REVOLVING DOOR:
Dallas Flexhaug is joining Global Calgary’s Global News at 5 and Global News Hour at 6 as part of changes to the station’s local news lineup, effective Monday, Sept. 9. Joining Joel Senick and Paul Dunphy, Flexhaug moves to the evening newscasts from the local edition of Global News Morning after almost a decade with the morning show and seven years as its anchor. She succeeds Linda Olsen, who retired from the station this month. Other moves see Bindu Suri trade in middays for mornings, joining Blake Lough on the Global News Morning anchor desk. Veteran reporter and anchor, Tracy Nagai, shifts from Global News Morning Weekend, to weekdays and will now be seen on Global News at Noon, alongside Senick. On weekends, recently-combined broadcasts for both Calgary and Edmonton will see Global Edmonton’s Lisa MacGregor anchor Global News Morning Weekend and Global Calgary’s Jayme Doll anchor Global News Hour at 6 and Global News at 11. Read more here.
Martin Spalding, who was to assume the helm of Cogeco Media as its president, won’t be taking up the role after all. Spalding’s appointment was announced to employees last week, however in a subsequent follow-up memo Friday, Cogeco President Frédéric Perron relayed to staff that the former Bell Media and Astral Radio veteran would not be joining the company. Spalding was set to take over from Caroline Paquet, who parted ways with Cogeco earlier in the week. Read more here.
George Lee is retiring from Fairchild Media Group after 29 years with the ethnic media group. Prior to immigrating to Canada, Lee was a renowned DJ, author, music critic and lyricist in Taiwan, voted one of the “Top Ten DJs in Taiwan” in 1988. He started his career with Fairchild Radio Vancouver in 1995 as a program host, and worked his way up to President of Fairchild Radio Group, overseeing four radio stations and five channels across the country. In 2019, he was promoted to President of Fairchild Media Group, taking on management of Fairchild Television and Talentvision.
👋 Welcome to Calgary, Jon!@Sportsnet Announces Jon Abbott (@AbbsPxP) as New Play-by-Play Voice of the @NHLFlames 🎙️🏒
Details 👉 https://t.co/TiOEEgE42h pic.twitter.com/DGh1EUpLpt
— Sportsnet PR (@SportsnetPR) August 26, 2024
Jon Abbott is joining Sportsnet as the new play-by-play voice of the Calgary Flames. Abbot, 39, was most recently doing play-by-play for TSN, calling Ottawa Senators games. He succeeds Rick Ball, who left Calgary in June to join the Chicago Blackhawks’ broadcast booth.
Damhnait Doyle is the new host of weekday mornings on CBC Music, from 6 – 9 a.m. (6:30 in NL). Doyle had been the full-time weekend host for CBC Mornings since late 2021 and helming Monday mornings as well since earlier this year. The Newfoundland & Labrador born and raised singer/songwriter succeeds Saroja Coelho, who has been doing double-duty hosting CBC Radio call-in show, Just Asking.
Molly Thomas has announced her departure from CBC Radio, where she’s been heard on Metro Morning in Toronto, among other shows. Thomas, a 2023 Michener-Deacon Fellow, was an investigative correspondent with CTV’s W5, up until June of last year.
Nancy Allen has retired after 54 years as an editor at CTV London/CFPL-TV. Allen began working at the station when she was just 17, spending her entire career behind the scenes as a film and tape editor.
Glen McInnis has announced he’s parted ways with CPAC after 24 years. McInnis, who had most recently been hosting man-on-the-street political opinion show, Outburst, is now freelance producing.
Shelley Steeves has announced her tenure with Global News in New Brunswick has come to a close. Steeves had been an award-winning senior correspondent with Global since 2013. Prior to that she spent 14 years as the Maritime Bureau Chief for The Weather Network. She was recognized with an RTDNA Canada East Region Lifetime Achievement Award in 2022.
