RADIO/AUDIO/PODCAST:
The Canadian Broadcast Standards Council (CBSC) has found Toronto multicultural station CHIN in breach “for abusive and unduly discriminatory comments and unduly negative stereotyping about Muslims.” A listener complained in reference to the Mar. 24 broadcast of The Zelda Young Show, which discusses issues of interest to the Jewish community. Young’s guest was American author and political commentator Diana West. During the conversation, the two women expressed support for U.S. President Donald Trump, and voiced concern about socialist and globalist ideas taking hold in the U.S. Turning to the issue of Islamic immigration, West said, “When you get an Islamic demographic, you do see an upsurge in anti-Semitism and […] it is something that is inculcated in the religion of Islam, just as it is anti-Christian. So, this is just what you see as a consequence of Islamic immigration” and “this is what happens when immigration is not calibrated to include people who are with you before they get here and don’t want to transform you to something you are not.” The CBSC received a complaint from a listener who characterized the comments as “anti-immigrant” and “inappropriate.” The CBSC Panel acknowledged that while the “codes do allow the expression of political views on any subject including immigration, socialization, assimilation, and globalization,” that where “an accusation is against an entire group of people without exception, as in the case of this program, then such a statement will not be acceptable.” The Panel also noted the host did nothing to mitigate the remarks. Read the full story here.
Vista Radio has rebranded its recently-acquired station in Cranbrook, BC as 107.5 2day FM – “a fresh, new sound for the East Kootenays.” Formerly Summit 107 (CFSM-FM), which played a variety/adult AC format, the station is one of three that came under the Vista banner in January following its acquisition of the shares of Clear Sky Radio, including 94.1 CJOC-FM and 98.1 The Bridge (CKBD-FM) in Lethbridge, AB. Vista rebranded 98.1 The Bridge to the 2day FM format in June, tweaking the station’s playlist to a hit radio format that crosses musical genres from the likes of AC/DC, Bon Jovi, Ed Sheeran, Queen, Taylor Swift and Imagine Dragons. Read more here.
The CRTC has approved New Song Communications Ministries’ application for a new community radio station in Saint John, NB. The station would operate at 96.1 FM with an average effective radiated power (ERP) of 1,726 watts (maximum ERP of 2,500 watts). The station plans to broadcast 126 hours of local programming each week, specifically music, spoken word programming, local (30%) and regional (20%) news, local sports and different programs about agriculture, public service and health. The station’s musical content would be drawn from a mix of 65% popular music, 25% of sub-category 21 (pop, rock, and dance), and a minimum of 20% content category 3 (special interest music).
The CRTC has approved a new community radio station in Grand Falls-Windsor, NL. Exploits Valley Community Radio Inc. (EVCR) would operate the low-power station at 94.5 FM with an effective radiated power of 35 watts. Of the 116 hours of local program to be broadcast each week, 1.5 hours would be devoted to news programming (80% local and 20% regional), including 45 minutes of pure news. In addition, the station would provide weather reports and local events listings, and broadcast programs featuring traditional Newfoundland music and stories relating to such music, and rare music from the 50s, 60s, 70s and 80s, along with related history and trivia. Approximately 62.5% would be drawn from content category 2 (Popular Music) and approximately 37.5% from content category 3 (Special Interest Music).
The CRTC has approved a full-fledged broadcast licence for Caper Radio Incorporated to operate a low-power, English-language campus radio station in Sydney, NS. The current licence for the station operating as CJBU-FM was developmental. The station will broadcast 126 hours of programming each broadcast week, of which 90 hours would be local programming. The remaining 36 hours will consist of programming from the Community Radio Exchange, a program-sharing service of the National Campus and Community Radio Association.
Radioplayer has partnered with BOSE to bring high-quality radio streams to their home speakers. The integration will make all stations available to listeners with BOSE SoundTouch and Soundbar speakers, across the 10 countries currently part of the Radioplayer platform. Using the BOSE controller app, listeners can browse stations alphabetically, see recommendations, search for something to listen to, listen to catch-up programmes and podcasts, and set Radioplayer stations as presets.s.
Audience Insights Inc. has worked on dozens of research studies on podcast listening in both the U.S. and Canada over the past few years, most recently collaborating with Westwood One on its Podcast Download – Spring 2019 Report. Audience Insights president and media researcher Jeff Vidler says three clear advantages of podcast advertising have emerged: deeply engaged listeners, personal connection to the program and host, and a unique opportunity for advertisers to reach an on-demand audience. The latest IAB/PwC Podcast Ad Revenue Study of the U.S. podcast industry estimates 2018 ad revenue for podcasts was $479 million USD, a more than 400% increase from $107 million in 2015. Read Vidler’s blog post Why Advertisers Are Opening Their Wallets to Podcasts here.
