RADIO/AUDIO/PODCAST:

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau kicked off his cross-country tour last Thursday, taking time to call in to 103.7 BOB FM (CJPT-FM) in Brockville, ON and request a song. While in transit, Trudeau called in to BOB’s Breakfast with Mark & Aiden, and asked to hear Tragically Hip’s Three Pistols. Trudeau told the hosts the tour is an opportunity to connect with people who aren’t thinking about politics as much as those in Ottawa are and need to be heard from. Trudeau also told the hosts he was “stoked” to visit the Brockville Aquatarium. 

Pandora has announced it will cut seven per cent of its workforce by the end of Q1 2017 to reduce operational costs. Expected to equate to about 150 positions, the announcement last Thursday, sent the company’s stock seven per cent higher. Pandora will soon launch its Premium streaming service, a competitor product to Spotify and Apple Music.

Submissions are now open for the inaugural Jim Beam Make History Talent Search in association with Canadian Music Week. The radio-driven competition, supporting indie and emerging talent, will take place in Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto and Montreal with support from radio partners 102.7 The Peak (CKPK-FM), X92.9 (CFEX-FM), Indie 88 (CIND-FM) and CHOM-FM. Unsigned acts are invited to submit an original song or video and bio to the radio stations’ websites or indie.ca, where a music industry panel will select up to five artists in each market as regional finalists. The regional finalists will then be invited to play a live showcase before a panel of judges. Each regional winner will play at the Canadian Music Week Festival in Toronto where a grand prize winner will be selected.

Toronto’s JAZZ.FM 91 (CJRT-FM) broadcast studio has been renamed The Allan Slaight Studio, celebrating the broadcasting pioneer’s legacy and love for jazz. The former Slaight Communications chairman is now 85. The gift, from an anonymous donor and distant relative, will support the not-for-profit station’s ongoing commitment to jazz and the arts. The station produces over 30 concerts a year in addition to providing numerous music education programs including Jazz 4 Kids and the JAZZ.FM91 Youth Big Band.

Buffy Sainte-Marie will receive the 2017 Allan Waters Humanitarian Award at this year’s JUNO Awards. The Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (CARAS) says Sainte-Marie exemplifies the essence of humanitarianism through her dedication to protecting indigenous communities and intellectual property. Named after CHUM Ltd. founder Allan Waters, the award will be presented at the JUNO Gala Dinner & Awards presented by SOCAN on April 1, 2017 at the Shaw Centre in Ottawa.

SiriusXM Canada has released its financial results of the first quarter of 2017, with revenue up 4.4 per cent year over year due to an increased subscriber base and strong growth from the pre-owned vehicle market. The company is in the final stage of its recapitalization go-private transaction and is awaiting a CRTC decision, following public consultations. Adjusted EBITDA for Q1 2017 increased $726,000 or 3.1 per cent, to $24.24 million, due to higher revenue and lower subsidies and distribution costs, and partly offset by higher marketing and revenue share and royalty costs. The company generated free cash flow of $13.15 million, an improvement of 28.5 per cent, primarily due to lower capital expenditures related to fewer new terrestrial repeaters and XM activation fees, offset by a decrease in cash flow generated by operating activities.

Newcap Radio says close to $86,000 dollars was raised during the Stu Jeffries Thousand Dollar Make-A-Wish Minute holiday campaign on boom 97.3 (CHBM-FM) Toronto. As part of the campaign, listeners were given 60 seconds to answer 10 random questions live on air during Jeffries’ weekday morning show. For each correct answer, $10 was awarded to the contestant and those who got all 10 right won $1,000. Every dollar awarded was matched by the station, in support of the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

Online submissions open Feb. 13 for the BCAB Awards of Excellence. Entries are being accepted for Best Commercial Creative (Radio and TV); Best Station Imaging (Radio and TV); Community Service Award (Radio and TV); and Excellence in News Reporting (Radio and TV). Nominations for Broadcast Performer of Tomorrow, Performer of the Year and Broadcaster of the Year can also be submitted.

A GoFundMe page has been set up for Bruce “Barks” Barker. The Grand @ 101 (CICW-FM) Centre Wellington, ON host and PA announcer for pro lacrosse franchise The Toronto Rock suffered a stroke on Dec. 29. The stroke affected his right side, his ability to write and his speech. He was admitted to the Acute Stroke Floor at Guelph General Hospital and is now being treated as an outpatient. Funds raised will cover Bruce’s medical costs and living expenses until he is back on his feet. Barks has previously worked as a morning show host and sports personality on myFM (CIYN-FM) Kincardine, ON, MIX 99.9 (CKFM-FM) Toronto, CJAY 92 Calgary, Rock 95 (CJFB-FM) Barrie, and the CKO radio news network.

