REVOLVING DOOR:
Adam Owen, Managing Editor, CBC Tandem has left the public broadcaster’s embattled branded content division to work for crisis communications firm, Navigator. Owen had been with CBC since August, hired to oversee the custom content division’s overall strategy and vision. Prior to joining CBC, he was Director of Content and Strategy for Postmedia Networks.
Pierre Champoux will replace Guy Gendron as Radio-Canada’s ombudsman, effective July 1. Champoux has been with Radio-Canada for 17 years, most recently as Director of Digital Operations. He’s been in media for more three decades with previous stops at TVA Group, as well as CKAC and CJMS Montreal.
Véronique Caissie is Corus Entertainment’s new Manager, Communications and Marketing. She’ll develop communication and marketing strategies for the Séries Plus, Historia, Télétoon and La Chaîne Disney channels. With an MBA in management, Caissie has 10 years of experience in the communications industry, most recently as an advisor at the Société du parc Jean-Drapeau. She’s also held communications and marketing roles with Astral/Bell Media, and Groupe Musique Greg.
Kent Guy, Director of Promotions & New Media for Corus Radio London/Woodstock, has parted ways with the company after nearly 15 years. Guy joined Corus in 2006, overseeing marketing for FM96 (CFPL-FM), 103.1 Fresh Radio (CFHK-FM), Country 104 (CKDK-FM) and AM980 (CFPL-AM).
Phillip Croucher is joining Global News as Online Regional Managing Editor for the network’s Eastern markets, including Halifax, New Brunswick and Montreal. Croucher had been with CBC Nova Scotia for the past nine months. Prior to that, he was the former bureau chief for Star Metro Halifax.
Scott Johnston, former City Hall bureau chief for 630 CHED Edmonton, has announced he’s running for an Edmonton City Council seat in the new riding of Ipiihkoohkanipiaohtsi (Ward 10). Johnston covered sports and news for 630 CHED for 27 years, up until layoffs at Corus last August.
Tamara Khandaker is joining The Globe & Mail as the host of its new daily podcast. The former host and producer of the Global News Wait, There’s More daily podcast, Khandaker has been working with CBC Podcasts as a producer for the last seven months after also getting caught up in layoffs last summer at Corus Entertainment.
Heather Seaman has joined 105.9 The Region (CFMS-FM) Markham as the new afternoon news anchor. Seaman was part of recent layoffs at Newstalk 1010 (CFRB-AM) Toronto. She’d been with Bell Media since 2018. Prior to that, she was a segment producer and correspondent with CPAC for eight years.
Alanna Kelly has joined Glacier Media as a reporter, based on Vancouver Island. Up until February’s Bell Media layoffs, Kelly was an anchor and reporter at CTV Vancouver Island. She’d been with the station since 2019.
Ted Henley has joined 770 CHQR Calgary as an anchor, reporter and producer. Up until the fall of 2019, Henley was a host and anchor on Citytv’s Breakfast Television. He’s also held roles with 660 News (CFFR-AM) and Global Calgary.
Elizabeth Zogalis is joining Global Montreal. Zogalis was a reporter with CJAD Montreal until getting caught up in Bell Media layoffs earlier this month.
Mary Cranston is rejoining CityNews Vancouver. Cranston was formerly the host of the station’s local edition of Breakfast Television, up until layoffs at Rogers Sports & Media in November.
Lindsay Biscaia is joining CTV News Barrie in March as the new 6 p.m. anchor. For the past three years, she’s been anchoring the morning show on Global Peterborough as well as the morning news on sister stations, 100.5 Fresh Radio (CKRU-FM) and 101.5 The Wolf (CKWF-FM). Prior to that, she was a videographer and backup weather analyst at CHEX TV Peterborough.
Megan Batchelor has left the CBC to join Vancouver International Airport (YVR) as a Communications Specialist. Batchelor had been a reporter with CBC Vancouver since 2015.
