REVOLVING DOOR:
Irene Gentle, Editor of the Toronto Star, has been named VP, Inclusion and Strategic Partnerships, with Torstar, effective April 26. In the new position, she will review and evaluate new strategic media opportunities and oversee development of inclusion and diversity initiatives for the company, reporting directly to Jordan Bitove, co-owner of Torstar and Publisher of the Toronto Star. Gentle will be succeeded as Editor by Anne Marie Owens, former Editor-in-Chief of the National Post, who comes to the Star from McMaster University where she is Executive Advisor, Strategic Communications.
Ivy Mak, who was formerly a longtime assignment editor at CTV News in Toronto until getting caught up in February’s layoffs at Bell Media, has joined the Toronto Star as a team editor. Mak had been with CTV since 2004, starting as a producer before signing on as an assignment editor in 2008.
PEAK Mornings with Tyler & Lynch has come to an end with the on-air duo revealing last Thursday that they’d been released from Vancouver alt rock station, 102.7 THE PEAK (CKPK-FM). The morning show team had been with the station since June 2017 after a successful three-year run on Calgary’s X92.9 (CFEX-FM). The station has posted its intention to hire new talent for both mornings and afternoons with midday host Clinton Herman set to leave Vancouver to join the Jim Pattison Broadcast Group in Prince George, where he started his radio career. Read more here.
Dana Gee, who had been a contributor and film critic on Global BC for 19 years, has revealed that she was fired from the station last month. The Vancouver Sun and Vancouver Province culture and entertainment scribe was a fixture on Global News Morning Weekend BC.
Feb. 22 news dir. @bhupinderhundal called me and fired me. Cause given: they needed the air time I inhabited for more pandemic coverage. So goodbye TV it was a fun 19 years. https://t.co/Zcc90x95l2
— Dana Gee (@dana_gee) March 21, 2021
Lindsay Michael has joined Amazon Music as the streamer’s Podcast Manager, Canada. For the last six years, Michael has been co-host and senior producer of CBC’s Podcast Playlist, which also aired on Public Radio International (PRI) in the U.S. She’s also worked with CBC as a producer on The Sunday Edition and Canada Reads, among other programming.
Tina Lovgreen has left CBC British Columbia to pursue a new opportunity. Lovgreen had been with the Vancouver newsroom since 2014, starting as a chase producer and later digital producer. She’d been a VJ since 2016.
Graham Neil has left CTV Edmonton after more than 25 years as a reporter with the station. Over his time there, he primarily covered arts & entertainment and local culture, interviewing everyone from Bono to Roger Moore. Neil is joining NAIT as an instructor in the Digital Media and IT program.
Here is my final story for @ctvedmonton It’s a fun look back at fun times with @u2 @RollingStones @britneyspears @hwinkler4real and others! Thanks to @AtomicImprov for being part of it https://t.co/RG6dgt16SW
— Graham Neil (@GrahamNeilTV) March 20, 2021
Touria Izri has joined CTV Edmonton as a videojournalist. Izri has been with CTV News since 2013, starting as a writer and producer for CTV National News and CTV News Channel in Toronto, before joining CTV Winnipeg as a VJ in late 2019.
Madison Erhardt has left CTV News Barrie. She’d been a videographer with the station for the last year and a half. A graduate of the College of Sports Media, Erhardt started her career with Castanet News in Kelowna.
Amber McGuckin is leaving Global News Winnipeg. McGuckin, who had been a reporter and VJ with the station for the last four and a half years, hasn’t revealed where she’s headed.
Ash Kelly is stepping away from radio and News 1130 (CKWX-AM) Vancouver to head off to bike mechanic school in the West Kootenays. Kelly has been a morning show reporter with the station since 2018.
