The Weekly Briefing

REVOLVING DOOR:

Donald Lizotte, General Manager and Chief Revenue Office, CBC & Radio-Canada Media Solutions, is set to retire March 31. Lizotte has been with the Media Solutions group the last three and a half years. He previously spent 14 years with Quebecor, while also serving on the boards of Numeris, ThinkTV and the European Group of Television Advertising (EGTA). He’ll be succeeded by Hisham Ghostine, who’ll oversee all teams associated with CBC/Radio-Canada’s self-generated revenue, including the advertising, distribution and content-licensing streams. Ghostine joined CBC as Executive Director of Sales, Marketing & Olympics, Toronto and Western Canada in 2021 and promoted to Executive Director, Digital Monetization, Sales, Marketing and Olympics. Before joining CBC/Radio-Canada, he was the CEO of Media and Performance Brands at Dentsu Aegis Network in Canada and prior to that spent 10 years at Omnicom Media Group in various roles, including Chief Growth & Revenue Officer for the Middle East and North Africa.

Cam Gordon has joined Rogers Communications as Director, Media Relations. Gordon was previously Head of Communications for Twitter Canada and among those caught up in layoffs in November with the transition to new ownership under Elon Musk.

Annette Ejiofor is the new Managing Editor of Podcasts at Canadaland. Previously a digital producer for the Toronto Star for the last two and a half years, Ejiofor obtained a Master of Journalism from Columbia in 2017. Her resume includes stints with L.A.-based Black millennial news site, Blavity and Spectrum News (NY1) in Albany, New York.

Jim “Boomer” Gordon has announced he’s stepping away from SiriusXM’s Canadian-produced NHL Network Radio due to health reasons. Gordon has been the longtime host of The Point, among other shows and podcasts, most recently co-hosting the network’s early afternoon weekday show with Jake Hahn.

Haley Lewis has joined Global Vancouver as a reporter with a focus on Indigenous affairs across B.C. and Alberta. A 2018 UBC Journalism grad, Lewis has been freelancing for the last number of years with contracts at The Conversation as Culture & Society Editor, HuffPost Canada, TVO, and CBC.

Vanessa Wright has joined Global Halifax as a video journalist. A 2022 Toronto Metropolitan University Journalism grad, Wright previously interned with Muslim Network TV in Toronto.

Dan Taekema is CBC’s new reporter in Kingston. Based out of CBC Ottawa, Taekema has been with the public broadcaster for the last six years with previous stops in Windsor and Hamilton.

Kerrisa Wilson has been named the new editor of NOW Toronto under new publisher, Gonez Media. Wilson arrives from CP24 where she’s been a writer for television and the web since 2018. Earlier in her career, she was a reporter and videographer for CJDC-TV in Fort St. John and a news anchor on local radio stations, The Bear (CKNL-FM) and SUN FM (CHRX-FM).

David Gale has been acclaimed by the ACTRA Toronto Council to serve as President for a second term. Over his first term, he was instrumental in moving the union’s work online – from the ACTRA Awards, to the Members’ Conference, and collective bargaining and committee work. A Gemini and Galaxi award-winning performer, Gale previously served as ACTRA Toronto’s Vice President, Communications for 13 years, published the Performers suite of magazines, wrote and directed the ACTRA Awards, and hosted the union’s celebrity podcast ACTRA Spotlight. He also served as executive liaison for ACTRA Toronto’s senior members’ Act Your Age (AYA) and sits on the Executive of ACTRA National, the National Bargaining Team, and co-chairs the National Constitution Committee.

Karla Laird has been upped at UBCP/ACTRA to Executive Administrative Director, overseeing the day-to-day operations of the union. Laird has been with the organization since Sept. 2021 as Director of Member Services & Communications. Prior to that, she held various comms roles with the Better Business Bureau of Mainland BC.

Andrew Milne has joined Relish Studios as VP, Growth. Milne will be responsible for leading strategy, driving revenue growth, and developing new partnerships for Relish across all divisions. The company has doubled in size since 2020 and now has over 160 designers, illustrators, writers, animators, and engineers working from offices in Toronto, Ottawa, Vancouver, Los Angeles, Atlanta, and Costa Rica. Before joining Relish Studios, Milne was the Chief Revenue Officer for cybersecurity company Field Effect Software. Prior to that, he was the founder of creative and digital content agency bv02 and co-founder of Ebou Learning. Relish also recently welcomed JP Burdett as their new Director of Growth Marketing and Frank Desimini as Director, Product.

