The Weekly Briefing

REVOLVING DOOR:

Corus Radio has announced the launch of three new morning shows across Toronto stations Q107 (CILQ-FM), 102.1 the Edge (CFNY-FM), and Energy 95.3 (CING-FM) Hamilton. Veteran hosting duo Tucker & Maura are the new hosts of mornings on 102.1 the Edge. Scott Tucker and Maura Grierson move within the Corus network from Energy 95.3 where they’ve been hosting Tucker and Maura in the Morning since March 2019 and are also heard in afternoons on Corus’ 103.1 Fresh Radio (CFHK-FM) London, which will continue. Tucker and Grierson take over from “The B Team” – originally featuring hosts Shawna (Whalen), Chris Z (Ziemniak) and Jay Brody. They’d been heard on the Edge since February 2020 when they arrived from Y108 (CJXY-FM) Hamilton. Brody left the show last summer to join former CFNY-FM personality Carly Meyers in afternoons on Vancouver’s SONiC RADiO. 

Shawna Whalen and Chris Ziemniak have been reassigned within the Corus network. Whalen will join a newly-reconfigured Q107 morning show that sees her teamed with longtime hosts Ryan Parker and John Garbutt, who return to the airwaves for the first time since May when Derringer in the Morning was suspended following the filing of a gender discrimination complaint by former co-host Jennifer Valentyne. Ziemniak will join 101.1 Big FM (CIQB-FM) Barrie.

Scott Fox and Kat Callaghan of 91.5 The Beat (CKBT-FM) Kitchener, expand their show’s reach into the GTA as they take over the Energy 95.3 Hamilton morning show, effective Jan. 30. The Scott & Kat Show is also heard evenings on Barrie’s Fresh 93.1 (CHAY-FM). Read more here.

Tyler & Lynch have expanded the reach of their show, originating from CFOX Vancouver. The CFOX afternoon drive team are now also being heard on 102.1 the Edge (CFNY-FM) Toronto in the evening time slot from 7 – 9 p.m. ET. Tyler & Lynch air in the same local time slot on Power 97 (CJKR-FM) Winnipeg.

Philly, Joe & Kirby (Phil Aubrey, Joe Aiello and Shalinda Kirby) have reunited on Rogers Sports & Media’s 92 CITI FM. Formerly highly-rated on Corus Radio Active Rocker Power 97 (CJKR-FM), Kirby was the first member of the morning show trio to cross the street to Rogers in November 2021. Aubrey followed in July, roughly six months to the day he departed Power, while Aiello arrived Monday after opting not to renew his contract with Corus. Kirby and Aubrey had been hosting weekday mornings together since late July. Aiello’s move to CITI marks a return to the legendary rock station as formerly one-half of iconic morning duo “Tom and Joe,” with co-host Tom McGouran, who enjoyed an 18-year run together from 1994 to 2012. Read more here.

Chris Kelly has departed KiSS 92.5 (CKIS-FM) Toronto. Kelly was most recently in middays and was the host of weekly countdown show, The KiSS 30 with Chris Kelly. Kayla (Pappaianni) moves up from evenings to middays on KiSS 92.5.

Scott Mitchell has accepted a promotion as Assistant Program Director for Stingray Rural Alberta, overseeing day-to-day operations of 11 boom and HOT branded stations across the province. He’ll continue to be based out of and host mornings on New Country 98.1 (CFCW-FM) Camrose. Prior to joining New Country 98.1 in 2020, Mitchell served as Network Music Director for the HOT stations.

Carolyn Galvin has announced that she was caught up in restructuring at Rogers Sports & Media in November. Galvin had been with the company for 20 years, the majority of that time as a Television Director with Sportsnet. For the last six years, she’d acted as Senior Director, Content & Live Broadcast, at TSC (The Shopping Channel).

Catherine Legge is departing CBC to return to documentary and scripted TV production under the banner of her production company, Play Nice Productions. Legge held the title of Executive Producer, Original Video, at CBC News Studios for the past three years. She’s worked with the public broadcaster on and off since the mid-’90s, including serving as showrunner on the first season of Still Standing and briefly executive producing The Fifth Estate.

Alyse Hand, who left Global Halifax in December, is getting set to launch ON-Q Communications, a Nova Scotia-based media training and on-air coaching business. Hand, who had been an anchor and co-host with Global for the past three and a half years, previously did a brief stint in PR with National Public Relations in Halifax. Prior to that, she was a reporter, host and weather specialist with CTV Atlantic for eight years.