Jessica Robb is departing Global Edmonton. The 2019 McEwan University Journalism grad has been an editorial assistant with the station since June 2019.
Darren Worts has announced he’ll be joining Rogers Sports & Media in mid-March as host of the afternoon show on 98.3 Star FM (CKSR-FM) Chilliwack and middays on Ocean 98.5 (CIOC-FM) Victoria. Worts was previously on-air at Power 104 (CKLZ-FM) Kelowna up until July 2019 and has most recently been doing freelance voiceover work.
Brett Hendrie is leaving Hot Docs after 20 years with the organization and eight years as Executive Director. Hendrie is taking a new position at the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management, but will provide strategic advice through the upcoming festival, April 29-May 9. Hot Docs’ former executive director and current president, Chris McDonald, will assume chief executive responsibilities until a successful candidate is found.
Kadon Douglas has been named BIPOC TV & Film’s inaugural Executive Director. Most recently, Douglas worked within the Dean’s Office at FCAD, Ryerson University’s faculty of communication and design, as its manager of marketing and communications. For four years, she also led communications and membership engagement at Women in Film & Television-Toronto (WIFT-T). She’s also a two-time fellow of the Hot Docs Film Festival: Doc Accelerator (2013) and Shaw Media Diverse Voices (2015), as well as the former chair of the Reelworld Film Festival.
Carrie Gillis is Gusto Worldwide Media’s new Vice President and General Manager. Gillis will oversee operations, sales, and marketing at Gusto TV’s Ottawa-based studio and master control facility. Most recently, she held the role of Managing Director of Events and Marketing at St. Joseph Communications Media Division, where she led the launch of a new events division and developed experiential content solutions for Toronto Life, Fashion, Maclean’s, Canadian Business, Ottawa Magazine and Weddingbells.
Peacock Alley Entertainment has bolstered its team with the creative leadership appointments of Diana Foley as Director, Nonfiction Development and Production and Eli Campbell as Director, Scripted Development, while Michael Brum joins as Director, Post Production. Foley’s appointment follows numerous project-specific positions with the company on titles like A User’s Guide to Cheating Death (Zoomer/Netflix), 50 Ways to Kill Your Mum/The Parent Trip (Zoomer/BYUtv), and Tower of Song: A Memorial Tribute to Leonard Cohen (CBC). Campbell joins Peacock Alley from Hawkeye Pictures, where he was involved in developing multiple features and series, including international co-production Propaganda: The Art Of Selling Lies. Brum has worked in various post-production positions for Entertainment One, Forté Entertainment, and Banger Films. Kellie Hogan also joins Peacock Alley as Development and Production Coordinator, supporting Foley, Campbell and Brum. Her credits include Titans, American Gods, and Schitt’s Creek in various roles from supporting showrunners and writers to cast and production coordinating.
Richard Cormier has been named Executive Producer, Virtual Production and David Hurtubise as Director of Technology, Virtual Production for MELS’ virtual production studio. Cormier’s track record includes more than 30 years of experience in the entertainment industry, most recently as Head of Content at multimedia entertainment studio Moment Factory. David Hutubise was a solutions architect at Epic Games Montreal for the past three years. He’s currently completing a Master’s degree in 3D animation at the École des arts numériques, de l’animation et du design (NAD).
RADIO & PODCAST:
The CRTC has released Attitudes and Opinions Towards Commercial Radio in Canada, the Ipsos-conducted research report on Canadian listening habits and attitudes toward commercial radio. It finds that four in 10 Canadians are listening to commercial radio daily – the most of any broadcast platform – while seven in 10 (68%) say they’re listening weekly. Key findings included that Canadians consider commercial radio to be the most important broadcast platform to have access to (45%), specifically for music (64%) and local news content (57%). Only 28% put the same importance on having access to CBC Radio/ICI Radio-Canada, while 28% placed more import on music streaming services and 19% on podcasts. When it comes to CanCon requirements, 62% of those surveyed strongly or somewhat agreed that it’s essential to promote Canadian artists, while sentiment towards promoting French-language music was stronger among Francophones at 72%. Most also agree streaming music services should be required to support the Canadian broadcast sector (53% strongly/somewhat agree), but feel any future regulations should not interfere with consumer choice (68%). Read more here.