SIGN-OFFS:

Kelly Duncan, 84, Dec. 19 at Lions Gate Hospital in North Vancouver. Born in New Zealand, Duncan arrived in Vancouver in 1955 and was a pioneer in the film and video industry. The longtime resident of West Vancouver was a cameraman and cinematographer, spending many years at CBC Vancouver. In the 1960s, he was a cinematographer on the CBC television series Cariboo Country. An award-winning “storyteller on film,” Kelly worked on hundreds of productions for international clients, often travelling worldwide. He was a longtime member of the Canadian Society of Cinematographers and won ‘Bessie’ awards from the Television Bureau of Canada for Best Achievement in Commercials Cinematography in both 1970 and 1973.

Dick Trotter, 79, Dec. 27 in Port Perry, ON after a brief illness. Trotter spent most of his early career in sports. In the 1960s he did play-by-play for the OHL’s Oshawa Generals, which led to a stint calling games for the Detroit Red Wings short-lived minor league affiliate in Virginia. From there he found his way to Peterborough and worked in local radio and television, building a reputation as one of the best race callers in standardbred horse racing. By 1965, Trotter was general manager at CKLB-FM/CKQS-FM Oshawa, leaving in 1968 for CHIN-FM Toronto. In the early 1980s, Dick was hired by CKWS-TV Kingston to read the sports on the six o’clock news and to be the track announcer at Kingston Park Raceway. He became the permanent evening news anchor after anchor David Green, who was in his 30s, passed away suddenly of a massive heart attack. Trotter retired in 1993 and made an attempt at resurrecting Kingston Park Raceway.

Stuart Hamilton, 87, on Jan. 1 after a 10-year battle with prostate cancer. Born in Regina, SK, Hamilton was a legendary vocal coach, broadcaster, pianist, artistic director and producer. In 1974, he founded Opera in Concert and was its Artistic Director until 1994. In 1982, CBC producer Robert Cooper invited Hamilton to become Quiz Master of the CBC’s Saturday Afternoon at the Opera, a post he held until his retirement in 2007. He also appeared regularly as a panelist and occasional guest Quiz Master on the Metropolitan Opera radio broadcasts from New York City at Lincoln Center. His knowledge of repertoire, voices and style made him an “in demand” lecturer and adjudicator. He was made a member of the Order of Canada in 1984, won the Toronto Arts Award in 1989, received the Governor General’s Commemorative Medal for the 125th Anniversary of Confederation in 1992, the first Ruby Award from Opera Canada in 2000 and the Beckmesser Award from the Los Angeles Opera in 2004. He received an honorary doctorate from Dalhousie University in 2008 and most recently was awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal in 2012. His book Opening Windows: Confessions of a Canadian Vocal Coach is an engaging account of his life in music.

Thomas William Harpur, 87, Jan. 2 in Lion’s Head, ON. The Reverend “Tom” Harpur was an author, broadcaster, columnist, theologian and ordained Anglican priest. Born in Toronto’s east end, Harpur worked as a journalist at the Toronto Star for 30 years, 12 as the newspaper’s religion editor and then as a regular columnist. The Rhodes Scholar wrote numerous books on religion and theology, 10 of which became Canadian bestsellers and two of which were made into TV series for VisionTV. He hosted his own television show Harpur’s Heaven and Hell and a variety of radio and TV programs on the topic of religion. He also appeared as a frequent commentator on religious news events on CBC and other Canadian networks. In 1996, his bestseller Life After Death on near-death experiences was turned into a 10-episode TV series hosted by Harpur himself, which aired on VisionTV, CityTV and The Learning Channel. Harpur’s 2004 book The Pagan Christ was named the Canadian non-fiction bestseller of the year by the Toronto Star and The Globe and Mail. The 2008 CBC documentary of the same name, based on Harpur’s book, won the Platinum Remi Award at the Houston International Film Festival and the Gold Camera Award at the U.S. International Film and Video Festival.

