranded Rock 105 (CKHY-FM), a tweak of the Alternative/Active Rock LIVE 105, in a bid to go head-to-head with its biggest competitor, Stingray-owned Classic Rock ratings powerhouse Q104 (CFRQ-FM). Evanov already operates The Jewel format in seven markets, including Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal West Island, and Brantford. Jewel 105 signed on at 7 p.m. AT Tuesday. Afternoon drive host Gina Kennedy, aka Gina K, is a casualty of the format flip. Kennedy arrived in Halifax just this past September from CHOM 97.7 Montreal. Read more here.
The CRTC will hear applications for new radio licences in Atlantic Canada on Mar. 19. The deadline for submissions is Feb. 15. Stingray has applied to operate an English-language commercial FM station in Marystown, NL to replace its English-language commercial AM station CHCM, maintaining the station’s current Classic Hits format; Exploits Valley Community Radio Inc. has applied to operate an English-language, low-power community FM station in Grand Falls-Windsor, NL. The applicant proposes to broadcast 126 hours of programming per broadcast week, of which at least 106 hours would be local; Caper Radio Incorporated in Sydney, NS is seeking a licence to operate an English-language, low-power campus FM. The applicant is currently operating a developmental campus station on frequency 107.3 MHz, the non-renewable licence for which expires Aug. 31; New Song Communications Ministries Ltd. is proposing an English-language community FM station in Saint John, NB. The station would operate at 96.1 MHz (channel 241A) with an average effective radiated power (ERP) of 1,726 watts. The applicant currently operates a low-power specialty Christian music radio station at the same frequency.
Global News Radio 980 CKNW Vancouver will launch the second season of Mayors Day on Tuesday, Jan. 22. The second iteration of the monthly series offers listeners access to mayors from across Metro Vancouver, with each mayor co-hosting a CKNW program, interviewing guests and taking calls from listeners. The Jan. 22 Mayors Day schedule includes Mike Hurley, Mayor of the City of Burnaby, co-hosting The Jon McComb Show; Kennedy Stewart, Mayor of the City of Vancouver, co-hosting The Simi Sara Show; and Linda Buchanan, Mayor of the City of North Vancouver, co-hosting The Lynda Steele Show. Mayors Day will continue one weekday per month, with the next event Feb. 28.
Fairchild Radio Toronto’s December radiothon in support of Princess Margaret Cancer Centre raised $268,034. The 11-hour event was broadcast live on-site from the Cancer Centre Dec. 6.
SiriusXM Canada has announced the return of SiriusXM Top of the Country in partnership with the Canadian Country Music Association (CCMA). The nationwide search for Canada’s next big country music star provides emerging artists with a national platform, performance opportunities at some of Canada’s biggest country music events, SOCAN songwriting camps, and industry mentorship, in addition to $25,000 cash. Canadian country solo artists and groups can register until Feb. 1 at topcountry.siriusxm.ca. The grand prize winner will be chosen live during the CCMA’s Country Music Week, being held this year in Calgary, AB Sept. 5-8.
Expect Theatre’s PlayME, the podcast that turns Canadian plays into audio dramas, has tackled playwright Hannah Moscovitch’s What A Young Wife Ought To Know. Available now on CBC Podcasts as an audio drama in three chapters, an additional episode featuring an interview with Moscovitch, will be available Jan. 22. This is PlayME’s second audio drama to be released as part of its new partnership with CBC Podcasts. The remainder of the season will feature The Fish Eyes Trilogy by Dora Award-winner Anita Majumdar: a teen’s fury about consent, cultural appropriation and colonialism in Port Moody, BC, available Mar. 5; Huff by writer and performer Cliff Cardinal: an unflinching look at brothers on a reserve who struggle with solvent abuse and suicide, available April 16; and Between Breaths by Governor General’s Award-winner and Newfoundland-based playwright Robert Chafe: the final moments of the “Whaleman” of Newfoundland as he reflects on a life dedicated to rescuing trapped whales, available June 18.
SIGN-OFFS:
Doug Cameron, on Jan. 14, at Brantford General Hospital. Cameron had a more than 50-year broadcasting career, retiring from Jewel 92 (CKPC-FM) and AM1380 (CKPC-AM) in July 2017. Well-respected and liked by his colleagues, Cameron worked in other markets including Sarnia, Simcoe and Hamilton. Retired to Caledonia, he died in hospital after falling ill just before Christmas.