Humble & Fred announced Thursday they are leaving terrestrial radio behind for good, revealing that their show on Bell Media’s Funny 820 (CHAM-AM) Hamilton, was also a casualty of the company’s recent operational streamlining. The veteran Toronto radio duo, also known as Howard Glassman and Fred Patterson, were lured back to the terrestrial morning show airwaves after a 13-year absence in Sept. 2018. They’ve been dabbling in podcasting since 2006 and resurrected their show online in 2011, building an audience and a group of committed advertisers. The Funny 820 show was a reimagined version of the podcast, featuring five breaks. Newstalk 1010 (CFRB-AM) Toronto was also re-airing half hour segments, in addition to community station 88.7 The River (CIWN-FM) in Mount Forest, among others. While they had agreed to stay on with Funny 820 until April 10, the duo announced live on-air Thursday it would be their last show. As of Monday, they’re livestreaming their podcast four days a week on their Facebook page. Read more here.
Dick Williams makes his return to 980 CFPL-AM London, 60 years after first joining the station in 1960. At 81, Williams retains his status as a local radio legend and one of the first DJs in North America to spin The Beatles. Dick Williams’ Solid Gold Rock and Roll will air Saturdays and Sundays from 11 a.m. – 2 p.m, starting Feb. 27. While CFPL airs a news/talk format as part of the Global News Radio network, the station is introducing the show as a weekend “pick me up” for listeners, featuring music of the 1960s and 70s, as well as a look back to London’s past with news headlines, trends and listener memories, accompanied by Channel 98 jingles – the brand CFPL carried during those decades. The charge to get Williams back on air at CFPL was led by his son and local Corus sales rep, D.J. Williams. Read the full story here.
The CRTC has granted the owners of Vancouver’s 98.3 CIRH-FM, formerly Roundhouse Radio, a short term licence renewal through August of this year. Pushor Family Holdings of Kelowna remains in control of the station, which has been off the air since May 2018, after a deal with South Fraser Broadcasting – the owners of Surrey’s 107.7 Pulse FM (CISF-FM) – to purchase the station fell through. The short-term licence renewal is intended to give the Pushor family time to secure a new buyer.
The CRTC has granted Montreal ethnic station 102.9 CILO-FM a short term licence renewal through Aug. 2024 due to several compliance issues. Among them, failure to file financial returns dating back to 2015 and failure to implement the National Public Alert System. It also has not followed through on its proposedCanadian content development (CCD) contributions.
The CRTC has revoked the licence for Indigenous station Membertou Radio C99.9 (CJIJ-FM) Sydney, NS at the licensee’s request. The station received CRTC approval in 2002 and went on-air the following year. No reason has been given for the Native Type B English- and aboriginal-language FM station’s departure from the airwaves.
Gimlet Media has released details of Connie Walker’s first project for the Spotify-owned podcast publisher. Stolen: The Search for Jermain Charlo dives into the 2018 disappearance of the 23-year old woman from the Confederated Salish & Kootenai Tribes in Montana. Walker, the former host of CBC Podcasts’ Missing & Murdered, which focused on cases involving missing and murdered Indigenous women, joined Gimlet in late 2019 after almost 20 years with the public broadcaster. Stolen: The Search for Jermain premieres March 1.
CBC British Columbia has released original podcast, Pieces, exploring Indigenous identity. Hosted by 19-year-old Jeremy Ratt, who self-identifies as half Indigenous and half Caucasian, the podcast follows Ratt’s journey to discover his Indigenous roots and explore what it means to be Indigenous.
