The Weekly Briefing

REVOLVING DOOR:

Michael Melling, CTV’s Vice President of News, is on leave, pending the outcome of a third-party workplace review first announced on Aug. 19. Richard Gray, Regional GM, Eastern Region, has stepped in as Acting VP of News, taking interim responsibility for news, information and current events programming. Since the unceremonious departure of CTV National News Chief Anchor and Senior Editor Lisa LaFlamme from the network, Melling has been the favoured target of relentless public backlash to the move, in part for suggestions that he questioned LaFlamme’s decision to go grey. His case wasn’t helped by a letter sent to company executives early last week, on behalf of a number of CTV journalists, stating that both their confidence in his leadership and morale have suffered since he succeeded Wendy Freeman in the VP of News role. Read more here. Meanwhile, an open letter to the board of directors and management of BCE and Bell Canada was printed in the weekend edition of The Globe and Mail, in support of LaFlamme, calling on Bell to “make things right.”

Julie Adam is set to depart Rogers Sports & Media Sept. 9 as part of structural changes. Adam has held the title of Head of News & Entertainment for the past two years, overseeing broadcast operations across radio, TV and podcasting, and with Rogers for almost 24 years. Prior to her current role, she’d served as SVP of Radio & Audio since 2015, overseeing the company’s 56 radio stations and podcast networks. She started with Rogers in programming roles at KiSS 92.5 (CKIS-FM) and 98.1 CHFI Toronto.

Hayden Mindell, Vice President of Television Programming & Content, and Paul Kaye, VP, Music Brands & In-house Production, will join the Senior Leadership Team as part of the changes at Rogers, overseeing Citytv, OMNI, and non-sports speciality programming across platforms, while also assuming responsibility for News, which will continue to be led by Dave Budge, VP, News & Information. Kaye assumes responsibility for all Music Radio, In-house productions, Breakfast Television and Cityline, while also adding Frequency Podcast Network to his plate. Engineering and Operations teams now fall under the banner of the Media Technology Group under Pierre Fortin, VP, Media Technology & Innovation, with Glenn Torrence, Senior Director, Operations, Engineering, and Infrastructure and Lisa Ball, Director, Broadcast Systems & Facilities, now direct reports to Fortin. Adam Bower, Director of Marketing, will report directly to division President Colette Watson in the interim. Pacific Content will fall under the auspices of Chief Revenue Officer Alan Dark, with its incoming head to report to Janice Smith, VP, Radio Sales. Read more here.

Andrea Goldstein has left her role as Senior Director of Communications at Rogers Sports & Media to join the Toronto Blue Jays where she is now Vice President, Communications & Baseball Media. Goldstein had been in her previous role for 11 years.

Tara Mora has been appointed to the newly-created role of Senior Director, Radio, Talk and Music Programming at CBC. Mora will report to Jennifer Dettman, Executive Director, Unscripted Content, leading the strategy, programming and development of the unscripted team’s audio content and schedules for CBC Radio One, CBC Music and CBC Listen, in addition to overseeing CBC Music, CBC Books, q, Now or Never, and Under the Influence. She’ll also lead development for new unscripted audio content, excluding CBC News and Current Affairs and CBC Podcasts. Mora has been with CBC since 2013, starting as an Account Manager with CBC’s Digital Operations team, before quickly moving into the role of Executive Producer, CBC Books and Literary Partnerships, where she’s credited with elevating programs like Canada Reads, The Next Chapter and Writers & Company. She began her career in the music industry, holding various roles with Warner Music Canada and MapleMusic Recordings. Read more here.

Allia McLeod is joining CBC News as Senior Advisor of Development and Production. McLeod will lead development projects, special productions, and be a leader within the CBC News Studios team working across news, current affairs and local. She was most recently Head of Development & Partnerships at Yahoo and prior to that held Senior Producer roles at Verizon Media and Bell Media.

Teena Monteleone is moving into the role of Corporate Managing Editor, assisting Pattison Media’s 19 news and information portals. Monteleone has been with Pattison since 2016, as Director of Information Programming and morning show co-host on 101.5 Beach Radio (CHQX-FM) Prince Albert, SK. Prior to joining Pattison, she was News Director at CTV Prince Albert.

Kevin Bissett, Fredericton correspondent at The Canadian Press (CP), has retired after 21 years with the wire service. Bissett started his more than 40-year career in private radio, including CFBC-FM Saint John, CJYC Saint John, CIHI Fredericton and CKHJ Fredericton. 

