REVOLVING DOOR:
Corus Entertainment initiated restructuring last week with layoffs hitting the Global News network digital desk hard as part of a move away from supporting lifestyle, entertainment, and social media teams, according to an internal memo. Among those caught up in the layoffs are Patrick Cain, who had been a national online reporter since 2011; supervising copy editor Dana Filek-Gibson; national music journalist Adam Wallis; Meghan Collie, Laura Hensley, Katie Scott and Olivia Bowden, all national online writers with a focus in lifestyle; national features reporter Jane Gerster; and Global BC marketing writer/producer Karina O’Sullivan, among others. Rachel Browne and Tamara Khandaker, who were behind the network’s first original daily news podcast Wait, There’s More, were also restructured. Employees within Corus Radio included 980 CFPL London mid-morning talk show host Craig Needles, and Scott Johnston, a 27-year sports and City Hall reporter with 630 CHED Edmonton. Toronto-based television positions impacted include Global News Morning Toronto co-host Jennifer Valentyne, and sports anchor/reporters Rob Leth and Anthony Bruno.
The restructuring will result in the creation of a number of new positions, including a Director of Network News Programming overseeing network news specials and shows, including new weekly, long-form and investigative program, The New Reality. The New Reality will be launched by Ryan Cripps, who’ll leave The Morning Show to become its Executive Producer, and Leslie Stojsic, who will remain Executive Producer of Global National, while supporting the new program.
Jesse Wente has been appointed Chair of national public arts funder, Canada Council for the Arts, for a five-year term. An Anishinaabe writer, broadcaster, speaker and arts leader, Wente is best known for his 24 years as a columnist for CBC Radio’s Metro Morning and spent 11 years with the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). He was named the first Executive Director of the Indigenous Screen Office in Feb. 2018. Wente succeeds outgoing chair Pierre Lassonde.
Peggy Tabet has been promoted to Vice-President, Public and Regulatory Affairs at Quebecor. With over 22 years of experience with the company, Tabet’s promotion comes with the retirement of Serge Sasseville, who had been SVP Corporate and Institutional Affairs, since 2008.
John Shields, Senior Program Manager at 100.3 The Q! (CKKQ-FM) and The Zone (CJZN-FM) Victoria is retiring. Shields started his radio career in 1973 as a disc jockey on CJOK Fort McMurray. He’s been PD of The Q since 1989 through its ownership transition from the OK Radio Group to Jim Pattison Broadcast Group. His last official day is July 31.
Ron Jones has wrapped up his 31-year radio career, signing off from the morning show on Pattison-owned 106.9 FM The Wolf (CHWF-FM) Nanaimo on July 24. Watch Jones’ sign off, here.
Richard Skinner is retiring after 18 years as Sales & Operations Manager at Jim Pattison Broadcast Group’s 97.3 The Eagle (CKLR-FM) Courtenay, BC. Skinner wraps a 43-year media career that started at CKWX 1130 Vancouver in 1977 as a part-time promotion assistant and sports reporter. He went on to work with CIVH, Vanderhoof; CFBV, Smithers; CJCI/CIRX-FM Prince George; and then returned to CKWX 1130 and 97 KISS FM Vancouver in sale in the late 1980s before joining the Cariboo Radio Network as GM/GSM for Quesnel, Williams Lake & 100 Mile House in 1990. He’s also done stints as an account executive with CKPG-TV Prince George and Black Press.
Barbara Beam, midday announcer at Jim Pattison Broadcast Group’s JR Country (CJJR-FM) Vancouver, who also voicetracked evenings and weekends on the company’s stations in Calgary, has been laid off. Beam had been with JR Country since 2012.
Thank you 💗 pic.twitter.com/SbcPgD21Wy
— BarBara BeaM (@barbara_beam) July 30, 2020
Jim Pattison Broadcast Group also eliminated on-air positions at its Victoria station The Zone @ 91-3 (CJZN-FM) this week. Those layoffs included Jade Nixon, who had been with the station since 2003, and Quintin Moriarty, who started with The Zone while still in high school in 2012.