Chance Mason has joined Quickplay, the Toronto-headquartered cloud-native OTT platform provider. Mason, who joins as head of Strategic Account Management, arrives from Videon where he held a similar role. He was also previously a partner in Atlanta North Studios.

BBTV Holdings, the Vancouver-based media tech company offering content creator and influencer solutions, has announced the appointment of Khamphiou “KB” Brinkley as Chief Financial Officer. Brinkley is a seasoned finance transformation executive, most recently an Associate Partner at EY as a Finance Transformation and EPM Solution Leader. She’s also held senior finance executive positions at Electronic Arts, Blackhawk Network, and Multiview Inc. Ben Groot will remain as a key member of the finance team with a focus on financial planning and analysis and special projects. Meanwhile, Catherine Warren joins BBTV’s Board of Directors. A digital innovation and economic development executive, Warren serves as the inaugural CEO for municipal innovation authority Edmonton Unlimited, and was previously CEO of Vancouver Economic Commission and The Centre for Digital Media. Ryan Holmes has stepped down from the board to pursue other interests.

RADIO & PODCAST:

Luminate’s 2022 Year-End Music Report indicates streaming continued to grow in Canada in 2022, with on-demand audio streams hitting the 100 billion mark for the first time ever in a single year in late November and a +14% increase in total on-demand streaming consumption. Reflecting the period from Dec. 31, 2021 through Dec. 29, 2022, the annual data insights report indicates worldwide, overall streaming consumption grew by 25.6% year-over-year. Total on-demand song streaming (audio and video) was up 14% in Canada last year to 122.7B, with on-demand audio streaming up 13.4% (112.9B) and on-demand video streaming up 21.7% (9.8B). Sales of physical and digital album sales were down 13.8% with cassette sales the only area of growth, up 26.6% to just over 13 thousand units. Read more here.

The CRTC has issued a call for comments on market capacity in Calgary. The commission has received an application for a broadcasting licence from Fraser Media Diversity to operate a new community ethnic radio station. The deadline for interventions is Feb. 16.

The CRTC has approved an application by Lawen Met Hopninj Radio Society for a broadcasting licence to operate a low-power, ethnic commercial specialty FM radio station to serve La Crete, AB. The station would operate at 99.9 MHz (channel 260LP) with an average effective radiated power (ERP) of 47.2 watts. Lawen proposes to devote at least 60% of programming in each broadcast week to ethnic programming, including 50% to third-language programming (Low German Mennonite/Plautdietsch) and 10% to English-language programming. 

The CRTC has approved an application by Malayalam Community Radio Inc. for a broadcasting licence to operate a low-power ethnic commercial specialty FM radio station in London, ON. The station would operate at 90.9 MHz (channel 215LP) with an effective radiated power of 50 watts and broadcast 126 hours of local programming per broadcast week, at least 87.5% (111 hours) of which would be devoted to third-language programming and at least 87.5% devoted to ethnic programming. 50% of programming would be spoken word and target at least five Indo-Dravidian cultural groups in seven different languages including Tamil, Hindi, Punjabi, Gujarati, Malayalam, English and French.

SiriusXM, SiriusXM Canada and the NHL have extended their broadcasting agreement through the 2028-29 NHL season. SiriusXM will continue to deliver access to every NHL game throughout the regular season and Stanley Cup Playoffs, as well as daily, in-depth coverage on SiriusXM NHL Network Radio. The SXM App offers 32 NHL team channels, each dedicated to carrying the official radio broadcast for each NHL team with all 32 channels also available in vehicles equipped with SiriusXM’s latest-generation 360L radios. SiriusXM NHL Network Radio will be offering listeners comprehensive coverage of the 2023 Honda NHL All-Star Weekend live from Sunrise, Florida, Feb. 2-4. For the first time, SiriusXM will produce and air the exclusive national audio broadcast of the Honda NHL All-Star Game. Steve Kouleas will be the play-by-play voice, Gord Stellick will be the colour analyst and Scott Laughlin will conduct interviews with both teams from the bench.

