REVOLVING DOOR:
Ron McKenzie has been named Rogers Communications’ new Chief Technology & Information Officer in the wake of the July 8 outage that saw more than 10 million Canadians lose access to cellular, internet and other services. McKenzie previously served as President, Rogers for Business, for the past year and has been with the company since 2019 when he retired from Shaw Communications where he held various executive roles. He replaces Jorge Fernandes, who had been in the CTO role since 2018. Read more here.
Ken Geddes, Director of Operations for Stingray in Nova Scotia & New Brunswick, will be leaving the company at the end of August. Geddes, who has been with Newcap/Stingray for 15 years, has accepted a position with Sysco Foods as VP National Sales, Atlantic Region. With Geddes departure, Stingray will transition its Atlantic operations to a new management structure. Geddes started his radio career in 1984 as an announcer at Annapolis Valley Radio (AVR) in Kentville, NS. He joined Newcap in New Minas, NS as General Manager/General Sales Manager in 2007, before transitioning to a similar role in Halifax in 2010.
Steven D’Souza is a new co-host of CBC News’ The Fifth Estate, joining Bob McKeown, Gillian Findlay and Mark Kelley. D’Souza has been with the public broadcaster since 2000, most recently as a reporter for Marketplace. He’s also served as a reporter and video journalist in P.E.I. and Toronto and worked as a foreign correspondent in New York City, among other roles. The 48th season of The Fifth Estate will premiere Thursday, Sept. 29.
Michael Serapio has been named the new English anchor at Cable Public Affairs Channel (CPAC). In addition to being the face of CPAC’s live programming, he will also anchor CPAC’s nightly show, PrimeTime Politics. The first Filipino-Canadian male to anchor a national newscast in Canada, Serapio started his career with production roles at CTV Ottawa and then cut his teeth as a reporter at CTV Vancouver, before returning to Toronto and Citytv. He joined CBC News Network as an anchor and host in 2010. Serapio joins CPAC on Aug. 22. Read more here.
Dan Misener, Director of Audience Development at Pacific Content, and Jonas Woost, Director of Strategy, have both left the Rogers Sports & Media-owned branded podcast and content studio. Misener had been with Pacific Content since 2016, while Woost joined in 2019 from TELUS Storyhive. Both have indicated they plan on pursuing a new entrepreneurial venture in the podcast space. On his way out, Misener shared 14 of the most important lessons learned during his time with Pacific Content. Founders Steve Pratt and Chris Boyce departed the company earlier this year.
Buck Martinez made his return to the Toronto Blue Jays broadcast booth on Tuesday, July 26. Martinez, 73, has been absent from Sportsnet since mid-April while undergoing cancer treatment. The former MLB player, who did stints as a catcher and manager for the Jays, has been working as a colour commentator for the team off and on since 1987, initially for TSN. He’s been with Sportsnet since 2010.
Joanne Dzierza has added Assistant Program Director to her duties at 102.3 The Wave (CKWZ-FM) Nanaimo. Dzierza has been with Pattison Media since 2014 and an on-air personality with its Nanaimo stations since 2015. She also serves as The Wave’s Music Director.
Sheri Rempel has been appointed the interim Chief Financial Officer of Vancouver-headquartered Liquid Media Group, following the resignation of Andy Wilson. Rempel has more than 30 years of accounting and financial management experience and currently serves as CFO and Controller of several corporations including Mobio Technologies, Victory Square and Nubeva. Wilson, who had been in the CFO role for a little over a year, leaves the company in tandem with the departure of CEO Ron Thomson. Wilson is also an Associate Director of the Cameron Thomson Group.
Trent Locke is the new Executive Vice-President of Finance and Analytics for the Canada Media Fund (CMF). Overseeing the Analytics & Strategic Insights, Finance & Administration, and HR teams, Locke will guide the CMF’s day-to-day business and financial operations. He was formerly VP of Finance and Chief Operating Officer at Portfolio Entertainment, and before that spent 14 years at Teletoon Canada as VP of Business Operations.