Jacobs Media has announced the lineup for its third “Broadcasters Meet Podcasters” program at the 2019 Podcast Movement, Aug. 13-16 in Orlando. Among this year’s keynote speakers are Conal Byrne, creator of Stuff Media and the How Stuff Works podcast, who is now also president of the iHeart Podcast Network; and Eric Nuzum, developer of Invisibilia and other podcasts for NPR. Nuzum also headed up Audible’s audio efforts, and is the author of new book, Make Noise: The Creator’s Guide to Podcasting and Great Audio Storytelling. More info at podcastmovement.com.
Golden West Broadcasting CEO Elmer Hildebrand is our guest on the latest episode of Broadcast Dialogue – The Podcast. The Canadian Association of Broadcasters’ Hall of Famer, who has now been in radio for more than six decades, talks about how Golden West Radio has weathered shifting consumer habits with its commitment to local news and information.
SIGN-OFFS:
Gil McCall, 83, on July 29, at Cariboo Memorial Hospital in Williams Lake, BC. McCall was one of the original on-air personalities on CKCQ Quesnel, BC, joining Cariboo Broadcasters in 1958 after moving to the area from Edmonton. He was quickly promoted to program director and later station manager in 1979. McCall moved north to manage CJCI Prince George in 1982 and was recognized that same year with the B.C. Association of Broadcasters’ Roy Chapman Memorial Award as Broadcast Performer of the Year, one of the first small market broadcasters to receive the honour. In 1987, he moved again to CFFM-FM Williams Lake to both manage the station and take an on-air role. McCall retired from radio in the 1990s.
Gabe Khouth, 46, on July 23, of cardiac arrest in Port Moody, BC. Born in North Vancouver, Khouth and his brother Sam Vincent started acting in the 1980s as Vancouver’s film industry was taking off. Khouth was best known for his role as “Sneezy” on locally-shot ABC series Once Upon A Time, along with roles on Supernatural, MacGyver, Stephen King miniseries IT, and ABC TV movie Santa Baby, in addition to feature films like Ernest Goes To School. He was also an accomplished voice actor, lending his voice to animated series like Fruit Ninja, Hot Wheels: Battleforce 5, and Beyblade Burst. Khouth, who suffered from a congenital heart defect, died following a motorcycle crash in Port Moody.
Susan Woods (nee Fisher), 66, on July 20 in Victoria after a fight with cancer. Woods started her 30-year broadcasting career with BCTV Vancouver in 1974, moving over to News 1130 (CKWX-AM) as a reporter in 1976. She went on to report for CKVU-TV from 1982-89. In 1989, Woods moved to Victoria and became editor and publisher of the Fairfield Moss Rock Review. She also hosted and produced local history program “Remember When” for CFAX 1070 Victoria. Airing from 2003 to 2010, the show earned her a B.C. Heritage Preservation Communication Award, as well as a Victoria Woman of Distinction honour.
Rodney Merritt, 67, on July 15 in Yorkton. Merritt was a sales representative with CTV in Yorkton for nearly 40 years. Dedicated to both his clients and the community, Merritt earned several awards over the years, including inductions into the Yorkton Sports Hall of Fame and Canadian Broomball Hall of Fame. He was also a Canadian 9-ball billiards champion. Watch CTV’s tribute to Merritt here.
Leigh Kelk, 76, unexpectedly on July 17. After graduating from Ryerson University in 1964, Kelk embarked on a long career as a broadcast advertising executive. He started as a junior buyer for Ogilvie and Mather, moving on to work as a radio rep at Stoven Byles, then Stephens & Towndrow, and later Paul Mulvihill for many years. He wrapped up his career working in sales for Global TV, retiring to New Hampshire in the fall of 1999. He was married in 2000 to Linda, a former sales assistant at Stephens & Towndrow that he had kept in touch with over the years. Together, they owned and operated the American Plate Glass Company before selling the business and returning to Toronto in 2013.