Toby Kerr, who was among those released from News 1130 (CKWX-AM) Vancouver in November as part of layoffs at Rogers Sports & Media, has landed a new gig with Corus newstalk station CKNW Vancouver. He’ll be the new evening anchor on CKNW and national overnight anchor for the Global News Radio network. Kerr formerly held a weekend anchor/producer position at News 1130 and had previously worked at Rogers’ sister station 680 News (CFTR-AM) Toronto.
Tony Do has left his Broadcast Engineer position with Bell Media Vancouver to join Corus Vancouver in a similar role. Do had been with Bell for the last five years following previous stints with Newcap, Astral Media and Rogers Sports & Media in the market.
Chris Sarpong, who has been part of the Corus Entertainment Communications team for the past three years, has left the company for a new role with Oxford Properties Group. Sarpong has joined Oxford as a Senior Communications Specialist.
Joshua Howe, who has been working as an associate editor at Sportsnet for the past year, has left the network to work as a content developer with Facedrive, the Toronto-based eco-friendly rideshare service.
Tim Mutimer is set to take the reins as CEO of Cineflix Rights, succeeding the retiring Chris Bonney. Mutimer has been with Banijay Rights for the last eight years, most recently as Executive Vice-President of EMEA. Prior to the company’s merger with Endemol Shine International in May of last year, he served as CEO.
Jason J. Sosa has joined Futuri’s leadership team as Chief Technology Officer. An innovation strategist with a keen focus on AI, Sosa will lead Futuri’s Product team and work cross-functionally to develop new features, technologies, and products. Most recently, he was CEO/Founder of Blackbox AI, an innovation advisory for platform development, remote work, and strategy.
RADIO & PODCAST:
The CRTC has given notice that it will hold an upcoming hearing to determine a number of pending licence renewals and the proposed sales of defunct Vancouver station Roundhouse Radio (CIRH-FM) to Durham Radio and Toronto’s G98.7 (CKFG-FM) to multicultural broadcaster Neeti P. Ray. Read more here.
The commission will also hear applications from: Local Radio Lab Inc. (LRL) to acquire the assets of CIMA-FM Alliston, CJML-FM Milton and CKMO-FM Orangeville, ON from My Broadcasting Corporation (MBC); Native Evangelical Fellowship of Canada, Inc. to renew the broadcasting licence for the low-power English- and Indigenous-language specialty (religious) radio station CJTL-FM Pickle Lake, ON; Radio Ntetemuk inc. for a broadcasting licence to operate an Indigenous (Type B Native) FM radio station in Pessamit (Betsiamites), Quebec; Muskoday Community Radio Corporation for a broadcasting licence to operate a low-power Indigenous (Type B Native) radio station in Muskoday, SK; and an application by Abram Zacharias, on behalf of a not-for-profit corporation to be incorporated, for a broadcasting licence to operate a low-power ethnic commercial FM radio station in La Crête, AB.
103.9, the Kelowna radio frequency being taken over by former Clear Sky Radio President Paul Larsen, will carry the CKOV-FM call letters. The CKOV (Okanagan Valley) call sign first appeared in Kelowna as early as 1931 with the letters most recently held by Clear Sky Station 104.5 More Country in Strathmore, AB prior to its sale to Golden West Broadcasting. Vista Radio originally signed on 103.9 Kelowna as CJUI (Juice FM) in 2008, which after its sale to Castanet in 2017 adopted CKOO (Okanagan Oldies). Larsen plans to launch the new station later this spring.
TELUS Storyhive has unveiled the creators behind 16 projects chosen for its inaugural Podcast Edition. Each creator receives $10,000 in production funding, customized career training, mentorship from the National Screen Institute (NSI) and distribution on select TELUS platforms. Each podcaster will work with mentors to produce and deliver three episodes with accompanying visual components. Read more here.
TSN Radio 1040 (CKST-AM) talent are continuing to surface online as Matt Sekeres and Blake Price, two more of the casualties of Bell Media’s recent Vancouver format flip, launch new podcast, Sekeres & Price, that picks up where their radio show left off. Former colleague Rob Fai, meanwhile, has launched SportsBar Radio, a new podcast that’s in addition to his post-game Canucks YouTube show The Nation.