Mark Elliot (aka Nils Johanson), 65, on Jan. 11 after a short battle with pneumonia. Best known for his long-running late night show People Helping People, Elliot got his feet wet in broadcasting in his teens, working in the control room at Graham Cable TV in West Toronto at the age of 16. His first announcing job came a few years later in 1973 at CHIC Radio 790 Brampton. He would soon move on to CFOM Quebec City, CFRW Winnipeg and then CFRA Ottawa in 1976. Arriving in Ottawa during the heyday of Top 40 AM radio, Elliot soon attained celebrity status. But while his star was rising, behind the popular on-air persona was a sexual-abuse survivor, alcoholic and addict. Elliott’s wake-up call came in 1987 when his boss at CFGO Ottawa fired him and found him a spot in a residential treatment program in Windsor. A sober Elliot quickly found his way back to radio at CKLW Windsor and started counselling other addicts. That led to the birth of his call-in show that combined the two, People Helping People, in 1994. He eventually brought the show to Toronto, first to AM 640 (CFMJ-AM) in 1999 and later CFRB in 2001 where it had a 15-year run. Elliot is also credited with keeping CFRB on-air during the Northeast blackout of 2003, which began to unfold while his show was live, cementing him as the station’s go-to guy to handle breaking news that developed on overnights and weekends. In addition to hosting Nightside five days a week and People Helping People on Sundays, for years Elliot did interventions during the day, tracking down other addicts and helping them to get sober. In 2016, People Helping People fell under budget cuts. Read more here.
Brian “Henny” Henderson, 73, on Jan. 11, of cancer. Henderson’s first job in radio was at CKMP Midland, followed by on-air stints at CKBB Barrie and CKCB Collingwood. He dabbled in television in the late 1960s at CKVR-TV Barrie, hosting kids cartoon show “The Marvelous SuperHeroes.” From there, he went to CHLO St. Thomas, returned to CKBB/CKVR where he tried television sports for the first time, and eventually found himself at CJCH Halifax. He arrived at CHUM Toronto in 1977 to read sports. “Henny” would spend the next 27 years with the station, taking over news and sports commentary from Dick Smyth as part of the 1050 CHUM Morning Crew in 1987. Henderson would follow the 7 a.m. news with a “pull no punches” editorial commentary, that sometimes would mean the station weathering Canadian Broadcast Standards Council complaints. By the end of 1998, Henderson’s health had deteriorated. Following recovery from kidney cancer, he suffered a series of heart attacks and underwent emergency bypass surgery. After 1050 CHUM’s brief 15-month move to rebrand itself as all-sports format The Team, Henderson was diagnosed with stage four lymphoma. CHUM continued to re-air “The Best of Henny” commentaries while he underwent treatment. In Nov. 2004, as Henderson was preparing to return to work, his 27 years at CHUM famously ended when he was passed a brown paper envelope in a Tim Hortons adjacent to the hospital.
Steve Shannon (Castonguay), 71, on Dec. 26 of cancer. Shannon started his career in the early 1970s doing evenings at CKGM and CFOX Montréal, and from there made stops at 680 CFTR Toronto, CHAM Hamilton, CKTB, CJQR and CHTZ St. Catharines, CHVR Pembroke, CJMO Moncton, CKXL Calgary, CKNG Edmonton and CIMA (now CKST) Vancouver. During his time in Vancouver, he also ran a public speaking coaching business for executives. In 2013, he moved to the BC Interior and became the owner of The Bear (CHLW-FM) in Barriere, BC, north of Kamloops. He operated the station until 2017 when he was diagnosed with cancer. Listen to Shannon’s 1973 CFTR Toronto debut here.
Bob Gillies, 84, on Dec. 15 in Atlanta, of cancer. Gillies started his radio career at CJOR Vancouver in the early 1950s, going on to become the first overnight host at CKWX-AM with the program “Concert Under the Stars.” He then made the move to Montreal, hosting evenings at CKGM and later CFCF Montreal. He was one of the first on-air personalities on CFCF-TV Montreal when the station signed on in Jan. 1961 and co-hosted teen program “Like Young” in its early seasons. He went on to a career as a writer and singer of commercial jingles for radio and television and wrote and performed songs for feature films in Los Angeles, in addition to writing and acting for TV. His credits include Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In (1967), documentary Beautiful People (1974) and The Bill Tush Show (1980).