Brent Jolly will continue to serve as President of the Canadian Association of Journalists (CAJ) for the coming year. Fatima Syed, will also continue as a CAJ Vice-President, joined by veteran investigative journalist Cecil Rosner. Zane Schwartz and Paul Schneidereit will continue to serve as Chair and Treasurer, respectively. Karyn Pugliese will continue in her capacity as Past President. New members added to the board’s executive include: Laurie Few (Vice-chair) and Paula Tran (Community Manager). In addition to the executive roles, Jason Markusoff returns as chair of the CAJ’s awards committee, and new board member Angel Moore will chair the CAJ’s new Indigenous issues committee. Eva Holland will serve as CAJ’s Northern regional director; Anja Karadeglija will represent the National Capital Region; and Melissa Martin will represent Manitoba and Northwestern Ontario. Board seats representing Saskatchewan, Quebec, and the Toronto region remain unfilled.
RADIO & PODCAST:
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Pattison Media has debuted its NOW!radio brand in Vancouver. 102.7 NOW!radio is being heard on CKPK-FM, formerly home to Alternative Rock station 102.7 The PEAK, which as of Monday has moved over to HD Radio. The talent lineup helming the Hot Adult Contemporary format includes Christy Farrell and Fraser Tuff, who arrive from the morning show at the similarly formatted 101.5 Today Radio (CKCE-FM) Calgary. Farrell and Tuff will take over mornings, while Brayden Mack from 102.3 NOW!radio (CKNO-FM) Edmonton will be heard in middays. Denai Johnson, who has been co-hosting afternoons on Virgin Radio (CHSU-FM) Kelowna, joins the station as the host of afternoon drive. Sharing swing duties on evenings and weekends are Jaclyn Tatay, who arrives from Pulse FM (CISF-FM) Surrey, and longtime The Peak personality Emily Czerwinski. Read more here.
The Western Hockey League’s Kelowna Rockets and Pattison Media have reached a three-year deal to air regular season and playoff games on 104.7 The Lizard (CKLZ-FM). The broadcast rights were previously held by Bell Media’s AM 1150 (CKFR-AM), the team’s broadcast partner for nearly 25 years. Pattison plans to support the team through its video-stories app Kelowna10, as well as sister radio station, 103.1 Beach Radio (CKQQ-FM), in addition to a new online channel to live stream game audio and host other Rocket content. Regan Bartel has joined Pattison Media as the voice of the Kelowna Rockets. Since 2000, he’s called over 2,000 regular season, playoff and Memorial Cup games and will begin his 23rd season as the voice of the team when the Rockets opens their 2022-23 regular season at home vs. the Portland Winterhawks on Saturday, Sept. 24.
And here it is! #DaveBookman #HeritagePlaque #StayPositive #LoveMusic @BenKowalewiczBT #BecauseWeLoveIt pic.twitter.com/DmrJLnydEV
— Live Music Canada (@LiveMusicCda) July 26, 2022
Dave “Bookie” Bookman has been posthumously honoured with a Heritage Toronto plaque outside the Horseshoe Tavern at Queen and Spadina where he hosted long-running, weekly live music showcase Nu Music Night, concurrent with a radio career that included contributing to 102.1 The Edge (CFNY-FM) for more than two decades and a six-year run at Indie88 (CIND-FM). A fierce crusader for independent music, Bookman passed away in May 2019, following a brain aneurysm.
The CRTC has found that the market of Newmarket, ON cannot support an additional commercial radio station at this time. Consequently, the commission will return an application filed by Frank Torres, on behalf of a corporation to be incorporated, for a broadcasting licence to operate a commercial radio station in Newmarket. The commission will publish an application by Pickering College Campus Radio for a broadcast licence to operate a new English-language community FM station in this market as part of the non-appearing phase of an upcoming public hearing.
The CRTC has found that the market of Sarnia, ON cannot support an additional commercial radio station at this time. The commission will return an application filed by Sarnia Media and Entertainment for a broadcasting licence to operate an English-language low-power commercial FM station in Sarnia.
The CRTC has found that the Squamish, BC market can sustain an additional radio station. Given that no parties other than Four Senses Entertainment submitted an application to serve the market, the commission will publish their application for a broadcasting licence to operate a new English-language commercial FM station.