Taya Fast is among those impacted by changes in how news is delivered at Global Okanagan. Fast had been a video journalist with the South Okanagan bureau, based in Penticton, for the last three years. Prior to joining Global in 2021, she was a video journalist and anchor with CKPG-TV Prince George.
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Lee Haberkorn is joining the morning show on The Beat 92.5 (CKBE-FM) Montreal, effective Sept. 3, six months after leaving 95.9 Virgin Radio (CJFM-FM) after a decade to spend more time with his kids. Haberkorn officially joins Claudia Marques, Mark Bergman and Kim Kieran on The Beat 92.5’s, The Beat Breakfast Club.
Very excited to announce The Morning Zoom with Andy and Jane on Zoomer Radio in Toronto. I’ve been lucky enough to work with the most amazing talent over the years. Add Jane Brown to that list! Every morning from 6-10am on @zoomerradio @JaneBrownNews pic.twitter.com/TNCLvTJeTp
— Andyy (@Andy6624) August 26, 2024
Sam Houston has departed Zoomer Radio AM 740 (CFZM-AM) and 96.7 (CFZM-FM) Toronto, as the ZoomerMedia stations introduce new morning show The Morning Zoom with Andy and Jane, featuring Houston’s former co-host/morning news anchor Jane Brown and the show’s producer and station APD Andy Wilson. Houston departs what was billed as the city’s first “two-woman morning show” after six and a half years.
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Joey Arsenault is moving on from the Nat & Drew Show on MOVE 103.5 (CHQM-FM) Vancouver. Arsenault, who’ll be joining his husband Skyler Richard in running SPARC Media Hub, has been the show’s producer since 2017. Prior to joining Bell Media, Arsenault was the morning show producer at Z95.3 (CKZZ-FM) Vancouver.
Angelina Rai is joining Virgin Radio (CHBE-FM) Victoria in afternoon drive, starting in September. Rai has most recently been presenting traffic and weather on CTV Morning Live Vancouver and was a personality on Virgin Radio (CFBT-FM) Vancouver.
Peter Wugalter, Manager, Broadcast Operations at Global Edmonton, is retiring after over four decades with the station. Wugalter first joined what was then ITV in 1981, working his way up from mopping floors in the studio to working on Edmonton Oilers broadcasts and SCTV. Wugalter was presented with an RTDNA Canada Lifetime Achievement Award for the Prairies Region in 2021.
Taylor Smith has been promoted to Supervising Technician at CBC Prince Edward Island. He was previously in the role of Senior Broadcast Technologist at CBC in Charlottetown and Fredericton, NB for the past seven years. Prior to joining the public broadcaster, Smith was a Broadcast Technician with Rogers Sports & Media in Halifax, Edmonton and Victoria.
James Caven has parted ways with MBS Radio after more than 15 years as an account manager for FX 101.9 (CHFX-FM) and 89.9 The Wave (CHNS-FM) Halifax. The veteran sales rep has been selling media in the Halifax market since the mid-’90s, including the Halifax Daily News and Metro Halifax.
Mary Anne Ivison is the new imaging voice for Indie88 (CIND-FM) Toronto. Ivison, who has been focused on voiceover work since 2021, is a former Pure Country (CKKL-FM) and Country 101.1 (CKBY-FM) Ottawa personality.
Louie Rosella has joined Humber College as a professor in the Media Studies program full-time. Rosella leaves Metroland Media Group after 23 years, where he was most recently a Digital Editor, managing multiple GTA websites.
Aly Myers has joined influencer marketing agency, Creatorade Media. Myers arrives from Golden West Broadcasting’s Moose Jaw stations where she’s been a Customer Success Manager for the past two years.
Natassia Morris is the new Business Manager at the Black Screen Office (BSO), leading its Research & Action Centre (RAC), which provides resources, including research reports on equity and anti-Black racism, in addition to workshops and other training. Morris formerly held roles with Lakeshore Arts and the Ballet Creole Dance Company in Toronto.
