The Weekly Briefing

REVOLVING DOOR:

Jeremy Clark has been promoted at CPAC to Vice President of Programming Operations and Communications. Clark most recently served on CPAC’s leadership team as Director of Programming Operations and Communications. He’ll now also oversee business affairs, compliance, and regulatory responsibilities.

Anick Dubois, Vice President of Finance, has informed management of her decision to leave TVA Group after more than 15 years with the company. In view of her departure, TVA Group has appointed Marjorie Daoust as VP of Finance. Daoust previously served as Senior Director of Finance, leading a team of over 20 people, and has been with the corporation since 2011. Among other things, she’ll be responsible for the execution of TVA Group’s financial plan.

Simone Lawrence is retiring from Canadian Broadcast Sales, effective April 6. Lawrence has been with the company for 25 years, most recently as Director, Insights. She also served two terms as President of the Broadcast Research Council of Canada over her 16 years as a board member with the organization.

Julie Nolin will fill-in on the anchor desk for Global BC Weekend News Hour at 6 and 11 p.m. as weekend news anchor Sarah MacDonald takes a one-year maternity leave. Nolin has been working with Global News since last September when she joined the network from CTV Vancouver.

Kimberley Fowler has joined CTV Ottawa as a Weekend Anchor & Producer. Fowler previously anchored the morning show on Global Regina. Prior to that, she was an airborne traffic reporter for the Canadian Traffic Network (CTN) in Toronto for 15 years, ending her time there as Director of Operations, Ontario.

Julie Stewart-Binks has struck a brand and content deal with Rush Street Interactive and BetRivers. Stewart-Binks, host of Drinks with Binks on FuboTV, has more than a decade of experience as a sports reporter and host on FOX Sports, ESPN, CTV, Warner Brothers Discovery Sports, NHL and NBC Sports. As part of the partnership, she’ll develop sportsbook, casino and lifestyle content for the brand and bring her interview skills to a new podcast on the BetRivers Network, in addition to making guest appearances on the Boomsies podcast, hosted by Dan O’Toole, and appear as a BetRivers ambassador.

Jeremy Baker has joined the morning show on Surge 105 (CKHY-FM) Halifax, alongside Amy Chabot. Baker was most recently one-half of the morning show on Pattison Media’s 102.7 The Peak (CKPK-FM), up until the company cut its on-air staff in January following the station’s move to HD Radio. Baker takes over the Surge 105 co-host role from Jeff Brown, who suffered a stroke in January on a flight to San Diego. Brown is expected to make a full recovery.

Earle Mader is set to retire from JACK 92.9 (CFLT-FM) Halifax this summer after 46 years in broadcasting. Mader has been the station’s Content Director for the last 11 years. He’s best known for his 30-year run with CHUM Radio in the market, starting in 1980, including stints as Director of Programming and Music Director, as well as on-air. Mader’s last day with Rogers Sports & Media will be Aug. 16.

Lenny Benoit, formerly of Stingray’s CFCB 570, is taking on the role of Station Manager at Bay of Islands Radio (CKVB-FM), the community station in Corner Brook, NL. Dean Clarke, previously the morning man on CKGA Gander, has also joined the station as an announcer, in addition to Tonya Organ, its first dedicated news reporter. The not-for-profit, which is celebrating more than a decade of broadcasting, has plans to apply to the CRTC for a power increase.

Karla Renić has left her Online Web Producer role at Global News Halifax. Renic had been with Global for the past three years, following her graduation from the University of King’s College Journalism program.

Kylee Winn has joined Rogers Sports & Media as a Digital Creator and Content Specialist – Music Brands. Winn was previously in a similar position at Indie88 (CIND-FM) Toronto. She’s also worked with 96.9 Humber Radio (CKHC-FM) as a Brand Coordinator.

William Johnson, who founded the Vancouver Tech Journal in 2018, is leaving the publication. Acquired by Overstory Media Group (OMG), Johnson had been serving as General Manager and Group Publisher of OMG’s tech journals for the last 11 months.

