RADIO/AUDIO/PODCAST:
The Ontario Association of Broadcasters handed out its annual awards at Connection 2017, the OAB’s 8th annual conference and awards gala on Nov. 9. The winners of this year’s Community Service Awards were 92.3 The Dock (CJOS-FM) Owen Sound for its Radio for Oncology campaign (small market) and Corus Toronto (Q107, 102.1 The Edge and AM 640) for April Foods Day (large market). Karen Hopkins of Larche Communications took home the Best in Class Sales Award (small market), while Cheryl Foster of boom 97.3 (CJOJ-FM) Toronto claimed the large market honour. Creative Awards were won by Larry MacInnis and Kelly Robotham, MZ Media (large market) and Brad Tasker and AJ Junop of 99.5 Moose FM (CFBG-FM) Bracebridge (small market). In the Station Promotion category, boom 97.3 Toronto won for its Mixtape Of You promotion (large market), while 95.5 Hits FM (CJOJ-FM) Belleville took home the small market prize for its Wall of Hits.
Indie88 (CIND-FM) Toronto morning show hosts Josie Dye, Carlin Burton and Matt Hart have been putting a handful of lucky broadcasting students through their paces this week by having them sit in on The Josie Dye Show. Dye Tweeted a call on Nov. 8 for students affected by the Ontario college instructors strike to send in their demos, and chose one student each from Niagara, Humber, Seneca, Centennial and Fanshawe College from over 100 submissions. The students have been pitching in with everything from traffic and weather to music segments. During the daily 8:15 a.m. break, Dye tells Broadcast Dialogue they’ve allowed each student free reign to entertain Toronto with mixed results “We’ve had some crash and burns, but a couple of really great stories as well,” says Dye. “I’m really worried some of them are going to take my job.”
Newcap Radio has struck a deal to buy Hector Broadcasting’s New Glasgow, NS stations CKEC-FM and CKEZ-FM, subject to CRTC approval. The purchase price has not been disclosed.
Global News weekly political television program The West Block made its debut on Corus talk radio stations across the country on Sunday. Hosted by Vassy Kapelos, News Talk 980 CKNW Vancouver, 680 CJOB Winnipeg, 630 CHED Edmonton, NewsTalk 770 (CHQR-AM) Calgary, AM900 CHML Hamilton and AM980 News (CFPL-AM) London will air the program in various dayparts.
Newcap Radio’s parent company, Newfoundland Capital Corp., has released its Q3 2017 results for the quarter ended Sept. 30. Revenue for the quarter of $43.1 million was $1.6 million, or four per cent higher than the same quarter last year, and year-to-date revenue of $122.4 million was $0.1 million, or less than one per cent lower than 2016. The growth during the quarter was primarily due to growth in the company’s Ontario operations combined with the acquisition of two stations in Kamloops. Year-to-date, the Toronto and Sudbury operations achieved strong revenue growth, largely offsetting declines faced in other areas of the country, particularly at certain Alberta and Newfoundland and Labrador stations.
No Fun Radio (NFR) Vancouver, an online only radio station, has started streaming out of a former grilled cheese shop in the Gastown neighbourhood. NFR went on air at the end of September, collaborating on programming with groups like experimental arts collective Chapel Sound. Tune in live in at nofunradio.com or check out the archive at mixcloud.com/nofunradio.
The VOCM Cares Kids Eat Smart Radiothon raised over $181,000 for the Kids Eat Smart Foundation on Nov. 14. Held at St. John’s Avalon Mall, funds raised will provide over 180 thousand breakfast meals for students.
CBC Radio One Halifax afternoon program Mainstreet has been chastised by the public broadcaster’s ombudsman Esther Enkin over its coverage of U.S. President Donald Trump’s interactions with both NFL players and the Pittsburgh Penguins. Responding to a listener complaint about three separate broadcasts on the subject in September, Enkin says there should have been more thought in achieving balance. Enkin writes there was “a preponderance of statements that were highly critical of Mr. Trump. The coverage was flawed.”
TV/FILM/VIDEO:
Sports Media Canada presented its 22nd annual SMC Achievement Awards on Nov. 8, celebrating excellence in sports journalism. Longtime Hockey Night In Canada play-by-play man and CBC Sports broadcaster Steve Armitage was presented with the award for Career Achievement. Sportsnet host Arash Madani was recognized for Broadcasting, while TSN’s Rick Westhead took home the honour for Sportswriting for his investigative work with tsn.ca. You can view the full list of winners here.