Don Lindsay, 68, on Jan. 6, in Grande Prairie, after a short battle with cancer. Lindsay started in radio as a DJ almost right out of high school in the late 1960s at CFGP-FM. With a passion for rock n’ roll from the 1950s and 60s, he helped bring acts to the Grande Prairie area including Bobby Curtola and Anne Murray. He eventually moved into sales, establishing himself as a well-respected rep for CJDC-AM and CJDC-TV Dawson Creek where he worked for nearly 20 years until his retirement two years ago. Don was well-known for his community involvement, including his dedication to local theatre.

Larry Langley, 83, on Jan. 10. The former Edmonton city councillor and longtime CBC broadcaster was born in Saskatoon, SK, and worked as a teacher before starting his broadcasting career in 1956. Larry joined CFQC-TV Saskatoon as an announcer, moving on to WHTV and CBC Whitehorse, CHEK-TV in Victoria and CFCN TV and radio in Calgary. He moved to Edmonton in 1965 to continue his career with CBC Edmonton as a host, anchor and weatherman. Langley worked in both radio and television there for 28 years before retiring in 1993. He successfully ran for Edmonton city council two years later, representing Ward 5 for nine years. After his retirement from council in 2004, Langley continued to sit on various city boards.

TV/FILM/VIDEO:

Orphan Black leads this year’s Canadian Screen Awards nominations. The Space sci-fi series, from Temple Street Productions, earned 14 nominations including best dramatic series, best direction and best actress for Tatiana Maslany. Montreal director Xavier Dolan’s It’s Only the End of the World leads the film category with nine nominations. The awards show airs live on CBC on March 12, with Oscar-winning actor Christopher Plummer set to receive a lifetime achievement award.

The Canadian Broadcast Standards Council (CBSC) has ruled that special effects have no place in news reports. The complaint centered around a report aired last April on Global Calgary and Global Edmonton about a Red Deer man charged under the city’s anti-bullying law. The report featured visual and audio effects, including cheerful music and bright lighting when showing the man’s street, but black-and-white colour and the sound of a crow cawing when zooming in on the man’s house. A viewer complained that the report had been biased against the man, contained some inaccuracies and violated the man’s privacy. Global agreed that the special effects were inappropriate, but considered the report otherwise acceptable under the codes. The CBSC concluded the visual and audio effects added to the report rendered it unfair and biased in contravention of the Canadian Association of Broadcasters’ (CAB) Code of Ethics and the Radio Television Digital News Association of Canada’s (RTDNA) Code of Ethics.

Canadian Pay TV service providers, including cable, direct-to-home satellite and IPTV providers, along with set-top box manufacturers have finalized a voluntary agreement aimed at improving the energy efficiency of set-top boxes. Reached in consultation with federal and provincial governments, the agreement is expected to reduce total annual energy consumption and annual carbon dioxide emissions by over 100,000 tonnes. At least 90 per cent of all new set-top boxes purchased, beginning in 2017, are expected to meet the new energy efficiency standards. Bell, Cogeco Communications Inc., Rogers Communications, Shaw Communications Inc., Vidéotron and manufacturers ARRIS and EchoStar Technologies are among those committed to the program.

An audience of nearly 720,000 people tuned in to watch the Jan. 3 debut of Discovery’s newest original Canadian series Heavy Rescue: 401, making it the most-watched premiere in the network’s 22-year history. The new, nine-episode season is a spin off of Highway Thru Hell, now in production on Season 6. Produced by Thunderbird Entertainment’s factual arm Great Pacific Media, Heavy Rescue: 401 follows tow operators, rescue and maintenance crews along Ontario’s notoriously busy Highway 401.

Nearly two months ahead of its U.S. debut on FOX on March 9, Lionsgate has signed major international format deals for its reality series Kicking & Screaming. Format rights covering France, Italy, Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden have been licensed to leading international production group Banijay. Lionsgate has also finalized a deal with Sony Pictures Television Networks’ VIASAT for the format and series rights in Hungary. 

PBS launched its round-the-clock children’s channel Monday, available on member stations, as a live stream on pbskids.org and via the free PBS KIDS Video app. The free channel is aimed at youngsters aged two to six, including those in low-income households with spotty Internet access. PBS says the channel will initially launch on 75 PBS licensees and is expected to reach 90 per cent of U.S. TV households by year’s end.