Georgia Shearman has joined Lionsgate Canada as Director, Scripted Development, based in Toronto. Shearman arrives from Bell Media where she was the Development Executive overseeing Scripted, Original Programming.
Kelly Payne has been upped at Blue Ant Media to VP, Business Strategy & Operations, Original Programming, Global Media. Payne, who has been with the company since 2020, formerly held the title of Senior Director, Business Affairs, Content & Production Financing.
Alex Keighley has been named Grass Valley’s new Senior Vice President of Sales for North America. Keighley’s professional journey has included leading sales teams for Reuters and the Associated Press’ EMEA commercial organization, in addition to Bitcentral, where he supported numerous local station groups in the U.S. In recent years, he held leadership roles at Avid and Telestream, most recently serving as Chief Revenue Officer of Backlight. He also led Grass Valley’s U.S. West Sales team for five years prior to those roles.
Peter Lee, Orban’s Senior Vice President of Global Sales & European Operations, will retire from his position effective Dec. 31, marking the end of a 24-year career with the company. Lee’s journey with Orban began in 2000 when he joined Dialog4, which was acquired by Orban/Circuit Research Labs. Under his leadership, Orban successfully relocated its U.S. manufacturing operations to Germany, where Orban continues to produce its OPTIMOD Digital Audio Processors.
Robert Luther and Brandon Wilkinson have been appointed to the North American leadership team of PPDS, the provider of Philips Professional Displays. Luther has been named Director of dvLED Sales and Support. Based in Detroit, he most recently held the position of Product Manager for LED at Ross Video, and prior to that Business Development Manager dvLED at PPDS’ distribution partner, Exertis. Oklahoma-based Wilkinson has been named the company’s new Field Application Engineer. He was most recently a Pre and Post Sales Engineer with Howard Technology Solutions.
RADIO & PODCAST:
Corus Entertainment’s Edmonton news/talk station 630 CHED is moving up the dial. The company announced Wednesday that starting Oct. 9, the station will move to 880 AM, providing better city coverage and an upgraded listening experience. Up until the end of June, that dial position was held by CHED sister station 880 News (CHQT-AM), one of two AM stations Corus announced it was pulling the plug on as part of an ongoing company efficiency review. Read more here.
Byron MacGregor (aka Gary Mack) will be inducted into the U.S. Museum of Broadcast Communications’ Radio Hall of Fame in the posthumous Legends category. MacGregor is best known for his many years on-air in Windsor-Detroit, including CKLW-AM where he anchored the station’s “Big 8/20-20 News” broadcasts, and became News Director at the tender age of 22. In 1973, his audio recording of Gordon Sinclair newspaper editorial, “The Americans,” accompanied by “America the Beautiful” performed by the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, was released to radio stations, reaching #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, and becoming a gold record with 3.5 million copies sold in support of the American Red Cross. MacGregor continued his broadcast career on CBS Radio all-news station, WWJ-AM Detroit where he was heard anchoring in both mornings and afternoon drive for 13 years. His Hall of Fame induction will take place in Nashville on Sept. 19.
CBC has announced new one-hour national literary program, Bookends with Mattea Roach, joining the CBC Radio and CBC Listen schedule this fall. Premiering Sunday, Sept. 8, the show will see Roach, best known as the winningest Canadian contestant ever on Jeopardy!, in conversation with Canadian and international writers. It will air Sundays at 1 p.m. ET and repeat Wednesdays in the same daypart. In addition to their 23-win run on Jeopardy! in 2022, Roach has more recently been hosting Canadaland weekly political pod, The Backbench. Read more here.