Bob Addison has announced his departure from Corus late night talk show The Shift, just weeks after the show’s host Drex (aka Justin Wilcomes) left for an as yet unnamed opportunity. Addison, the longtime producer of now defunct syndicated call-in show Sportstalk, which originated from CKNW Vancouver, has also not revealed his next move.
Jessica Smith is joining CTV Kitchener as a VJ and weekend weather anchor, starting in August. Smith has been with CTV Saskatchewan for the past three and a half years in Yorkton and Regina where she hosted weather on the local edition of CTV Morning Live. The Humber grad owns the title of “Best TV Weather Person” in the Prairie Dog Best of Regina 2019.
Thank you my friend! It has been a blast sharing my mornings with you both!!! ☺️ https://t.co/KhvSbxl5UL
— Jess Smith CTV (@JessicaSmithCTV) July 29, 2020
Ziyah Karmali has joined CTV Edmonton as a weather anchor and digital news producer after a three-year hiatus from media. Karmali, a former OMNI and Citytv host, had been working behind the scenes with the Oilers Entertainment Group and Edmonton Eskimos Football Club since late 2017.
Jeremy Keefe is moving on from Global Halifax and New Brunswick after four and a half years as a digital broadcast journalist in both Halifax and Fredericton. A SAIT Broadcast News grad, Keefe is headed back to Alberta to pursue new opportunities there.
After 4.5 years today is my last day with @globalhalifax & @Global_NB. Halifax will always be my home but I am headed west once again. Thanks to everyone who has made the last few years so memorable. pic.twitter.com/UIIXaLrSrA
— Jeremy Keefe (@Jeremy_Keefe) July 24, 2020
RADIO & PODCAST:
FEATURE: Sean Ross, VP of Music and Programming at Edison Research and the author behind Ross on Radio, explores pandemic listening and the questions: what do radio listeners want during the workday now? Do they want continuity? Do they want the morning show they’re not hearing anymore in the car on the way to work? Read his timely feature on radio scheduling and programming in the age of COVID-19, here.
The CRTC has approved an application by Bayshore Broadcasting to amend the broadcasting licence of CFPS‑FM Port Elgin to add an FM rebroadcasting transmitter in Tobermory. The new transmitter will operate at 91.9 MHz (channel 220A) with an average effective radiated power (ERP) of 2,053 watts (maximum ERP of 3,254 watts with an effective height of the antenna above average terrain of 81.5 metres).
The Ottawa Blackjacks of the Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) have reached a regional radio broadcast rights agreement that will make TSN 1200 (CFGO-FM) Ottawa the official radio broadcaster of the team for the 2020 season. TSN 1200 Ottawa will simulcast all BlackJacks games during the CEBL Summer Series, July 25 to Aug. 9, in St. Catharines. Exclusive interviews with BlackJacks players will also be featured on TSN 1200 throughout the event as the first professional sports team from Ottawa to return to action.
SiriusXM and BMW have announced that SiriusXM with 360L – its new radios that combine satellite and streaming features – will be available to BMW customers for the first time in most 2021 models, including the 2 Series Gran Coupé, 3 Series, 4 Series, 5 Series, 8 Series, X3, X4, X5, X6, X7 and Z4 Roadsters. SiriusXM with 360L offers access to more than 10,000 hours of SiriusXM’s recorded On Demand content, as well as its satellite and streaming lineup, including personalized recommendations and ability to search for related content.
SiriusXM Canada has announced continued coverage of the 2019-20 NHL season starting with the 2020 Stanley Cup Qualifiers right through the Stanley Cup Final. As the players return to the ice, SiriusXM NHL Network Radio (ch. 91) will bring subscribers insight, analysis and live-play-play of every game, including exhibition games. Kicking off the new season, the NHL Return to Play Preview Show airs July 31, hosted by Steve Kouleas and Mick Kern, with a special appearance by former Stanley Cup Champion Kris Versteeg. The regular roster of hosts returning include former NHL GM Gord Stellick, Steve Kouleas, Scott Laughlin, Boomer Gordon and Mick Kern. Joining them daily will be NHL Insiders Brian Burke, Bob McKenzie, Elliotte Friedman, Pierre LeBrun, Jeff Marek, Pierre McGuire, Mike Rupp and more. Bruce Boudreau, former head coach of the Washington Capitals, Anaheim Ducks, and Minnesota Wild, will provide analysis during the Stanley Cup Playoffs. French-language broadcasts for all Montreal Canadiens games will be available via Influence Franco (ch. 174).