The CRTC has granted an extension until Sept. 2, 2023 for the Vernon Community Radio Society (VCRS) to get its new station, CFAV-FM, on-the-air. Helmed by society president and radio veteran Gord Leighton, VCRS is still fundraising for a transmitter and other equipment. In its application to the commission, the society cited obstacles to its progress, including the COVID-19 pandemic and last year’s wildfires in the Okanagan.
The National Football League and SiriusXM have announced a five-year extension of their broadcasting and marketing agreement. The new agreement extends their content partnership, which began in 2004, beyond two decades. SiriusXM becomes the exclusive third-party audio provider of every NFL game across North America, with subscribers continuing to receive access to every NFL game live through Super Bowl LXI in 2027 on SiriusXM radio and on the SXM App, as well as SiriusXM NFL Radio. The SXM App offers 32 NFL team channels, each dedicated to carrying the official radio broadcast for each NFL team. Starting this season, each team channel on the SXM App will now also feature the team’s pre- and post-game shows before and after every game.
LISTEN: On the latest Sound Off Podcast, Matt Cundill catches up with Jamie Cawdell, Assistant Programme Controller at Radio Essex in England. He is also the curator of the CHR Prep Service used by radio stations around the world including Virgin Radio in Canada and Z100 in New York. In this episode, you’ll hear how Cawdell got started in radio, the ins and outs of producing a breakfast radio show, and why he started his prep service. Listen on your favourite podcast app or here:
SIGN OFFS:
Dave Fisher, 71, on July 20, after suffering a heart attack. Fisher began his radio career in Lindsay, ON, followed by stops in Peterborough, Winnipeg and Ottawa, before landing in Montreal in 1984. Fisher began hosting CJAD 800’s weekend shows, including The Trivia Show, Dave’s World, and The Home Improvement Show. He was the voice of the weekend morning time slot for 32 years up until his retirement in 2016.
Shelley Hartman, 69, on July 17. A highly-rated jock on CHEZ 106 Ottawa from 1977 until the late 1990s, Hartman was one of the station’s original DJs at launch. Hartman had a 21-year career at CHEZ before moving on to follow her passion for Greek and Roman Studies at Carleton University. She went on to become an archaeologist and member of Carleton’s Classics Society.
TV & FILM:
Bell has unveiled the next evolution of Fibe TV which leverages Google Android TV technology. Fibe TV now provides access to over 7,000 apps from Google Play, including Crave, Netflix and Prime Video via voice remote powered by Google Assistant, and universal search capabilities across Fibe TV and supported streaming services. With added Cloud PVR capabilities, viewers can also store content for up to a year to watch at their own convenience. Read more here.
CTV and Entertainment One (eOne), together with Buffalo Gal Pictures, has announced that actress, director, and producer Lea Thompson (Back To The Future, Caroline in the City) and Canadian actress Stacey Farber (Virgin River, Schitt’s Creek) will headline upcoming CTV Original series, The Spencer Sisters. Created by Alan McCullough (Private Eyes, Rookie Blue) and executive produced and co-showrun by McCullough and Jenn Engels (Sort Of), the lighthearted 10-episode, one-hour series centres on a hot-headed former police officer (Farber) and her estranged, mystery novelist mother (Thompson), who become partners in a private detective agency. The Spencer Sisters is set to begin production next month in Winnipeg, with broadcast slated for 2023.
CBC has announced broadcast and streaming premiere dates for its fall 2022 slate of new and returning programming, including 26 original series and specials from Canadian creators, producers, and storytellers reflecting people, places and perspectives from across the country. The new fall primetime schedule launches Monday, Sept. 12 on CBC TV and CBC Gem. Among the schedule highlights, The National returns anchored by newly-named Chief Correspondent Adrienne Arsenault on the desk, Monday to Thursday, and Ian Hanomansing continuing to host on Friday and Sunday. Family Feud Canada also returns with an all-new season Sept. 12, along with Murdoch Mysteries and Arctic thriller The North Water. CBC Gem originals this fall include the launch of Netflix co-production FAKES, premiering Sept. 1, while variety show LIDO TV, hosted by Colombian-Canadian musician and artist Lido Pimienta, gets its debut Sept. 23.