Scott Laurie has a new job as a Senior Issues Advisor with the Ontario Ministry of Transportation. Laurie, who wrapped up a 23-year network anchoring and hosting career with CTV News in 2018, had most recently been working as a multimedia journalist with Postmedia.

Diane Rankin has been promoted to Executive Vice President, Rights & Executive Producer at marblemedia. In the newly-created position, Rankin will lead content commercialization strategy to support and accelerate growth across the scripted, unscripted, kids and family genres to establish more commercial partnerships, pre-sales and co production opportunities, while continuing to grow Distribution360 (D360). With the company since 2015, Rankin most recently served as SVP, Rights & EP.

Zainul Mawji has been named Executive Vice-President of TELUS Consumer Solutions, bringing together Mobility Solutions and Home Solutions & Customer Excellence into one unified consumer team. A member of the TELUS team for 22 years, Mawji was most recently, EVP of Home Solutions & Customer Excellence. TELUS has also announced the appointment of Jim Senko to the newly-created role of Chief Product Officer, TELUS Consumer Solutions. While Senko plans to retire from TELUS at the end of 2023, the company says he and Mawji will spend the year laying the groundwork for the team’s ongoing success with a clear strategy and succession plan. 

RADIO & PODCAST:

Radio On The Move’s Fall 2022 Share of Audio update from Signal Hill Insights and Radio Connects, indicates AM/FM radio continues to be the largest source of audio listening for Canadians. Consistent with time spent listening in Spring 2022, AM/FM’s share of time spent with audio was at 39%, according to the online panel survey of 3,114 Canadians, 18+, conducted by Maru Voice Canada. Podcasts (7%) and free ad-supported music streaming (6%) were each down one point, while paid music streaming was up one point (14%). With more workers returning to the office, out-of-home AM/FM tuning was up on smartphones (from 27% in April to 32%) and on personal computers (up four points to 35%). Radio’s share of in-car tuning rose to 62%, up from 59% in the spring report. Read more here.

The CRTC has found that the market of Joliette, Que. can sustain at least one additional radio station at this time. The commission says given the scarcity of FM frequencies and the additional interest in serving the market, it has issued a call for applications for a new radio station. The commission previously received an application by Arsenal Media for a broadcasting licence to operate a French-language commercial FM station in Joliette. The market of just over 20,000 residents is currently served by Arsenal-owned French-language station, CJLM-FM.

The Canadian Journalism Foundation’s (CJF) J-Talks Live series kicks off its 2023 season on Thursday, Jan. 26 with an exploration of the growing role played by podcasting in long-form investigative crime journalism. The virtual event will bring together independent podcaster Kathleen Goldhar and Tortoise Studios partner Basia Cummings, with investigative journalist and podcaster Connie Walker moderating the discussion on how podcasts have changed the way we think about investigative crime narratives and how the medium is building relationships with audiences. Goldhar, former Executive Producer of CBC’s The Current, left Antica Productions earlier this month to go out on her own as an independent producer. Cummings is an editor and partner in UK-based Tortoise Studios, known for its award-winning narrative podcasts, including weekly investigative show, The Slow Newscast. Walker is currently the host of Stolen: Surviving St. Michael’s – which made The New Yorker’s list of Best Podcasts of 2022. Read more here.

Corus Entertainment’s Curiouscast has released Season 5 of award-winning original podcast, Crime Beat. Led by veteran Global News crime reporter Nancy Hixt, since its debut in March 2019, the podcast has recorded over 16.3 million downloads with a growing audience in the U.S., UK and Australia, according to data provided by Corus. Named one of Amazon Music’s Best Podcasts of 2022, Crime Beat has been adapted to TV, currently airing its fourth season on Global TV and streaming on Hulu in the U.S. New episodes will be released every Tuesday. 

Westcoast Express is set to make its debut Jan. 31, a new podcast from former TSN Radio (CKST-AM) and Sportsnet 650 (CISL-AM) Vancouver host Scott Rintoul. Featuring infamous Vancouver Canucks’ linemates Markus Naslund, Todd Bertuzzi, and Brendan Morrison, who were dubbed “The Westcoast Express,” the podcast explores their part in rebuilding the NHL franchise in the early 2000s.