Sports Page, the Vancouver TV sports highlight show that launched the careers of broadcasters like Scott Rintoul, John Shorthouse, Blake Price, Don Taylor, Barry Macdonald, Paul Carson, Dan Murphy and Dave Randorf, is getting its own exhibit at the B.C. Sports Hall of Fame. Sports Page: The Exhibit celebrates the 40th anniversary of the show’s debut on CKVU-TV (now City Vancouver), starting in 1977, and continuing until 2001 before moving to CHEK-TV Victoria for its final four years. The exhibit, opening Dec. 9, will feature a replica of the Sports Page anchor desk, trivia, anecdotes and memorabilia from the show and events it covered.
Lionsgate reported revenue of $941 million, net income attributable to Lionsgate shareholders of $16 million, or basic EPS of $0.07, and adjusted net income attributable to Lionsgate shareholders of $63 million, or adjusted basic EPS of $0.30, for the second quarter of fiscal 2018 (quarter ended Sept. 30). Revenue in the quarter increased 47 per cent year-over-year. With Lionsgate’s acquisition of Starz, results are not directly comparable to prior reporting periods. Media Networks segment revenues increased seven per cent to $393.4 million on higher OTT revenues, lower programming costs and the licensing of Power. Motion Pictures segment revenues declined 24 per cent to $385.7 million primarily driven by fewer wide releases in the quarter. Television Production segment revenues declined 4.7 per cent to $168.7 million due to the timing of episodic deliveries of Orange is the New Black.
Discovery premieres the latest instalment in its “Drain” Series Drain Alcatraz on Dec. 3. The show uses computer technology to virtually drain the waters around Alcatraz Island and the surrounding bay. Viewers are taken to the island and inside the prison, exploring the chronology of human settlement on Alcatraz from Sioux Tribes and Spanish and Mexican explorers, to American soldiers, and eventually its most infamous residents Californian convicts.
Food Spin with Chef Aleem, a 13-episode documentary series following the life of Toronto food truck owner Aleem Syed, premieres Nov. 29 on AMI-tv (Accessible Media Inc.). A professionally trained chef, Syed was involved in a 2008 shooting accident that left him paralyzed from the waist down, but he persevered making it his mission to open a halal and fully wheelchair accessible food truck called the Holy Grill. To be accessible for those with sight loss, Syed describes his actions and surroundings during the series, eliminating the need for a secondary audio track. Full episodes will be available online after the initial broadcast.
Jay Baruchel is joining CraveTV comedy Letterkenny in a feature role as Hard Right Jay, a Tiki Torch-carrying out-of-towner, who stirs things up, in a new six-pack episodic instalment. Also featured is social media star Evan Breen as Baruchel’s sidekick and Sarah Gadon (Alias Grace), who reprises her role as Gae. Returning to direct is Jacob Tierney, who also reprises his role as Christian leader, Glen. Currently in production in Sudbury, ON, the new episodes are set to launch in 2018.
TSN airs a CFL Playoff doubleheader Sunday, Nov. 19 with the Toronto Argonauts hosting the Saskatchewan Roughriders in the Eastern Final, followed by an all-Alberta clash with the Calgary Stampeders hosting the Edmonton Eskimos in the Western Final. TSN says Eastern and Western Semi-Finals broadcasts have been the most-watched in three years averaging 1 million viewers overall and up +7% with total viewers over 2016. Overall, 4.3 million Canadians watched some or all of the Eastern and Western Semi-Final games.
ONLINE/DIGITAL:
Amazon has announced that Canadians will be able to buy its Echo, with Alexa, the company’s voice-activated digital assistant, as of Dec. 5. Radioplayer Canada and its roster of more than 500 Canadian radio stations is featured prominently as a streaming partner, joining Prime Music and Spotify. Amazon Echo will also launch with content from media outlets such as CTV, CBC, Global News, and Corus radio, among others. Users can call on Alexa to answer questions, ask for the weather forecast, and enable newscasts or the latest headlines. Corus will offer livestream “skills” from 30 FM stations, with its eight News Talk stations offering both live streams and flash briefings.
Amazon has launched Amazon Marketing Services for Canada, making its suite of pay-per-click performance advertising products available to brands via a self-service portal. Amazon.ca brands can also now create their own Amazon Store – a free, customizable, multipage shopping experience that showcases the brand and a curated product selection.