CBC Gem will begin streaming a new documentary on Aug. 5 from Tiffany Ayalik and Caroline Cox’s Copper Quartz Media. Okpik: Little Village in the Arctic, shot in the Arctic and commissioned by CBC Manitoba, follows Kylik Kisoun Taylor and his team as they build a traditional Inuvialuit log cabin with a sod roof. The project was made in an effort to create housing security and an opportunity for language and cultural revitalization in the traditional territory of the Beaufort Delta. The film, to be released in both English and endangered language Inuvialuktun, is the first of its kind to be broadcast on a national streaming platform.
CBC, Insight Productions and The Gurin Company have announced production details for new original Canadian factual competition format, Canada’s Ultimate Challenge. Hosted by sports broadcaster Nikki Reyes and professional snowboarder and CBC Sports analyst Craig McMorris, the series is shooting this summer and will see the entire country turned into one giant obstacle course with challenges in Whitehorse, YK; Squamish, BC; Kelowna, BC; Hinton, AB; Sudbury, ON; Thousand Islands, ON; and Québec City, culminating with the finale on the Confederation Bridge between New Brunswick and P.E.I. The series (8×60) is set to premiere on CBC and CBC Gem in winter 2023. 24 Canadians from across the country will compete with six Canadian athletes coaching and mentoring teams of four through physical and mental challenges. They include Olympic sprinting legend Donovan Bailey; Waneek Horn-Miller, co-captain of the Canadian water polo Olympic team in Sydney; Clara Hughes, six-time Olympic medallist in cycling and speed skating; three-time speed-skating Olympian Gilmore Junio; Jen Kish, former captain of Canada’s Olympic bronze medal-winning rugby sevens team; and Luke Willson, Super Bowl Champion with the Seattle Seahawks and competitive cyclist.
The HISTORY® Channel premieres Deadman’s Curse on Sept. 11 which sees four fearless explorers band together to solve the legend of Slumach’s lost gold mine, an Indigenous man rumoured to have discovered a lucrative stash of gold in the mountains of B.C. Distributed by Corus Studios, the series follows the team as they face extreme weather, unforgiving terrain, and a 100-year-old curse while chasing cryptic clues. Making up the group is prospector Kru Williams, mountaineer Adam Palmer, Indigenous explorer Taylor Starr and her father Don Froese.
Blue Ant Media has launched new free-streaming channel, HistoryTime. The channel will debut in the U.S. and Canada on LG Channels, LG’s free streaming service available on LG smart TVs. HistoryTime showcases stories and events that have shaped humanity, from ancient times to modern events. The launch of the channel builds on Blue Ant Media’s momentum and expansion into the emerging free streaming space, while also expanding its existing partnership with LG. HistoryTime’s exclusive programming across the U.S. and Canada includes: M.A.D. World, a contemporary examination of Cold War conflicts; Who Killed Gandhi? examining the murder of Mahatma Gandhi who ushered India to independence in 1947; Frank Lloyd Wright: The Man Who Built America, where renowned Welsh architect Jonathan Adams explores the cultural impact of Frank Lloyd Wright’s groundbreaking buildings; Fidel Castro: An Unauthorized Bio, exploring the Cuban dictator’s rise to power and his place in history; and Hitler’s Gold, which unmasks the people and organizations who bankrolled the Nazi Party. HistoryTime joins Love Nature, Total Crime, Homeful, and HauntTV in Blue Ant’s growing portfolio of FAST channels.
Stingray has reached an agreement for the distribution of a suite of FAST channels on LG smart TVs. LG Channels’ users will have free access to Stingray Music audio channels across the most popular genres, including Classic Rock, Easy Listening, Everything ‘80s, Greatest Hits, Hit List, Hip-Hop, Hot Country, Pop Adult, Smooth Jazz, Soul Storm, and Spa, as well as Stingray Naturescape. For LG Channels on-demand viewers, Stingray will also curate popular karaoke tracks into genre-based playlists, and include a selection of Qello Concerts content. Stingray says the global smart TV market is estimated to reach $436.2 billion in value by the end of 2028.