COVID Remembrance Day, a date for radio stations, clusters and groups around the globe to pause and engage with their audiences to remember those who have been lost during the pandemic has been set for Tuesday, May 25. Participating stations are encouraged to reflect on the events of the past year and pay tribute to the victims, healthcare heroes, and those in their communities who have stepped up and been part of the response effort. An initiative of Paige Nienaber and CPR Promotions, in conjunction with MannGroup Radio, Benztown and P1 Media Group, CPR will provide stations with multiple ideas, while Benztown will provide audio resources. There is no charge for any brand, cluster or group to participate. Learn more here.
PodTV, which combines podcasting and over the top (OTT) television programming, is now streaming. Billed as the first and only streaming TV channel for podcasts, right now it’s carrying titles like The Gangster Chronicles and Triggernometry. It’s now available on Roku, TCL Smart TV channel 1048, or its website.
LISTEN: On the latest episode of Broadcast Dialogue – The Podcast, one of the first DJs in North America to spin The Beatles, Dick Williams – who is now 81 – returned to the airwaves of London’s 980 CFPL last month with a new show that harkens back to the heyday of AM radio. Dick Williams’ Solid Gold Rock and Roll is airing Saturdays and Sundays on the Global News Radio station – a weekend break from format – that’s debuted 60 years after he first joined the station. On this episode of Broadcast Dialogue – The Podcast — we talk to Williams and his son DJ – who is now part of the Corus London sales team — about the future of AM radio, its legacy and more.
LISTEN: On the latest Sound Off Podcast, Shani Scott, owner of Media Room 360, a streaming and media distribution company out of Texas. Her company has been built largely through what she learned in radio. Listen on your favourite podcast app or here:
SIGN OFFS:
Bill McVean, 94, on March 21, following complications from multiple strokes. Born in Windsor, McVean served with the RCAF spitfire squadron in France, Belgium and Holland, ending the war editing an armed forces newspaper and managing a radio station. He returned to Canada and studied journalism, starting his broadcast career in news with CKNX Wingham. McVean moved on to CKOC Hamilton in 1949 where he became the first aerial traffic reporter to broadcast from a plane he also piloted. He moved over to CHML in 1955 and then CFRB Toronto in the early 1960s where would remain a staple on the airwaves through to the mid-1980s. McVean’s last weekday show aired in 1985 and he retired from the station in 1996. Alongside his work with CFRB, McVean narrated and hosted for CBC Television, among other commercial television work. For more than two decades, McVean was also the emcee and later director of the Canadian International Air Show. In retirement, he and wife Catherine produced syndicated travel segment ‘Trips n’ Tips’ which aired on 23 stations across the country. They were also founding members of the Travel Media Association of Canada.
Linda Dawe, 72, on March 20. Originally from Sault Ste. Marie, Dawe left her journalism studies at Lake Superior State University and headed for Toronto where she got her start in the music business with Beetle Magazine in 1971. Rising to the position of assistant editor, then-president of RCA Records Ed Preston went on to recruit her as the first female promotions manager in Canada. After spending nearly 10 years with major labels like RCA/BMG, MCA/Universal and CBS/Sony, Dawe went out on her own in 1980, launching Music Solutions, a marketing and consulting firm for artists that also handled radio promotion and publicity activity. Among the artists the company worked with were Blue Rodeo and Roch Voisine. Dawe was also an advocate for the under-represented in the music industry, founding advocacy organization Women In the Music Business (WIMB) in the 1980s.
Chris Straw, 62, following a construction accident at his home on Gabriola Island, BC. Straw worked coast-to-coast with CBC from Yellowknife to PEI and Vancouver, eventually becoming a CBC Radio executive and holding roles as Director of Network Program Development and Senior Director of Network Talk. He semi-retired in 2014 to pursue his passion for photography and art.