Drew Brown is leaving his position as Editor-in-Chief of The Independent. The founding editor of the publication in Jan. 2019, Brown was formerly a national politics columnist for VICE Canada from 2015-19, with his work also published by CBC, Newfoundland Quarterly, The Deep, and The Guardian. Justin Brake will take over as interim EIC later this month.

Jay Thomson is retiring as head of the Canadian Communications Systems Alliance (CCSA), the industry association representing over 100 independent internet, TV and telephone companies. Thomson, who has served as CEO since 2017, will step down following the association’s annual conference in St. John’s, NL, Sept. 11-13. Prior to joining CCSA, Thomson was Vice-President of Broadcasting and Regulatory Affairs at the Canadian Media Producers Association (CMPA) and President of the Canadian Association of Internet Providers. He’s also held senior regulatory positions with the Canadian Association of Broadcasters (CAB) and TELUS.

Sundeep Chauhan has been named President of CONNECT Music Licensing (CONNECT). Based in Toronto, Chauhan will serve as the chief advocate for CONNECT’s members and work to maximize revenue generated from royalties and tariffs. He joins CONNECT from the Motion Picture Association (MPA), where he worked for 11 years in a variety of senior roles, including Vice-President and Senior Counsel, Global Content Protection. Prior to MPA, he was external legal counsel to CONNECT and Vice-President and General Counsel for Re:Sound, among other positions. Chauhan takes over for Jackie Dean, who served as the organization’s Chief Financial Officer since 2002, and was named President in 2021. 

Martin Carrier has been appointed President of the Live Productions Division at Solotech Canada. Carrier, who joins the company from MELS Studios & Postproduction where he served as President the past two years, will take up his new position effective April 24, taking leadership of overall activities related to tours, festivals and local live productions and events in Canada. Martin Chouinard, who previously held the position, will continue with Solotech in a new strategic role of Chief Global Operations and Asset Officer.

Todd Gardner has been appointed Channel Manager, North America at Riedel Communications, and James Skupien and Ben Gabrielson to regional sales manager roles. Gardner takes the helm from Dave Caulwell, who moves into a new position as Regional Sales Director, East. Prior to joining Riedel, Gardner worked for more than 20 years at Grass Valley, where he held various roles including Director of Channel Sales. Skupien, based in Chicago, will serve as Regional Sales Manager, North Central, and Gabrielson, based in Arizona, will serve as Regional Sales Manager, South Central. Skupien was most recently at Vizrt, while Gabrielson was previously a Sales Manager at Evertz and LiveU.

Lisa Haller has joined the FIN Atlantic International Film Festival as Director of Programming. Haller, was formerly a programmer for TIFF for more than a decade, in addition to serving as the Senior Short Film Programmer for Whistler Film Festival and programming the Aspen Shortsfest. She succeeds Jason Beaudry, who parted ways with FIN after more than a decade, in December.

See more

Today marks a very special anniversary for a very special member of the Global Okanagan family. Our director Maureen Molloy is celebrating 30 years with Global News. Thank you for all you do Maureen! 🎉 pic.twitter.com/HrcI2UxuTB

— Global Okanagan (@GlobalOkanagan) March 24, 2023

MILESTONE: Control Room Director Maureen Malloy is marking 30 years with Global BC. Since joining the station in 1993, Malloy has worked on several different shows over the years, currently serving as the main director for weekday programming on Global Okanagan.

RADIO & PODCAST:

Vividata’s Spring 2023 Study of the Canadian Consumer indicates that 78% of Canadian adults (24.5 million) listen to radio/audio content in an average week, remaining relatively consistent over the past few years. The study found, however, that time spent listening is on the rise with Canadians now spending just over 13 hours on average per week with radio/audio content, compared to just under nine hours in 2021. Podcasts continue to grow in popularity reaching 29% (8.9 million) per week, up from 22% (6.8 million) in 2021, with listeners spending nearly an hour listening to podcasts per day. While trending lower each year, Vividata says conventional radio remains the most popular way to listen at 64% among all adults, compared to 76% in 2021. However, the audience for free or paid audio streaming services has grown from 43% to 54%, capping out at an even higher 66% for those under 35.