My Broadcasting Corporation’s newly-rebranded retro alt rocker Freq 90.5 (CJMB-FM) Peterborough, ON, has added the Premiere-syndicated The Woody Show to its lineup, debuting in the 6 – 10 a.m. timeslot on Monday. Featuring Woody, along with co-hosts Ravey, Greg, Menace and Sebas, The Woody Show has originated out of ALT 98.7 (KYSR-FM), LA’s New Alternative, since April 2014.
NYTheSpirit.com has added new weekly show, Dani Elwell and her Alternative Bedtime Hour Mixtape. The former CFNY-FM Toronto host is also currently heard at Jazzcast.ca. Elwell joins a lineup that includes NYTheSpirit.com founders David Marsden and Ivar Hamilton, All Nite Andre, Brad McNally, The New Music Show with James, Rob Stuart, and Scott Eagleson.
CBC Podcasts’ PlayME has launched new audio fiction series, The Quarantine Chronicles, written during the pandemic by top Canadian playwrights. The summer podcast series, created and co-hosted by Laura Mullin and Chris Tolley, features seven newly-commissioned short plays transformed into audio fiction. Recorded by actors remotely while isolating earlier this spring, each play captures the spirit of distanced, disorienting and deranged times. Episodes will be available each Wednesday on CBC Listen and everywhere podcasts are available, with Mark Crawford’s Don’t Get Me Startered the first play featured.
100.9 Canoe FM (CKHA-FM), the volunteer-based community radio station serving seasonal and permanent residents in Haliburton County, has raised $41,000 through its annual Radiothon. Each year on the first weekend following Canada Day the station holds the event to support operational costs. People were asked to call in their donations, bid on auction and online packages, listen for pop up auctions throughout the broadcast and call in and pay to hear their favourite tune. The station says this year’s Radiothon has proven “that radio is still an extremely important medium for people. Radio creates that community connection, it is where you get local information and in a time of isolation it provides companionship and that friendly voice of neighbours and friends.”
Allan Slaight’s name is gracing a new broadcast studio at Sydney, Australia’s Eastside Radio 89.7 FM, thanks to donations from Sydney-based Marie Slaight. The not-for-profit, volunteer-run cooperative says Slaight was eager to celebrate her father’s broadcasting career, while simultaneously supporting the listener-supported jazz station.
LISTEN: Stu Jeffries, morning show host at Toronto’s Boom 97.3 (CHBM-FM) is Matt Cundill’s guest on the latest Sound Off Podcast. If you’re a Gen Xer, you likely know Jeffries as the host of venerable CBC-TV video show Good Rockin’ Tonight which ran from 1983-93. Cundill talks to Jeffries about his roots in Winnipeg, his radio journey, and what it’s like to work from home using Rodecaster Pro.
SIGN OFFS:
Brett Dakin, 46, on July 17. After earning his Bachelor of Arts degree at the University of Guelph, Dakin went back to school in 2003 to take the Humber College post-grad Radio Broadcasting Sales & Marketing program. That led to account rep positions with Newstalk 1010 (CFRB-AM) and Astral Media’s Toronto radio and digital cluster, working his way up to General Sales Manager through the Bell Media ownership transition over a 13-year period. Among other endeavours, he briefly hosted ‘Real Life Radio with Brett Dakin’ on Newstalk 1010 in 2017/18 and taught in the School of Media Business Studies at University of Guelph-Humber. He’d been Director of Sales at Indie88 (CIND-FM) Toronto since the fall of 2018.
