The Weekly Briefing

REVOLVING DOOR:

Joel Senick is officially joining Linda Olsen as co-anchor of Calgary’s Global News Hour at 6. Over the last year, Senick has been anchoring Global News at 11 and made frequent appearances on the supper hour newscast. Olsen, who celebrated 25 years with the station on Sept. 4 and hasn’t had a regular co-anchor since Gord Gillies move to radio in 2017, also continues as the voice of Global News at 5, while Paul Dunphy remains weather specialist. Other changes to the Global Calgary lineup include the addition of Bindu Suri to Global News Morning with Dallas Flexhaug. Suri will also continue to co-host Global News at Noon with Joel Senick. Blake Lough is now anchoring Global News at 11.

Tyrone Edwards is succeeding Ben Mulroney as co-host of CTV entertainment magazine, ETALK. Edwards started his television career at Bell Media a decade ago as host of Much’s RAPCITY. He’s been reporting for ETALK since June 2018, in addition to other hosting roles, including CTV Life Channel cooking series DNA Dinners; Celebrity Style News; and It List: California, among other shows. Ben Mulroney announced in June, shortly after Bell Media cut ties with his wife Jessica in the wake of her public feud with blogger Sasha Exeter, that he would be stepping down from the show after 18 years to “create space for a new perspective or a new voice.” Read more here.

Al Smale has retired from CFCN/CTV Calgary after celebrating his 45th anniversary with the station on Sept. 8. A graduate of the 1973-75 Broadcast Electronics Technology course at SAIT, Smale started as a video operator before quickly moving into the Engineering department in 1975. He spent many years with the CFCN-TV Mobile traveling thousands of miles to cover numerous sporting events, including several Olympic games; working on movie sets and recording TV series; in addition to countless Calgary Stampede parades. His last day was Sept. 11.

John Dowell, longtime ENG cameraman with Global BC, has retired. Dowell’s last day with the network was Sept. 11.

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Going to really miss @GlobalBC ENG Photographer John Dowell! One of the best in the business and a really great person!!!! You will be missed John! pic.twitter.com/Qmv0RpD53e

— Negar Mojtahedi (@NegarMojtahedi) September 12, 2020

Rackeb Tesfaye has joined CBC Radio as a Science Columnist for CBC Montreal’s Let’s Go. Tesfaye is a McGill University PhD candidate in the Department of Neuroscience. She’s also the founder and host of the Broadscience podcast.

 

 

 

 

Alex Carr will be hosting weekend evenings on Edmonton’s Sonic 102.9 (CHDI-FM), heard Saturdays and Sundays from 4 – 8 p.m. Carr was most recently co-hosting mornings with sister Ruby Carr on 102.1 The Edge (CFNY-FM) Toronto, up until this past January.

 

 

Zach Snow, a producer and board op with 590 VOCM St. John’s has been laid off by Stingray. Snow had been with the station since Apr. 2019. Snow is also the host of Celtic Wakeup on Memorial University campus station 93.5 CHMR-FM.

 

 

 

Creeson Agecoutay is leaving CTV Saskatchewan to report for CTV National News, based out of Toronto. Agecoutay has been a host, producer and videojournalist for the network for the past 12 years, working out of Regina and more recently, Saskatoon. 

Paul Karwatsky, who recently left CTV Montreal after 15 years, has announced his next move as head of marketing and communications for Montreal’s Giant Steps program, a not-for-profit that enables kids with autism.

Jaela Bernstien is leaving CBC Montreal to freelance. Bernstien has been with CBC for the last eight years, filing for TV, radio and the digital desk.

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Some bittersweet career news from me — I’m excited for what’s next, but it is heart-wrenching to leave a newsroom of friends & mentors. Against all better judgement, I’m giving up my stable job, leaving daily news & pursuing the subjects I’m most passionate about as a freelancer.

— Jaela Bernstien (@jbernstien) September 14, 2020

Erin Ubels is the new midday/afternoon anchor on CKNW Vancouver. Ubels has been with the station since 2017. She succeeds longtime anchor and news manager Terry Schintz, who was caught up in ongoing layoffs at Corus Entertainment last month.