CBC’s great Canadian book debate, Canada Reads, returns for its 22nd edition, March 27-30. Ali Hassan will host a panel of advocates championing Canadian books that speak to this year’s theme, “One Book to Shift Your Perspective.” Each day of the competition, one book will be eliminated by the panelists until a winner is declared the must-read book for Canadians in 2023. Debates will broadcast each day on CBC Radio, with a live stream on CBC Gem, CBC Listen and CBCbooks.ca. The five books to be debated and their champions are: Ducks by Kate Beaton, to be championed by Jeopardy! champion, Mattea Roach; Greenwood by Michael Christie, to be championed by actor and filmmaker, Keegan Connor Tracy. Hotline by Dimitri Nasrallah, to be championed by Yukon-based bhangra artist and educator, Gurdeep Pandher; Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia, to be championed by #BookTok content creator and nursing student, Tasnim Geedi; and Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel, to be championed by actor, choreographer, and artistic director, Michael Greyeyes.

SiriusXM has announced the return of The GRAMMY® Channel in collaboration with the Recording Academy. To celebrate the 65th Annual GRAMMY Awards, the channel will honour the artists, albums and songs nominated this year, including Adele, Beyoncé, Brandi Carlile, Jack Harlow, Miranda Lambert, Lizzo, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Harry Styles, Taylor Swift, The Black Keys and more, leading up to SiriusXM’s live, red-carpet broadcast Sun, Feb. 5. Heard on SiriusXM channel 105, the limited-edition channel will run through Feb. 7.

LISTEN: Adam Seaborn, Head of Partnerships for North America at Toronto-headquartered digital sports media startup, Playmaker Capital, is on the latest Sound Off Podcast. Seaborn talks with Matt Cundill about changes in the sports media space, how sports betting fits into Playmaker’s business, room for growth in the sector, and best practices to make your sports podcast flourish. Listen on your favourite podcast app or here:

SIGN OFFS:

Craig Wallebeck, 66, on Jan. 14. After graduating from the Columbia School of Broadcasting in Calgary, Wallebeck started his radio career at CKRD Red Deer in 1976. Subsequent positions followed at CKYL Peace River, CKPG Prince George, CHRB High River, CKBI Prince Albert and CKPR Thunder Bay. In 1997, Wallebeck moved to CKRM Regina where he eventually became News Director and hosted a daily call-in show. Around that time, he also served as RTDNA Prairie Director of Radio for three years. In 2013, he moved on to Yorkton and GX94 (CJGX-AM) as morning News Anchor and Senior Reporter. Wallebeck was one of the most recognizable news voices in Saskatchewan, mentoring many young reporters over the years who were just starting their careers. In 2021, he was named runner-up in the Best News Anchor (Small Market) category in the Broadcast Dialogue Canadian Radio Awards. In 2022, he was recognized with the RTDNA Lifetime Achievement Award. Wallebeck had announced a pending retirement date of March 31, as a result of health concerns. His final newscast was delivered at noon the day before his sudden passing.

TV & FILM:

The 95th Academy Awards nominations include a number of Canadians led by Sarah Polley, who is up for Best Adapted Screenplay for Women Talking, based on the Miriam Toews novel. Directed by Polley, Women Talking is also a Best Picture nominee. In the Animated Feature Film category, writer-director Domee Shi is nominated for her coming-of-age Pixar film, Turning Red. Shi previously won in 2019 for animated short, Bao. Fellow Sheridan College alum Chris Williams, director of animated feature The Sea Beast, is also nominated. Calgary filmmaking duo Wendy Tilby and Amanda Forbis are competing in the Best Animated Short category with The Flying Sailor. In the Best Documentary Feature category, Montreal’s Ina Fichman is among those nominated for National Geographic doc Fire of Love. Navalny, directed by Toronto’s Daniel Roher, is also in the running in the category. Montreal makeup artist Adrien Morot earned a nomination for Best Makeup and Hairstyling as part of the team behind The Whale. Active members of the Academy are eligible to vote in all 23 categories, March 2-7. Hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, the 95th Oscars air live Sunday, March 12 at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT on CTV, CTV.ca, and the CTV app.

Thunderbird Entertainment Group has entered into a cooperation agreement with Voss Capital LLC, the Vancouver-headquartered producer and distributor’s largest shareholder, following a proxy fight. The Texas-based hedge fund, which owns 13.3% of outstanding shares in the company, made a play in November to reconstitute Thunderbird’s board with its own slate of directors, saying the publicly-traded prodco had had lost credibility in the market. The cooperation agreement sees company co-founder Frank Giustra and former Lionsgate and Alliance Atlantis executive Marni Wieshofer, Interim Chair of the Board and Head of the Audit Committee, resign. Giustra and Wieshofer will be replaced by two new independent directors put forward by Voss, Asha Daniere and Mark Trachuk, as well as a third nominee to be put forward at the company’s upcoming annual general meeting on March 6. Read more here.