The CRTC’s 2017 Communications Monitoring Report on Canadians’ wireless and internet use shows data usage continues to climb. In 2016, there were three million more mobile broadband subscriptions than the previous year, a 13.3 per cent increase. Canadians used an average of 1.2 gigabytes (GB) of data per month on their wireless devices, a 25 per cent increase from 2015. The report also shows many young people are now watching TV on their wireless devices. Forty-one percent of 18-34 year olds use their smartphones to watch TV online, compared to 11 per cent of Canadians aged 50-64 years old. Twenty-two per cent of Canadians are listening to radio online. Read the full report here.
The Canadian Internet Registration Authority (CIRA) has released Canada’s Internet Factbook showcasing data about Canadians’ online habits, perceptions and experiences. At 25th place in the world, Canada ranks below nearly all other G7 nations in the International Telecommunication Union’s (ITU) ICT Development Index. Key findings include that 71 per cent of Canadians now spend at least 3-4 hours on the internet each day; almost three-quarters of Canadian internet users are unlikely to purchase a home in an area that lacks access to high-speed internet; and use of a mobile phone to purchase items online has tripled (from 12 to 36 per cent) since 2014. Read more here.
Videotron is responding to the consumer trend of watching TV and video content on mobile devices by making the mobile version of Club illico available with all new Videotron mobile plan subscriptions. According to Videotron, 20 per cent of Quebec consumers are streaming videos, series or movies on their smartphones. That number goes up to 85 per cent with Francophone smartphone owners aged 18 to 34.
Facebook is trying to leverage its Stories feature, giving users of Facebook Groups and Events the ability to contribute to a private Facebook Story, visible only to other members, that can be moderated by an administrator. The Stories show up on both Event and Group pages, as well as atop a user’s News Feed.
GENERAL:
Maru/Matchbox has conducted a poll, commissioned by The Canadian Journalism Foundation, that finds millennials have a greater appetite for paying for news content than their older counterparts. The poll found 13 per cent of adults between 18 and 34 choose paid access over free access accompanied by advertising, compared to seven per cent of those aged 35 and up. The poll results show millennials (42%) are also more likely than their older counterparts (27%) to prefer in-depth and specific coverage versus general.
Bell has launched its first pilot project with BeWhere Technologies and Huawei using wireless sensors connected to its LTE-M wireless network at the Henry of Pelham vineyard to increase the St. Catharines, ON winery’s environmental monitoring. The project’s goal is to improve planning and sustainability by giving the winery the ability to remotely monitor temperature and water levels, and automatically turn on fans with temperature inversions. It’s projected to lower operating costs and improve quality.
Quebecor Inc. has reported its Q3 2017 consolidated financial results for Quebecor Media. Revenues were $1.03 billion for the quarter, up $36.4 million (3.6 per cent) from the same period of 2016; adjusted operating income was $421.1 million, up $31.3 million; Net income attributable to shareholders was $171.9 million ($1.42 per basic share), compared with a net loss attributable to shareholders of $8.3 million ($0.07 per basic share) in the same period of 2016. The Telecommunications segment grew its revenues by $30.0 million (3.8 per cent) in the third quarter. Videotron significantly increased its quarterly revenues from mobile telephony ($21.4 million or 16%), Internet access ($15 million or 6.1%), business solutions ($2.5 million or 8.8%) and the club illico over-the-top video service ($2.3 million or 29.5%). The Media segment grew its revenues by $9.9 million (4.5%) and its adjusted operating income by $11.3 million (32.8%) in the third quarter.
Quebecor Media has launched a six-second advertising format on TVA, TVA Sports, LCN, addick.TV, CASA, Moi & Co. and Taken 2, in addition to several Quebecor Media digital platforms. The company says studies show consumers’ attention is optimal during the first 5.7 seconds of an execution and therefore, the entire six-second ad is well seen, understood, and remembered.
Ian Scott delivered his first speech to industry as head of the CRTC to the International Institute of Communications Canada conference in Ottawa this week. Scott did not offer a grand vision statement, promising to regulate in the public interest. He was careful to clarify that includes the views of both industry and consumers.
The Canadian Journalism Foundation (CJF) will honour New York Times reporters Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey with its Special Citation for their investigative reporting on sexual harassment and assault allegations against Hollywood film producer Harvey Weinstein. The honour will be presented at the annual CJF Awards in Toronto on June 14. Awarded at the CJF’s discretion, the first Special Citation was presented in 2016 to the Boston Globe Spotlight Team, the year their explosive 2003 investigative series exposing widespread child abuse and the systemic cover-up by the Catholic Church, was depicted in the movie Spotlight.