 

 

 

 

 

Kaya Wheeler has been promoted within the National Screen Institute (NSI) to program manager, taking the lead on the CBC New Indigenous Voices accelerator. Wheeler, a member of Manitoba’s Sagkeeng First Nation, started with NSI in 2016 as Indigenous programs & administrative assistant. She also co-manages short documentary program NSI IndigiDocs and TELUS STORYHIVE projects. Her promotion means CBC New Indigenous Voices is now managed by an all-Indigenous team including current Indigenous programs & administrative assistant Sarah Simpson-Yellowquill and NSI Indigenous programs advisor Lisa Meeches.

Trio Orange, a leader in TV and digital content production in Quebec, has announced the implementation of an all-female succession plan, welcoming five key employees to the ranks of shareholder. They include producers Marie-Claude Brunelle, Julia Langlois, Julie Lavallée and Annie Sirois as well as Shaney-Kim Carufel, Director, Business Relations. Trio Orange received support from the Quebecor Fund to move forward with the initiative.

Kim Bondi is taking over Cineflix’s Canadian development slate in a newly-expanded role as Head of Development, Canada. Bondi has been with the company for the last 15 years, most recently as EVP, Programming & Production. Kristin Wendell has also joined the company as VP, Development, and will be responsible for unscripted development for the U.S. market across all content platforms. 

WarnerMedia has announced the creation of a new Canadian talent development team that will focus on increasing representation in front of and behind the camera. Deanna Cadette, the former Director of the Writers Guild of Canada/Bell Media Diverse Screenwriters Program, will serve as Executive Director of the new initiative. Melanie Nepinak Hadley will serve as Program Director. Hadley joins WarnerMedia from the CBC where she was the Executive in Charge of Production, overseeing projects like Trickster, Heartland and Frankie Drake Mysteries. 

Sylvia Sweeney has joined Humber’s Faculty of Media and Creative Arts as Associate Dean, Film, Acting & Media Production. Sweeney’s background includes working as an investigative journalist and host for CTV’s W5, as well as a director and producer of film, television and live events, as founder and executive producer of Elitha Peterson Productions, including Gemini Award-winning documentary In the Key of Oscar. She’s been Executive Producer of the National Film Board’s Ontario Centre, director of the Ontario Media Development Corporation, and served on the boards of both Obsidian Theatre and the Toronto Raptors. 

RADIO & PODCAST:

Numeris has released PPM results for the 14-week period covering May 25 to Aug. 30, including listening that occurred during the COVID-19 lockdown period. Find David Bray’s analysis, here. Among the ratings anomalies in this book, Toronto’s Q107 is the #1 commercial radio station for the first time in 15 years. Corus Regional Program Director Tammy Cole joins us on Broadcast Dialogue – The Podcast to talk about rock having a moment and the station staying the course as a familiar destination in uncertain times.

 

The CRTC is seeking comment on a proposal by Jim Pattison Broadcast Group to buy CKMQ-FM Merritt, B.C. from Merritt Broadcasting Ltd. for $550,000, and whether doing so violates the Common Ownership Policy. Pattison owns and controls two FM rebroadcasting transmitters in the Merritt market, CIFM-FM-3 and CKBZ-FM-3, which rebroadcast programming originating from its Kamloops stations, CIFM-FM and CKBZ-FM, respectively. Should the commission approve the application, Pattison would own a third FM presence in the Merritt market.

The CRTC has approved a new French-language, Christian music radio station for Brownsburg-Chatham, Que. Owned by not-for-profit Aujourd’hui l’Espoir, the station would operate at 102.7 MHz (channel 274A1) with an effective radiated power of 250 watts. In its application, Espoir indicated that it was prepared to commit to broadcasting at least 45% local programming per broadcast week. However, it intends to broadcast 13 hours of local programs per broadcast week upon commencement of operations.

The CRTC has denied a proposed upgrade for low-power community station CJUC-FM 92.5 Whitehorse. The commission cited concerns about whether the volunteer-run station had the capacity to meet programming requirements, including 19 hours of locally-produced spoken word programming, with the station’s proposed schedule only including one hour. The commission also wasn’t pleased with a request to be exempt from local news requirements, nor that more than 80% of its music was from subcategory 21 (Pop, Rock and Dance).

Intercity Broadcasting, which owns Toronto’s G98.7 (CKFG-FM), is still up for bids as the company’s receivers extend the deadline for offers until Sept. 25. A petition to keep the station Black-owned now has nearly 13,000 signatures.