TV & FILM:
William F. White International (WFW) has announced its first studio offering in Calgary and tenth in Canada. Fortress Studio will offer clients 97,500 sq. ft. of filmable space with clear heights of 36 feet within the 109,100 sq. ft. facility. Fortress+ Support will act as a supplementary property with 69,999 square feet of support space and 19,751 sq. ft. of private offices, boardrooms, and additional workspace. Situated a short driving distance away from each other, both properties are also close to WFW, the Calgary Film Centre, Sunbelt Rentals, and a large outdoor green space. The announcement comes as Alberta is on track for a record year in film industry activity.
Boat Rocker Media has begun trading on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX) following completion of its $170-million IPO. Boat Rocker will issue an aggregate of 18,900,000 subordinate voting shares at a price of C$9.00 per share. Boat Rocker’s majority shareholder, Fairfax Financial Holdings Limited, is subscribed for approximately C$30 million of the offering and will own approximately 45% of the company’s total equity. Co-Founders and Co-Executive Chairmen David Fortier and Ivan Schneeberg said in a release that they are “proud of what the company has achieved to date, but believe we’re just starting to unlock the full potential of our multi-genre IP creation engine.”
Ted Sarandos, Co-CEO and Chief Content Officer at Netflix, will address the Banff World Media Festival (BANFF) Summit Series in a virtual keynote on the festival’s opening day, June 14. Sarandos was originally scheduled to appear at the 2020 festival in-person in a fireside chat format. The 2021 edition of BANFF will build on the success of last year’s virtual event, taking place from June 14 to July 16. Find out more about this year’s speakers, here.
Burden of Truth is concluding after four seasons on CBC. Series producer Eaglevision announced the news in a Facebook post last week, thanking its crews in Winnipeg and Selkirk, MB where the series films. Starring Kristin Kreuk (Smallville) and Peter Mooney (Rookie Blue) as law firm partners who take on big pharma and other against-the-odds cases, the series had also been airing on The CW in the U.S. since 2018. Among the issues Burden of Truth tackled was institutionalized racism against Indigenous populations.
CTV’s Transplant was an honouree at the 29th MPAC Media Awards on March 20. The annual event celebrates members of the entertainment industry, artists, and activists who promote inclusion and social justice by advancing authentic portrayals of Islam and Muslims. Transplant is the story of Dr. Bashir “Bash” Hamed, a doctor and Syrian refugee who flees to Canada with his younger sister to practice emergency medicine at York Memorial Hospital in Toronto. Other series recognized by MPAC include DC’s Legends of Tomorrow and Netflix animated series Glitch Techs.
Super Channel will premiere true-crime documentary special, Catching a Serial Killer: Bruce McArthur, April 30 on Super Channel Fuse and Super Channel On Demand, the following day. The Super Channel Original unravels the investigation into Toronto’s most prolific serial killer through exclusive interviews with McArthur’s close friends, homicide investigators, criminologists and forensic psychologists. Catching A Serial Killer: Bruce McArthur was filmed in Toronto and is the first true-crime special produced by Peacock Alley Entertainment. The special, which was commissioned by Oxygen in the U.S., is produced by Diana Foley and Ryan Valentini for Peacock Alley. James Buddy Day and Carrie Mudd serve as Executive Producers.
Something Undone begins streaming on CBC Gem March 26, the first scripted series to be released from CBC’s Creative Relief Fund. created in response to the pandemic to help support the recovery of Canadian creative communities. The six-episode series follows a character named “Jo” who goes home to settle her estranged mother’s estate and discovers a dark family secret — her mother suffered from schizophrenia. The drama/thriller was directed by Nicole Dorsey (Black Conflux, Arlo Alone) and was co-written, produced and stars Madison Walsh (Mrs. America, The Expanse) and Michael Musi (Kim’s Convenience). The one-person format of the series (Jo is the only character that is shown) illustrates how being alone in an empty house slowly consumes the character as a central metaphor visually representing the crippling effects of isolation, one year into the pandemic.