CBC has announced alt-pop, singer-songwriter Maggie Andrew from Waverley, NS as the Grand Prize winner of CBC Music’s Searchlight 2024 contest. Other winners include Outstanding Country Artist Amanda Jordan from Smiths Falls, ON; winner of the Outstanding Indigenous Artist category, pop singer-songwriter Dee Dee Austin from Fall River, NS; winner of the Songwriting Prize, punk group NOBRO, from Montreal; and 16-year-old pop artist Summer Bennett from Paradise, NL, who takes the Top Teen category. As part of the Grand Prize, Andrew will take part in the Allan Slaight JUNO Master Class talent development program, receive a residency at the National Music Centre in Calgary, a Yangaroo Music DMDS music and video promotion package and $1,000 from Long & McQuade.
PodSummit YYC has unveiled its entire two-day Programming Schedule. Among those presenting are Canadaland, JAR Audio, Acast and the Community Podcast Initiative at Mount Royal University, in addition to live tapings of The Calgary Sessions and CBC’s Personal Best.
LISTEN: Canadaland Chief Operating Officer Alan Black makes his podcast guest debut on the latest episode of Broadcast Dialogue – The Podcast. The former Managing Director of Hot Docs joins us to talk about his transition to podcasting, bringing more third-party content under the Canadaland umbrella, monetization, and why the organization wants to help be part of the solution to the journalism crisis.
LISTEN: Sharon Taylor, Senior Vice President of Podcast Strategy and Product Operations at Triton Digital, is on the Sound Off Podcast discussing her career journey from hospitality management to podcasting. The former Omny Studio CEO highlights the evolution of Omny Studio from a radio tool to a comprehensive podcast platform, and its acquisition by Triton. Taylor, who is currently based in Montreal, also touches on challenges and opportunities for Canadian podcasters.
SIGN OFFS:
Michael Marshall, 83, on Aug. 20. The son of former Hamilton broadcaster Norm Marshall, Michael got his start in radio as an announcer at CHOW Welland in 1958. Stints at CKKW Kitchener and CHML Hamilton followed, before Marshall went west to Edmonton in 1963 to take on evenings at 630 CHED. He later helmed afternoon drive on CJCA Edmonton, before returning to CHED less than a year later to host afternoons. He eventually gravitated back to CHML Hamilton and later joined CKLW Windsor as “Frank Brodie.” His career also included stops at CFTR Toronto, CHFI-FM Toronto and CIWV Hamilton.
Bob Templeton, 73, on Aug. 4. Templeton began his broadcasting career as a DJ in Brockville, ON, moving on over the next few years to stations in Revelstoke, and management positions at CFOR Orillia and CKMP Midland, along with stops in Aurora, Woodstock, and Sudbury. In 1981, Templeton became the general manager of Telemedia’s “Opex,” the in-house rep firm for Telemedia Radio. He eventually landed in Halifax and served as President of NewCap Broadcasting from 2002-09, with over 50 radio stations and 500 employees under his remit.
TV & FILM:
Matthew Rankin’s Universal Language will represent Canada in the nomination process for Best International Feature Film at the 97th Academy Awards. Directed by and co-written by Rankin, alongside Pirouz Nemati and Ila Firouzabadi, Universal Language was produced by Sylvain Corbeil’s Montreal-based Metafilms. The film, which had its world premiere at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival where it won the inaugural Directors’ Fortnight Audience Award, is set in a re-imagined Winnipeg (by way of Montreal and Tehran). Described an “absurdist city symphony,” Universal Language will have its North American premiere at TIFF on Sept. 10. Read more here.
Angelina Jolie will be presented with the TIFF Tribute Award in Impact Media. Previously bestowed upon Pedro Almodóvar, Mira Nair, and Alanis Obomsawin, the award is presented by “culturalpreneur” and gender empowerment philanthropist Anne-Marie Canning and recognizes leadership in creating a union between social impact and cinema. Jolie will be honoured at the 2024 TIFF Tribute Awards on Sunday, Sept. 8, alongside Amy Adams, Cate Blanchett, Durga Chew-Bose, David Cronenberg, Clément Ducol and Camille, Jharrel Jerome, Mike Leigh, and Zhao Tao, with Sandra Oh serving as the inaugural Honorary Chair of the fundraising gala.