 

Global News Radio network has introduced several new personalities to its weekend talk lineup. The Joel Matlin Entrepreneur Show, hosted by the former president and founder of AlarmForce and featuring Canadian entrepreneur success stories, will air weekly at 2 p.m. PST/5 p.m. ET across Global News Radio 980 CKNW Vancouver, Global News Radio 770 CHQR Calgary, 630 CHED Edmonton, Global News Radio 680 CJOB Winnipeg, Global News Radio 980 CFPL London, Global News Radio 900 CHML Hamilton and Global News Radio 640 Toronto. Jawn Jang has also signed on as a late night host of The Shift across the AM network, Friday nights from 1 – 5 a.m. ET/10 p.m. – 2 a.m. PT. Jang is the former co-host of Sportsnet 650 (CISL-AM) Vancouver midday show, The Playbook, and also contributes to CKNW daytime talk shows, The Mike Smyth Show and The Jill Bennett Show. CKNW will also add a weekly commentary segment from podcaster Mo Amir, the host and producer of This is VANCOLOUR. Read more here.

The 14th annual 800 CHAB Radiothon, Sept. 10-11, raised $129,607, which includes Canadian Pacific Railway’s pledge to match the first $20,000 in donations. Supporting the Moose Jaw Health Foundation, the 36-hour event ran from Thursday at 6 a.m. until Friday evening at 6 p.m. from the Town ‘N Country Mall. The foundation will use the funds to purchase a new defibrillator and crash cart, chemotherapy chairs, cardiac monitors, and other equipment.

The 16th Variety Children’s Charity Radiothon raised $40,104 in Prince George and Vanderhoof, BC. Broadcast on Vista Radio’s Prince George stations 94.3 The Goat (CIRX-FM) and Country 97.3 (CJCI-FM), funds raised during the two-day event will help support over 300 families in the area with medical supplies, mobility equipment, speech therapy, counselling, and other needs.

The National Campus and Community Radio Association (NCRA/ANREC) plans to stage its annual conference virtually this year. NCRA says 39 Online will be made as accessible as possible for stations facing economic hardship as a result of the pandemic, charging just $50 or a pay what you can fee per station. Spread out over two to three weeks, starting Oct. 26, the virtual conferences will feature two sessions per day, plus caucuses. More details will be announced soon.

LISTEN: On the latest Sound Off Podcast, Maureen Holloway, co-host of the morning show on 98.1 CHFI Toronto, talks with Matt Cundill about everything from the unforgiving nature of cancel culture to career advice for those coming up in radio. Listen on your favourite podcast app or here:

The 10th annual iHeartRadio Music Festival kicks off virtually Friday, Sept. 18 and continues Saturday, Sept. 19 at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT via a live audio stream on Virgin Radio stations across the country, as well as a video stream on the iHeartRadio Canada YouTube channel. Hosted by Ryan Seacrest, the two-day concert will feature live performances and collaborations from artists including Bon Jovi, BTS, Coldplay, Kane Brown, Keith Urban, Migos, and Miley Cyrus, among others, all recorded on stages in Los Angeles and Nashville.

Canadian Music Week (CMW) has announced new dates for the Virtual Jim Beam National Talent Search. It will now take place virtually Oct. 13-20, with 30-minute episodes spotlighting five bands from eight Canadian cities. Hosted by Josie Dye of Indie88 (CIND-FM) Toronto, each of the resulting regional webisodes will be streamed at Indies.ca.

Barry Bowman, retired CFQC-AM Saskatoon and CFAX 1070 Victoria personality, has unearthed the long-lost tapes of Joni Mitchell’s original 1963 recording session. Mitchell was just 19 when Bowman brought the young singer-songwriter into the CFQC studios to record an audition tape to send to booking agents. The nine songs will be made public on a forthcoming box set, Joni Mitchell Archives Vol. 1: The Early Years (1963-1967), set for release Oct. 30.

CBC Montreal, along with the Church of St. Andrew and St. Paul, have made the decision to cancel this December’s CBC Christmas Sing-In. “We know the Sing-In concert is a beloved tradition that many Montrealers look forward to attending,” said Meredith Dellandrea, Senior Managing Director, CBC Quebec. “However this year, due to the COVID pandemic, we will need to sing along to the choir of St. Andrew and St. Paul from the safety of our own homes.“ CBC will air an encore presentation of a CBC Sing-In concert as a national broadcast on CBC Radio One and CBC Music. Broadcast times and dates will be announced along with the public broadcaster’s holiday program schedule in December.