Saloon Media’s new one-hour CBC Docs POV, UFO Town, is set to land on CBC and CBC Gem on March 26. The documentary revisits the mysterious UFO case from West Carleton, ON that went viral over 30 years ago after a top-secret “declassified” letter and video emerged, claiming a UFO spacecraft had crash-landed in the region. UFO Town follows filmmakers, led by Saloon Media’s production executive, Nick Crowe, as they delve into the declassified documents, photos and video evidence sent to Canadian and American UFO investigators in the early 90s. The one-hour documentary also includes interviews with local residents who revisit their memories from witnessing a flying saucer gliding down the road, to blinding lights coming through windows, and face-to-face encounters with aliens.
Telefilm Canada is extending the period for submitting written comments on its proposal to revise the Success Index, Development Program, and Talent to Watch Program to Tuesday, April 6. Telefilm’s proposals can be viewed online. The agency invites its partners to submit comments to refine its recommendations and improve them as much as possible. After this final step, Telefilm hopes to implement the changes by the summer of 2021. The proposals are the result of cross-Canada consultations with industry members conducted from mid-September to mid-December through online surveys, public forums, working group sessions, and meetings with professional associations and provincial agencies. Written comments can be uploaded here.
Bell Media’s Harold Greenberg Fund has announced its latest round of selections for the BC Shorts Program. The initiative, developed in partnership with Creative BC, is designed to finance short films by filmmaking teams from British Columbia. The projects each receiving $20,000 from this program include: One Day This Kid from director/writer Alexander Farah and producer Madeleine Davis; Call Me Awol from writer/director Geordie Trifa and producer Pieter Romer; Paco from writer/director Kent Donguines, co-writer Moira Tan, and producers Sebastien Galina and Geoff Manton; and Tiana from writer Mariam Barry, director Rukiya Bernard, and producer Faith Moriah.
Network Media Group and Network Entertainment have signed with ICM Partners for global representation. Led by founder and CEO Derik Murray, President & COO Paul Gertz, and SVP & Executive Producer Brian Gersh, Vancouver-based Network is focused on producing feature documentaries and docuseries celebrating iconic personalities and cultural topics from the worlds of music, film, comedy, sports, politics, and business. Recent Network releases include four-part docuseries PUNK, executive produced by fashion designer John Varvatos and punk pioneer Iggy Pop, which premiered in the U.S. on EPIX and distributed globally by Fremantle; The Age of A.I., an eight-part series in partnership with host and executive producer Robert Downey Jr., that launched on YouTube Originals and has attracted 48 million views; and I Am Patrick Swayze, the highest-rated documentary on U.S. cable TV when it was released, premiering on the Paramount Network to an audience of over two million viewers.
The Winnipeg Art Gallery (WAG) and National Film Board (NFB) have struck a new partnership ahead of the March 27 opening of Qaumajuq, the new Inuit art centre at the WAG, which will provide a home for the largest public collection of contemporary Inuit art. The partnership reflects a shared commitment to partner on a variety of programs and events including discussions around Inuit-content from the NFB’s Indigenous Film Collection; screenings geared for both kids and adults; integration of NFB Indigenous and Inuit Film Collection and NFB Archives into WAG-Qaumajuq online and in-gallery programming; and developing and producing new original audio-visual works created by Inuit artists. The first joint project is a WAG-Qaumajuq commission by Geronimo Inutiq, an Inuk multimedia artist working in electronic music production, performance, film, video, and digital images. WAG will also be featuring a variety of NFB films on Qaumajuq’s new Visible Vault digital platform launching in April.
The 2021 Hot Docs Festival will be available for audiences across Canada to stream April 29 to May 9. Among the festival’s official selections are Ann Shin’s A.rtificial I.mmortality, which will open Hot Docs.