Ford is on track to drop AM radio from all vehicles manufactured in the U.S., beginning in 2024, while Volvo has already done so. Ford Canada has thus far not responded to an inquiry from Broadcast Dialogue on the automaker’s plans for Canada. U.S. Senator Ed Markey criticized the move last month saying Ford, Volvo, BMW, Mazda, Polestar, Rivian, Tesla, and Volkswagen – who have all removed AM from their electric vehicles due to drivetrain interference – have contravened the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) system for public safety alerts. Meanwhile, General Motors plans to phase out Apple CarPlay and Android Auto tech that allows drivers to bypass a vehicle’s infotainment system to play music off auxiliary devices, in favour of a built-in system, developed with Google, for future electric vehicles. As first reported by Reuters, GM will stop offering those systems in future EVs, starting with the 2024 Chevy Blazer. 

@jackermann_news #CKWX marks 100 years of #radio#broadcasting in#BC ♬ original sound  – John Ackermann

The Alberta Podcast Network, launched in 2017 to build audiences and advertising support for Alberta-based podcasts, is winding down its operations. APN President Karen Unland says the organization has reached “the end of the road” after distributing more than $125,000 to members in exchange for delivering ads over the last six years. Launching with 10 podcasts and an initial investment from ATB Financial, Unland says APN worked “as a not-very-profitable but still sustainable business” when it started, but the network has reached a point where it can’t afford to keep going with the changes in the ad-supported podcast business. Read more here.

Signal Hill Insights is highlighting new data suggesting that podcasting is reaching almost as many 18-34 year-olds as television. Signal Hill cites recent comparative advertising study The Medium Moves the Message from Sounds Profitable, it partnered in, which finds podcasting’s weekly reach among those 18-34 is now getting very close to that of AM/FM radio and network/cable TV. One-half (50%) of Americans, 18-34, reported listening to podcasts in the past week, just behind the weekly reach of linear TV at 54% and within 10 points of AM/FM at 59%. With a radio buy, Signal Hill says podcasts also reach the 12% of 25-54 Americans who aren’t listening to AM/FM.    

The Stingray Podcast Network has launched The Hot Tub Podcast, featuring Mauler, Rush, Jenni & Brady from The Morning Hot Tub on Ottawa’s The New Hot 89.9 (CIHT-FM). The Morning Hot Tub also airs on Hot 105.5 (CKQK-FM) Charlottetown, Hot 101.9 Sydney (CHRK-FM), Hot 93.7 (CKWY-FM) Wainwright, AB and Hot 101.3 (CJEG-FM) Bonnyville, AB.

The Sonar Network has launched How Can We Help?, a new show by JUNO Comedy Album of the Year nominee Jackie Pirico and Mark Little (Mr. D, Gary and His Demons). On How Can We Help?, Jackie and Mark share unsolicited advice on how to improve your life. Got a nosy neighbour? A workplace dilemma? Or a love problem? Listeners are invited to submit their own questions and dilemmas for the comedians to weigh in on. Brought to you by the team behind My Gorgeous Son and This Is Rats Nest, special guests include comedians like Brandon Wardell (I Think You Should Leave, Curb Your Enthusiasm), Chris Wilson (This Hour Has 22 Minutes), Kayla Lorette (New Eden), and Michael Balazo (Schitt’s Creek).

Spotify is set to shut down Spotify Live, its Clubhouse-style live audio app on April 30. Launched in early 2021 with Spotify’s acquisition of audio-based social networking sports app Locker Room, and its creator Betty Labs, some of the app’s live shows will continue on as podcasts. Reddit Talk was shuttered last month, while Facebook’s live audio rooms wound down in December.