LISTEN: On the latest episode of Broadcast Dialogue – The Podcast (which incidentally broke into the Top 25 on Apple Podcasts’ Business News – Canada chart this week), we chat with Nails Mahoney. A veteran of radio on both sides of the pond, including stations in Vancouver and Toronto, Mahoney now runs talent coaching business OnAir Coach with partner Tracey Lee. OnAir Coach is behind the Radio Star international talent competition. If you’re looking for performance advice, motivation or among those who find themselves looking for work in the current radio landscape, this podcast is for you.
SIGN OFFS:
Kev Cotter, 40, suddenly on Feb. 17. After finishing both an Associate of Arts degree in Communication & Media Studies and going through the BCIT Radio Broadcasting program, Cotter joined Vista Radio’s 94.3 The Goat (CIRX-FM) in Prince George, BC as an on-air personality in 2008. He had a 12-year run with the station, working his way up to Program Director in 2012, while also hosting mornings. In July 2020, he moved over to Jim Pattison Broadcast Group’s 103.1 The River (CKKN-FM). Cotter served as Program Director in addition to co-hosting Mornings with Vilma and Cotter.
TV & FILM:
The 19th Annual ACTRA Awards in Toronto were presented online Sunday evening with Schitt’s Creek winning the Members’ Choice Series Ensemble Award for a third year in a row. Among the evening’s other highlights was the presentation of the 2021 Award of Excellence to multi-disciplinary artist, puppeteer and director Jani Lauzon by her daughter, actress Tara Sky. Outstanding Performance – Female Voice was won by Bahia Watson for her role as Leshawna in Total Dramarama (Fresh TV Inc.), while Cory Doran accepted the award in the Male Voice category for voicing the character of Manson and Johnny in Doomsday Brothers (Portfolio Entertainment). Outstanding Performance – Female went to Tamara Podemski for her role as Alison Trent in Coroner. Jesse LaVercombe won Outstanding Performance – Male for Violation (DM Films). Read more here.
Quebecor Content has acquired the rights to adapt The Masked Singer for Quebec. It’s planning for a fall 2021 premiere of the reality competition show. Originating in South Korea, The Masked Singer has now been adapted in 40 countries, including by FOX in the U.S. and TF1 in France.
TVO Original Dispatches From a Field Hospital premieres March 16, a timely documentary on how Ontario families are straining to keep in touch while staying apart during the COVID-19 pandemic. Windsor filmmaker Matt Gallagher explores the challenges and hopes that his family, and so many others, share as they cope with elderly relatives living in long-term care, shut away from family support and interaction. Gallagher’s own father contracted COVID-19 which resulted in his transfer to a MASH-style field hospital with 49 of his fellow nursing home residents. Featuring intimate conversations captured through tablets, smartphones, landlines and letters, the film follows a small group of families as they cope with the universal anxieties of the pandemic.
Sportsnet and WWE have announced an expanded agreement to air live broadcasts of NXT on Sportsnet 360 and SN NOW every Wednesday night. In addition to NXT, Sportsnet 360 will continue to air WWE’s weekly flagship programs Monday Night Raw and Friday Night SmackDown, as well as WWE Main Event, and This Week in WWE. Sportsnet is also the exclusive distribution partner for WWE Network in Canada offering all WWE pay-per-view events and original series as a premium linear channel. In 2014, Sportsnet and WWE signed a 10-year broadcast agreement, making the network the exclusive distributor of WWE programming in Canada through 2024.
Canada Basketball and Sportsnet have committed to a multi-year partnership that will see the development and launch of several new national and international men’s and women’s basketball events in Canada, beginning in 2022. Next summer, a series of men’s and women’s events will debut including the inaugural U22 international tournaments for both women and men. Welcoming the top national federations in the world to Toronto, Canada Basketball will manage tournament logistics, event format, and team qualification, while Sportsnet will serve as exclusive broadcaster. Complementing the collaborative event production, Sportsnet and Canada Basketball are also teaming up to develop original content, including athlete-driven segments, social media takeovers, and stories at the intersection of basketball and Canadian music, art and culture.