Hot Docs has announced that Jenna Wortham, staff writer for The New York Times Magazine and co-host of the hit podcast Still Processing, will be the opening keynote speaker at this year’s industry conference. Appearing in discussion with journalist and broadcaster Garvia Bailey, Wortham will speak to the need for underrepresented communities to control and celebrate their own narratives. Also announced are masterclasses led by celebrated filmmakers featured in this year’s official selection, including 2020 Hot Docs Outstanding Achievement Award recipient Stanley Nelson, Jennifer Holness and Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers. This year’s industry conference will be held online, May 3-7. The complete industry conference program will be announced March 31.
The Canadian Film Fest (CFF) has announced a new award, Best Producer, and unveiled the Masterclass and Industry Series for the 2021 Festival. Expanding on the CFF’s mission to celebrate and inspire Canadian filmmakers, Best Producer will be presented to a BIPOC short filmmaker by CFF and the EDA Foundation, a non-profit organization founded by Mena Massoud (Disney’s Aladdin). The CFF jury will select the winner, who will receive $1,000, a mentorship with Massoud, and development with Landed Entertainment.
ONLINE & DIGITAL MEDIA:
TSN and RDS have announced the launch of TSN 5G View / Vision 5G RDS, an in-app (iOS and Android) feature that leverages Bell 5G to offer fans interactive viewing options. Making its debut last week during regional coverage of the Montreal Canadiens’ game against the Vancouver Canucks, the tech lets fans control how they view every angle of the game on their smartphones with zoom, pause, rewind and slow motion capabilities as well as new camera angles during in-game commentary, analysis, replays, and post-game recaps. TSN and RDS subscribers on the Bell 5G network with a 5G device can sign in to the TSN and RDS apps to check out the new tech. Bell Media says TSN 5G View / Vision 5G RDS will expand to more sports events, teams and venues over time.
Signal Hill Insights and social media monitoring firm, Digital Hug, have partnered on a study looking into the buzz around audio-only iOS chat room app, Clubhouse, which now claims to have 10 million active weekly users. Digital Hug did an analysis of more than 1 million social media posts about Clubhouse, with Signal Hill also conducting surveys among 3,000+ Canadians to find out who’s actually using Clubhouse and their thoughts on the app. Among their findings are that Clubhouse use skews sharply toward young men, under age 35. The study also found that the jury is still out on the app’s long-term prospects with skepticism around its value and utility, a barrier for many Canadians who have heard of the app, but haven’t used it. Even among those who have used Clubhouse, few are yet to be convinced it’s going to be a big success, notes the study with only two per cent convinced of that fact. Another 14% see it as a fad, while more than 80% were unwilling to weigh in one way or the other.
so.da, Corus Entertainment’s social and digital agency, has unveiled a roster of 21 Canadian creators and several short-form series spanning HGTV Canada, Food Network Canada, Slice and Complex Canada. Developed and produced in tandem with the so.da originals team, the content series range from healthy eating, baking therapy, home improvements and DIYs to beauty, fashion, sex and relationships. Among the new creators are property stylist Becky Freeman, “plant mom” Amanda Roberts, husband and wife “Dining In” team Philip Lago and Mystique Mattai, and self-taught makeup artist Senita Rodriguez. Corus says in the last year, so.da’s content – including 1,500 pieces of new social content created each week – was seen 5 billion times.
CBC/Radio-Canada and the Canada Council for the Arts has revealed the eight digital projects chosen for production as part of the Creation Accelerator launched in May 2019 to amplify digital creation and provide Canadians with more original content. The artists whose projects were selected received financial support from the Canada Council and collaborated with CBC/Radio-Canada on development. The works, ranging from podcasts to digital original web series, artistic performances, documentary and animation films, as well as sound art, will be produced and then presented on CBC/Radio-Canada digital platforms over the coming year.