Global Edmonton is celebrating the station’s 50th anniversary this week. The station first signed on-air as ITV (Independent Television) on Sept. 1, 1974, introducing itself to audiences by airing 1969 musical comedy Hello, Dolly! Starting Aug. 30, and all weekend long, Global Edmonton will feature on-air celebrations, marking the station milestone with reporters and anchors sharing their favourite stories, along with photos from the archives. Over 90 station alumni will gather in-studio for a special cake cutting. Read more here.
Noovo Info is launching new noon-hour national news show Noovo Info 12, airing Monday to Friday, beginning Sept. 9. Anchored by Marie-Christine Bergeron, the show will feature current affairs stories and analysis of the political, economic and legal news from Quebec and around the world. It will also feature a segment dedicated to all things digital and what’s being talked about online. From a virtual studio in Quebec City, Jean-Simon Bui will also deliver daily updates on what’s happening in the Capitale-Nationale region.
CBC/Radio-Canada has announced details of its coverage of the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games. The network will broadcast more than 140 original hours of coverage, with an additional 2,000 hours of live streaming coverage available across its platforms. CBC’s broadcast schedule features three live shows daily, including: Petro-Canada Paris Prime hosted by Scott Russell (2 p.m. ET/11 a.m. PT); Toyota Paralympic Games Primetime hosted by Russell and Stef Reid (8 p.m. local) and Canadian Tire Paralympics Tonight (11:30 p.m. local) hosted by Devin Heroux and Roseline Filion. CBC’s daytime and prime time coverage will be offered with described video. Commentary and analysis will be provided for Para aquatics by Signa Butler and Summer Mortimer, and for Para athletics by Rob Pizzo and Stef Reid.
Rogers Communications has outlined plans to launch TV channels for HGTV, Food Network, Magnolia, Discovery ID, Discovery, and Bravo. The move follows Rogers’ coup earlier this year that saw the cable provider scoop brand and content licencing rights to Warner Bros. Discovery’s suite of English-language U.S. lifestyle and factual brands from Corus Entertainment and Bell Media. It also inked a multi-year deal to become the English-language TV content rights holder to NBCUniversal’s Bravo channel in Canada. Bravo is now available via cable providers, and its offerings soon available to stream on Citytv+ through Amazon Prime Video Channels. The channel largely carries unscripted reality content like The Real Housewives of New York City, Top Chef, and Vanderpump Rules. Starting Jan. 1, Rogers will launch TV channels for HGTV, Food Network, Magnolia, Discovery ID, and Discovery. Content from Cooking, OWN, Motor Trend, Animal Planet, and Discovery Science will be available on demand and via Citytv+. Read more here.
Global has announced premiere dates for its fall 2024 schedule. The network’s new slate of scripted programming launches with a special sneak preview of Matlock, starring Oscar- winner Kathy Bates on Sunday, Sept. 22 at 8 p.m. ET/PT before settling into its regular day and time on Thursday, Oct. 17 at 9 p.m. ET/PT. Canadian-produced mystery, Murder in a Small Town, starring Rossif Sutherland and Kristin Kreuk, debuts Tuesday, Sept. 24 at 8 p.m. ET/PT with a 90-minute episode, landing in its regular day and time on Wednesday, Oct. 16 at 10 p.m. ET/PT. The latest addition to the NCIS franchise, NCIS: Origins, starring Austin Stowell as a young Agent Gibbs, premieres Monday, Oct. 14. Damon Wayans and Damon Wayans Jr. also come to Global with Poppa’s House, Monday, Oct. 21 at 8:30 p.m. ET/PT.