Uninterrupted Canada, Par-Lay Content, and TSN are behind new original documentary Par-lay – The Fred VanVleet Story, profiling the Toronto Raptors star. Set to debut in fall 2021, the feature biopic will chart VanVleet’s rise to prominence as a basketball star and never-before-seen footage of his 2020 off-season and decision process behind signing the largest contract ever for an undrafted free agent. It will also look back at VanVleet’s time growing up in Rockford, Illinois, the challenges he faced avoiding the streets and his path to becoming a nationally-ranked NCAA recruit. In addition to holding the rights to the film’s worldwide premiere on TSN, Bell Media serves as domestic distributor in Canada. The international rights will be put to market later this year.
The National Film Board (NFB) has announced its objectives to improve diversity, equity and inclusion. A key step is the creation of a Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion position, a senior post responsible for equity and anti-racist practices. This new position will be a member of the NFB’s Executive Committee, reporting directly to the Commissioner, and work with all NFB divisions to implement the plan’s commitments and goals. There will also be a new Director of Indigenous Relations and Community Engagement, a position whose responsibilities will include forging closer ties with communities, improving Indigenous representation among NFB employees and advising the NFB on issues related to production and distribution of NFB works. The position will work closely with the NFB’s Indigenous Advisory Group and also report directly to the Commissioner. Across the NFB, hiring practices will be improved to ensure that by 2023, NFB staff fully reflect Canadian society. Read more, here.
NFB has greenlit 15 productions and co-productions, including new documentary, animation and interactive works. Among the projects are a digital artwork installation at the Museum of Contemporary Art Toronto and animated short, Hairy Legs, directed by Andrea Dorfman. Find more information on these and other projects currently underway on the NFB Production web page.
Telefilm Canada is conducting an online survey to gather information about training initiatives from across the country, including programs that support traditionally underrepresented creators. The survey data will be used to inform future training strategy at Telefilm from local grassroots initiatives and festival partnerships with streaming partners to national training schools and post-secondary institutions. The online survey is available for all mentorship or training programs in the audiovisual industry. All submissions must be completed by March 19.
The 16th Annual Vancouver International Women in Film Festival (VIWFF) will take place online March 4 -14, screening 32 films from 16 countries, including 14 Canadian films—with 10 from local BC filmmakers, and eight Vancouver digital premieres. Produced by Women in Film and Television Vancouver (WIFTV), each film program includes a Virtual Artist Talk. VIWFF is also presenting a slate of select livestream events, including an International Women’s Day panel (March 8) with government, industry organizations, and representatives from the Black Screen Office, Canada Media Fund, CBC, Creative BC, Hire BIPOC, the National Film Board, Telefilm Canada, and Women in View; a genre panel (March 9) featuring keynote Diana Williams of Kinetic Energy Entertainment and finalists from the WIFTV From Our Dark Side feature film project development incubator; and the Best of the Fest awards announcements.
ONLINE & DIGITAL MEDIA:
Media Technology Monitor (MTM) has released its latest Sneak Peek Report. Among its key findings are that Subscription Video on Demand Services (SVOD) continue to see growth with subscriptions nearly doubling over the past five years. 77% of Canadians now subscribe or have access to an SVOD service like Netflix or Amazon Prime Video. With COVID-19 closing movie theatres across the country and many blockbusters going direct to digital, online movies have seen a major jump during the pandemic. In Fall 2020, 51% of Canadians reported watching a movie online, versus 41% pre-pandemic. While there were initially dips in podcast listening due to the pandemic and the lack of a commute, new data shows three in 10 Canadians have listened to a podcast, up from 26% at this time last year. As Canadians continue to stay home, TikTok use has more than tripled in the past year with 15% of social networkers having used the site.
