CBC News Network will no longer be live during the full broadcast day, starting June 29, at least for the summer. The all-news network is moving to a half-hour cycle between 6 a.m. and 5 p.m., that will see 30-minutes of live programming in the first half of every hour, followed by a 30-minute taped repeat. CBC says it will reassess the format, which has previously been used during holiday periods, at the end of the summer.
CBC is cancelling On the Money, its afternoon business show. Hosted by Peter Armstrong, the show rebranded from The Exchange to On the Money last fall. Its final broadcast is June 28. Jenner McGuire, CBC News general manager and editor-in-chief, told staff in a memo that the move is due to budget constraints as the broadcaster focuses its resources on enhancing its digital offerings.
Sportsnet has unveiled its 2018-19 NHL national broadcast schedule, which features more than 150 English-language matchups. The coverage is spread across three marquee nights: Hockey Night in Canada on Saturday evenings, Rogers Hometown Hockey on Sundays, and Scotiabank Wednesday Night Hockey. Sportsnet’s regular season coverage kicks off Weds., Oct. 3 with an opening night doubleheader featuring Montreal Canadiens vs. Toronto Maple Leafs, and Calgary Flames vs. Vancouver Canucks on Sportsnet, Sportsnet NOW and Rogers NHL LIVE.
TSN, in partnership with the Humboldt Broncos and Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League (SJHL), will broadcast the Broncos’ season opener against the Nipawin Hawks, live on Sept. 12 on TSN and CTV Saskatchewan. In advance of the game, an hour-long pre-game show will air on TSN to honour those lost and affected by the team’s Apr. 6 tragedy. The TSN Original features group led by senior producer Josh Shiaman will spend time with the families and in the community of Humboldt for a documentary to air on CTV and TSN this fall.
The Comedy Network says Corner Gas Animated is its #1 original series of all time. Following its debut as the most-watched series premiere in the channel’s history, the show is now Comedy’s most-watched series this broadcast year among total viewers and key demos (A18-34, A18-49, A25-54). Already renewed for a second season, Corner Gas Animated wrapped up its debut season on June 25.
Family Channel debuts two new series as it rolls out its summer schedule shift. Polly Pocket and Trollhunters: Tales of Arcadia premiere, along with daily fan-favourite series marathons; back-to-back summer movies; and the continuation of the Super Awesome Fun Time lineup. The Family Channel App will also feature a Summer Feels playlist with summer episodes and movie titles.
Scanline VFX has announced that it will be opening a new studio in Montréal that will create 300 jobs within the next three years. Slated to open next month, this will be Scanline’s fifth international facility, joining studios in Vancouver, Los Angeles, Munich, and Stuttgart. VFX Geoffrey Baumann, who recently supervised all visual effects on Marvel’s Black Panther, will lead the Montreal team. The company, which will need a wide range of talent in visual effects, technical and support roles, hopes to take in about 100 specialists annually by 2021. Upcoming projects include Ant-Man and the Wasp, Aquaman, Captain Marvel, and the final season of HBO’s Game of Thrones.
The CRTC has agreed to revoke Colba.Net Telecom’s broadcasting license to operate a regional TV distribution service in Hamilton/Niagara, Kingston, Kitchener, London, Oshawa, Ottawa, Peterborough, Stratford, Toronto, Windsor, and their surrounding areas. The Montreal-based independent telecom provider advised the commission in May that it’s abandoned plans to expand its IPTV service into Ontario.
The TVA Employees Union has voted 97 per cent in favour of a strike mandate. The approximately 830 TVA Montréal employees have been without a collective agreement since Dec. 31, 2016. One of the union’s main concerns is labour outsourcing to other Quebecor subsidiaries, like Quebecor Media and MELS Studios and Post-production. The union represents all TVA employees including journalists, clerks and technicians, with the exception of its sales staff.
CBC has announced broadcast and streaming premiere dates for its fall 2018 lineup of new and returning series, including a new primetime schedule launching Sept. 18. In addition to TV broadcast, all programming will be available to stream free, live and on demand, via the CBC TV app for iOs and Android and cbc.ca/watch. The schedule includes several digital-first premieres including CBC original family adventure drama Northern Rescue, BBC period drama The Last Post, and Australian miniseries Sunshine Kings.
CBC/Radio-Canada’s Canada Day lineup will include three-hour CBC News special Canada Day 2018, hosted by Rosemary Barton. Airing on CBC, CBC News Network and cbc.ca/watch (11 a.m. – 2 p.m. ET), the special will feature CBC reporters Tashauna Reid, Vassy Kapelos, Charlsie Agro, Renée Filippone and Kayla Hounsell reporting from Canada Day celebrations across the country. Bilingual Canada Day special Canada Day In The Capital/La Fete Du Canada Dans La Capitale will air from 9-10 p.m. ET featuring fireworks and musical performances by Arkells, DJ Shub, Lights, Klô Pelgag, Iskwé, Boogát, Jean-Marc Couture, Rose Cousins, Elijah Woods x Jamie Fine, Ruth B, The Dead South and Brigitte Boisjoli. The special will air on CBC, ICI Radio-Canada, CBC Radio One, CBC Music and cbc.ca/ watch. A one-hour lead-in radio program hosted by Angeline Tetteh-Wayoe and Pete Morey will air before the special at 8 p.m. ET on CBC Radio One and CBC Music.
Super Channel has announced casting details for the second season of Mennonite drug drama Pure, currently shooting in Nova Scotia. The six-part second season is anticipated to premiere on Super Channel Fuse in 2019. Ryan Robbins (Arrow, The Killing) and Alex Paxton-Beesley (The Strain, Cardinal, Copper) return as Noah and Anna Funk, while Alyson Hannigan (How I Met Your Mother, American Pie, Buffy the Vampire Slayer) joins the cast as a recurring guest star. Also joining the cast are Chris Heyerdahl (Hell on Wheels), Zoie Palmer (Ransom) and Victor Gomez (Orphan Black).
The Canadian Broadcast Standards Council (CBSC) says an episode of La belle gang broadcast on Canal Vie on Nov. 8, 2017 was not so explicit as to require a post-9 p.m. time slot. The talk show’s topic of the day was age and sexuality and included a sexologist showing sex toys, adolescents discussing their views on sex, a comedienne talking about masturbation, and a swinger-porn actor who talked about making pornographic movies with his wife. A viewer complained about the content of the episode, which aired at 6 p.m. and was seen by the complainant’s children. The CBSC’s French-Language Panel concluded there were undeniably sexual conversations in the program, but that they were not so explicit as to constitute material “intended exclusively for adults.” The panel also noted that the station could have worded advisories better to alert viewers to the sexual discussions, but they were adequate and did not breach the code.