Pattison Media’s 102-7 The Peak Vancouver has laid off its talent, six months after pulling the alt-rock brand off FM and moving it onto HD Radio and online. Part of a format flip that saw The Peak’s former home at CKPK-FM rebranded as NOW!radio in July, the move marked Pattison’s first foray into the HD Radio space. The company announced last week it had released morning show duo Jeremy Baker and Charis Hogg, in addition to Jason Manning, who had worn various hats at the station over the last eight years, including afternoon host, Music Director and Assistant Program Director. PD Russell James told Broadcast Dialogue that Canadian listeners have yet to fully embrace HD Radio. There are no plans to have live announcers on The Peak going forward. Read more here.

Corus Entertainment podcast network Curiouscast has announced its latest partnership with The Peak. Weekly podcast, Free Lunch by The Peak, takes listeners inside the major business news stories of the day, breaking them down in a simplified way and explaining their impact on all of us. Hosted by Sarah Bartnicka and Taylor Scollon, the pod is Curiouscast’s second partnership with The Peak, having previously launched The Peak Daily in 2022. New episodes will be released every Tuesday morning.

Backstage at the Vinyl Cafe is the latest offering from Terry O’Reilly’s Apostrophe Podcast Network. Hosted by Jess Milton, the late Stuart McLean’s longtime producer, Milton recounts the stories behind-the-scenes of the beloved radio show. Each episode will feature two stories about Canada’s favourite fictional family – Dave, Morley and the kids – narrated by McLean and recorded live in concert. New Backstage at the Vinyl Cafe episodes will drop every Friday, beginning Jan. 20.

The Humble and Fred Podcast, now in its 12th year, has launched a spinoff podcast entitled Aging With Energy: The Old Guys Travel Show. The new podcast features travel stories and tips from the veteran broadcast duo aimed at older travellers who now have the time and energy to explore the world.

The Canadian Potcast, from the team at everythingpodcasts.com, is in production for Pattison Media and expected to launch shortly. Hosted by Don Shafer, the cannabis industry deep dive, will publish new episodes monthly. The “potcast” will be featured on The Western Buzz, Pattison’s cannabis industry publication and accompanying newsletter “The Hot Box.”

JAR Audio, the Vancouver-headquartered branded podcast studio, has released Branded Podcast Predictions for 2023. Among them are more language diversity, more content for youth, and diminishing tolerance for bad audio. Meanwhile, Pacific Content’s annual Podcast Industry Forecast saw 30 experts weigh in on everything from the role of video in podcasting to emerging audiences and monetization strategies.

LISTEN: Podcaster support expert Danny Brown, Head of Podcaster Experience at Captivate.fm, is on the Sound Off Podcast. In this episode, you’ll hear answers to some of typical podcast questions, and find out Danny’s take on Podcasting 2.0 and the value of having transcription on your show. Listen on your favourite podcast app or here:

Voices, the London, ON-based voiceover marketplace, has released their annual 2023 Aspiring Voice Actor Trends Report. The survey found that 60% of part-time voice actors started in the profession within the last three years, signalling a new generation of voice actors entering the industry. Among its insights are that the most requested voiceover styles in 2022 were “conversational” and “believable.” The survey also found those working with a coach book 20% more work.

SOCAN Foundation has announced the recipients of the third annual SiriusXM Black Canadian Music Awards: Adria Kain, AHI, Desarae Dee, Nonso Amadi and Zach Zoya. The Black Canadian Music Awards were created to recognize and celebrate the artistic merit demonstrated by Black music creators of any genre. This year, SiriusXM Canada doubled their support for the award, with the five selected winners each receiving a prize of $10,000 to support their career development. Special distinctions and awards of $1,000 are also being made to City Fidelia, Haley Smalls, Leila Day, Promise and Shreez.

SIGN OFFS:

Alan Horn, on Jan. 16. Horn first joined Rogers Communications in 1990 after working as a tax consultant for Ted Rogers for over a decade. A longtime Rogers executive, board member and family ally, he served as VP, Finance and Chief Financial Officer from 1996 to 2006 and Chair of the Board from 2006 to 2017. He also served as Interim President and Chief Executive Officer from October 2008 to March 2009 and from October 2016 to April 2017. A member of the Advisory Committee of the Rogers Control Trust, Horn served on the board of directors continuously from 2006 through the 2021 power struggle that saw Edward Rogers gain control of the RCI board. In a release, Rogers credited Horn with substantially strengthening the company’s balance sheet, turning the company’s debt from junk bond to investment grade status, bringing the Rogers operating companies under one public stock, introducing a dividend program and playing an integral role on many transformative acquisitions. Read more here.