JC Sparkman, 87, on July 16. Sparkman served on Shaw Communication’s Board of Directors, starting in 1994, most recently on Shaw’s Human Resources and Compensation Committee and Executive Committee. He’d also served as a director of Liberty Global, Inc., Universal Electronics Inc., TSX Corp., and Comcast Cable Holdings LLC. Sparkman’s career started in 1959 with cable equipment manufacturer Jerrold Electronics. He joined the operations department at Tele-Communications Inc. (TCI) 10 years later and stayed with the company for 26 years, overseeing cable operations, and construction and expansion of new and existing networks He served as Executive Vice-President and Chief Operating Officer from 1987 to 1995 and then on the TCI board of directors from 1996-99, leaving the company as the largest multi-system cable operation in the U.S. with over 18 million subscribers. He went on to co-found Broadband Services, Inc., a provider of asset management, logistics, installation and repair services for telecommunications service providers and equipment manufacturers, serving as co-CEO and Chair until 2003. Sparkman was inducted into the Cable Hall of Fame in 2015.
George Elroy Boyd, 68, on July 7 in Montreal. Boyd was attending Saint Mary’s University when he left to enroll in Broadcasting at the Nova Scotia Institute of Technology. Boyd went on to work in print and radio, including a stint reading news at Halifax rock station Q104 (CFRQ-FM) in the 1980s, before joining CBC as part of the original on-air team when CBC Newsworld launched in 1989. He would become Canada’s first Black, national TV news anchor as co-host of CBC Morning. He eventually left broadcasting to write for radio, television, and the stage. His debut play, Shine Boy, was produced in 1988 at Halifax’s Neptune Theatre, making him the first African Nova Scotian to have a play professionally produced there, and in 1995 served as the theatre’s Writer-in Association. The productions that followed garnered award nominations and critical acclaim, including Consecrated Ground (2000) and Wade in the Water (2005). In 2010, his play, Gideon’s Blues, was adapted into an hour-long TV drama. He received an honorary diploma from Nova Scotia Community College in 1998 and an Atlantic Journalism Award in 1988.
TV & FILM:
Schitt’s Creek is going out with 15 Emmy nominations, including Outstanding Comedy Series; Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series for Eugene Levy; an Outstanding Lead Actress nod for Catherine O’Hara; and Supporting nominations for Annie Murphy and Daniel Levy. Dan Levy also earned a nomination for Outstanding Directing and Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series for the series finale episode “Happy Ending,” while David West Read was nominated for a Writing award for “The Presidential Suite” episode in the same category. Editors Paul Winestock and Trevor Ambrose are both nominated for Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing For a Comedy Series. The show also picked up nominations for Outstanding Sound Mixing; Outstanding Casting; Contemporary Costumes; Hairstyling; and Makeup. Other Canadian nominations include: Sandra Oh for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series for Killing Eve; Stephan James for Outstanding Actor in a Short Form Comedy or Drama Series for Quibi’s #FreeRayshawn; Martin Short earned a nod for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series for his role as Dick Lundy on The Morning Show, while Hamilton’s Luke Kirby looks to go two-for-two in the comedy category for his guest appearance on The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel after his win last year. Read more here.
Telefilm Canada has released the results of its gender-parity initiatives for projects funded during the 2019-20 fiscal year. The statistics show continued growth in Telefilm funding for productions directed or written by women with all three key creative roles (director/producer/screenwriter) reaching the parity zone (40%+) in terms of number of films. 47% of Telefilm-supported projects had at least two women in a key role, surpassing the previous year’s result of 41%. The largest increase was seen in support for directors, rising from 29% to 42% of total funding, while there was a loss of women producers. Female producers on French-language Telefilm projects dropped from 57% to 34%, while on English projects, the percentage of women producers fell to 32%, compared to 43% in 2018-19. Improvement was seen in women-helmed projects with budgets exceeding $2.5 million, in terms of both project volume (41%) and funds invested (42%).
outACTRAto, the LGBTQ+ committee of ACTRA Toronto, has introduced the Working with Queer Performers guideline. Written by Merlin Simard, Kiley May, and Joanne Vannicola, it aims to encourage a change in the way screenwriters, agents, casting directors, directors, producers and productions treat queer performers and break down existing barriers for queer performers in the industry. The guideline follows up on the launch of the committee’s PSA, Queer Your Stories, last year. It includes concrete suggestions to expand the way queer performers are portrayed, managed, auditioned, cast and directed, as well as a useful glossary.