South Coast Jazz Festival, which is heading into its ninth year in Norfolk County, ON, has announced a five-year deal with Stingray DJazz Music TV. The platform is set to air a Special Edition of the festival, featuring performances and music from jazz legends Gene DiNovi, Dave Young, John Finley, the Lou Pomonti Trio, Charu Suri, Queen Pepper, Heather Bambrick, Aleef Mehdi, and Ben Duff. Co-hosted by Dini Petty, alongside founding director Juliann Kuchocki, the Special Edition release will be available in Fall 2022. Heralded by the Wall Street Journal as one of the best festivals in the world to watch online, South Coast Jazz was founded as a live event in 2014, pivoting swiftly to streaming amidst the global pandemic.
Gusto TV is available again in Canada after a two-and-a-half-year absence, thanks to a partnership with Samsung TV Plus, a free TV service pre-installed on all 2016-22 Samsung Smart TVs. In 2016, Gusto TV licensed the brand to Bell Media for use in Canada only. That agreement has now come to a close with the rebranding of the channel as CTV Life. Gusto TV is now seen on 40 platforms in 160 countries with content available in English, Spanish & Mandarin.
Cinelease now has a permanent presence in Canada as the grip and lighting rental house opens a location in Metro Vancouver. Servicing productions across the U.S. since 1977, the company has more recently begun providing lighting and grip equipment to Canadian filmmakers in a limited capacity. Cinelease is also the exclusive provider of Canadian-based LRX lighting products. Until now, it’s relied on shipping to support productions in Canada, but with the new permanent location will be able to offer a stable supply and consistent flow of new equipment that was previously unavailable. A Toronto location will follow this fall.
The Women in Post Program, which provides higher-level industry access and professional development for emerging to mid-level creatives working in all areas of post production, has extended the deadline to apply for its next offering until Sunday, July 31. Programming includes strategic learning modules, creative and technical skills building, and hands-on mentorship at a post production company or with a post production-related role. The Women in Post Program is presented by Netflix and supported by Canada Media Fund and RBC Foundation in support of RBC Emerging Artists, and industry partners Company 3 and Rocket Science VFX.
The Canada Media Fund (CMF) is investing $7.3M in 28 documentary projects through its POV Program, designed to encourage one-off point-of-view (POV) documentary production for both English and French markets. 17 English language projects will receive a $5.6M investment, while the new French-language portion of the POV Program will deliver $1.7M to 11 projects. Production companies receiving funding through the program are based in Alberta, B.C., Manitoba, Ontario, and Quebec. Click here to view a complete list. Due to a lower number of applications for the initial round of the French portion of the program, $1.1M is still available for French language projects. The second round of funding will open on Sept. 13 for eligible projects with a confirmed Canadian broadcaster.
ONLINE & DIGITAL MEDIA:
Sing Tao Daily, Canada’s largest Chinese-language newspaper, is ceasing printing of its daily newspaper after more than 40 years. Sing Tao Daily will continue with its journalism online, but end its Canadian print edition on Aug. 28 as it pivots to a digital model. A total of 83 staff will be impacted by the move. Owned by Hong Kong-based Sing Tao News Corporation and Torstar Corporation, Sing Tao will continue to publish magazines, eliteGen, and Canadian City Post in Vancouver, as well as weekend lifestyle insert, Sing Tao Headline. Started in Hong Kong, Sing Tao also published in Toronto, Vancouver, and Calgary.
TikTok is an official partner of the 47th Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). As an official festival partner, TikTok will offer a range of programming “designed to amplify new creative voices.” TikTok and TIFF have come together to launch the TikTok Effect House x TIFF Future of Filmmaking Challenge. Additionally, TikTok will be the presenting sponsor of TIFF 2022’s Short Cuts Programme.
QYOU Media’s QYOU USA, its rapidly expanding Social Media and Influencer Marketing business unit, is officially launching QYOU Studios, a creative production enterprise designed to offer brands and marketing partners more robust and complete production capabilities to promote their products on TikTok, Instagram and other social media platforms. QYOU USA has been delivering an increasing level of creative development and customized production for its clients as leading social video platforms grow their importance as mainstream advertising and transactional outlets for major brands. The business unit is on pace to break all previous quarterly and annual revenue records with its growth occurring hand in hand with TikTok becoming one of the most important platforms to market to young audiences.