David Onley, 72, on Jan. 14. The first person with a disability to hold the post of lieutenant governor of Ontario, Onley suffered partial paralysis after a bout with polio as a child and preferred to get around via electric scooter. His appointment, from 2007 to 2014, followed a radio and television broadcasting career as one of the first on-air television personalities with a visible disability. Born in Midland, ON and raised in Scarborough, Onley didn’t gain full-time employment until age 34. Unable to find work after graduating from the University of Toronto, Onley established himself as a Canadian authority on NASA’s space programs after publishing Shuttle: A Shattering Novel of Disaster in Space in 1982. That led to a broadcast career that began at CFRB Toronto where he hosted a weekly science show. He went on to join the CKO network full-time in 1983. Citytv co-founder Moses Znaimer took notice and hired Onley a year later as the station’s weather specialist. He went on to serve as the first news anchor for the station’s new morning show, Breakfast Television, from 1989-95, followed by a stint as an education specialist. With the launch of CP24, he continued anchoring in addition to hosting and producing technology series Home Page. Onley received numerous honours in recognition of his disability advocacy, including induction into the Terry Fox Hall of Fame, the Scarborough Walk of Fame, the Order of Ontario, and the Order of Canada. Read more here.

Janice Johnston, 62, on Jan. 13, of cancer. Born in London, ON, Johnston studied Radio and Television Arts at Ryerson University, landing her first broadcasting job in radio as a country and western DJ at CKNX Wingham, ON. She relocated to Edmonton in the 1980s, joining CISN-FM as a reporter and was later named news director. She eventually moved into television news and CFRN-TV as a reporter and had been with CBC Edmonton since 2002. Known for her tenacious, dogged reporting, Johnston covered courts and crime in the city for more than three decades. Her in-depth reporting earned her several awards over the years, including a national RTDNA Award in 2016 when she was recognized with the Adrienne Clarkson Diversity Award for her coverage of the trial of a 13-year-old Alberta boy acquitted of killing his abusive father. She is survived by her husband of 36 years, Scott Johnston, a former longtime reporter with 630 CHED in Edmonton. Listen to Jessica Ng and Min Dhariwal remember Johnston on CBC Edmonton’s Radio Active here.

Tony Cox, 86, on Jan. 3 after a lengthy battle with cancer. Originally from Sydney, Australia, Cox moved to Canada in 1958 and became interested in a career in broadcasting. His first stop was CFCW Camrose, AB, before he was hired at CFRN-TV Edmonton. He went on to serve as News Director at CHEK TV in Victoria, BC for two decades. In addition to his work in television news, Cox served on many boards and associations, including President of the Radio and Television News Director of Canada (RTNDA). He served as Chairman of the Board of Oak Bay Parks and Rec, was a founding Director of Victoria Crime Stoppers and was named Rotarian of the Year in 1990 by the Victoria Rotary Club. After retiring from CHEK, he served as an Executive Assistant with the B.C. Government, a skipper with the Victoria Harbour Ferry, a harbour patrol officer with Transport Canada, and a security officer at Government House for B.C. Lt.-Gov. Janet Austin.

Eduardo Olivares, 81, on Dec. 27. Born in Chile in 1941, Olivares spent the early years of his career as a freelance broadcaster, eventually getting his own show at a small radio station in 1962. When the government was overthrown in 1973 by dictator Augusto Pinochet, he was arrested for working there and suffered the fate of many broadcasters. After being imprisoned, tortured and eventually exiled from his homeland, in 1978 he arrived in Saskatoon with his wife and four children. After moving to Vancouver in 1992, he was encouraged to return to radio and created “Latino Soy” (I am Latino), a radio program designed to unite Vancouver’s growing Latin American community and help newly-arrived immigrants get information and connect with others. The show first aired on CJVB AM1470, before moving to Fairchild Radio’s CHKG in 1997, where it was broadcast on 96.1 FM, Monday to Friday, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. for 25 years. The show featured local talent, delivered news from Latin America, and played both new Latin music and old favourites. Olivares continued broadcasting the show from his home through the pandemic, up until the beginning of December. In 2002, he was recognized for his outstanding contribution to the Latin community and to Canada as a whole, when he was awarded the Queen’s Golden Jubilee Medal. 