Canadian Music Week (CMW), together with Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment (MLSE), has announced the new Scotiabank Arena Bursary Program, to be granted to 15 aspiring music industry professionals in 2023. In an effort to continue introducing new talent into the live entertainment industry, the program aims to provide an avenue for aspiring music executives to participate in CMW for the first time, learn more about the industry and build their network. Each recipient will receive a 2023 CMW Music Summit Conference pass and direct access to industry representatives through pre-arranged one-on-one meetings in the CMW Conference Mentor’s Café. Applications are being accepted online until April 30.

LISTEN: Kat Carter, aka “The Radio Nerd,” has established her entire brand based on knowing cool things about radio. She started The Radio Nerd in 2019 after a decade in the industry, and has since grown a strong following across her social media platforms. Carter shares, among other things, what caused her to eventually pivot away from working in radio to pursue voiceover work. Listen on your favourite podcast app or here:

The Pro Bono Group, a collection of advertising and media pros who offer radio creative at no charge to worthwhile organizations, has released the fourth and final PSA in its series supporting Canadian food banks. Entitled “Food Banks – Not Retail,” stations with questions can contact Mike Occomore (mikeoccomore@gmail.com) or Larry MacInnis (dlarrymac@gmail.com).

https://broadcastdialogue.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Food-Bank_Not-Retail_Pro-Bono-Group_ENG_RADIO_30Sec_113022_Full-Mix.wav?_=1

SIGN OFFS:

Red Robinson, 86, on April 1. Robinson started his broadcasting career while still in high school at CJOR Vancouver in 1954 and is credited as one of the first Canadian disc jockeys to regularly spin rock n’ roll on the West Coast. From there, he went on to on-air stints with CKWX, starting in 1957, which played Top 40 at the time, and then KGW Portland where he worked in both radio and television. After a stint in the army, he returned to Vancouver in 1961 to take on the role of program director at CFUN. He eventually returned to CJOR as Operations Manager, and then CKWX where he hosted mornings from 1973-83. Nationally syndicated oldies show “Reunion” followed from 1985-93. Robinson went on to host mornings on 650 CISL Vancouver. While he semi-retired from radio in 2007, he continued to be heard on the station on and off until 2017. Robinson’s more than six-decade career also saw him host numerous television programs, including CBC-TV bandstand-style show “Let’s Go” from 1963-66 and Trivia Challenge from 1979-80, which is said to have inspired the creation of the Trivial Pursuit board game. He also served as the host of the long-running Red’s Classic Theater on KVOS-TV Bellingham, WA until 2001. In addition to his work in broadcasting, he founded several advertising ventures, including Trend Advertising, which would later become Palmer Jarvis, and Vrlak Robinson Advertising. Robinson was elected into the Rock n’ Roll Hall of Fame in 1994, the Canadian Broadcast Hall of Fame in 1997, and the Rockabilly Hall of Fame in 2000. He was appointed to the Order Of British Columbia in 2016. Read more here.

Trevor Harvey, 74, on March 4, in Nanaimo. Originally from North Vancouver, Harvey studied Mass Communication & Media at Simon Fraser University before embarking on a radio, advertising and marketing career. Among other stops over the years, he enjoyed a 12-year run at CJKC Kamloops, in addition to working with Mountain FM (CISQ-FM) Squamish, JR Country (CJJR-FM) Vancouver, 980 CKNW and Rock 101 (CFMI-FM) Vancouver, CFVR Abbotsford, SUN FM (CJSU-FM) Duncan (where he served as General Manager and General Sales Manager), and more recently The Raven (CKCC-FM) Campbell River. He also ran his own company, Peak Performance Services, for nearly two decades.

David B. Thompson, 73, on Jan. 8. Thompson started his broadcast career in 1966 at CKNX Wingham, ON, pulling cable and working in VTR and other production positions. He was hired by Doug McCormick in 1973 at CFTO, where he started as a VTR operator and worked his way up to editor, the beginning of an award-winning editing career, which in the early days included editing Canadian series like “Night Heat” and “The Littlest Hobo.” Work on “Due South,” “La Femme Nikita,” “Flashpoint”, “Bitten,” “Rogue,” “Hemlock Grove,” and “Fortunate Son” followed, among many other productions. Thompson was nominated for an Emmy in 2002 for the pilot of “24” and was a five-time Gemini Award nominee, including two nods for Due South. He was part of the team that won a DGC Award in 2009 for television mini-series “The Summit” and captured a Canadian Cinema Editors Award in 2011 for “Living in Your Car.”