The Canada Media Fund (CMF) has released its 11th annual Key Trends Report, exploring how the screen-based industries might evolve in the coming years, including where advertising, viewer habits, and media technology are headed. Among the study’s key data points are that screen content consumption remained stable between the third quarter of 2021 and Q3 2022, even as Canadians were emerging from pandemic routines and returning to more normal life and travel. 84% of anglophones and 81% of francophones watched live TV via a linear channel in the last month (Q3 2022). Canadians outpaced other G7 countries in Q3 when it came to watching on-demand TV and streaming services with 91% of internet users watching in the last month. While market penetration for most services remained stable between Q3 2021 and Q3 2022, Disney+ stands out with 4% growth among anglophones and an 8% increase with francophones. Netflix market penetration decreased 3% and 5%, respectively, among anglophones and francophones, but still maintains the largest market share among anglophones at 63% and is second most popular with francophones at 57%. Read more here.

Roku’s 2023 Video on Demand (VOD) Evolution study indicates the popularity of ad-supported streaming continues to grow in Canada. According to the streaming software and hardware manufacturer’s third annual dive into Canadian TV streaming behaviour and trends, three quarters of Canadians (76%) are now television streamers with 52% streaming ad-supported channels and services. The Roku study found that the current macro-economic climate appears to be impacting Canadian TV households, with 18% planning to cancel or downgrade their cable or satellite package in the next 12 months, and 47% looking to make changes to the selection of streaming services they use. On average, streamers are watching just under 23 hours a week of TV content (or just over 25 hours if video platforms such as Twitch and YouTube are included). Read more here.

The Canadian Media Producers Association (CMPA) has announced that passes for its Prime Time conference in Ottawa have sold out. The 2023 edition will welcome a record 900 delegates, Feb. 1-3, in Ottawa. A complete list of conference speakers and attending delegates are available on the Prime Time event site. Check out our podcast with Andrew Addison, CMPA’s VP of Communications, Marketing & Membership, here.

Go Button Media has renewed its partnership with Super Channel following the success of history series Forgotten Frontlines, produced for Super Channel and distributor Off The Fence. The new contract sees Go Button Media commissioned to create a slate of 36 hours across six series, from the unscripted genres in which it excels – history, paranormal, engineering and science. Founded by showrunners Daniel Oron and Natasha Ryan, recent Go Button productions include documentary series Deadly Science, Colossal Machines II, Mysteries of the Ancient Dead, Secret Societies: In The Shadows; lifestyle series Bake and Makeup; and feature documentary No Roses on a Sailor’s Grave. 

CBC and Sphere Media have started production on How to Fail as a Popstar, a CBC Gem original series based on artist, author, and musician Vivek Shraya’s debut theatrical work of the same name. The series stars Shraya, Adrian Pavone (Star Trek: Discovery, Grand Army), and Chris D’Silva (Slumberland, The Handmaid’s Tale) as Vivek at various stages of life. Written by Shraya, the comedy series is directed by Vanessa Matsui (Midnight at the Paradise, Ghost BFF) with Shraya co-directing one episode. How To Fail as a Popstar is a coming-of-age, eight-episode limited series about a queer brown boy with a huge voice doing everything he can to become a pop star – as told by the queer trans femme the boy becomes, looking back on a dream that was never realized. It will premiere on CBC Gem later in 2023. 

CBC has announced the 24 Canadians competing in new original competition reality format Canada’s Ultimate Challenge (8×60), which sees six Canadian athletes each coach and mentor a team of four players through mentally and physically grueling challenges. Hosted by sports broadcaster Nikki Reyes and professional snowboarder and CBC Sports analyst Craig McMorris, challenges will take place across the country in Whitehorse, YK; Squamish, BC; Kelowna, BC; Hinton, AB; Sudbury, ON; Thousand Islands, ON; and Québec City, culminating with the finale on the Confederation Bridge between New Brunswick and PEI. Coaches include sprinting legend Donovan Bailey; water polo Olympian and Indigenous sport advocate Waneek Horn-Miller; six-time Olympic medallist in cycling and speed skating Clara Hughes; three-time speed skating Olympian Gilmore Junio; former captain of Canada’s Olympic bronze-winning rugby sevens team, Jen Kish; and NFL Super Bowl Champion Luke Willson. The winning team will receive a trip to the Paris 2024 Olympic Games to cheer on Team Canada. Produced by Insight Productions and The Gurin Company, the series debuts Feb. 16 on CBC TV and CBC Gem. 