Harvey Rosen, 83, on Dec. 22, after a brief illness and prolonged battle with dementia. Raised in North End Winnipeg, Rosen had a 33-year career as a school teacher, but was equally known for his side hustle as a sports reporter for The Canadian Press covering the Winnipeg Jets, Blue Bombers, and Manitoba Moose, among other teams. Rosen was also a weekly sports columnist for the Winnipeg Jewish Post, covering the achievements of Jewish athletes for more than 40 years. While he retired from teaching in 1995, he continued sports reporting until 2018.

TV & FILM:

Cityline host Tracy Moore, former CTV National News senior anchor Lisa LaFlamme, TVA anchor Pierre Bruneau, and late Newfoundland producer Paul Pope are among this year’s special award recipients being recognized by the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television. The Academy’s special awards are bestowed upon those in Canada’s screen-based industry who have made outstanding contributions to the industry and society as a whole. To be recognized during Canadian Screen Week, April 11-16, in Toronto, Ryan Reynolds, Catherine O’Hara, Simu Liu, Jennifer Podemski, and Peter MacNeill are also among this year’s honourees. Read more here. Nominations for the 2023 Canadian Screen Awards will be announced on Wednesday, Feb. 22.

LISTEN: After two years of virtual events, the Canadian Media Producers Association’s Prime Time, Canada’s pre-eminent conference for media production, broadcasting, distribution and media policy, makes its in-person return, Feb. 1-3 in Ottawa. Andrew Addison, CMPA’s Vice-President of Communications, Marketing & Membership, joins us on this episode of Broadcast Dialogue – The Podcast to talk about Prime Time’s expansion, the appetite to return to in-person events, and this year’s speaker’s lineup including how they’re approaching contentious policy issues like Bill C-11. Listen on your favourite podcast app or here:

Blue Ant Media and World of Wonder have announced the U.S. launch of Drag Race Universe, a new FAST (free, ad-supported streaming) channel, available now on VIZIO WatchFree+. The channel offers U.S. audiences global versions of World of Wonder’s Emmy Award-winning Drag Race series. With nine international franchises, Drag Race Universe will feature a constant pipeline of new seasons and drag-related programming. Additional platforms carrying Drag Race Universe will be announced in the coming months. The deal represents an expansion of the two companies’ ongoing partnership that sees Blue Ant produce Canada’s Drag Race and Canada’s Drag Race: Canada vs. the World for World of Wonder, in association with Crave.

Farpoint Films and Super Channel have signed an exclusive deal that will see Winnipeg-based Farpoint produce 150 hours of both unscripted and scripted television for Super Channel over the next year, with an option to extend for two more years at 150 hours per year. The first show in production is Death of the Party (26×60), a true crime docuseries that takes a look at mysterious murders linked to house parties, banquets, concerts, festivals and events. The second show is unscripted true crime series, An Hour to Kill, which micro-examines the most fascinating uninterrupted hour of a homicide investigation. Farpoint is planning on rolling on three movies this summer with another collection of documentaries and unscripted series shooting simultaneously utilizing their in-house production and post crew. All shows will be developed and produced in-house at Farpoint Films with Farpoint Distribution taking the majority to market starting at Realscreen 2023.

How To Lose Everything, a CBC Arts Original created by Christa Couture and produced by Michelle St. John, will premiere Jan. 27 with episodes streaming free on CBC Gem. The series of Indigenous animated short films explores personal stories of loss with all five episodes available in English, French, and the Indigenous language of the writer. Inspired by Couture’s debut memoir of the same name, the Indigenous team of writers, animators, directors and composers includes Terril Calder, Archer Pechawis, Chief Lady Bird, Tara Williamson, Meky Ottawa, Smokii Sumac, Megan Kyak-Monteith, Cris Derksen, G.R. Gritt, Melody McKiver, and Taqralik Partridge, representing Cree, Ojibwe, Anishinaabe, Ktunaxa, Inuit, Chippewa, Potawatomi, Atikamekw, and Métis nations.