TV & FILM:

LISTEN: Canadian Screen Week makes its in-person return, starting April 11, with seven awards shows celebrating Canada’s screen media and the talent behind it, culminating in a star-studded broadcast special on CBC on April 16, hosted by comedian Samantha Bee. Tammy Frick, CEO of the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television (the Canadian Academy), joins the latest episode of Broadcast Dialogue – The Podcast to talk about taking leadership of the organization, the Academy’s move to gender-neutral performance categories, and the importance of coming together to celebrate Canadian content. Listen on your favourite podcast app or here:

ACTRA Toronto has announced its Outstanding Performance nominees for its on-camera and voice awards, set to be handed out April 26. It has also announced Paul Rutledge as the recipient of this year’s ACTRA Toronto Stunt Award. Known for his work in more than 145 feature films and series, Rutledge has performed stunt work in films like Nightmare Alley, RoboCop, The Incredible Hulk, and Johnny Mnemonic, and served as stunt coordinator on countless other productions, including TV series Reign, Relic Hunter, and Due South. Find the full list of nominations here.

Youth Media Alliance (YMA) has unveiled the nominees for their Awards of Excellence with the winners to be revealed during a gala evening May 31 at CBC’s Glenn Gould Studio in Toronto. Find the full list of nominees here. 

 

 

The Canadian Film Fest (CFF) has revealed its 2023 award winners, following a successful five-day festival at Toronto’s Scotiabank Theatre and virtually across Canada on Super Channel Fuse. Monia Chokri’s Babysitter won Best Feature and Best Set Design, Adrian Murray was honoured with DGC Ontario’s Best Director award for his film Retrograde, Fanie Pelletier’s documentary Bloom was awarded the William F. White Reel Canadian Indie Award, and Sandrine Brodeur-Desrosiers’s How To Get My Parents To Divorce won the feature film jury awards. Additionally, Joy Webster’s Menace won Best Short Film and Polarized took home People’s Pick for Best Flick. 

Alanis Obomsawin will receive the MacDowell Medal in July from the American arts organization, recognizing an artist who has made an outstanding contribution to their field. She joins past medal recipients, including Robert Frost, Georgia O’Keeffe, John Updike, Toni Morrison, and David Lynch. Obomsawin, 90, an Abenaki who was born in New Hampshire, has 56 films to her credit, including landmark documentaries Kanehsatake: 270 Years of Resistance (1993), documenting the 1990 Mohawk uprising in Kanehsatake and Oka, Quebec, and Incident at Restigouche (1984), a behind-the-scenes look at Quebec police raids on a Mi’kmaq reserve. Author Jesse Wente will introduce Obomsawin at the MacDowell awards ceremony in New Hampshire.  

The Canada Media Fund (CMF) will invest nearly $366M in the Canadian television and interactive digital media industries for its new fiscal year, starting April 1. The 2023 federal budget included an additional $40M investment in the CMF over the next two years, which its current program budget does not take into account. Key changes for 2023-24, include the introduction of a Narrative Positioning Policy to help ensure that storytelling in CMF-funded projects is done responsibly and inclusively and separate guidelines for programs focused on predevelopment funding, development for targeted communities, and regional incentives. 

National Canadian Film Day (CanFilmDay) will celebrate its 10th anniversary on April 19 with over 1,300 live events taking place from coast-to-coast and another 120 events internationally. Among this year’s highlights, late Canadian screen legend Gordon Pinsent will be celebrated with multiple screenings of John and the Missus, the award-winning 1987 feature he wrote, directed and starred in, including an all-day Gordon Pinsent marathon (featuring 1972’s The Rowdyman and 2006 drama Away From Her) in Toronto at Scotiabank Theatre. Groundbreaking Mi’kmaw filmmaker Jeff Barnaby, who died last October following a battle with cancer, will also be honoured with a special screening of Barnaby’s 2019 horror feature, Blood Quantum, followed by a live Q&A with star Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers. Read more here.