TV/FILM/VIDEO:
The CRTC has approved Quebecor’s $21-million acquisition of French-language, speciality channels Évasion and Zeste from Serdy Média inc. The commission approved the transaction above the objections of V Média, which stated that the sales would reinforce Quebecor’s dominance in that market, with TVA already earning 45 per cent of advertising revenues. TVA Group expects to close the transaction within weeks. Évasion and Zeste join LCN, TVA Sports, addikTV, CASA, MOI ET CIE, Prise 2 and Yoopa, bringing TVA Group’s family of specialty services to nine. Évasion went on the air in 2000 with a schedule of travel, tourism, adventure and food discovery programs. Zeste launched in 2010 and features lifestyle programming focused on cooking, fine food and entertaining.
The Canada Media Fund has released its 7th annual Trends Report “Hold My Hand.” Among questions the report raises is whether Canadians have reached a plateau in our use of the internet, social media and smart devices. It also touches on Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the creative process, and evolving business models that cultivate consumer trust in the wake of the Cambridge Analytica scandal.
Éric Salvail, the former Quebec television host who was one of the early casualties of #MeToo movement, has been named in a warrant accusing him of sexually assaulting, forcibly confining and harassing the same victim over a seven-month period in 1993. Salvail has been released on a promise to appear in Montreal court Feb. 15. Salvail, 48, was the former host of game show Fidèles au poste! on TVA, and then En mode Salvail on Channel V, in addition to radio program Éric et les fantastiques. In late 2017, 11 people came forward with sexual harassment allegations against the host, which resulted in Radio-Canada, Bell Media, Groupe V Média and others cutting ties.
ACTRA National will honour Jay Baruchel with its 2019 Award Of Excellence. Recognized by his peers for his career achievements and contribution to the Canadian film industry, Montreal-born Baruchel got his acting start, hosting programs like Popular Mechanics for Kids, alongside Elisha Cuthbert. He went on to roles in Million Dollar Baby, Knocked Up, Tropic Thunder, and How To Train Your Dragon, among other feature films. Baruchel, 36, also wrote, directed and starred in hockey comedy Goon and sequel Goon: Last Of The Enforcers. He joins previous Award of Excellence winners Jason Priestley, Molly Parker, Neve Campbell, and Kim Coates. He’ll receive the award Mar. 16 in a ceremony in Los Angeles.
Netflix has picked up the Canadian sitcom Workin’ Moms for territories outside of Canada, including the U.S. The series is produced by Catherine Reitman, who shares credit with her husband and producing partner Philip Sternberg of Wolf and Rabbit Entertainment. Reitman, the daughter of director Ivan Reitman, also writes, directs and stars in the sitcom which debuted on the CBC in 2017. Workin’ Moms will make its U.S. premiere later this winter as a Netflix original.
Netflix is considering creating a production hub in Toronto, according to Mayor John Tory. Tory told The Canadian Press last week that he has “a very high level of confidence” that they will, “without betraying confidences that aren’t yet concrete.” Based in Los Gatos, CA, Netflix has production facilities in Los Angeles, with hubs recently announced for Madrid and Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Canadian Comedy Award-winning Rapp Battlez, a high-energy, 22-minute live-to-tape mix of rap and comedy, has been signed by Odenkirk Provissiero Entertainment (OPE). Co-created and co-hosted by real-life brothers Miguel Rivas (The Beaverton, Baroness Von Sketch) and Freddie Rivas (CBC’s True Dating Stories, According To Kids), the spectacle sees sketch comedians square off in a tongue-in-cheek, tête-à-tête rap battle. Originally launched as a live event at Toronto’s Comedy Bar in 2010, it’s since been featured at Just for Laughs, NXNE, and had successful runs in Vancouver, Philadelphia and Atlanta. While Odenkirk Provissiero will rep the show in the U.S., Canada’s Don Ferguson Productions (DFP) has an exclusive deal with the Rivas brothers to develop the show for television. OPE’s Naomi Odenkirk and Tiffany Schloesser will serve as executive producers, alongside DFP’s Don Ferguson, Lucy Stewart and Kevin Wallis.