Corus Entertainment’s Nelvana has begun production on new CG animated series, Millie Magnificent (52×11). The new series announcement kicks off Kids Can Press’ year-long 50th Anniversary celebrations. Inspired by Canadian author-illustrator Ashley Spires’ The Most Magnificent Thing, and following the success of the Nelvana-produced award-winning short film of the same name, the original preschool series has already received strong interest from international broadcasters and is set to deliver in 2024. The new animated series is the second Nelvana adaptation of an Ashley Spires work with her Binky Adventure graphic novels inspiring 3D animated series Agent Binky: Pets of the Universe, produced by redknot, now in its third season.

TSN has acquired the rights to PGA Tour Live, featuring more than 4,300 hours of exclusive coverage from PGA Tour events throughout the season. The acquisition supports the launch of the network’s new direct-to-consumer streaming product, TSN+, available on TSN.ca and the TSN app. TSN+ is also offering coverage of the NTT Indycar Series, augmented NFL feeds for every playoff game and the Super Bowl, and the re-launch of the XFL, beginning Feb. 18. TSN+ is available now for a limited-time free preview, streaming via mobile devices, tablets, and connected TVs, and rolling out across platforms including Android TV, Apple TV, Xbox One, Roku TV, LG Smart TV, Samsung SmartTV, and Amazon Fire TV/Stick. 

Sportsnet celebrates the 23rd annual Scotiabank Hockey Day in Canada – Canada’s biggest single-day hockey celebration featuring all seven Canadian NHL teams in action this Saturday, Jan. 21. The puck drops at 11 a.m. ET / 8 a.m. PT on Sportsnet with Team Scotiabank facing off against Team adidas as part of the Professional Women’s Hockey Players’ Association (PWHPA) Secret Dream Gap Tour. The NHL then takes centre stage as the Tampa Bay Lightning visit the Calgary Flames at 3 p.m. ET / noon PT on Sportsnet & CBC, followed by the Winnipeg Jets vs. Ottawa Senators on Sportsnet West, Sportsnet ONE, and Citytv, while the Toronto Maple Leafs and Montreal Canadiens renew their Original Six rivalry on Sportsnet and CBC, both at 7 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. PT. The marathon concludes with the Edmonton Oilers vs. Vancouver Canucks in a Pacific Division battle at 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT  on Sportsnet and CBC. The complete broadcast will also stream live on SN NOW. In addition to English-language coverage, Hockey Night in Canada: Punjabi Edition will air Maple Leafs vs. Canadiens and Oilers vs. Canucks on OMNI, while Hockey Night in Canada in Cree will broadcast Oilers vs. Canucks on APTN. 

CTV Original drama The Spencer Sisters begins airing Fridays at 9 p.m. ET/PT on CTV, CTV.ca, and the CTV app, starting Feb. 10. Created by award-winning executive producer Alan McCullough (Private Eyes, Rookie Blue) and co-showrun with Jenn Engels (Sort Of), the female-led, one-hour procedural follows mystery novelist Victoria Spencer, played by Lea Thompson (Back To The Future, Caroline in the City) and her daughter Darby Spencer, played by Stacey Farber (Virgin River, Schitt’s Creek), who are mistaken as sisters as they tackle puzzling cases in the fictional town of Alder Bluffs, ON. Filmed in Winnipeg, the first season consists of 10 one-hour episodes. The Spencer Sisters is produced by Entertainment One (eOne) and Buffalo Gal Pictures.

The Canadian Academy of Arts and Sciences (CARAS) and CBC have announced the next round of artists set to perform at the 2023 JUNO Awards Broadcast, to be hosted for a second time by Simu Liu. The March 13 broadcast will include performances from AP Dhillon, as well as multi-platinum songwriter/producer duo Banx & Ranx together with singer/songwriter Preston Pablo and dance-pop icon Rêve. JUNO Award winning country star Tenille Townes will also take the stage for the first time. They join previously announced performances from Canadian Music Hall of Fame inductee Nickelback and four-time JUNO nominee Tate McRae. The 52nd JUNO Awards, produced by Insight Productions, will broadcast and stream live from Rogers Place in Edmonton at 8 p.m. ET/6 p.m. MT on CBC TV, CBC Gem, CBC Radio One, CBC Music, CBC Listen, and globally at CBCMusic.ca/junos and CBC Music’s Facebook, YouTube and Twitter pages. 