TikTok has come on board as a sponsor of Big Brother Canada with the short-form video platform to be integrated directly into the show. A custom screen inside the #BBCAN9 house will feature special guests throughout the season, with houseguests also participating in a TikTok POV challenge. TikTok will be home to “After the Eviction” – an extension of Arisa Cox’s in-show post-eviction interviews every Thursday. Fans will be able to follow the Big Brother Canada TikTok account @BigBrotherCA to get behind the scenes access to content.
OverActive Media, which owns esports franchises Toronto Ultra of the Call of Duty League and Toronto Defiant of the Overwatch League, has released details of its plans for a new $500 million performance venue, projected to be completed in 2025. The theatre-style entertainment venue and hotel complex will be the first new sports or entertainment venue built in Toronto since BMO Field in 2007. Located in the heart of Exhibition Place on four acres on the north side of Lakeshore Blvd., and across from the Ontario Place lands, the privately-financed venue plans to host 200+ events a year, driven primarily by premium music and entertainment bookings. The company indicated in a release that its vision is to elevate Toronto and Canada as a destination for the global gaming and esports industry.
Enthusiast Gaming Holdings Inc. has announced it’s launching a new online publication dedicated to esports. Combining content elements from the Toronto company’s two existing esports coverage outlets, Upcomer and Daily Esports, Enthusiast Gaming will relaunch one unified esports publication later this spring. The new publication, which will operate as Upcomer, will be “a more complete offering” for esports fans led by former ESPN esports editor Sean Morrison. The publication’s suite of content will range from news and editorial to video documentaries, scores and stats, fantasy leagues, betting odds and more.
The Government of Canada has established a studio to produce a web series addressing misconceptions about zero-emission vehicles. Natural Resources Min. Seamus O’Regan has announced a $50,000 investment in IDEA Simplifico to raise consumer awareness of the importance of transitioning to a clean energy future. L’Espace InterACTION will be located in the Centre d’événements et de congrès interactifs (CECi) in Trois-Rivières with the project also resulting in the creation of new website lesrendezvouszero.com. Station Roulez Électrique supported the development of the web series entitled La Station Électrique.
REGULATORY, TELECOM & MEDIA:
TVA Group Inc. recorded operating revenue of $147.6 million in the fourth quarter of 2020, a year-over-year decrease of $16.6 million. Fourth quarter operating highlights include consolidated adjusted EBITDA of $46,070,000, a $12,502,000 favourable variance from the same quarter of 2019. $36,739,000 in adjusted EBITDA was recorded in the Broadcasting segment, a $15,014,000 favourable variance due to a 78.4% increase in the adjusted EBITDA of the specialty channels, particularly TVA Sports, whose significant cost reductions reflected the postponement of the start of the 2020–21 NHL season, as well as a 62.0% increase in TVA Network’s adjusted EBITDA. TVA Group recorded $7,453,000 in adjusted EBITDA in the Film Production & Audiovisual Services segment (MELS), a $375,000 unfavourable variance caused primarily by the decreased profitability of soundstage, mobile and equipment rental and visual effects services, while postproduction posted an increase in adjusted EBITDA.
The Ryerson Review of Journalism has announced that until the end of the Winter 2021 semester, this publication will be referred to as the [ ] Review of Journalism as a task force under the auspices of the office of the university’s president examines Egerton Ryerson’s history and relationship to the university to reconcile his legacy, including his role in the establishment of the residential school system in Canada. The School of Journalism is examining changing the names of the two publications run by the school and its students, including The Ryersonian. At a masthead meeting in January, second-year graduate students and fourth-year undergrads voted unanimously (15-0) in favour of pausing the use of the name Ryerson Review of Journalism this semester while these processes are underway.