Global will premiere Season 3 of original suspense drama Ransom, beginning Feb. 16 at 8 p.m. ET/PT in simulcast with CBS. Ransom is produced by Sienna Films, Big Light Productions, Entertainment One (eOne) and Korda Studios, and was created by Frank Spotnitz (The X-Files, The Man in the High Castle) and David Vainola (Diamonds, Combat Hospital), who also serve as executive producers. eOne controls worldwide rights to the series.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will make a stop in Dog River when Corner Gas Animated returns for Season 2 this spring. Trudeau’s cameo continues a long-running tradition for the franchise, with Corner Gas welcoming every sitting Prime Minister to Dog River since its inception in 2004. The most-watched original series of all time on Comedy, Corner Gas Animated returns for a second season with additional guest star appearances from astronaut Chris Hadfield, Michael J. Fox, as well as Russell Peters, who plays both a forest ranger and a bear in the same episode. Jann Arden also returns as a university representative who finds herself in Dog River to personally deliver a Doctorate of Philosophy to one of the residents.
Home after a great couple of days in Saskatchewan. But I’ll be at @cornergas in Dog River very soon. Stay tuned. pic.twitter.com/97ds07OadX
— Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) 12 January 2019
Thom Allison, of Space series’ Killjoys and a veteran of Broadway and Stratford, and Sharron Matthews, one of the stars of CBC’s Frankie Drake Mysteries, will co-host the inaugural Canadian Alliance of Film & Television Costume Arts & Design (CAFTCAD) Awards. The awards will take place at the Aga Khan Museum in Toronto on Sunday, Feb. 10. CAFTCAD will honour Delphine White, whose credits include work on the early films of David Cronenberg, and TV series The Kennedys After Camelot, with its Industry Icon Award. Find the full list of nominees here.
Creative BC and the Canadian Media Producers Association (CMPA) – BC Producers Branch have launched a Story Department Internship to provide funding for the skills development of professionals committed to careers writing for dramatic television. The program is open to Canadian television production companies to support the costs of hiring BC residents to work in story departments on productions confirmed for broadcast as a series on network television or VOD platform. Find the program FAQ sheet here.
Media Technology Monitor’s latest report on what it calls “cord-jumping” finds that one in eight Canadians have suspended their TV or paid video streaming service with the plan to resubscribe later. MTM says the top reasons cited for suspending service were to save money, favourite series being in hiatus, and not enough time to watch. Cord-jumpers were most likely (19 per cent) to earn household income of $150 – $200K. The study surmises that income group may be more likely to subscribe to multiple services than those earning less making it possible to cut back but still have content available.
ONLINE/DIGITAL:
WordPress is set to launch a new toolkit called Newspack this year aimed at helping small and medium-sized publishers become more profitable. The result of a partnership between WordPress; News Revenue Hub, which supports sustainable, profitable journalism; and Spirit Media, a digital & TV content production & audience building company, Newspack is funded in part by $1.2M from the Google News Initiative. Promising to minimize development hurdles and optimize monetization, the initiative is being led by WordPress.com president Kinsey Wilson, former digital lead at NPR and The New York Times. WordPress is hoping to get six newsrooms on board the initiative in the first six months of this year. Publishing partners who apply by Feb. 1 will be able to use Newspack free during an initial grant period. Interested news organizations can click here to learn more.
The Canadian Paralympic Committee (CPC) and CBC/Radio-Canada have announced the launch of the Paralympic Super Series, a package of Paralympic sport competitions that will be available as live streams via the CBC Gem app and cbcgem.ca, as well as on the CPC Facebook page, with select events available on the Radio-Canada Sports app and radio-canada.ca/sports. The Super Series will feature more than 50 hours of Paralympic sport coverage throughout the year and marks the first time CBC has offered coverage of Para Alpine and Para Nordic events outside of the Paralympic Games. The first event of the series is the Para Alpine World Cup in Zagreb, Croatia from Jan. 16-17.
Spotify now has more than 200 million global monthly active users, as announced at CES in Las Vegas, but 113 million of those are still accessing the app via its free tier. Dustee Jenkins, the company’s global head of communications, said 20 million new active users had been added in the last six months from 78 countries. Launched in 2008, Spotify has yet to turn a profit. It’s set to release its Q4 2018 financial results Feb. 6.
