The CRTC will not take action against The Weather Network after a viewer complained that featured temperature graphs displayed dates for only 27 or 28 days in the network’s 30-day forecast. The complainant had asked the commission to review an Oct. 2017 Canadian Broadcast Standards Council (CBSC) decision that found there was no breach of code. Pelmorex has since changed the graph’s title to “Next 4 Weeks.”
Bell Media’s request for a stay of the CRTC’s Super Bowl simultaneous substitution policy has been denied by the Supreme Court of Canada. Bell had filed for leave to appeal to the SCOC, requesting suspension of the policy for this year’s game, set for Feb. 4. While the court dismissed the stay, it will grant the company’s request to consider its leave to appeal. If granted, the court could hear the case as early as this fall.
Bell Media is ramping up its offerings during and leading up to Sunday’s Super Bowl LII broadcast, as it tries to keep Canadians tuned in. In addition to $300,000 in prizes, CTV, CTV2 and TSN2 will air Russell Peters comedy bits during Super Bowl ad breaks. The coverage begins at 6 p.m. ET, with the pre-game broadcast starting at noon ET on CTV. Bell has also created a link on CTV.ca where Canadians can watch advance release American Super Bowl ads and favourites from years past.
The Canadian Broadcast Standards Council (CBSC) says City Toronto did not breach the privacy article of the RTDNA Code of Journalistic Ethics when it showed handwritten letters strewn about a Mississauga neighbourhood following a June 2016 blast that killed two people. With police ruling the cause of the explosion to be a purposely set natural gas leak, in order to commit a double suicide, the letters contained details describing the decedents’ health and financial problems. A viewer was concerned that showing the letters violated the couple’s privacy. The CBSC agreed with the broadcaster that there was an overriding public interest because they provided insight into the motivation for causing the explosion.
CBC Ombudsman Esther Enkin says there is room for point-of-view documentaries, but they must be clearly labelled as such. Enkin was responding to a complaint from a sled dog operator about perceived bias in the documentary Sled Dogs and the advocacy work of the independent filmmaker, Fern Levitt, after the film aired on the CBC’s documentary Channel. Enkin says there is room for single perspective documentaries, as long as they aren’t financed by an advocacy, lobby group or government. Enkin says there was violation of CBC policy in that the film was at no time labelled point-of-view. Enkin is recommending CBC management develop standard language and presentation elements around the issue.
The JUNO Awards will be heading to southwestern Ontario with The Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (CARAS) announcing that London will host in 2019. The 48th Annual JUNO Awards will be broadcast live on CBC from Budweiser Gardens on Mar. 17, 2019.
HBO has picked up Canadian-Israeli co-production The Oslo Diaries. Directed by Mor Loushy and Daniel Sivan, the film was produced by Intuitive Pictures and Israel’s Medalia Productions. The Oslo Diaries will premiere on HBO later this year.
Sadaf Foroughi’s Ava is the winner of this year’s Canadian Screen Award for best first feature film. The film, a Canadian co-production with Iran and Qatar, has a total of nine nominations heading into the awards, including best film, actress and supporting actress, in addition to best direction and screenplay nods for Montreal-based Foroughi. The Canadian Screen Awards gala will be broadcast live on CBC TV on Mar. 11.