ONLINE CHANNELS:

Ontario-based livestreaming startup Title Sports Live (TSL) has signed a 10-year contract with the Ontario Curling Association. With its debut broadcast over the Thanksgiving Weekend, TSL is offering multiple-camera coverage and pre and post analysis from commentators, including three-time Brier and World Champion Ian Tetley. During the 2016/17 season, TSL is signed up to cover seven Ontario provincial championship events, the Scotties Tournament of Hearts, the Men’s Tankard, and the Canadian Masters. TSL is also on board to livestream Ontario Volleyball events this summer. The startup is led by Barry Rendall, who identified a gap in coverage of elite, amateur sports inspired by his two athlete daughters. TSL’s team includes former CBC marketing and branding exec Bridget Hoffer, former Corus Entertainment social media manager Katie Pringle and Toronto-based filmmaker Colin Grant, who previously managed Canadian marketing for Sony Pictures Home Entertainment.

TVO has announced it’s the first media organization in Canada to offer nightly Periscope streaming on Twitter. TVO’s flagship current affairs program, The Agenda with Steve Paikin, is now available to watch on Twitter @TheAgenda at 8 p.m. EST, Monday through Friday.

An internal briefing note prepared for Heritage Minister Melanie Joly suggests the federal government is moving toward charging sales tax on digital content subscriptions, like Netflix. The note, obtained by the CBC, argues not charging tax on foreign content services puts Canadian competitors at a disadvantage. A number of other governments are considering similar taxes with Brazil about to impose a two per cent tax on paid online entertainment. The briefing note acknowledges a sales tax on foreign content would be difficult to enforce. The CRTC has previously passed on the idea. The issue is separate from a so-called content levy that would support Canadian content, with any revenue generated from the tax going into general revenue. Consumer group OpenMedia has been running a petition opposing any new taxes on streaming services, which recently passed 26,000 signatures.

GENERAL:

Canadian Music Week and Friends of Steve Young will once again salute Steve with the Allan Waters Young Broadcaster of the Year Award in Honour of Steve Young. This is the 9th annual award, which recognizes a broadcaster under the age of 30, working in on-air, programming, promotion, production or creative. The deadline is Feb. 6 and the nomination form is right here.

Telus has purchased Mascon Cable Systems and AirSpeed Wireless, the second rural BC cable operation acquired by the company in the last few months after buying YourLink’s BC operations in October. Mascon serves about 4,000 customers in the communities of Chase, Pritchard, Sicamous and Tofino.

The Bell 2017 Let’s Talk Community Fund is now open to grant applications. Registered charities are invited to apply for a grant up to $25,000 to help fund local mental health programs. This year’s application period runs until March 31. Bell Let’s Talk Day happens Jan. 25.

Bell Media and Twitter are among those named in a lawsuit brought about by a former Halifax professor after a nude photo of his genitals was posted to Twitter. Michael Kydd is seeking $1 million in damages from Twitter, Bell Media, his former employer Mount Saint Vincent University and a former student with whom he allegedly had an affair. Court documents allege the student later accused Kydd of sexual assault and she convinced a local sex abuse advocate to post the photo to Twitter. The suit says CTV then re-posted the redacted version of the photo on its website before taking it down. Bell Media hasn’t commented on the suit.

A new Reuter’s Institute for the Study of Journalism survey of nearly 150 CEOs, editors and digital leaders in 24 countries has found publishers see the rise of fake news as a chance for quality journalism to stand out, even as they worry about the increasing power of big tech platforms and their own commercial prospects. Part of the institute’s annual predictions report, the survey found over 70 per cent of publishers think their position will be strengthened by recent controversies over fake news with many hopeful that high quality, reliable news will be more needed than ever in a world awash with misinformation. A third (33%) of digital leaders said they are more worried about financial sustainability than this time last year.

Take What You Learned in 2016 into the New Year

By Matt Cundill

We have a strange relationship with January. There are those who welcome it with a three day hangover, those who enter it with new found attitude and resolution, and those who flee it altogether and spend anywhere from a few days to a few weeks on a beach. January also offers little sunlight and is the coldest month. Conditions may vary, depending on where you live.

We can counterbalance our dysfunctional relationship with January by seizing the opportunity to truly set goals. Yes, I know, the fiscal year started in September, the budgets were approved back in June and the first quarter is in the books. The reality is that the kids were starting in new schools, your mind was consumed in fall ratings and two stations in your market rebranded the week before. January is ideal for planning and professional recalibration. You are likely coming off an extended break, had a chance (for better or worse) to reconnect with family and remember why you do what you do daily.  

Last January, I committed to trying something completely new to go alongside the other project that I started in 2015. The Sound Off Podcast is the podcast about broadcast, and every week it features a new guest who is willing to share their knowledge. Here are ten great takeaways from various episodes to consider as you confront 2017.