Rogers Sports & Media has launched inclusion and diversity program All IN to support equity-seeking communities by amplifying stories on a national stage that haven’t always been heard with equal measure. The initiative will offer Big Brothers Big Sisters, Blacbiblio.com, Canadian Women & Sport, Friends of Ruby, and Spirit North free advertising and creative services to support their efforts in uplifting underserved communities. Rogers Sports & Media received more than 550 submissions for the 2021 program. Because of the overwhelming response, an additional 10 organizations that support the Black community will be profiled across the company’s assets. The organizations are BlackHealingTO, Jeffrey Tosh Art, KidsSwag, Lay Up Basketball, MFMG Cosmetics, Naij Hair, Nia Centre for the Arts, Oofii, Shayla’s Voice, and KinkyCurlyYaki.
Accessible Media Inc. (AMI) has launched its annual AMI Robert Pearson Memorial Scholarship. This year marks the 10th anniversary of the scholarship program providing financial assistance to students with a disability. Information and eligibility requirements are available at AMI.ca/scholarship and amitele.ca/bourse-ami-tele. AMI partners with the National Educational Association of Disabled Students (NEADS) to administer the program which awards two $5,000 bursaries to two deserving students with a permanent disability; one from the English community and one from the French. The application deadline is May 31.
BROADCAST TECH & ENGINEERING:
Adobe, BBC, Intel, Microsoft, Arm and Truepic are the founding members behind the Coalition for Content Provenance and Authenticity (C2PA), a Joint Development Foundation project established to address the prevalence of disinformation, misinformation and online content fraud by developing technical standards for certifying the source, history and provenance of media content. With a goal to establish a standardized solution to combat misleading content, the organizations will work together to develop content provenance specifications for common asset types and formats to enable publishers, creators and consumers to trace the origin and evolution of a piece of media, including images, videos, audio and documents. The open standard will give platforms a method to preserve and read provenance-based digital content. The formation of the C2PA brings together founding members of the Adobe-led Content Authenticity Initiative (CAI) and the Microsoft- and BBC-led Project Origin, unifying technical specifications under a single entity.
The Alliance for IP Media Solutions (AIMS) will host AIMS TechFest 2021, a live interactive virtual event slated for March 9-10, with each day featuring four hours of programming. Day one will focus on the IPMX (Internet Protocol Media Experience) proposed set of open standards and specifications, and the benefits for Pro AV workflows. Day two will explore remote audio production through a series of case studies and technical presentations. Registration details are available at aimstechfest.com. In addition to providing presentations by industry experts, AIMS TechFest 2021 will also give attendees the opportunity for interaction and networking.
The NextGen Video Information Systems Alliance (NVISA) has introduced its first recommended practice document: Visually Integrated Display Symbology (VIDS). VIDS is the first-ever recommendation for integrating universally understood graphical elements, including symbols and dynamic elements, into emergency alert information for broadcast. Until now, visual displays of public warnings have been typically text-only, and usually limited to a single language. VIDS creates a commonly-defined relationship between the type of alert, the message text, and any graphical elements. VIDS explicitly accommodates the requirements of emergency alert systems in the U.S. and Canada, while providing the flexibility to be applied anywhere else in the world. NVISA is a worldwide coalition of developers and manufacturers working to help accelerate the industry’s evolution toward next-generation broadcast and OTT television systems. Alliance members are pooling their cross-industry expertise to collaborate, implement standards, and create best practices to help broadcasters accelerate their transformation toward advanced ATSC 3.0 systems. NVISA-WG-1-001.01, is freely available from NVISA for download and review at nvisa.org.
Harmonic has announced that Nova Scotia-based telecommunications provider Seaside Communications is transforming its broadband operations with its CableOS® Platform, leveraging advancements in DOCSIS 3.1, DAA and Remote-PHY (R-PHY). Harmonic’s reseller Clearcable provided integration services. “As more people in Nova Scotia work from home and participate in distance learning, internet consumption is soaring and creating network congestion issues. To provide our customers with increased bandwidth and a superior experience, we needed an architecture that can scale rapidly,” said Shane Ferguson, director of network and CATV operations at Seaside Communications, in a release.