Corus Entertainment’s drama networks Showcase and W Network have announced fall premiere dates for new and returning programming. Showcase fall programming begins Sunday, Sept. 8 as star-studded, limited series Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist makes its Canadian debut. Featuring Kevin Hart, Samuel L. Jackson, Taraji P. Henson, Don Cheadle and Terrence Howard, the series is based on the acclaimed iHeart true-crime podcast and follows the infamous story of how an armed robbery on the night of Muhammad Ali’s historic 1970 comeback fight changed not only one man’s life, but ultimately transformed Atlanta into the “Black Mecca.” On W Network, Hallmark Channel’s Fall into Love programming event returns Saturday, Sept. 7, ushering in fall with six brand new movie premieres. The hotly-anticipated Outlander, Season 7 premieres Monday, Nov. 25 at 9 p.m. ET/PT.
T+E’s all-new original documentary series My Haunted Hometown (8×60’; HD) is an unsettling and immersive look inside homes, bars, stores and other locations across Canada and the U.S. plagued by vengeful spirits. The series goes beyond typical ghost stories by taking viewers inside real-life haunted venues, with its residents serving as the tour guides. The series premieres during T+E’s nationwide free preview event, Sept. 2 to Nov. 3, with new episodes airing every Friday leading up to October and T+E’s highly-anticipated Creep Week event.
Prime Video has announced that upcoming docuseries The Tragically Hip: No Dress Rehearsal will premiere with all four episodes on Sept. 20. Directed by Mike Downie, the series chronicles the triumphs, trials and deep bonds of brotherhood that defined The Tragically Hip’s rise from basement shows to arena rock legends. After its World Premiere screening at the Toronto International Film Festival on Sept. 5, the series will tour additional Canadian film festivals, including AIFF, VIFF & CIFF.
OUTtv has commissioned a new male-stripper reality competition series Willam’s Dark Room Duel hosted by drag icon Willam Belli (RuPaul’s Drag Race, A Star is Born, Iconic Justice). The series will feature multi-talented male-strippers going head-to-head in a series of themed challenges and performances. Judging alongside Belli will be drag artist Meatball Queen (Dragula, Sloppy Seconds Podcast) and legendary male entertainer Rhyheim Shabazz. Entering production in October, casting is now open.
Paramount+ has launched the Paramount+ app on PlayStation 5 consoles in Canada. Users can download the app and subscribe to obtain access to Paramount+ content including all seasons of Yellowstone (Season 5, part 2 drops Nov. 10), the upcoming Season 2 premiere of Frasier (Sept. 19) as well as the highly-anticipated Landman, co-created by Taylor Sheridan, with a cast including Billy Bob Thornton, Demi Moore, Jon Hamm, and Michael Peña. Paramount+ will also be home to forthcoming original series Dexter: Original Sin, featuring Christian Slater, Patrick Dempsey, and Patrick Gibson as well as political espionage thriller The Agency, starring Michael Fassbender and Richard Gere.
The Canadian Film Centre (CFC) and CBC have unveiled the group of performers who will make up the 2024 cohort of the CBC Actors Conservatory, Sept. 3 – Feb. 28, at CFC’s Toronto campus. Eight actors with a range of experience in film, television, and theatre have been selected to participate in the full-time, six-month immersive screen acting program, including Theresa Cutknife, Anna Morreale, Eva Foote, Emidio Lopes, Aldrin Bundoc, Taelor Lewis-Joseph, Ed Pinker and Arianna Laya-Garcia.
St. John’s International Women’s Film Festival (SJIWFF) is the new home of Women In View, the non-profit dedicated to strengthening gender representation and inclusion in film and television both on screen and behind the scenes, and the Canadian leader of the 50/50 by 2020 initiative. The announcement comes as SJIWFF plans an organizational expansion that includes the creation of Canada’s first gender equity in film institute. SJIWFF will fold in Women In View as the foundation of a future research arm of the new institute. The festival will share more details in the lead-up to its 35th anniversary edition, Oct. 22-26.
Out On Screen is introducing free youth program The Future is Queer at the annual Vancouver Queer Film Festival (VQFF) in September. The inaugural program includes screenings of two short film programs and one feature film, one workshop on gender expression, and post-screening discussions with Out In Schools and The Cinematheque. In 2023, the Out In Schools program reached 11,576 youth and 1,310 educators across 123 presentations and three rural tours. Its presentations use age-appropriate 2SLGBTQIA+ films acquired through VQFF and facilitated group discussion to engage youth and adults in understanding marginalized identities and experiences.