Crave has ordered a second season of hit original comedy Shoresy. Created by and starring Jared Keeso, and produced by New Metric Media in association with Play Fun Games, the six-episode, half-hour series follows fan favourite character, Shoresy (Keeso), and the embattled Sudbury Blueberry Bulldogs as they continue their quest to never lose again. Production is set to begin in Sudbury this spring. According to audience data provided by Bell Media, Shoresy was the most-watched Canadian series debut in Crave history. Hulu will once again be the exclusive streaming home of Shoresy in the U.S., alongside its popular forerunner, Letterkenney. 

Crave has announced a partnership with Viaplay Group that delivers more than 150 hours of premium Nordic content to Crave subscribers through Viaplay Select, a branded content concept that offers Viaplay series and films, along with curated third-party content from the Nordic region, to partner platforms around the world. More than 25 Nordic series and films – with a focus on the ‘Nordic noir’ crime drama genre and available in Norwegian, Swedish, and Danish with English subtitles – are now available on Crave, bolstering the streamer’s International TV & Movies Collection.

Hollywood Suite will air the exclusive Canadian premiere of the fifth season of horror anthology series Slasher, with back-to-back episodes on April 6. The highly-anticipated new season of Slasher: Ripper, starring Eric McCormack (Will & Grace), will roll out new episodes Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET. Episodes will be available on Hollywood Suite On Demand following their premiere. Produced by Shaftesbury, the new season is executive produced by Christina Jennings, Scott Garvie, Thomas P. Vitale, Aaron Martin, Ian Carpenter and Adam Macdonald. Slasher fans can currently stream Slasher: Flesh & Blood, released last fall and starring horror icon David Cronenberg, exclusively on Hollywood Suite On Demand.

Hot Docs and Netflix are joining forces once again to launch the Hot Docs Incubator, the newest pillar of the Canadian Storytellers Project. The program is designed for documentary filmmakers with a feature-length project that shows creative and market potential. Funding will be provided to successful projects, and each selected team will engage in a series of intensive workshops focused on story, market preparedness, and career or company building. The program will conclude at Hot Docs Festival 2024, where a high-quality teaser to highlight the film-to-come will be shown to international decision-makers and Industry delegates. Five teams of up to two participants per project, with previous experience in directing/producing documentaries, will be selected. Netflix will support each of the five projects with $35,000 CAD in production funds. Applications are open until March 1.

The Canadian Film Centre (CFC) and The Slaight Family Foundation have announced the latest cohort of Canadian music creators selected to participate in the 2023 Slaight Music Residency, a hands-on program that integrates composers and songwriters into the onscreen storytelling process and advances opportunities for them to work in the screen industry across film, TV and digital. The five participants for the 2023 cohort, now underway until the end of June, are Amine Bouzaher, Conan Kapinski, Lydia Ainsworth, Stella Conway and Tori Morrison. 

Media Technology Monitor (MTM) has released a series of reports on media and technology usage in 12 different markets across Canada, highlighting similarities and differences across regions, provinces, the North and major cities. Highlights include that 79% of residents of the Atlantic Provinces, 73% of residents of Vancouver and 72% of Torontonians have a paid TV service subscription, making them more likely to subscribe to a traditional TV service than the rest of the Anglophone population. Subscription Video On Demand (SVOD) services, such as Netflix, are most popular in Vancouver (86%) and Alberta (85%). Francophones who live in Montreal are also more likely than the general francophone population to subscribe to SVOD services, especially Netflix (77%). 

REGULATORY, TELECOM & MEDIA:

CBC is establishing a permanent bureau in Lethbridge, AB as it expands its coverage of southern Alberta. Ose Irete will be CBC’s permanent journalist in Lethbridge. A University of Lethbridge graduate, Irete is a Nigerian-Canadian multimedia storyteller who spent nearly a decade in the city. With CBC Calgary since Nov. 2021, he began reporting in Lethbridge last week. He previously co-hosted the “Sort Of Nigerian” podcast and “My ‘Berta Beginnings,” documenting immigrant journeys to Alberta. CBC is hosting a two-day launch event to celebrate the bureau’s opening, in partnership with the Lethbridge Public Library, Jan. 20-21. Read more here.