GENERAL:
The CRTC asks for authority to regulate online service providers like Netflix and Spotify, and fine broadcasters, among other new powers in its written submission to the federal government’s Broadcasting and Telecommunications Legislative Review Panel. The submission makes an appeal for “necessary tools,” arguing that many of the CRTC’s current regulatory mechanisms, particularly with respect to broadcasting, are founded in the ability to allow or not allow a service to operate. Citing its report Harnessing Change: The Future of Programming Distribution, the CRTC says a new approach should place emphasis on the promotion and discoverability of Canadian content from music, podcasts, and short‑form video, to feature length film, regardless of what platform it’s offered on. Among other tools the CRTC seeks, is access to passive telecommunications infrastructure. Under the current Telecommunications Act, the CRTC has limited direct jurisdiction over support structures, public property and privately owned buildings and does not have explicit powers to resolve disputes, order access or establish guidelines regarding support structures on public property or privately owned buildings (residential or commercial) to facilitate telecommunications. Read the full story here.
CBC/Radio-Canada wants digital media brought under the Broadcasting Act and ISPs and wireless providers to contribute a fixed percentage of revenues to fund Canadian programming, among 16 recommendations in its submission to the Broadcasting and Telecommunications Legislative Review Panel. Our culture, our democracy: Canada in the digital world presents the public broadcaster’s case for modernizing Canada’s cultural legislation. The submission is underpinned by concerns that the rise of global, digital entertainment “threatens to drown out Canadian stories and perspectives.” CBC also makes its case for sufficient, predictable funding, pointing to the gap that ranks Canada 16th out of 18 OECD countries in levels of public funding for public broadcasting. The submission additionally makes an appeal for the CBC to have greater financial flexibility over management of its resources, and seeks clarification in the Broadcasting Act that it be guaranteed editorial independence, so as not to be perceived as operating as a government body. Read the full story here.
The CRTC has issued a Call for Comments on a proposal to amend and upgrade English-language closed captioning quality standards relating to the accuracy rate for live programming. The deadline for the receipt of interventions is Mar. 18. The deadline to file replies is Apr. 2.
Corus Entertainment has announced its Q1 2019 results, reporting net income attributable to shareholders for the quarter of $60.4 million ($0.28 per share basic), compared to $77.7 million ($0.38 per share basic) last year. Overall revenue totalled $467.5 million, up from $457.4 million and above the estimate of $451.2 million. Television segment revenues increased three per cent to $426.2 million, with ad revenue up four per cent. CEO Doug Murphy told a Friday conference call that the company’s data analytics and advanced advertising initiatives are gaining traction as it works to change the way it sells television. He also credited Global TV’s Fall programming slate. Subscriber revenues were flat. Radio revenue amounted to $41.3 million, up from $41.9 million, with weakness reported in the Edmonton and Toronto markets.
Shaw Communications’ results for the quarter ended Nov. 30, 2018, indicate revenue from continuing operations increased by approximately 8.8 per cent to $1.36 billion, compared to the first quarter in fiscal 2018. Operating income before restructuring costs and amortization increased 13.5 per cent year-over-year to $545 million. CEO Brad Shaw said the company’s Wireless promotions continue to build momentum among high-data users. The company added over 86,000 postpaid Wireless customers while improving Wireless postpaid churn from 1.64 to 1.28 per cent over the last year due to significant and ongoing enhancements to network and customer experience. In the quarter, Freedom Mobile completed the launch of 140 new retail locations with Walmart and is now operating in a combined total of 600 retail locations between its footprint with Loblaws’ ‘The Mobile Shop’, Walmart, and its existing corporate and dealer store network. Wireline results included Consumer Internet growth of approximately 5,600 RGUs, while the Business segment delivered consistent top-line growth with revenue increasing 5.0 per cent in the quarter. Combined with reduced expenses, primarily due to the voluntary departure program initiated in fiscal 2018, Wireline margins improved to approximately 46 per cent.
Journalists for Human Rights (JHR) has released Emerging Voices, a dual examination of access to post-secondary education for Indigenous youth in Ontario, and what journalism schools in the province are doing to implement Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) Call To Action #86. Among its initial findings are that most Indigenous journalists (42.8 per cent) fell into their careers and hadn’t considered journalism a viable option. The report makes 94 calls to action, including a call for more journalism education on how to report on the Indigenous community. Link to the report here.