SIGN OFFS:

Dave Ross, on Sept. 13, after a battle with lung cancer. Known on-air as Mike Austin, Ross started his radio career in the 1970s as a DJ for CKPG Prince George, going on to serve as a longtime staff announcer. He’s remembered as a superb storyteller, who loved the Classic Hits and Classic Rock formats. He eventually left radio to pursue gardening, finding success with the founding of his own business.

Kay Alsop, 100, on Sept. 6. Alsop began her journalism career as a freelance writer for the Winnipeg Tribune, which led to a job hosting CBC-TV Winnipeg afternoon show “Ladies First,” from 1962-65, in addition to co-hosting the nightly news. Alsop was also a frequent guest panelist on CBC’s “Front Page Challenge” and “Flashback.” Raising a family alongside her broadcasting career, Alsop transferred with her husband to Vancouver in 1967 where she signed on as a staff reporter with The Vancouver Province. Her coverage of women’s, First Nations issues and family law reform earned her the YWCA “Women of Distinction” Award in 1987. Alsop went on to be appointed Fashion Editor in 1979, travelling internationally to cover the collections in Paris, Milan, Rome, New York and Los Angeles. She retired in 1985, but continued freelancing for Chatelaine, Western Living, Canadian Living, and The Financial Post, among other publications.

TV & FILM:

The Directors Guild of Canada (DGC) has announced the 14 films listed for the 2020 DGC Discovery Award, highlighting emerging directors to watch during festival season. Among this year’s finalists are Métis Cree director Loretta Todd’s Monkey Beach, a supernatural mystery starring Adam Beach and Nathaniel Arcand, which will open VIFF later this month. Tracey Deer’s Beans, a coming-of-age story set against the backdrop of the 1990 Oka Crisis is also nominated, as is Helen Shaver’s Happy Place. The TV veteran’s first feature is a film adaptation of Pamela Mala Sinha’s play about a group of women staying at an in-patient facility who have all attempted suicide. It features a cast that includes Sheila McCarthy, Clark Backo, Liisa Repo-Martell, and Mary Walsh. Find the full list, here.

Bell Media and the Reelworld Film Festival and Screen Institute have announced the inaugural Reelworld Producers Program, aimed at identifying and nurturing emerging Canadian producers who are Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour. Through peer-to-peer training, networking, and professional development, a select group of new producers will work with Reelworld to develop projects that further diversify the Canadian media landscape. The 12-month program will begin accepting submissions Oct. 14 at the kick-off of Reelworld Film Festival’s 20th Anniversary, with selected participants to be announced in early 2021. More details will be available on reelworld.ca following the launch.

Creative BC has announced a Domestic Motion Picture Fund to help B.C. creators and producers get projects off the ground as the motion picture industry restarts. As part of its COVID-19 Action Plan, the province is investing $2 million to support the production phase of content creation in B.C.’s domestic motion picture sector. B.C. production companies can apply for support to turn their ideas into feature films, TV shows, series, documentaries and animated content. Creative BC will administer the fund as part of Reel Focus BC, a suite of supports available to the domestic production sector. 

ACTRA performers have voted 96.56% in favour of extending the National Commercial Agreement (NCA) and 98.63% in favour of extending the NCA Local and Regional (L&R) Addendum for a one-year period. The NCA establishes the terms and conditions for on- and off-camera performers engaged in English-language commercial production in Canada. The agreement reached between ACTRA, the Joint Broadcasting Committee of the Association of Canadian Advertisers (ACA), and the Institute of Communication Agencies (ICA) extends the terms and conditions of the current agreements for a one-year period from July 1, 2020, to June 30, 2021. “Due to the impact COVID-19 has had on our production industry, this is a challenging time for everyone,” said Marie Kelly, ACTRA National Executive Director, in a statement. “Extending the National Commercial Agreement for one year will give us an opportunity to return to the bargaining table soon and negotiate terms that will recognize the hard work and commitment of our ACTRA members.” 

The Shine Network, a federally incorporated social enterprise committed to empowering and celebrating Indigenous Canadian female content creators, is now live online at shinenetwork.ca. Founded by director, writer and producer Jennifer Podemski (Dance Me Outside, Cardinal, Degrassi: The Next Generation), the platform is set to feature full programming in early 2021, including a virtual talent incubator for those pursuing a career in the Canadian film, television and media industry. The Shine Network is currently seeking donors and strategic partners to help fulfill its mandate.