The CRTC has approved an application by TELUS for a broadcasting licence to operate a national on demand programming undertaking. The application was previously approved in 2014, but due to difficulty negotiating programming agreements, TELUS was unable to launch the service prior to the July 2018 deadline, even with an extension. TELUS, which plans to launch within the next 24 months, says the English-language service will offer live and tape-delayed professional and amateur sports events, as well as live and tape-delayed special events including comedy sketches, improv, stand-up, music and dance, variety, general entertainment and human interest.
The CRTC has approved Rogers’ plan to convert Citytv Edmonton’s Red Deer transmitter to digital, which will increase its average effective radiated power (ERP) from 3,480 to 19,000 watts (maximum ERP from 7,000 to 35,000 watts), and increase the effective height of antenna above average terrain from 229.70 to 225.60 metres. All other technical parameters will remain unchanged.
AMI is set to broadcast a series of documentaries on how COVID-19 has affected the health and well-being of Canadians in the arts and disability community. Airing from Aug. 24-27, the documentaries – hosted by AMI This Week’s bureau reporters – are the latest to be produced by AMI’s award-nominated in-house production arm. They range from Arts, Culture & COVID-19 (Aug. 25), a look at the arts and culture community in Ottawa during the pandemic, to Powered Up: Empowered by Assistive Technology (Aug. 26), Grant Hardy’s look at a range of accessible technology for these unprecedented times. Alex Smith also hosts Paralympics Postponed: The Long Road to Tokyo (Aug. 27), which checks in with Canadian Paralympic athletes and trainers following the postponement of the Tokyo Paralympics. AMI’s original programming can be streamed post-broadcast on AMI.ca or using the AMI-tv App.
Showcase and W Network have announced the premiere dates for their primetime 2020 fall schedules. Following the recent announcement that Corus will air marquee Peacock Original programming in Canada, Showcase premieres Aldous Huxley adaptation Brave New World on Sept.13, starring Alden Ehrenreich (Hail, Ceasar!), Jessica Brown Findlay (Downton Abbey) and Harry Lloyd (Game of Thrones). That’s followed by David Schwimmer (Friends) UK sitcom, Intelligence, and then British comedy, Hitmen. American true crime series Interrogation joins the lineup Sept. 24, starring Peter Sarsgaard, Kyle Gallner, David Strathairn and Kodi Smit-McPhee. Bulletproof, the story of two childhood best friends from different backgrounds who grow up to become undercover cops in London’s East End, premieres Sept. 30, along with Tell Me A Story, which puts a dark twist on classic fairy tales Little Red Riding Hood, The Three Little Pigs, and Hansel and Gretel. Joining the W Network schedule is Why Women Kill, premiering Sept. 6, a dark comedy following Lucy Liu (Kill Bill), Ginnifer Goodwin (Big Love) and Kirby Howell-Baptiste (The Good Place), as they each deal with infidelity in their marriages in three separate decades. New Patrick Dempsey series Devils premieres Sept. 16, while Hallmark Channel’s Fall Harvest starts airing on W, starting Sept. 12. Showcase is available on nationwide free preview from Aug. 28 to Sept. 30 and W Network from Nov. 1 to Dec. 13.
ONLINE & DIGITAL MEDIA:
Media Technology Monitor (MTM) has released its OTTs in COVID Report, which looks into how Canadians engaged with Over-the-top streaming services (OTTs). Based on a Spring survey of 4,000 Canadians, key findings from the Anglophone report include that almost 4 in 5 Anglophones (77%) now subscribe or have access to at least one OTT service; Netflix remains the most popular with two-thirds of Anglophones (67%) subscribing or having access to it. During the pandemic, Netflix also reported the highest level of daily use among subscribers (66%), ahead of Amazon Prime Video (45%), Disney + (42%), Crave (41%) and Apple TV + (29%); With more time on their hands, 1 in 4 Anglophone OTT subscribers reported opting in for additional OTT services to have more content to watch while in quarantine; After launching in late 2019, 20% of English households subscribe or have access to Disney +, while 8% of households subscribe or have access to Apple TV +; 2 in 5 OTT subscribers share their accounts with multiple households, with the most commonly shared services are Netflix followed by Disney +.