1. Your age is the digital era means nothing. One of my most popular interviews this past year was a radio consultant who specializes in bringing digital strategies to radio stations. He allegedly retired from radio 9 years ago. There are a number of radio veterans past the age of Freedom 55 who have adapted to the radio and digital world better than many of the companies they left behind. Take the time to read their writings, and listen when they speak. There is an amazing amount of free education in their words.

2. Fundamental change is about acknowledging the truth. In the words of Mark Ramsey regarding radio listening habits: “The average quarter hour rating will go down as it has over the years. The total amount of listening will go down as it has over the years. But radio because of its desperate need to reinforce its relevance to the advertisers will keep saying say ‘Yeah but we reach 90 percent of everybody’.  Yes, but you reach them less often all the time. We can keep that a secret from the advertisers if we want, but we better not keep it from each other.”

3. Innovating is hard work. The catalyst to innovation is change, and you know how a lot of people feel about that. There was a moment at a radio conference last year where radio leaders struggled to name one thing their radio group had done that was innovative. Innovation is not something that a lot of radio companies are built to do. They are, however, equipped to do it. Great innovation comes from great collaborations and the tabling of ideas. Make sure you conduct brainstorming meetings in which your people feed comfortable and creative enough to say, “You know what would be wacky!?”

4. Just do it. Is there something you have been thinking about doing but just have not started yet? The best way to do it is to tell somebody about it. In that moment, it becomes real and the idea is born. By not doing it, the idea is only a notion that could pass you by. My venture into podcasting started because I told the two guys that do podcasting best, Humble & Fred, that I was still thinking about it. You can imagine their reaction to that. My first episode came out about a month later.    

5. How do you react in difficult situations? When the wild fires hit Fort MacMurray, I followed the journeys of Andrew Wilcox from Cruz 100.5 who fled the station and his home; and of Yukon Jack at 100.3 the Bear who took in a family that lost their home. Their actions speak volumes about the kind of people they are. When we are afflicted with a problem of any proportion, how you react defines the person you are.

6. There are solutions for Millennial challenges. You are not alone in your particular battle. Millennials are not the problem. Sure, they received too many participation trophies, but that’s the fault of their Gen-X parents. For years, the younger generation would follow listen and adhere to the lessons from above. Now, survival in the digital world rests on one’s ability to understand and adapt to the “whys” of Millennial behaviour. For example, Entercom Seattle turned a challenge into an opportunity with MillennialLab.com and 107.7 The End.

7. Forget what you know. Most of our beliefs are formed in the early years of our broadcast journey. We now live in the “Age of Acceleration” and your success will now be defined by your ability to change quickly. Take the time to read Thomas L. Friedman’s latest book, Thank You For Being Late. In it you will find out that every industry will undergo a reasonable amount of digital duress, requiring people to forget what they know in order to move forward. Consider that the biggest story of 2016 was the election of Donald Trump. He did it without the help of traditional mass media advertising and largely without the help of News/Talk radio. Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result is why the media woke up shocked by the election results. (It’s also the definition of insanity, by the way.)

8. Life exists outside broadcasting. Some of the most successful industry people I know do not work in a media outlet. Look no further than operations like BlastTheRadio.com, Humble & Fred, Tom Leykis, Jeff Woods and the ToddCast Podcast. You may not be compensated the same way, and you will have to assume the roles formerly filled by sales, programming, online, production, traffic, accounting and janitorial services. However, you can still make great content and make money doing it.

9. Creativity always trumps lack of budget. Do you want to know what had no budget? MuchMusic in its early days. Want to know how they solved it? By filling the void with creativity. Everything started out with a blank canvass. If you are challenged with no budget, spend time with an empty flip chart pad and a variety pack of colourful sharpies. The ideas are inside those pens.

10. Hire a coach and/or find a mentor. A few years ago I started up a voiceover business and retained David Tyler (the voice of CTV National News) as a mentor and coach. Radio stations routinely ask me to create programming strategies and work with their morning shows. Talent asks me to critique their shows. You’ve heard people say that we are in a sharing economy. It applies to more than just Uber. The same applies to knowledge. Seek out those willing to share it. You’ll be surprised by who is willing to help and amazed at the outcomes to follow.

Matt Cundill works with radio groups on programming strategies and talent coaching. He started the weekly Sound Off Podcast last May and can be reached at (204) 414-5541.