TV/FILM/VIDEO:
Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists (ACTRA), the Directors Guild of Canada (DGC) and the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) have come together, asking members to pledge to attend at least one all-candidates meeting or town hall leading up to the federal election and ask a question. The goal of the “Just Ask“ campaign (“Je m’implique” in French) is to get candidates on record on the future of Canada’s $9 billion screen-based production market. Micro-websites justask2019.ca and jemimplique2019.ca feature election backgrounders and sample questions on key issues facing the industry. One of the top questions the site encourages members to pose references the current lack of taxation and regulated Canadian content contributions from foreign digital players like Netflix and Amazon. Candidates will be asked if they’ll “support both legislation and regulation requiring all players that benefit from the Canadian broadcasting and telecommunications systems to invest in the creation of original Canadian programming?” Read more here.
Telefilm Canada has issued a revised call for entries for the 92nd Academy Awards’ Best International Feature Film Award (formerly Best Foreign Language Film) following outcry over a proposed change in criteria. Each year, Telefilm coordinates the Pan-Canadian Selection Committee to determine which Canadian film will be submitted to the Academy Awards. Last week, the Crown corporation announced updated eligibility criteria, stipulating that to be entered, a film must be represented by an American sales agent/distributor or an international sales agent and have been selected by one of 13 eligible international film festivals. Telefilm said the goal of the changes was to ensure that the Selection Committee puts forth the strongest possible contender in a highly-competitive field. However, after hearing from a “combination of different parties from the industry,” a Telefilm representative told Broadcast Dialogue there will be further consultation. Previously, Telefilm has always followed standard Academy criteria. Tuesday, Telefilm issued a revised call for entries saying that it would heed industry calls “to proceed with a more robust consultation with representatives of the industry before adopting new admissibility criteria.” Read more here.
FIN Partners, the co-production/co-financing market, that runs concurrent to the FIN: Atlantic International Film Festival, Sept. 12-14 in Halifax, has announced the line-up of producers and delegates attending from the spotlight regions of the UK, Ireland, and the U.S. Among those producers/projects are Solon Papadopoulos and Roy Boulter: Hurricane Films – England; Chris Patterson: Causeway Pictures – Northern Ireland; Stella Nwimo: Boudica Entertainment – England; Alice Lusher and Catryn Ramasut: Ie Ie Productions Ltd. – Wales; Martin Gooch: Gothic Manor Ltd. – England; Arabella Page Croft: Black Camel Pictures – Scotland; Andrew Freedman and Samantha Corr: Venom Films – Ireland; Claire McCaughley: Treasure Entertainment – Ireland; Trevite Willis: Southern Fried Filmworks – USA; Lisa Black and Scott Lukacs: Garnet Girl – USA. As part of the spotlight focus, Film London is giving two Atlantic Canadian TV drama producers the chance to participate in a familiarization trip to London in December.
Canadian Screen Award nominations open on Aug. 12. Among the category changes this year, new categories have been added to Digital Media (Best Video Game Narrative, Best Children’s Video Game Narrative); and Television (Best Morning Show, Best Stunt Coordination). Several other categories have been eliminated. Read more on the changes for 2020 here.
New York Festivals TV & Film Awards competition is open for entries. For 2020, NYF has launched two new category groups – Sports Programs and Streaming. New categories unveiled include Religion & Philosophy Documentary, Streaming Promotion, Social Good, and Sustainable Development. The 2020 TV & Film Awards gala will take place at the annual NAB Show in Las Vegas on Apr. 21, 2020. The deadline to enter the competition is Oct. 15. Find competition rules and regulations here.
Squid Squad Studio de production numérique (Squid Squad), located on the Gaspé Peninsula, has received a $100,950 repayable loan from Canada Economic Development for Quebec Regions to allow the startup to acquire and install VFX production equipment, including computer equipment. The funding will allow Squid Squad to start up its business, which aims to provide local solutions for post-production services, including digital painting, rotoscoping and 3D tracking. Working with students in the 3D animation and image synthesis program at the Matane CEGEP, the project is expected to create 37 jobs over the next three years.