HGTV Canada stars Scott McGillivray and Bryan Baeumler reunite in Renovation Resort (7×60), a vacation rental reno competition series premiering March 5 on HGTV Canada and STACKTV. In the brand-new series distributed by Corus Studios, McGillivray’s recently-purchased lakeside vacation resort gets an overhaul, bringing in four professional designer-contractor duos who are up for the challenge. Each week, they battle against each other in a renovation showdown to impress McGillivray, Baeumler and a slate of expert guest judges. In the end, the team with the best cabin wins the title of Renovation Resort Champions and $100,000. 

Nelvana has signed on longtime partner Discovery Kids Latin America as part of its first major international distribution deal for 3D animated preschool series Builder Brothers Dream Factory (40x11min) in Latin America. Distributed by Nelvana and co-produced by Sinking Ship Entertainment and Scott Brothers Entertainment, the original series is also set to air on Corus Entertainment’s Treehouse in Canada. Builder Brothers Dream Factory is inspired by the real-life hosts of Property Brothers, Drew and Jonathan Scott.

Crave has announced a premiere date for eagerly-anticipated investigative series Thunder Bay, based on the Canadaland podcast of the same name. The four-part docuseries will launch on the streamer Friday, Feb. 17, available to audiences in both English and French. The series is produced, written, and co-directed by Anishinaabe journalist Ryan McMahon. Like the podcast, which debuted in 2018, the docuseries follows McMahon as he attempts to uncover the truth behind the deaths of a number of Indigenous people in the northwestern Ontario city, exploring its problematic history with systemic racism, hate crimes, and questionable policing culture. Read more here.

Chateau Laurier, the award-winning Canadian digital series, is now available via AppleTV. Produced, directed, and co-created by James Stewart (Bet on Yourself, Foxed!), the period drama was written by co-creators, and co-producers Kent Staines (Prom Queen) and Emily Weedon (Autokrator). Each of the six episodes, shot on location in Hamilton and Ottawa’s Château Laurier hotel, runs approximately 10 minutes, for a total length of one hour. Season 1 of the digital series launched on Facebook and has over three million views and over 70,000 followers – and 11 million views on TikTok. It’s now available worldwide on AppleTV/iTunes, Google Play, Vimeo on Demand and Amazon Prime (US/UK).

AMI, in partnership with Nikki Ray Media Agency (Fire Masters, Home to Win), has begun principal photography on six Season 2 episodes of AMI-tv’s Fashion Dis in Toronto. The makeover show challenges traditional norms that lack inclusion with each episode celebrating the head-to-toe overhaul of a frustrated style seeker discouraged by an industry that lacks adaptive options. Blogger and speaker Ardra Shephard returns as host, a leader in the Multiple Sclerosis community and host of the Tripping On Air podcast.

Stingray has launched CalmLIFE in the U.S., a new subscription digital wellness resource available to Comcast customers with Xfinity X1, Xfinity Flex or Xumo TV, and Cox customers with Contour devices. They’ll have access to a range of full-length 4K wellness assets, including meditation, sleep, and nature videos to encourage incorporating healthier habits into daily routines.

The Pacific Screenwriting Program (PSP) has announced that award-winning writer and showrunner Jennica Harper (JANN, SkyMed, The Order) will be the Showrunner in Residence for the 2023 Scripted Series Lab. Harper, showrunner and co-creator of CTV/Hulu comedy series JANN, has written across a wide range of genres, serving as a writer and co-executive producer on upcoming procedural The Spencer Sisters (eOne/CTV), medical adventure drama SkyMed (Paramount+/CBC), horror-comedy cult favourite The Order (Netflix), and critically acclaimed thriller Cardinal (Hulu/CTV), among other series. Entering a milestone fifth year, this year’s PSP cohort includes Tanvi Bhatia, Kaylyn Johnson, Toby Marks, Kay Shioma Metchie and Kurt Mungal. 

The Whistler Film Festival Screenwriters Lab is open to applications until Feb. 23. The lab is a highly-competitive multi-phase script and industry development program designed to amplify the diverse voices of Canadian writers by developing their original feature projects. Selected participants work intensively with key film industry advisors and mentors in individual, group and market-oriented sessions to hone their craft through project-specific feedback and training to position their project for investment in the lead-up to Whistler Film Festival.