Highlights on the use of bypass services by Francophones during COVID-19 found: almost 7 out of 10 Francophones (68%) now subscribe to or have access to at least one over-the-top service. With more free time, more than one in five French-speaking OTT subscribers mentioned using additional services. Club illico subscriptions increased by 17%, the largest seasonal increase to date. 13% of French-speaking households subscribe to or have access to Disney +, while 5% of households subscribe to or have access to Apple TV +.
OLYMPIC CHANNEL TV is now streaming on CBC Gem, one year out from next summer’s rescheduled Olympic Games in Tokyo. The 24-hour digital livestream features original programming, documentaries, gold medal performances and memorable moments from past Olympic Games. In addition to replays, audiences will have access to athlete stories from Olympic Channel’s original programming library, including new series What Moves Me, in which athletes share stories about overcoming common personal barriers; award-winning series Take the Podium, in which clean athletes are awarded their rightful Olympic medal following disqualification of doped athletes; and Legends Live On, which takes a look at Olympic heroes and how they’re inspiring future generations.
The Line and Toronto Uncultured are two new e-publications, launched this month, that have risen out of the current media climate. The Line is a commentary site fueled by Calgary-based former National Post scribe Jen Gerson, among other writers. Toronto Uncultured features news, reviews, insider perspectives and Toronto-centric cultural recommendations. It’s helmed by former Toronto Star entertainment editor Ariel Teplitsky, who parted ways with Torstar in December.
REGULATORY, TELECOM & MEDIA:
Ça peut sembler rigolo.
NON, un “câlin” non-désiré, n’est pas moins pire qu’une insulte ou que des menaces. Les femmes journalistes ne devraient pas avoir à faire leur travail en regardant constamment par-dessus leur épaule pour voir si quelqu’un va entrer dans “leur bulle”. pic.twitter.com/MU1ltPW57Q— Kariane Bourassa (@karianeb) July 27, 2020
The Canadian Association of Journalists (CAJ) is condemning a series of attacks against journalists covering anti-mask protests in Quebec City and Montreal this past weekend and calling on police to sanction such behaviour. On Sunday, TVA journalist Kariane Bourassa was assaulted by two protesters who hugged her against her will while she was reporting in Quebec City. Both protesters were not wearing masks and ignored physical distancing rules when they interrupted her live broadcast. Bourassa tweeted a photo of the incident, expressing in French “NO, an unwanted ‘hug’ is no less worse than an insult or threats. Women journalists shouldn’t have to do their jobs by constantly looking over their shoulders to see if someone is going to fit ‘their bubble’.” The CAJ says at the same protest, Radio-Canada’s Hadi Hassin was the target of multiple insults, while on Saturday, TVA’s Yves Poirier had a beer can and a flurry of insults hurled at him by protesters while reporting on an anti-mask protest in Montreal. “The health and safety of journalists is paramount to a well-functioning democracy,” said CAJ President Brent Jolly, in a statement. “It is our hope that the police will respond to the seriousness of these acts in the days to come.”
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) has released a new study that finds more than half of women journalists have experienced increased gender inequalities due to COVID-19. The IFJ survey, which polled 558 women journalists in 52 countries, found the increase in gender inequalities have led to deterioration of work/life balance (62%), and work responsibilities (42%). Among Canadian respondents almost six out of 10 said COVID-19 has increased gender inequalities in the industry, with eight out of 10 reporting an increase in stress due to lack of childcare, managing multiple duties while working from home, fear and psychological impact of covering the pandemic and concern over loss of work or income. Unifor has indicated its intention to launch its own membership survey to gauge the impact of working at home on all media workers.