CTV has confirmed fall premiere dates with the 71st Emmy Awards kicking off the 2019/20 season (Sept. 22 at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT). Premiere week begins with Chuck Lorre’s next big sitcom, Bob Hearts Abishola (8:30 p.m. ET/PT), and courthouse drama All Rise (9 p.m. ET/PT) on Sept. 23. Mystery thriller EMERGENCE (10 p.m. ET/PT), starring Allison Tolman starts Sept. 24, while Wednesday’s new programming slate kicks-off with Season 2 of The Masked Singer (8 p.m. ET/PT) Sept. 25, followed by action drama Stumptown (10 p.m.ET/PT), starring Cobie Smulders and Michael Ealy. Beginning Oct. 2 ripped-from-the-headlines drama Almost Family (9 p.m. ET/PT) rounds out the new lineup. ETALK will air an exclusive look at upcoming series in ETALK PRESENTS: CTV’s BIG FALL PREVIEW on Monday, Sept. 2 at 7 p.m. ET/PT on CTV, CTV.ca, and the CTV app. Ahead of the late September premieres, LA’s FINEST, headlined by Jessica Alba and Gabrielle Union, will make its debut Friday, Sept. 13 on CTV.
Thunderbird Entertainment Group has struck a Canadian distribution deal with Crave for Punk, a four-part docuseries from Network Entertainment. The series is executive produced by John Varvatos and Iggy Pop, produced by Network’s Derik Murray and directed by Jesse James Miller. It’s slated to premiere on the streaming service in August. Punk debuted on EPIX in the U.S. in March. The series features interviews with pioneers in the American and UK punk rock scenes, including Iggy Pop, Johnny Rotten (Sex Pistols/Public Image Ltd./PiL), Henry Rollins (Black Flag / Rollins Band), Billie Joe Armstrong (Green Day), Joan Jett (Runaways /Joan Jett & the Blackhearts), Marky Ramone (Ramones), Debbie Harry and Chris Stein (Blondie), and Jello Biafra (Dead Kennedys/Alternative Tentacles), among others.
MEDIAPRO has been appointed as the global consultant to the Global T20 Canada League, the International Cricket Council-sanctioned tournament running through Aug. 11 in Brampton, ON. The three-year global consultancy agreement includes global media rights distribution to be managed by MEDIAPRO Middle East, with the support of MEDIAPRO Asia and MEDIAPRO HQ in Barcelona. MEDIAPRO Canada is providing all audiovisual equipment and technical crew for the 2019 event, while WTVision India is producing TV graphics and managing the big screen and live streaming distribution. Live coverage is being aired worldwide to a potential global audience of over 150 million households by broadcasters including Star Sports in India, the UK’s Premier Sports, Sportsmax (Caribbean), Willow (USA), Sky (New Zealand), Astro Cricket (Malaysia and Brunei), Kwesé Sports (Sub-Saharan Africa). In Canada, coverage is shared by TSN and ATN. MEDIAPRO Canada will cover the 22-match series with a crew comprised of 60 broadcast professionals and cricket experts from around the world, representing 11 different countries.
ONLINE/DIGITAL:
The CRTC has published a code of conduct for Internet service providers (ISPs) aimed at providing Canadians with more safeguards against the shady practices of Big Telecom. Set to come into effect Jan. 31, the Internet Code is intended to protect Canadians from so-called bill shock and arm consumers with easier-to-understand information on everything from security deposits and disconnections to bundles, time-limited discounts, and data-usage limits. New rules will allow customers to cancel a contract with a service provider within 45 days, without paying an early cancellation fee, if the contract differs from the offer. Once in effect, the code will also obligate ISPs to notify a customer when they reach, 75%, 90% and 100% of their data-usage limit within a single monthly billing cycle. The CRTC consultations on the proposed code of conduct were among the most contentious in recent memory with a number of high-profile Canadian telco researchers and consumer groups opting not to participate due to the tight time frame given (28 business days to prepare initial comments). OpenMedia executive director Laura Tribe says the rushed nature of the proceeding, without adequate consultation from public interest groups, is visible in the final result with the code failing “to provide any meaningful penalties to providers for known systemic issues…” Read the full story here.
DAZN has unveiled its “The New Home of Football” campaign as the 2019-20 season prepares to kick off for some of the world’s most popular football leagues. The campaign includes the largest ever takeover of Toronto’s Union Station by a single brand since the completion of recent renovations. It features over 300 unique pieces of static and digital creative highlighting the platform’s availability of every game and match from the National Football League (NFL) to Premier League, UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League. The campaign runs through Sept. 22.