ONLINE & DIGITAL MEDIA:
I’m in the pressroom where pressman Ed Lawlor just pushed the button to start the last run of the daily @StJohnsTelegram. Lawlor called it the end of an institution, as the province’s last daily printed paper moves to a weekly (with daily online news). pic.twitter.com/10BzQxCnvc
— Juanita Mercer (@juanitamercer_) August 23, 2024
Postmedia President & CEO Andrew MacLeod has penned an open letter to Saltwire Network readers as the company closes on its acquisition of the Atlantic Canadian publisher. MacLeod promises that Postmedia “will bring the historic mastheads back to the forefront, as both a symbol and a signal of our deep commitment to local journalism in each of our communities. Those titles, especially in the digital space, have been de-emphasized in recent years, especially on digital platforms that became the ‘SaltWire’ brand.” Among immediate changes under the ownership transfer, the 145-year-old daily St. John’s Telegram, where 30% of newsroom jobs were cut, will begin publishing a weekly print edition as of Aug. 30. News will still be available daily online.
Bloomberg is launching its first Canadian newsletter, the weekly Bay Street Edition, starting Sept. 6. It will be overseen by veteran business writer Christine Dobby, who took on Bloomberg’s banking beat last year. The newsletter will land in subscriber inboxes every Friday, covering Canadian finance, strategy, deals, and people moves.
REGULATORY, TELECOM & MEDIA:
Quebecor Media, through its Quebecor Out-of-Home division, has reached an agreement in principle with Media Group Inc. to acquire NEO-OOH’s Canada-wide out-of-home advertising business. When the deal closes, Quebecor Out-of-Home’s footprint will expand to more than 17,000 advertising faces across Canada. Quebecor says the expansion of its out-of-home network will further diversify Quebecor Expertise Media’s multi-platform offering with its integrated sales force now able to leverage its 10 TV channels, including TVA and LCN, 30 websites and apps, two newspapers, 12 print and digital magazines, its QUB digital radio station that’s now also broadcasting on TV and FM, and a comprehensive out-of-home network.
Journalists for Human Rights (JHR) has announced that Nobel Peace Prize laureate Dmitry Muratov will deliver the keynote speech at its annual Night For Rights 2024, taking place at the Art Gallery of Ontario on Oct. 1. Muratov is a Russian journalist and former editor-in-chief of Novaya Gazeta, known for its criticism of the Russian government, calling out corruption, electoral fraud and human rights violations. In 2022, the Moscow Supreme Court revoked Novaya Gazeta’s license, effectively banning it from operating inside Russia. In 2023, Muratov was added to Russia’s list of “foreign agents,” but remains living there, while former staff of the Novaya Gazeta continue their independent reporting from Europe. Muratov will speak about media freedom and human rights in the context of the Russia-Ukraine war and beyond.
BROADCAST TECH & ENGINEERING:
WABE 2024, the annual convention of the Western Association of Broadcast Engineers, is less than a month away, set to take place Sept. 23-25 at the JW Marriott Ice District in Edmonton.
Forging ahead in media’s new landscape can’t be done alone, and a community of professionals has already signed up to attend, discuss, learn, and find opportunities across sectors, from AV and live events to radio, broadcast, and post-production. Don’t miss the free exhibit hall, filled with vendors, suppliers, and manufacturers ready to help you with your next project.
By exploring these topics together, we can discover new ideas on how others are navigating media’s evolving landscape. Join us to listen, learn, and be inspired by innovative approaches from across the industry. Topics at this years convention that will get you talking include:
Kirk Nesbitt, the Technical Advisor to the Canadian Association of Broadcasters (CAB) and a professional engineer with extensive experience in broadcasting, will discuss how emergency alerting is managed in the new media landscape, highlighting the challenges and opportunities.