CBC, Netflix and APTN have greenlit a new Arctic comedy series. Inuit co-creators Stacey Aglok MacDonald and Alethea Arnaquq-Baril are set to Executive Produce, alongside Miranda de Pencier. The untitled comedy series that will film in Nunavut follows a young Inuk mother who wants to build a new future for herself in her small Arctic town where everyone knows your business. 

Netflix has ordered limited series Tall Pines, a thriller from Canadian comedian Mae Martin (Feel Good, The Flight Attendant), who’ll also star in the series, set in a bucolic but sinister town that explores the insidious underbelly of the “troubled teen industry.” Martin is serving as creator, as well as co-showrunner and executive producer, alongside Ryan Scott (Servant, Treadstone, Fear The Walking Dead). Sphere Media is producing with Ben Farrell executive producing through his company, Objective Fiction (Feel Good, The Gold), along with Hannah Mackay (Peep Show, Year of the Rabbit), Jennifer Kawaja (Sort Of, The Porter, Cardinal), and Bruno Dubé (Transplant, The Sticky).

Corus Entertainment’s Nelvana has teamed up with Toikido, a London-based entertainment company at the cutting edge of digital design and toys, to develop a new animated kids series based on gaming IP, Piñata Smashlings. Launching in 2023, Piñata Smashlings will debut on Roblox this June. Plans are underway to launch ancillary productions like toys, plush, apparel, homewares, publishing, magazines and animation.

Headspinner Productions, which is celebrating its fifth anniversary this week, and CBC Kids, have announced that production has begun on new live-action preschool series Aunty B’s House, created by and starring Khalilah Brooks. Aunty B’s House (20×7) is a live-action sitcom for preschoolers and their families, set in a foster home. The series is based on Brooks’ own experiences growing up in the Canadian foster care system and will address some difficult themes not usually seen in preschool television, including becoming a new foster child, and social worker and parental visits. 

Accessible Media Inc. (AMI), in partnership with Border2Border Entertainment and OUTtv, will debut web series Womb Envy on AMI.ca, the AMI-tv App and OUTtv.com on May 10. Created by Toronto drag artist Champagna, Womb Envy (12 x 15 min.) is written by Mark Keller, directed by Jake Horowitz and produced by Charlie David of Border2Border Entertainment for AMI-tv and OUTtv. The series follows Max (played by queer Afro-Filipino actor Daniel Fernandes), who develops a rare condition known as couvade syndrome, bizarrely displaying pregnancy symptoms which become increasingly difficult to hide.

Accessible Media Inc. (AMI), in association with Halifax Comedy Fest and Premiere Entertainment Group, is making tickets available for its free, live taping of All Access Comedy, hosted by comedian D.J. Demers, a stand-up special featuring comedians from the disability community. To be filmed live during the 2023 Halifax Comedy Fest on Sunday, April 30 at the Spatz Theatre in Halifax, the one-hour show also features Courtney Gilmour, Darryl Lenox, Tanyalee Davis, Ahren Belisle, and Ryan Lachance. ASL interpreters, CART real-time captioning technology and increased wheelchair accessible seating options will make the event truly inclusive.

Lone Eagle Entertainment has acquired the life story rights of George Kresge, a.k.a. The Amazing Kreskin, and is currently in development on a feature-length documentary, set to premiere in 2024. Award-winning journalist, documentarian and television producer Allen Abel is on board as producer, joining Lone Eagle President Michael Geddes, who serves as Executive Producer. The Amazing Kreskin, now 88, has appeared on stages from Broadway to Las Vegas and TV, including 61 The Tonight Show appearances from 1970-80, in addition to Late Night with David Letterman, The Howard Stern Show, and Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. This is the second feature-length documentary from Lone Eagle Entertainment, coming on the heels of Offside: The Harold Ballard Story for CBC and CBC Gem earlier this year.