REGULATORY, TELECOM & MEDIA:
Rogers Communications says the identified cause of its full-service outage on July 8 was a network system failure following an update in its core IP network that caused its routing network to malfunction. A coding error during the scheduled update deleted a routing filter, overwhelming its core network. Tony Staffieri, President and CEO of Rogers, was among those who appeared before the Standing Committee on Industry and Technology (INDU) on July 25. Among the measures Staffieri said the company is taking to prevent future outages is an “Enhanced Reliability Plan”, working with government and competitors on a formal agreement to ensure that 9-1-1 calls can always be made even in the event of an outage on any carrier’s network. Rogers says to guard against another system-wide outage, it will also set a higher standard by physically separating its wireless and internet networks and create an “always on” network at an estimated expense of $250 million. It also plans to spend another $10 billion over the next three years to build out and strengthen its network. Customer credits estimated at $150 million will be included in the company’s third quarter operating results.
Rogers Communications has announced its unaudited financial and operating results for the second quarter ended June 30. Media revenue in the quarter was up 21% year-over-year and 16% year-to-date as a result of higher Toronto Blue Jays revenue, primarily as a result of the return of home games to Rogers Centre and higher advertising revenue, partially offset by lower revenue at Today’s Shopping Choice. The year-to-date increase was a result of negotiation of certain content rates, offset by higher Blue Jays expenses, including player payroll, and game day costs due to the return to the Rogers Centre, as well as higher production and other general operating costs as a result of increased activities as COVID-19 restrictions were lifted. Wireless service revenue and adjusted EBITDA saw growth of 11% in the quarter, while Cable revenue was up 3%. Net income and adjusted net income increased this quarter by 35% and 20%, respectively.
Rogers Communications, Shaw Communications, and the Shaw Family Living Trust have agreed to extend the outside date of the proposed Rogers/Shaw merger to Dec. 31, with the possibility of further extension to Jan. 31. The two parties say they are continuing to pursue the divestiture of Freedom Mobile to Quebecor with negotiations progressing. The new closing date comes as the Commissioner of Competition makes a motion to the Competition Tribunal to put over oral examinations for discovery by four weeks to Sept. 19 – Oct. 7.
The Canadian Media Producers Association (CMPA) is asking the Federal Court of Appeal to review the CRTC’s recent CBC/Radio-Canada licence renewal decision, alleging “there is no evidence or other reasonable basis to believe that this substantially deregulated framework would actually advance the Broadcasting Act’s policies and objectives.” Filed July 25, the application claims the decision to allow for spending on digital to meet the broadcaster’s licensing obligations wades prematurely into an area of the Broadcasting Act that is currently being reviewed in Parliament. The application also leverages the dissenting opinions of CRTC commissioners Caroline Simard and Monique Lafontaine. AQPM (Association québécoise de la production médiatique) has filed a similar challenge, arguing that the CRTC did not adequately justify the decision to modify exhibition and expenditure requirements.
SAVE THE DATE: The Ontario Association of Broadcasters (OAB) Conference returns in-person, Oct. 18-19 at the Hyatt Mississauga. The conference committee is currently in the planning stages, working on the program and securing sponsors for the 2022 event. The agenda will be based on membership input provided earlier this year. The OAB Awards program also returns with the deadline for entries coming up on Sept.19.
BROADCAST TECH & ENGINEERING:
CASE STUDY: As sports and live production make a big comeback in Canada, live video and remote leader LiveU is helping production companies cover fast-moving, dynamic sports. With budgets tighter than ever and end customers cautious of the spend, it can be hard to justify a big multi-camera production. LiveU has developed streamlined and simplified live production solutions to meet these needs, recently supporting the Ontario Ringette AA Championship with a powerful REMI workflow solution that helped the organization expand its viewership, while also helping coaches and athletes perfect their game by capturing and viewing the matches afterwards. Read more here.
