The CRTC has issued notice to hear renewal of television licenses

TV/FILM/VIDEO:

The CRTC has issued notice to hear renewal of television licenses held by large English- and French-language ownership groups Nov. 22-24 in Laval, QC. With respect to certain license conditions specific to each ownership group, the Commission says it intends to examine: Rogers: OMNI broad service and news requirements, as well as Rogers’ application for the mandatory distribution of a new ethnic discretionary service as part of the basic service; Bell: its proposal to shut down 40 rebroadcasting transmitters across the country; Corus: exceptions sought regarding local programming requirements for some of its services; and Groupe TVA and Groupe V: specific local programming requirements in various regions of Quebec, OLMC reflection and the method of calculating CPE requirements. The Commission also intends to discuss the decision on repurposing spectrum in the 600 MHz band made by Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada. The use of the band is now subject to a joint effort by Canada and the U.S. to repurpose some amount of spectrum, currently used to support broadcasting, for mobile services. The 600 MHz repack will result in a new digital television (DTV) allotment plan for both countries, which could impact the majority of Canadian OTA TV broadcasters and require them to change channels or convert to digital to repack transmitters more tightly in lower frequencies, while making the upper portion available for mobile use. The entire Notice can be read here.

Michael Bublé will return to host the 2017 June Awards on CTV . Bublé’s 2013 hosting performance earned him a Canadian Screen Award for best host. The Junos will air on Apr. 2 from Ottawa as a nod to Canada’s 150th anniversary of Confederation.

Bell Media is teaming up with Banger Films and Shed Creative (a division of Universal Music Canada), to produce a documentary taking viewers on-stage, in the crowd and behind-the-scenes of the Tragically Hip’s Man Machine Poem tour. The feature doc will premiere across an array of Bell Media TV and on-demand platforms in 2017, including TMN, MUCH, and CTV, before moving exclusively to CraveTV.

The 2016 Women in Film and Television (WIFT-T) Crystal Award winners are:

Creative Excellence Award – Michelle Crespi, executive director/producer of lifestyle for Bell Media

Digital Trailblazer Award – Barbara Bailie, director, application solutions for DHX Media

Mentorship Award – Deborah Osborn, production planning executive

Outstanding Achievement in Business Award – Tracey Pearce, president of distribution and pay for Bell Media

Special Jury Award of Distinction – Patricia Ellingson, former creative head of children’s and parent’s media from 1998 – 2015

The awards will be handed out at the 29th Annual Awards Gala Dec. 6.

Michael Hirsh, the entertainment mogul dubbed “the Father of the Canadian animation industry,” will be celebrated for his contributions to the global animation industry, receiving a 2016 Animation Hall of Fame Award at the World Animation & VFX Summit Gala in Marina Del Rey, CA. Hirsch is the newly-appointed CEO of WOW! Unlimited Media Inc., a rebrand of Ezrin Hirsch Entertainment Inc. after it was acquired by Vancouver’s Rainmaker Entertainment Inc. Rainmaker announced the acquisition last week, along with its merger with YouTube giant Frederator Networks that gives the animation studio a bigger stake in online content delivery.

Quebec media and entertainment group Attraction has signed an agreement to acquire CMJ Productions, the Montreal-based company that boasts a catalogue of 550 hours of TV productions on-air in the U.S., U.K. and Canada. The CMJ Productions team will remain in place with John Kuyk at the helm, supported by Judith Beauchemin.

The Canadian Broadcast Standards Council (CBSC) has ruled that Radio X (CHOI-FM) Quebec City aired inaccurate information on a Feb. 19 talk show and violated its codes on clandestine newsgathering. The Anglican Church of Québec complained after Arthur le midi host André Arthur and co-host Alexandre Leblond alleged on-air that a goat and a donkey kept by the Church at one of its properties were being mistreated. The Church provided the station with inspection reports from MAPAQ that proved otherwise. Afterward, Alexandre Leblond presented himself under an assumed name and as a CÉGEP student, not as a journalist, when he visited the Church in-person. The CBSC noted in its Nov. 2 decision that the CAB Code of Ethics requires full, fair and proper presentation of all news, opinion, and comment. It also said the Radio Television Digital News Association of Canada’s (RTDNA) Code of Ethics states that clandestine techniques should only be used when necessary. In this case, the techniques were not necessary as there was clear evidence that the animals were well kept and the situation did not require Leblond to lie about his identity. CHOI-FM has since removed Arthur le midi from its schedule.

Global News has planned extensive America Votes 2016 coverage starting Nov. 6 with a special broadcast from Washington, D.C. hosted by Chief Political Correspondent Tom Clark. Nov. 7 – 9, host Dawna Friesen will anchor Global National, also from Washington. Senior National Affairs Correspondent Eric Sorensen will host a special live web program on election night that will stream on the Global site, Facebook and YouTube.