Team Canada are on home ice in Brampton, April 5-16, in search of a gold medal three-peat at the 2023 IIHF Women’s World Championship. TSN has live coverage of every game of the tournament, including the Quarter-Finals, Semifinals, and Gold Medal Game, on TSN, TSN.ca, and the TSN app. Network coverage features play-by-play commentator Kenzie Lalonde, alongside analyst Cheryl Pounder, as well as play-by-play from Daniella Ponticelli with Sami Jo Small as analyst. Hosting TSN’s coverage is two-time IIHF gold medallist and Olympic gold medallist Tessa Bonhomme and Sportscentre’s Laura Diakun with panelists Small, Hockey Hall of Famer Jayna Hefford, Lori Dupuis, and Becky Kellar. TSN’s Leafs Lunch co-host Julia Tocheri and BarDown’s Raegan Subban report rinkside in Brampton. 

Paramount Global Streaming Research and Insights has released a new research study suggesting more than half of Canadians are using FAST (Free Ad-Support Streaming Television) services as a companion throughout the day. Exploring the rapid growth of the FAST channel universe, more than 5,000 consumers, ages 18-64, were interviewed across eight markets, including Canada. Key insights among Canadian consumers include that 78% of those interviewed find FAST services easy to use. FAST channels act as a companion throughout the day for 63% of Canadians interviewed, with 74% agreeing that there’s always something to watch. Over 80% are surprised by the amount of content available for free, while roughly 7.5 in 10 FAST users said they “love” having both live TV and on demand in one service. The study also found that 72% of Canadians surveyed, and 69% overall, accept ads as part of the FAST experience. Read more here.

REGULATORY, TELECOM & MEDIA:

Rogers Communications and Shaw Communications’ historic $26 billion dollar merger has closed after clearing the final regulatory hurdle with the approval of the transfer of Shaw’s Freedom Mobile to Videotron by Innovation, Science & Industry (ISED) Min. François-Philippe Champagne. Rogers, which is subject to a number of conditions under terms of the ISED approval – most of which were included in its original merger proposal – has reaffirmed those commitments, including $1 billion to improve connectivity for rural, remote, and Indigenous communities and unserved remote highways in Western Canada; investing $2.5 billion to expand and upgrade Rogers 5G network in the western provinces; and investing $3 billion in technology and network services in the region. Laura Tribe, Executive Director of OpenMedia, a non-profit advocating for affordable internet service, called the decision “a dark day for the Internet in Canada,” while Federal NDP leader Jagmeet Singh accused the Liberal government of putting corporate interests over those of Canadian consumers. Read more here.

The Commission for Complaints for Telecom-television Services (CCTS) 2022-2023 Mid-Year Report indicates complaints were up 12% year-over-year, with over half of all issues raised by consumers about wireless (mobile) services. Internet issues were the second biggest irritant for consumers, representing over one out of four issues raised. Complaints about Rogers increased by 29% during the reporting period, now the most complained-about service provider, largely driven by a significant increase in complete loss of service issues, which more than doubled. Complaints about TELUS were up a whopping 81% and Koodo up more than 75%, while Fido saw a nearly 18% increase in customer grievances. Complaints about Bell services were down six per cent.

The Canadian Journalism Foundation (CJF) has announced its shortlists for the CJF Jackman Awards for Excellence in Journalism, honouring news organizations that embody exemplary journalism. The five finalists in the Large Media category (more than 50 full-time employees) include: CTV News for Broken System: EMS Crisis in Alberta; Global News with APTN for Profiting Off Kids; The Globe and Mail for its coverage of the sexual assault scandals at Hockey Canada; the Investigative Journalism Bureau/Toronto Star for Suspended, their reporting on unfair driver’s licence loss in Ontario; and The Narwhal/Toronto Star for their investigation into the Ontario government’s decision to open protected greenbelt land to development. Those shortlisted in the Small Media category are: Canada’s National Observer for The Salmon People podcast; CBC Saskatchewan for its investigation into Indigenous ancestry claims by lawyer/academic Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond; The Discourse Nanaimo for It Takes a Village; Eastern Graphic for Through the Cracks; and the Winnipeg Free Press for parallel investigations into haphazard physician and teacher oversight in Manitoba. All story submissions are available on the CJF awards page. Winners will be announced at the CJF Awards ceremony on June 13 in Toronto.