LISTEN: Laith Marouf of the Community Media Advocacy Centre (CMAC) is our guest on the latest episode of Broadcast Dialogue – The Podcast. Marouf, whose background is in community radio and television, has been fighting for more diversity in Canadian media for more than a decade and believes that any real change has to start with the CRTC and more transparency at the public broadcaster. To that end, CMAC has filed a procedural request to compel CBC to disclose detailed employment equity data as part of its licence renewal process. Listen on your favourite podcast app or here:
The CRTC has announced the 2020 winners of its CRTC Prize for Excellence in Policy Research, handed out in collaboration with the Canadian Communication Association (CCA), which aims to encourage a new generation of academics to contribute to Canada’s public policy development through research on emerging issues. In the Master’s category, Dana Cramer, University of Calgary, won for her paper: “Broadband between the lines: Alberta library policies in provincial broadband development.” In the PhD category, Tricia Toso, Concordia University, won for “Toward a reflective equilibrium: The colonial legacy and the role of reconciliation in telecommunications and broadcasting policy.” And in the Research category: Chris Tenove, University of British Columbia for “Protecting Democracy from Disinformation: Normative Threats and Policy Responses.”
ANALYSIS: OutTV CEO Brad Danks has the third and final instalment of his series on Internet regulation and why he believes the CRTC should put the Yale Report recommendations into action. Read more here.
Bell says its Wireless Home Internet (WHI) service for rural Canada will increase internet download speeds to up to 50 Megabits per second and uploads to 10 Mbps (50/10) this fall while also expanding to rural communities throughout Atlantic Canada. The new 50/10 WHI service will initially be offered to approximately 300,000 homes in 325 communities in Ontario, Québec and the Atlantic provinces, including the communities of Selwyn, Trent Hills and Wilmot, ON; Dunham, Messines, Saint Adolphe d’Howard and Sutton in Québec; Doaktown, NB; Guysborough, NS; Kensington, PEI; and Burgeo, NL.
Shaw is getting set to launch its Shaw Mobile brand on July 30, which will be exclusive to B.C. and Alberta. Few details have been released, other than promising to feature “the most advanced iPhones ever.” Prospective customers are being encouraged to sign up, to learn more.
BROADCAST TECH & ENGINEERING:
Corus Entertainment has invested in the OpenMedia platform from CGI to drive efficiencies in the back end of its news operations as it shifts focus “to a true multi-platform content-centric news organization,” according to Geoff Franklin, Director, News Architecture for Corus’ Global News division, in a case study provided to Broadcast Dialogue. Global News’ implementation of OpenMedia has been designed as part of a multi-year project that services three different content areas within the Global News video output — linear TV, pre-packaged shows, and OTT — and is currently being rolled out to all of Corus’ stations and locations across Canada as the central tool for its newsroom planning and rundown management. Further rollouts to radio and online are planned for the future and a full national deployment is envisaged to be complete by the end of 2020. Franklin says the project provides new rundown and planning functionality, allowing Global News to collate information sources into a single interface and provide a single view into all aspects of the organization’s content gathering, editorial, curation, and distribution, as well as the building of new workflows from the ground up.
The Alliance for IP Media Solutions (AIMS) has launched a new website dedicated to the alliance’s new Internet Protocol Media Experience (IPMX) proposed set of open standards and specifications. IPMX addresses the Pro AV industry’s need for a single set of ubiquitous, standards-based protocols that ensure interoperability for AV over IP. Implementing a standards-based approach built on SMPTE ST 2110, IPMX proposes open standards and specifications designed to enable carriage of compressed and uncompressed video, audio, and data over IP networks. The proposed IPMX roadmap also includes specifications beneficial to Pro AV installations, such as AMWA NMOS IS-04 for discovery and registration and AMWA NMOS IS-05 for connection management, as well as others for copy protection and security.
The Consumer Technology Association (CTA) has announced that CES 2021, set for Jan. 6-9, will be an all-digital experience. “Amid the pandemic and growing global health concerns about the spread of COVID-19, it’s just not possible to safely convene tens of thousands of people in Las Vegas in early January 2021 to meet and do business in person,” said Gary Shapiro, president and CEO, CTA, in the announcement. “Technology helps us all work, learn and connect during the pandemic – and that innovation will also help us reimagine CES 2021 and bring together the tech community in a meaningful way.” The event plans to return to Las Vegas for CES 2022.
Nautel has released an eBook titled “9 Mistakes to Avoid When Buying a Transmitter.” Geared toward general and engineering managers, the eBook discusses details that could be overlooked during the decision-making process, including space requirements, potential delivery issues, site preparation and more. Access the download link, here.
