Media & Conference News – Bob Mills named BCAB Broadcaster of the Year

Bob Mills, the veteran Power 104 (CKLZ-FM) Kelowna morning man who retired this past May, is the B.C. Association of Broadcasters’ Broadcaster of the Year. BCAB handed out its annual awards, recognizing excellence in radio and television broadcasting in British Columbia, Oct. 3 in Victoria. Lynda Steele, host of the Lynda Steele Show on CKNW News Talk 980 Vancouver is this year’s Broadcast Performer of the Year. The 2019 Humanitarian Award was accepted by Allan De Genova, on behalf of the Honour House Society, which offers “a home away from home” for members of the Canadian Armed Forces, veterans, emergency services personnel, and their families, free of charge, while they receive medical care and treatment in the Metro Vancouver area. Janet Brown of CKNW and Global Okanagan won for Excellence in News Reporting in their respective Radio and TV categories, with the awards sponsored by Burli. Broadcast Dialogue publisher Shawn Smith also accepted the Friend of the Industry Award Find the full list of winners here.

The Ontario Association of Broadcasters (OAB) is presenting Fostering Engaged Effective Staff, a panel discussion at CONNECTION 2019 featuring J.J. Johnson, International Media/Management Solutions (JJIMS INC); Paul Kaye, Vice President, Product & Talent, Rogers; and business coach Madelyn Hamilton. The discussion will focus on how to foster more engaged employees and improve their workplace environment. CONNECTION 2019 takes place Nov. 7 at the Marriott Toronto Airport Hotel. Register here.

Telefilm Canada and the Canada Media Fund (CMF) are presenting the Analog conference series for audiovisual professionals. Curated by the CMF, Analog will unfold in three phases and in three Canadian cities: Montréal (Nov. 28), Vancouver (Dec. 3) and Toronto (Dec. 6). The three events will be free with a common theme of creativity and artificial intelligence. The conference series will feature David Usher, creator of the interactive work We Could Be Human: A Learning Machine that the audience will have the opportunity to try out on site. The former Moist frontman and founder of Reimagine AI, a creative studio specializing in AI, will chat with the CMF’s director of industry and market trends, Catherine Mathys. The event will also include a panel featuring AI specialists from different backgrounds.

The Province of Quebec has announced tax measures to support print media in that province. Like the federal media bailout, the measures exclude radio and television. Tax credits available to eligible corporations include a refundable 35% tax credit, capped at a maximum of just over $26,000 per employee. Eligible corporations are defined as those that publish at least 10 times a year in print or by means of a website or mobile app, dedicated to a combination of written current affairs, culture, news of local interest, business and the economy, excluding niche publications focused on a particular topic or hobby. The province also announced a one-year extension of its refundable tax credit aimed at supporting the digital transformation of print media companies.

CBC President Catherine Tait says the public broadcaster will no longer collaborate on content with Netflix. Tait made the comments on the Content Canada podcast, which is supported by the public broadcaster, Bell Media, Rogers, Corus, Lionsgate, and The Canada Media Fund. As first reported by the Financial Post, Tait told the podcast that CBC would rather not “feed the growth” of digital giants like Netflix and Amazon. CBC currently co-produces Anne with an E with Netflix. The streaming service also airs several CBC shows globally, including Kim’s Convenience and Workin’ Moms.

Lethbridge College has received a $52,000 gift from Corus Entertainment to support the creation of an active-learning newsroom and create the Global News Journalism Award which will assist two students annually in the Digital Communications and Media (DCM) program. The funding will assist in the redesign of the college’s ‘Endeavour’ lab to shift its focus to digital media and ready students to produce journalism across multiple platforms.

Steve Vogelsang, former CTV Winnipeg sports anchor and Red River College journalism instructor, has been sentenced to more jail time after pleading guilty to a string of 2017 bank robberies in Saskatchewan and Alberta. Vogelsang has been handed an additional 18 months for two robberies in Medicine Hat. That’s on top of a five-year sentence he received in April for previous robberies in Regina and Saskatoon.

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