The Canadian Journalism Foundation (CJF) has announced the inaugural CJF-Edward Burtynsky Award for Climate Photojournalism will go to Iqaluit photojournalist Dustin Patar. Patar won for his evocative image showing researchers peering into a crack in the Milne Ice Shelf, published in The Narwhal last September. The $5,000 award celebrates provocative, impactful and inspirational climate photography from around the world. Patar’s work focuses on the environment and the Arctic and has appeared on CBC Indigenous and in The Narwhal, Vice, Hakai Magazine, Nunatsiaq News and Arctic Today. 

The Ori Siegel Memorial Graduating Award is being established at Conestoga College, supported by the Class of ’81, Conestoga Radio and Television, and friends and family, in memory of Siegel, an alumnus of the program who passed away March 17. A former CBC Toronto Master Control and VTR operator and CFTO-TV technician, Siegel also taught a music class at Conestoga College for many years. He was highly regarded for his support of classmates and students, and their endeavours, in addition to his passion for music and theatre. The award will be presented annually to a student in their graduating year in Broadcasting – Television and Independent Production who exemplifies that same spirit. Donations are being accepted here. 

BROADCAST TECH & ENGINEERING:

ADVERTORIAL: Dielectric has devoted much of Q1 preparing for a busy NAB Show, April 15-19, which includes rolling out new product developments for 2023. Several of these new products, including its Apollo RF analytics software and manifold combiners, address emerging requirements for both TV and radio broadcasters in the same solution. A third new product built for both FM and UHF TV customers  reimagines the RF filter topology as an analysis and troubleshooting point for TV and FM radio engineers, allowing broadcasters to proof feeds within the filter as they exit the transmitter and approach the RF load or the antenna. Designed primarily for low-power broadcasters, Dielectric’s Advanced Filter Topology innovation eliminates the traditional RF switch and other interconnections between the filter and transmitter. The novel “switchless switch” approach creates a single unit that is easy to install, easy to manage, and easy on budgets. Read more here.

Synamedia has unveiled Quortex Link, an industry-first, pay-as-you-go, self-service multi-tenant SaaS platform for video distribution. It enables content providers to deliver live video content point-to-point globally through a secure cloud distribution network. Through its pay-as-you-use pricing model, providers are only billed for the time a link is active. Designed as an open platform, it can deliver live streams using several protocols including SRT (Secure Reliable Transport) or Zixi. 

SMPTE is seeking technical papers for the SMPTE 2023 Media Technology Summit, Oct. 16-19, in Hollywood. SMPTE is also accepting proposals for its popular SMPTE Storytellers series. This year’s Media Technology Summit will aim to present the latest innovative processes, tools, workflows, interoperability solutions, and standards. Original, previously unpublished manuscripts, submitted as an abstract between 300 and 400 words, are being accepted until May 30. Topics include, but are not limited to: 5G, AI and Machine Learning, Audio, Blockchain, Color science, Cloud media, Communication, networking, and broadcast technologies, and Compression. Previously published, product-specific, commercial, sales, or promotional papers will not be considered. Student papers are strongly encouraged.

The pool, the palms, and the drinks are ready!

The Great Canadian Suite at NAB Show is back for 2023! Get ready to meet and mingle with 500 other Canadian attendees.

Flamingo Las Vegas Hotel & Casino

Beach Club Pool

3555 Las Vegas Blvd South, Las Vegas, NV 89109

Monday, April 17

6 p.m. – 9 p.m.

Early Bird Tickets: Early bird sale ends April 7th / Advance Tickets: Advance ticket sale ends April 14th. Learn more here.

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