The Canadian Journalism Foundation (CJF) and the Michener Awards Foundation are collaborating with a common entry form for the Michener Award, honouring public service journalism, and the CJF Jackman Award for Excellence in Journalism, recognizing news organizations that embody exemplary journalism. Both awards have a deadline of Feb. 22. Under the new arrangement, the CJF will be responsible for online submissions and marketing support for the Michener Award. The award presentations will remain the same. Following release of a shortlist in April, the winner of the CJF Jackman Award will be announced at the annual CJF Awards on June 13 in Toronto.The Michener Award finalists will also be announced in April, followed by a ceremony at Rideau Hall in Ottawa, typically held in June, hosted by Governor General Julie Payette. Two Michener-Deacon Fellowships for investigative reporting, valued at $40,000 plus $5,000 in expenses, will also be awarded. This is the first year the fellowships are open to news organizations as well as qualified individual journalists.
The Canadian Journalism Foundation’s (CJF) upcoming J-Talk will explore Driving Innovation in Media. The event takes place Jan. 31 at the TMX Broadcast Centre in Toronto. The discussion features journalism innovators, Aron Pilhofer, the James B. Steele Chair in Journalism Innovation at Temple University in Philadelphia, and Inga Thordar, executive editor of London-based CNN Digital International. The event is part of the annual CJF J-Talks series, exploring pressing media issues.
The Canadian Telecom Summit will take place June 3-5 at The International Centre in Toronto. In its 18th year, confirmed speakers thus far include CRTC chair Ian Scott, Broadcasting and Telecommunications Legislative Review Panel chair Janet Yale, and panels on Artificial Intelligence and Cyber Security & Privacy. Find the program agenda here.
The Canadian Internet Registration Authority (CIRA) has launched this year’s Community Investment Program that will see $1.25 million in grants available to not-for-profits, charities and academic institutions with innovative internet projects in need of funding. Grants are available up to $100,000 and one grant will be available up to $250,000. Applications for this round of funding will be accepted until 2 p.m. ET, Feb. 28. Now in its sixth year, CIRA’s Community Investment Program has funded 130 projects and distributed $5.45 million in grants to date. Interested organizations can visit cira.ca/cip for more information.
SUPPLY LINES:
Bell Media has launched SAM (Strategic Audience Management), a new strategic TV ad sales tool, powered by NLogic data. Bell says SAM uses digital targeting to boost the efficacy of a traditional television buy by offering advertisers the opportunity to access more granular targeting to reach specific audiences. SAM measures household, behavioural, and TV viewing data, tailored to each buy, to identify high-indexing TV audiences. It then uses the data to maximize inventory allocation across CTV’s national network and Bell Media’s English entertainment specialty channels (excluding TSN and CP24) towards a buy’s strategic target audience. SAM then builds the optimal schedule, based on the selected strategic target, delivering targeted impressions that reach the desired audience. For now, SAM will co-exist alongside the existing sales model.
Burli newsroom software is now supporting QGoLive, a mobile app that allows reporters to write or dictate scripts and insert edited audio for playback during a live report. QGoLive content can now be imported directly into both Burli Newsroom and Burli NE with those stories appearing alongside other incoming sources to use immediately in news production and broadcasts. The QGoLive features are available in Burli Newsroom version 233q and later and Burli NE version 11.4.31 and later.
SK Telecom, Harman and Sinclair Broadcast Group signed an MoU at CES in Las Vegas to jointly develop and commercialize digital broadcasting network-based automotive electronics technology for global markets. Under the MoU, the companies will collaborate to build an advanced automotive platform based on ATSC 3.0, the next-generation broadcasting technology standard, to enable drivers to experience in-vehicle HD terrestrial TV broadcasting, secure firmware updates, HD map updates and V2X certificate management via terrestrial digital broadcasting facilities operated by Sinclair Broadcast Group throughout the U.S. The technology will also be deployed in other geographies as local broadcast facilities become available. The companies intend to unveil their automotive platform and related equipment and services for the first time at the 2019 National Association of Broadcasters Show in April in Las Vegas.
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