The Vancouver International Film Festival (VIFF) has announced that its 42nd edition will take place from Sept. 28 to Oct. 8. The 2023 festival lineup will consist of approximately 120 features and 100 shorts, all screening in-cinema. VIFF is now open for submissions of Canadian and International films of any genre or length via FilmFreeway.

National Film Board of Canada (NFB) and the International Festival of Films on Art (FIFA) have reached a new distribution agreement that will see 32 NFB films screen on FIFA’s ARTS.FILM platform throughout 2023. NFB productions available on ARTS.FILM include award-winning animated shorts Mindscape by Jacques Drouin; The Subject by Patrick Bouchard; and Tower Bawher and Blind Vaysha by Theodore Ushev. Other films will be programmed throughout the year. The ARTS.FILM platform offers unlimited access to films about art across the country, through an annual subscription.

ONLINE & DIGITAL MEDIA:

Unifor says it is looking at all options to protect media workers following Postmedia’s announcement that it plans layoffs. Planned cost-cutting over the coming months as a part of the company’s overall debt-reduction plan could amount to 11% of editorial staff, according to a report by The Canadian Press. The cuts would impact all of the company’s publications with the exception of Brunswick News and Postmedia Editorial Services, which have already been downsized, according to CP. Among other measures, the company plans to move its 12 Alberta community newspapers to digital-only formats and transition to more remote work. It was announced last week, Postmedia had sold the Calgary Herald building for $17.25 million. In Sudbury, the company won’t be renewing its lease on the home of the Sudbury Star. In October, Postmedia stopped printing Monday editions of nine major dailies – Vancouver Sun, Edmonton Sun, Edmonton Journal, Calgary Herald, Calgary Sun, The Province Edmonton Sun, Ottawa Citizen, Ottawa Sun and Montreal Gazette – citing news consumption habits of readers, needs of advertisers and rising costs of producing and delivering a printed product.

REGULATORY, TELECOM & MEDIA:

Matthew Boswell, the Commissioner of Competition, says the Competition Bureau is abandoning any further appeals of the proposed Rogers-Shaw merger following a Federal Court of Appeal dismissal of its legal challenge on Tuesday. The fate of the $26 billion dollar deal now lies with François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, whose approval of spectrum license transfers from Shaw to Quebecor-owned Videotron – in connection with Videotron’s proposed acquisition of Freedom Mobile – is required before the merger can proceed. Read more here.

TekSavvy Solutions has filed a Part 1 application with the CRTC disputing the legality of wholesale arrangements at the heart of Rogers’ proposed merger with Shaw and the acquisition of Shaw’s wireless spectrum licenses and Freedom Mobile business by Vidéotron. The transaction hinges on special wholesale arrangements in which Rogers would lease its broadband network to Vidéotron at preferential rates below the CRTC’s regulated rates. TekSavvy is asking the CRTC to investigate what it calls a “transparently anticompetitive” wholesale arrangement and rule that it violates Section 27(2) of the Telecommunications Act. 

Canadian Journalists for Free Expression (CJFE) is awarding its International Press Freedom Award to two Iranian journalists jailed for covering the in-custody death of 22-year old Mahsa Amini, arrested for improperly wearing a headscarf. Niloofar Hamedi and Elahe Mohammadi are being recognized for risking their freedom and lives in order to expose Iran’s violent treatment of women. Iranian state security agents arrested the two reporters shortly after their reporting on Amini’s death and accused them of espionage, a crime punishable by death in Iran. The award will be presented in absentia on Feb. 15 in Toronto at the CJFE Gala: A Night to Honour Courageous Reporting. 

RTDNA Canada is accepting 2023 Hall of Fame nominations until Friday, Jan. 27. Those nominated have made outstanding contributions to the fields of audio, digital and video journalism in Canada, whether living or passed on, from innovators who enhance news gathering to those maintaining the highest standards of the craft.

BROADCAST TECH & ENGINEERING:

Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment (MLSE) Digital Labs and Amazon Web Services (AWS) have unveiled new research and development program, SportsX, focused on enhancing both the fan experience and team performance by championing a culture of innovation for sports, entertainment and technology. SportsX aims to build out the best ideas – whether they originate from coaches, fans, partners, or employees – to be developed and tested in the MLSE environment with a goal of creating solutions that can benefit the sports industry at large. The launch follows a successful R&D pilot that birthed initiatives like the NHL Extended Reality Stats Overlay, an augmented reality (AR) viewing experience that brings broadcast and video game capabilities to those watching in-person, and an Immersive Basketball Experience developed using optical data to give the user a life-sized AR experience as if they are viewing a game as a player or sitting courtside. Read more here.