 

 

Annie Murphy (Schitt’s Creek), Noah Reid (Schitt’s Creek), and Dani Kind (Workin’ Moms) have signed on as ambassadors for the Care Not Profits advocacy campaign. They’re the latest Canadian artists to support the SEIU Healthcare, CUPE Ontario, and Unifor initiative calling on Premier Doug Ford to end for-profit senior care. Chantal Kreviazuk, The Sheepdogs, Basia Bulat, Born Ruffians, Tokyo Police Club, and Sarah Harmer performed a Care Not Profits Facebook Live session last month for nearly 80,000 viewers in support of long-term care reform.

CBC has announced its fall premiere dates for both CBC-TV and CBC Gem, highlighted by the premiere of Monday night thriller The Sounds, beginning Oct. 5, followed by Season 2 of Pure. Tuesdays see the return of Baroness Von Sketch Show for a final season (Oct. 6), followed by new seasons of Still Standing, This Hour Has 22 Minutes, and Catastrophe. On Wednesdays, new Indigenous drama Trickster debuts Oct. 7, followed by the Canadian premiere of the new adaptation of War of the Worlds. Thursdays, Battle of the Blades returns Oct. 15, followed by the 15th season of Dragons’ Den (Oct. 22). On Fridays, new seasons of Marketplace and You Can’t Ask That premiere (Oct. 9), followed by Landscape Artist of the Year Canada, hosted by Sook-Yin Lee. The 60th anniversary season of The Nature of Things begins Nov. 6, while Sundays (beginning Oct. 18), groundbreaking documentary series Enslaved, led by Samuel L. Jackson, makes its debut.

The Great Canadian Baking Show will return to CBC for a fourth season with new additions to its hosting team. Comedians, actors, writers and Second City alumni Alan Shane Lewis and Ann Pornel will join returning judges Bruno Feldeisen and Kyla Kennaley to cheer on 10 new Canadian amateur bakers. Based on the hit British format and produced by Proper Television, production on the fourth season is currently underway in Toronto for broadcast and streaming on CBC and CBC Gem in winter 2021. Season 3 of the series reached 1.2 million viewers each week on CBC-TV and ranked as Gem’s most-watched factual entertainment series during the 2019/20 season. 

Muse Entertainment, Back Alley Films and Cineflix Studios have started production in Toronto on Season 3 of CBC original drama Coroner. Joining the cast this season are Mark Taylor (Flashpoint) as Clark, a crown attorney working with Jenny (Serinda Swan) on a new inquest, and Uni Park (Kim’s Convenience) as Melanie, the new pathologist. The upcoming season will include two additional one-hour episodes (10×60), scheduled to debut on CBC and CBC Gem in Winter 2021.

Hollywood Suite kicks off SHOCKTOBER, 31 days of scary movies, starting Oct. 1. The curated experience includes 70 bloodcurdling classics, as well as the premieres of two new Canadian features: the world premiere of horror-comedy Faking a Murderer from Stu Stone and Adam Rodness, the producer and director team behind Netflix hit Jack Of All Trades. Hollywood Suite will also debut thriller The Sanctuary, created by director Allen Kool and writer Robin E. Crozier. 

 

imagineNATIVE Industry Days will take place Oct. 21-24, as part of the 21st imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival. Among the Indigenous-focused panel discussions, masterclasses, and networking events, imagineNATIVE Industry Days will include a case study about the first Canada/New Zealand Co-Pro, Night Raiders, on Oct. 24 with director/writer Danis Goulet (Cree/Métis), and Maori producers Chelsea Winstanley (Jojo Rabbit) and Ainsley Gardiner (Boy). The annual APTN/imagineNATIVE Web Series Pitch competition also returns to Industry Days with four teams vying for the grand prize, including a $30,000 licensing fee from APTN and a cash contribution towards production from the Bell Fund. The annual Micro-Meetings Networking sessions return Oct. 23, offering Indigenous creatives an opportunity to meet one-on-one with industry leaders from Canada and the world. More info here.

Eastlink, in partnership with the Black Cultural Centre for Nova Scotia and the Delmore Buddy Daye Learning Institute, is presenting new weekly series Black Films that Teach. Featuring curated films from across the country, the series offers insights into Canadian Black history, culture and contributions as told through the lens of Black trailblazers, civil rights activists, and others. Hosted by up and coming Eastlink Community TV producer Morgan Jessome, Black Films that Teach will feature interviews and conversations with the filmmaker and community leaders exploring in more detail the impetus for each film and why it is important.