GENERAL:
The Ontario Association of Broadcasters (OAB) has opened nominations for its annual awards, with the addition this year of the Inspiring Women Award, recognizing and developing female leadership. Presented to a woman from an OAB member station, the recipient must demonstrate excellent work ethic and leadership qualities, a passion for the industry and community service, a willingness to grow and develop beyond their current role, and a willingness to mentor other female broadcasters. Among the perks of the award will be full delegate passes to this fall’s OAB Conference, Canadian Music Week (CMW), and the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) Radio Show or NAB 2020 in Las Vegas. The OAB awards program is also accepting nominations for the Best In Class Sales Award, Creative Award, Community Service Campaign(s) Award, and Promotion Award. The winners will be announced at the OAB Conference and Gala Awards on Nov. 7 in Toronto. Link to more information and the OAB Awards Entry Form here.
The B.C. Association of Broadcasters (BCAB) has released the speaker lineup for this year’s conference, Oct. 2-3 in Victoria. Among those speaking are media strategist Fred Jacobs; Jeff Vidler of Audience Insights Inc., who will host a panel exploring the media consumption habits of Generation X; and Broadcast Dialogue publisher Shawn Smith, in addition to Numeris, nlogic, and others. Learn more here.
Quebecor president and CEO Pierre Karl Peladeau says Bell Media’s move to acquire conventional French-language TV network ‘V’ would amount to giving the media giant a monopoly if allowed to proceed. Bell revealed last week, it has entered into an agreement with the shareholders of Groupe V Média to acquire the network and related digital assets, including ad-supported VOD service Noovo.ca, subject to regulatory approval. Adding fuel to a mounting series of ongoing legal fires burning between Quebecor and Bell, Peladeau has weighed in on the proposed transaction, issuing a press release entitled “Bell Media one step closer to becoming a monopoly again.” Peladeau says allowing Bell to acquire V and its digital assets will further undermine an already precarious ecosystem by allowing the largest vertically integrated provider of telecommunications and broadcasting services in Canada to “dramatically increase its power and dominance in the French-language market in terms of competitive posture, advertising revenues and content offerings, ultimately at the expense of the consumer.” Read more here.
Dawn Marie Paley, a Canadian freelance journalist and author based in Mexico, is this year’s winner of the Portenier Human Rights Bursary. Presented by the Canadian Journalism Forum on Violence and Trauma, the $3,000 award provides hostile environment safety training designed for journalists who cover armed conflict and other crisis situations. Based in Puebla, Mexico, Paley is currently writing a book, under contract to Verso Books New York, on social issues and human rights concerns facing Mexico in the first year of President Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s tenure. The Canadian Journalism Forum on Violence and Trauma is a charity whose work to further the physical and emotional care of journalists is supported by The Globe and Mail, CBC News, Radio-Canada, Cision and individual donors.
SUPPLY LINES:
OverActive Media (OAM), has struck a multi-year partnership that will see Canon Canada become the Official Camera and Official Streaming Camera of Overwatch League esports team Toronto Defiant, with all of Defiant’s content to be shot using Canon products. Effective immediately, the new partnership will see Canon’s logo on all Defiant player jerseys for the remainder of this season; a Canon “Photo of the Day” social post from all Defiant matches; and the launch of a new nationwide contest in search of the Toronto Defiant “Official Home Game Photographer” for next year’s Overwatch season. In 2020, the partnership will see Canon featured as the naming rights holder to a new “Defiant Stream Zone.” Canon will also become the official sponsor of a new Toronto Defiant “Behind the Lens” photo and video content series.
Hitachi Kokusai Electric Comark LLC, a manufacturer and supplier of DTV transmitters, encoding systems, and associated field services, has signed a partnership agreement with DigiCAP Co. Ltd. The agreement appoints Comark an authorized reseller and service provider of the DigiCAP hardware and software product line. Comark will be focusing on the North American broadcast DTV market and will now represent DigiCaster, an integrated and virtualized ATSC 3.0 broadcast gateway solution combining eight different functions, as well as HomeCaster, a solution for over-the-air ATSC 3.0 reception that provides in-home video/ data distribution via wi-fi to both legacy DTV sets and tablets.
The Audio Engineering Society (AES) and the Alliance for IP Media Solutions (AIMS) is again collaborating on a professional media networking pavilion at the AES Convention in New York, Oct. 16-18. Central to the pavilion will be the AV-over-IP Technology Pavilion Theater featuring a continuous program of 30-minute presentations covering a wide range of topics relating to audio and video over IP. AES and AIMS are calling for presentations. End users, industry associations, solutions providers, and technology developers are invited to share their knowledge and perspectives on how developments in IP networking will impact the pro audio, broadcast, and pro AV industries. The deadline for proposals is Aug. 30. More information and the abstract submission form available here.
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