REGULATORY, TELECOM & MEDIA:
Bell says in anticipation of an increase in the volume of access requests in coming months in Quebec, it’s prepared to respond quickly to service providers seeking access to poles and other communications support structures. The declaration follows complaints last fall from Cogeco Connexion, Maskicom and Videotron, who said regulatory easements announced by Bell last October to resolve issues around access to its telephone poles, had only allowed 13% of projects awaiting permissions to proceed, accusing Bell of anti-competitive behaviour. Bell says it will work closely with partners like Hydro-Québec and suppliers, including engineering firms specializing in aerial structures, to “significantly” accelerate the issuance of permits for service providers and speed up deployment of several key projects.
The News Photographers Association of Canada (NPAC) has announced the nominees for the 14th Annual National Pictures of the Year (NPOY) awards competition. 2,000 photographs and 22 multimedia productions from 135 photographers and videographers across Canada were entered in this year’s contest. All nominated photographs can be viewed online at npac.ca, or in person during the Capture Photography Festival at the Pendulum Gallery in Vancouver from March 29 – April 23. The winners of each category, including the prestigious Photojournalist of the Year and Photograph of the Year, will be announced March 28.
The Jack Webster Foundation has announced its 2021 round of recipients for Professional Development Fellowships. They include: Manusha Janakiram, Senior Producer, What on Earth, CBC Radio One, whose fellowship will contribute to the cost of her Graduate Certificate in Values Based Leadership from Royal Roads University in Victoria; Francesca Fionda, Investigative Journalist, and Jennifer Leask, Instructor, Langara & Adjunct Professor, University of British Columbia, who will both complete the IRE (Investigative Reporters & Editors) Online Data Bootcamp for Educators; Ethan Morneau, Reporter, Vista Radio, who will take part in the Poynter Institute for Media Studies online seminar Will Work for Impact: Fundamentals of Investigative Journalism; and Moira Wyton, Health Reporter, The Tyee, who will take part in McGill University’s Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences course Epidemiology 101 for Journalists.
BROADCAST TECH & ENGINEERING:
NAB Show, set to take place Oct. 9-13 in Las Vegas, is inviting speaker submissions. NAB Show is seeking prospective presenters to take part in expert-led discussions on key trends and technologies driving the future of media and entertainment. Proposals for technical papers to be presented at the 75th Annual Broadcast Engineering and IT Conference should relate to pressing issues facing media professionals, including the ongoing transition to IT- and IP-based systems and the incorporation of artificial intelligence and machine learning, as well as next-generation systems throughout the media-delivery ecosystem. Submissions are also sought for conference programming focused on: best business practices in a developing content landscape; the intersection of content, marketing and technology behind advertising initiatives; cutting-edge trends in content delivery such as 5G; mobile video; satellite IP and streaming; behind-the-scenes deep dives on topics around cinematography, sound editing, technology implementation, workflow solutions and innovative techniques; and emerging trends shaping the future of content creation. Proposals for sessions on the NAB Show Main Stage are also being accepted. Click here for more information. The deadline for speaking proposals is April 30.
PODVERTORIAL: Presented by Audio Broadcast Canada, Ben Barber, CEO of Inovonics, returns to Broadcast Dialogue – The Podcast to talk about remote station monitoring. Listen on your favourite podcast app or here:
Dejero has signed a number of new European partners as part of its strategy to provide its connectivity solutions through rental companies to support increased demand for live video and real-time data across multiple sectors. Rob Waters, director of sales for EMEA and APAC, says the pandemic has caused many organizations to re-evaluate workflows that are now looking to trial new cost-effective methods to deliver high quality video or a reliable back-up system. Dejero says production companies are also adjusting workflows to accommodate remote collaborators. The most recent European rental partners to join the Dejero network include AV Pro and Centron in Austria, Kaptures (France), Profen (Turkey), Tividoo (Germany), Wired Broadcast and P&C Communications (UK) and Villrich Broadcast (Netherlands).