Star Ray TV, Toronto’s independent pirate UHF community station, is celebrating 20 years. Started by amateur radio operator Jan Pachul, who applied for a community licence that was later turned down by the CRTC after five interventions, the station started operating illegally from Toronto’s Beaches neighbourhood in Sept. 2000. Star Ray TV currently broadcasts on UHF channel 15. 

Ethnic Channels Group has announced the launch of NIPPON TV on TELUS Optik TV. Japan’s leading broadcast network (and owner of streaming giant Hulu Japan), it features Japanese series like Cursed in Love, starring popular actors Ryusei Yokohama and Minami Hamabe. NIPPON TV is now on free preview on Optik TV on channel 6587. 

ONLINE & DIGITAL MEDIA:

CTV has revamped its digital video platform, moving to a user-friendly, streamlined interface that makes its collection of streaming content more searchable, mirroring that of OTT competitors like Netflix. The ad-supported platform leverages the same technology that powers Bell-owned subscription streamer, Crave. Streaming from CTV.ca and the CTV app on mobile devices and connected/smart TVs, the offering makes livestreams and on-demand viewing available across network brands, CTV Comedy Channel, CTV Drama Channel, CTV Sci-Fi Channel, CTV Life Channel, and CTV2, in addition to full seasons of CTV programming. Read more here.

The Vancouver Courier has ceased publishing after 112 years in business. Initially announced as a temporary move by owner Glacier Media back in April, the company now says the Courier will cease publishing permanently, both online and in print. Glacier is focusing its efforts on sister publication Vancouver Is Awesome. The Courier website and archive will remain live. Half a dozen Courier staff have been offered severance packages, while one will remain with the company.

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So, this is what 20 years @VanCourierNews looks like as it comes to an end. Due to #covid, the Courier has closed permanently after 112 years, but what a privilege it’s been to write about this city and the people who live in it for the past two decades. pic.twitter.com/bRgGNUPh2H

— Sandra Thomas (@sthomas10) September 10, 2020

 

 

Trybe is a forthcoming Canadian-based social media platform that will work on a reward model for both content creators and everyday social media users. Trybe promises to enable its users to earn money through peer-to-peer point awarding, based on positive engagement that can be used to increase content’s exposure on the platform. It also touts unique audio features, including mid to longform clips and commenting. Trybe’s founders/investors include Nickelback frontman Chad Kroeger and ex-Jet Black Stare band members Felipe Freig and Dan Swinimer. 

Media Technology Monitor’s (MTM) latest release, Connecting in the Time of COVID-19, looks at video calling. It finds that during the pandemic, three in five online Canadians reported making video calls over the internet – a 50% increase since MTM last measured online video calls in fall 2018. Younger Canadians are most likely to engage in online video calling with 84% of those 18-24 having made an online video call in the last month. As a corollary, 83% of current students make these calls. Three applications have emerged as the most popular for making online video calls, with half using Facebook, 46% using Facetime and 41% on Zoom.

NFL RedZone is now available to TSN subscribers at no additional cost. Offering viewers seven consecutive hours of live football coverage on Sunday, starting at 1 p.m. ET, NFL RedZone is available through the network’s digital platforms, including TSN.ca and the TSN app. Hosted by the NFL Network’s Scott Hanson, NFL RedZone keeps fans up-to-date in real time, switching from game to game with live look-ins, highlights, game-changing plays, and going inside the 20-yard line of each local broadcast. Fans are also able to watch up to eight games at a time using the NFL RedZone Octobox screen.

REGULATORY, TELECOM & MEDIA:

The Federal Court of Appeal (FCA) has rejected appeals by big telco attempting to overturn a key CRTC decision determining the wholesale rates that large carriers can charge independent internet service providers (ISPs). The FCA also lifted the Stay on the implementation of the CRTC’s Aug. 2019 rate decision. One of those ISPs, TekSavvy, says it’s owed tens of million in remuneration and until that’s paid will be applying the amounts owed, with interest, as a monthly credit on the wholesale fees it’s charged by Bell and Rogers. 