Sébastien Testeau, a media technology architect with 20 years of experience, leads the adoption of C2PA and leverages AI for content discoverability at CBC/Radio-Canada. He previously worked on media archiving, video streaming, and computer vision at the National Film Board of Canada and will discuss Content Credentials and the C2PA initiative, which aim to increase transparency and combat misinformation online by certifying the source and history of media content.
Rob Poretti, a wireless expert with over 30 years of experience, works at AVL Media Group, specializing in RF solutions for broadcasters and live events. He will explore whether wireless digital transmission is truly superior to traditional FM-based systems by examining their technical differences, such as spectrum masks, power levels, and intermodulation, and discussing RF link budgets, multi-zone deployments, and strategies to mitigate system weaknesses, with case studies from theatres, concert halls, and broadcast facilities.
Vladimir Anishchenko, President/CTO of Avateq Corp, has over 30 years of experience in R&D, specializing in designing digital signal processing systems for various applications, including terrestrial repeaters and digital modulators. Mark Corl, SVP of Emergent Technology Development at Triveni Digital, focuses on leveraging ATSC 3.0 for data distribution innovation and serves as a key contributor to the ATSC 3.0 standard, including chairing several implementation teams. Orest Sushko, Director of the Broadcast-Broadband Convergence Lab at Humber College, brings over 30 years of audio engineering experience and leads R&D on emerging audio technologies and ATSC 3.0/5G convergence. The panel will discuss their collaborative work on ATSC 3.0 at the Humber lab, including Smart City development in Calgary, market adoption strategies, and technical demonstrations of the ATSC 3.0 Broadcast Positioning System.
Roy Folkman, who has over 35 years of experience in sales and technical roles within the media community and currently works for CineSys, is presenting part 2 of a panel discussion on AI’s impact on the media industry. Joined by Jonathan Mechling from Diversified, a sound artist and designer, writer, broadcaster, musician, and interactive media producer, as well as Don Hill, a former CBC national radio host, this discussion will explore both current and future effects of AI on workflows and jobs, examining both positive and negative perspectives.
The Forging Ahead in Media’s New Landscape Panel aims to explore the future of media and entertainment by examining new workflows, operational strategies, and growth opportunities enabled by technology. The discussion will highlight how innovation is shaping the industry, focusing on both challenges and positive developments within the Canadian landscape and beyond. At WABE, we provide a platform to discuss technology’s impact on content creation and distribution, aiming to strengthen the industry and its supporting sectors. Panelists include Shawn Gardner from TV2Go, Andrew Snook from Pattison Media, and Chris Lapp from Cisco.
For our first-ever Vendor Showcase, Blackmagic Design will present a session led by Matt Jefferson, Worldwide Director of Developer Partnerships. With over 30 years of experience in building video, computer graphics, and networking ecosystems, Matt leads developer relations and third-party hardware partnerships at Blackmagic. His notable achievements include successful collaborations with NBC News, Reuters, and BBC News using Decklink products. The showcase will demonstrate how to quickly build a cost-effective hybrid SMPTE 2110 workflow, integrating IP, HDMI, and SDI for various broadcasters.
Don’t miss this opportunity to connect and learn with industry partners, leaders, and influencers this fall in Edmonton. Register today!
Avid and its customer-led Avid Community Association has awarded a sponsorship to the South Georgian Bay Media Association (SGBMA), a collective of media and film artists that offers students free access to their programs, and works with the Saugeen First Nation to provide barrier-free access to workshops. Awarded to organizations that help promote and inspire under-represented grassroots talent in the media and entertainment industry, since its launch in 2021, the program has awarded 24 community education organizations. The three-year sponsorship includes membership in the global Avid Learning Partner (ALP) program, Avid creative tools software licenses (for Pro Tools, Media Composer, and Sibelius), staff training and certification, and course materials and certifications for students.