The B.C. Association of Broadcasters (BCAB) has announced its 2022 Awards of Excellence with retired CKNW anchor Gord Macdonald named Broadcaster of the Year. Macdonald hung up his headphones in September after 33 years with the Vancouver news/talk station and 47 years in radio news. Global National B.C. correspondent Neetu Garcha was named the BCAB Broadcast Performer of the Year, while CKNW reporter/anchor Safeeya Pirani was awarded the Broadcaster of Tomorrow honour. Read more here. BCAB is in the midst of planning its 73rd BCAB Conference, a one-day event to be held May 4 at the River Rock Casino Resort in Richmond, BC.

Corus Entertainment has announced its first quarter financial results for the quarter ended Nov. 30 showing a consolidated revenue decrease of 7% with net income attributable to shareholders of $31.4 million ($0.16 per share basic). Radio revenue was up 2% year-over-year, while television advertising saw an 11% drop, compared to the same period in 2021. In its outlook, the company said it expects to continue to be impacted by industry trends in media ad spending, but is also anticipating some sequential improvement in the rate of decline in television ad revenue. “While we navigate the recent macroeconomic headwinds, Corus remains steadfast in our pursuit of long-term growth for the business,” said Doug Murphy, President and Chief Executive Officer. “Our recent launch of Pluto TV with Paramount Global redefines the FAST-channel business in Canada. We have bolstered the value proposition of STACKTV with the addition of our suite of Disney channels. Our owned content business is gearing up for a significant increase in episodic deliveries in the year ahead. Importantly, we have implemented a rigorous cost review to address recent revenue weakness while remaining focused on advancing our strategic plan and priorities.”

Shaw Communications has announced consolidated financial and operating results for the quarter ended Nov. 30. First quarter consolidated revenue decreased 1.2% year-over-year to $1.37 billion, adjusted EBITDA decreased 2.5% year-over-year to $617 million, and net income decreased 14.3% to $168 million. In the first quarter, the company added approximately 13,800 new Wireless customers, consisting primarily of 12,300 prepaid customers. Postpaid net additions of approximately 1,500 in the quarter were characterized by lower year-over-year Shaw Mobile activity, higher churn, and increased competitive intensity.

Cogeco has announced its financial results for the first quarter ended Nov 30. Revenue increased by 6.0% to $789.7 million. Canadian telecommunications’ revenue increased by 4.8%, mainly driven by the cumulative effect of high-speed Internet service additions over the past year, a higher value product mix, and rate increases. American telecommunications’ revenue increased by 7.4%, while revenue from media activities increased by 2.5%. Cogeco says radio operations have been impacted by advertising clients, like the travel and automobile industries, reducing their ad budgets in the context of a challenging economic environment and supply chain disruptions. Cogeco Media says it’s continuing to manage its operating expenses tightly.

BROADCAST TECH & ENGINEERING:

Aptum, the Toronto-based hybrid multi-cloud managed service provider, has announced its acquisition of CloudOps, a Montreal-based cloud consulting, managed services and software company focused on open source, cloud native platforms, networking and DevOps. Aptum says the amalgamation of resources from both companies will extend product opportunities beyond telecommunications to include media and communications, and retail and transportation. The acquisition will further enable Aptum to deliver hybrid multi-cloud solutions and services to its customers in 43 countries and fortify Aptum’s vendor-agnostic approach and services in Canada, U.S. and the UK across multiple clouds including Azure, AWS, Google, Hypertec Cloud and Cox Edge.

QYOU Media has completed its acquisition of a majority ownership stake in Maxamtech Digital Ventures, a six year old India-based venture creating technology and games for the mobile gaming industry. QYOU Media has initially purchased a 51% stake of the issued and outstanding shares in the Maxamtech business giving it majority control over the enterprise.The purchase price has not been disclosed but the parties have agreed on terms for purchase of the remaining 49% over the calendar years 2023, 2024 and 2025. The acquisition continues the recent push by QYOU and The Q India to leverage its growing audience reach to over 125 million young Indians weekly by ramping up its portfolio of direct-to-consumer products in 2023.