The CRTC has approved a nine-month delay for Rogers Communications to implement the STIR/SHAKEN framework. STIR/SHAKEN stands for Secure Telephony Identity Revisited/Signature-based Handling of Asserted information using toKENs. The suite of protocols and procedures is intended to combat caller ID spoofing.The commission has approved Rogers’ request to extend the deadline to June 30, 2021, which will apply to all telecom service providers.

Cogeco Inc. and Cogeco Communications Inc. have released a letter sent to Rogers Communications Inc. and Altice USA Inc., in response to a communique received Sept. 15. In the letter, Cogeco says that from the outset of the parties’ unsolicited takeover proposal, they “have engaged in bad faith tactics, some of which created confusion in the market. Your proposal of September 1, 2020 offered to respond to any questions we may have and concluded by stating that you looked forward to our response. However, minutes before the open of markets the following morning, without any warning and thereby depriving us of an opportunity to respond, you publicly announced your proposal in which you said that the support of the Audet family was necessary to complete a transaction, yet you failed to disclose that they had rejected your proposal the prior evening. We can only surmise that this was done with a view to misleading investors and increasing the stock price in an attempt to put pressure on the family to sell.” Cogeco’s board of directors essentially extinguishes any discussion of a sale saying, “We will not engage in a futile exercise aimed at diverting the attention of management and key resources from our business operations while creating friction among our stakeholders.”

Cogeco Connexion, a subsidiary of Cogeco Communications Inc., is expanding its network in the municipalities of Val-des-Monts, Lac à la Truite, and Lac Rond, to offer its high-speed internet services to 5,000 homes and businesses. The investment of more than $4.5 million includes 173 kilometres of fibre network deployment. The investment is part of Cogeco Communications’ commitment to invest more than $1 billion, over a period of four years, in the operation and expansion of its Canadian hybrid fibre coaxial cable network to extend its regional high-speed internet coverage across Ontario and Québec.

TELUS is expanding its TELUS Internet for Good program in B.C. and Alberta, which provides high speed broadband for just $9.95 per month, beyond those receiving the maximum federal Child Care Benefit. TELUS and the School Boards have further simplified the process to ensure all K-12 students in need will have a reliable high speed internet connection at home. Families can express their need for connectivity to their school and receive a code to redeem to ensure students stay connected, whether they’re attending school in person, or participating virtually at home.

Radio-Canada’s Ombudsman Guy Gendron concludes his mandate in June 2021 after almost five years in the role, with the recruitment process to find his successor underway. The Office’s jurisdiction covers all content, produced for radio, television or the internet (including social media used by CBC and Radio-Canada) that falls within the scope of the public broadcaster’s Journalistic Standards and Practices. The process to select the new Ombudsman is entirely run by third party organization, Odgers Berndtson, a Montreal-based firm. Interested candidates should view the posting on the Odgers Berndtson site.

APTN is seeking applicants to serve on its board of directors. The volunteer board, representing all regions of Canada, is responsible for oversight of APTN, its policy and direction. The board is currently seeking members who can contribute to one or more of the following categories: Finance; Legal; Representation from Northern, Southern, Eastern and Western Canada; First Nations, Inuit or Métis Perspective; Broadcast Industry; Television or Film Production Experience; Indigenous-Language Speaker; Regulatory Experience; and News/Journalism, among other areas. Learn more, here.

BROADCAST TECH & ENGINEERING:

Grass Valley has launched EDIUS X, an update of its nonlinear, multiformat editing software featuring background rendering and background export to facilitate a smooth, uninterrupted workflow experience. The enhanced Layouter motion tracking allows the user to easily attach a label, animation, or video clip to a tracked object, and when combined with Anchor Mode reframes a shot with reference to the tracked object. EDIUS X supports the newest codecs and camera releases natively and also includes enhanced GPU acceleration and ultrafast H.265 export, available with the new background rendering options. The new modular design allows utilizing the potential of multi core CPUs. EDIUS X comes bundled with three new modules for optimizing audio, title creation and video effects including new seamless transitions. 

The Gold Book is Bob Orban and Greg Ogonowski’s new edition of “Maintaining Audio Quality in the Broadcast and Netcast Facility” for Engineers, IT Specialists, and General Managers. The engineering pioneers believe that achieving excellent on-air and online quality audio is more important than ever because of the intensely competitive nature of available media, with the guide aimed at helping stations achieve their broadcasting and netcasting goals. Read more here.