Peter Mansbridge, longtime anchor of CBC’s The National, will receive The Canadian Journalism Foundation’s (CJF) Lifetime Achievement Award at the annual CJF Awards on June 14 in Toronto. Mansbridge joins a distinguished group of CJF Lifetime Achievement Award winners with past recipients including Jean Pelletier, Lloyd Robertson, Jack Sigvaldason, Lise Bissonnette, Joe Schlesinger, Sally Armstrong, Knowlton Nash, June Callwood, and Peter Gzowski, among others.
The Canadian Broadcast Standards Council (CBSC) says an episode of Star Trek: Discovery broadcast on Space on Oct. 15, 2017 breached the Canadian Association of Broadcasters’ (CAB) Code of Ethics and Violence Code. The episode contained two instances of the f-word, as well as numerous scenes of violence including one that showed a Klingon ripping out the heart of a pilot, graphic beatings and torture of prisoners. The CBSC’s English-Language Panel maintains neither the f-word nor the graphic violence should have been aired prior to 9 p.m. Despite the fact that Space rates the program 14+, there was also no classification displayed during the episode which breached Article 4.0 of the CAB Violence Code.
The Canadian Broadcast Standards Council (CBSC) says a news report about a fatal motorcycle crash that aired on CHEK-TV Victoria on Sept. 11, 2017, breached the Canadian Association of Broadcasters’ (CAB) Violence Code by not providing a warning before broadcasting footage of the crash. During its 5 p.m. CHEK News broadcast, the station aired footage captured by a security camera, which showed the accident from a distance and was then repeated in slow motion. Two viewers complained it was inappropriate to show footage of an accident in which a person died, especially without prior warning to viewers. The CBSC’s English-Language Panel concluded that CHEK was justified in showing the footage, but it should have been preceded with a warning. The panel also concluded that CHEK did not violate the privacy article of the Radio Television Digital News Association’s Code of Journalistic Ethics because the report would not have allowed viewers to identify the motorcycle driver.
Bob Cole, 84, won’t be calling any NHL play-off games for the first time in five decades. The legendary play-by-play announcer tells the Toronto Sun, the decision to sideline him this year wasn’t mutual and that Rogers has decided to go with other broadcast teams. The Toronto-Boston series is being called by Jim Hughson and Craig Simpson for Sportsnet/CBC; Paul Romanuk and Garry Galley are anchoring the Winnipeg-Minnesota series; Rick Ball and Greg Millen are calling Pittsburgh-Philadelphia; while Dave Randorf and Louie DeBrusk will are the voices behind the Vegas-Los Angeles series.
Murray Westgate, one of the original Hockey Night in Canada pitchmen has celebrated his 100th birthday. Dressed as an Esso station attendant, Westgate would do live, 90-second commercials and would introduce the Hot Stove League panel, which actually sat around a wood stove. He also would sign off the broadcasts at the end of the night. Westgate was a fixture on HNIC between 1952 and 1968.
The CRTC is accepting comments until May 17 on the eight applications its received to add a national, multilingual multi-ethnic channel to the basic television package. Applicants include Bell Media, Rogers Media, Independent Community Television Montreal (ICTV-MTL), Ethnic Channels Group Limited, Corriere Canadese, and the Telelatino Network in partnership with Asian Television Network International.
Global Montreal has split its local evening newscast into two half-hour blocks with Global National in between. For the last three years, Global News has offered Montreal viewers a 90-minute package of local, national and international news from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. The evening news lineup now features Global News at 5:30 with Jamie Orchard, followed by Global National with Dawna Friesen at 6 p.m. Orchard then returns at 6:30 p.m. with another half-hour news update. News director Karen Macdonald says it’s an opportunity for commuters to watch the top local daily news stories at a later time.
Allarco Entertainment, the Edmonton-headquartered owner of SuperChannel, has successfully emerged from creditor protection, after being issued its Certificate of Plan Completion from the Court of Queen’s Bench of Alberta on Apr. 5. The company sought creditor protection in May 2016 under the Companies’ Creditors Arrangement Act (CCAA) to facilitate restructuring and refinancing of its business operations.
Felix & Paul Studios has been granted a repayable loan of $350,000 from the Quebec Economic Development Program to acquire computer equipment to meet its production and post-production needs. The Montreal-based studio has been a pioneer in cinematic VR, with the production of content for Oculus Rift headsets, Samsung Gear VR and Google Daydream. Once complete, the project will have created 18 jobs.
Bravo has acquired BBC America and Sid Gentle Films’ thriller Killing Eve from distributor AMC Studios, to air exclusively in Canada on Bravo this summer. Starring Sandra Oh (Grey’s Anatomy) and Jodie Comer (My Mad Fat Diary), the suspenseful cat-and-mouse drama centres around a psychopathic contract killer (Comer) and the MI5 operative (Oh) tasked with tracking her down. The eight-episode first season debuted on BBC America to rave reviews, securing a second season order. Killing Eve will stream exclusively on CraveTV following its broadcast run on Bravo.
Netflix has announced that Martin Scorsese will direct an untitled Netflix original comedy special that will include reuniting former SCTV co-stars Joe Flaherty, Eugene Levy, Andrea Martin, Catherine O’Hara, Martin Short and Dave Thomas in front of a live audience. An Afternoon with SCTV, moderated by Jimmy Kimmel, will be filmed at Toronto’s Elgin Theatre on May 13, to be included in the special. SCTV originally aired for six seasons between 1976 and 1984.
The Convergence Research Group says Canadians spent $872 million on OTT subscriptions in 2017, a 29 per cent increase compared to 2016. The Battle for the Canadian Couch Potato: OTT, TV, Online predicts OTT revenue will grow to $1.11 billion this year, and could reach $1.58 billion by 2020.