Virginie Ann is joining CBC North as a reporter in Whitehorse, YK. Ann has been a Montreal based reporter and editor with The Canadian Press (CP) since April 2021.

Teri Fikowski is taking a year off from CTV Calgary to pursue a Master’s Degree in Dublin. Fikowski has been with the station since 2019. Her career started at 660 News (CFFR-AM) Calgary before moving on to stints with Global News in Lethbridge and Regina. 

Mona Mahmoud is joining CTV Morning Live Vancouver as the show’s new community host. Mahmoud arrives from CTV Vancouver Island where she’s been a producer and anchor since 2020.

Corné Van Hoepen has resigned from Global News to pursue freelance work in Lebanon as the country continues to endure an economic and political crisis. Van Hoepen had been with Global since 2020 working as a digital news editor and content coordinator.

Kasia Bodurka is moving on from Global BC where she’s been a weather host since 2017. Bodurka has also worked with The Shopping Channel (TSC) and as an anchor and reporter at The Weather Network.

John Biggs is moving from afternoon drive to mornings on Evanov Communications’ Lite 92 (CKPC-FM) Brantford, beginning Sept. 6, as longtime morning show host Ed McMahon departs the company. McMahon has been in mornings for 35 years, first on CKPC-AM, before the move to FM and Jewel 92 in 2009 ( which was rebranded as Lite 92 last year). Biggs will be joined by a new co-host to be announced in the next few weeks. 

Dee Jaroway is joining Trent Allen on Acadia Broadcasting’s Country 105 (CKTG-FM) Thunder Bay morning show, starting Monday, Sept. 5. Jaroway previously co-hosted mornings on Dougall Media’s Rock 94 (CJSD-FM) in the market.

Kalie Mac (MacIntosh) has resurfaced at 106.1 The Goat (CKLM-FM) Lloydminster in afternoon drive. Mac was formerly in the afternoon time slot and served as music director at the station, prior to joining 94.3 NOW! Radio (CHNW-FM) Winnipeg in evenings and weekends last October.

Kieran Oudshoorn is leaving Canadaland after a year with the company as Managing Editor of Podcasts. Prior to joining Canadaland last fall, Oudshoorn had been working with CBC as a reporter and editor in Victoria and Iqaluit.

Kyle Fulton is joining the Globe and Mail full-time as a Podcast Producer. Fulton has been a freelance producer for the last five years, including TIFF Long Take, and other content for the Globe and Mail, Maclean’s, and Cineplex.

Rachel Gilbert is the new host of The London Free Press podcast, succeeding Lynzee Barnett in the role. Gilbert left Pure Country 93 (CJBX-FM) London in July as she and morning show co-host Dave Collins decided to end The Dave & Rachel Show after 11 years. Gilbert also runs her own voiceover business, Voiced By Rachel. 

Andrew Morris is leaving Accessible Media Inc. (AMI) after 12 years where he most recently held the role of Development & Production Executive, overseeing the broadcaster’s independent production slate. While Aug. 31 was his official last day as an AMI employee, he’ll continue to work closely with the organization on transitioning the Disability Screen Office (DSO) from an AMI project to its own independent agency. Morris will serve as the DSO’s interim Executive Director as the office gears up towards being fully open in March 2023.

Chanda Chevannes is joining the National Film Board (NFB) as Executive Producer of the Ontario Studio in Toronto. Chevannes has worked as an independent filmmaker, writer and educator for more than two decades, producing and directing 14 documentaries aimed at amplifying women’s voices, including award-winning features Living Downstream and UNFRACTURED. She’s also developed and facilitated creative filmmaking labs for organizations including the DOC Institute, the Toronto Queer Film Festival and the Toronto Public Library. A graduate of Sheridan College’s Media Arts Program, she is currently earning her MFA in Film Production at York University. 

RADIO & PODCAST:

Pattison Media has announced its intent to acquire Westman Communications Group’s (WCG) radio stations in Brandon, MB. The acquisition would see Q Country 91.5 FM (CKLQ-FM) and 94.7 Star FM (CKLF-FM) join Pattison’s other Manitoba properties, 94.3 NOW! Radio (CHNW-FM) and QX 104 (CFQX-FM) Winnipeg. The sale would get Westman, a member-owned cooperative, out of the radio business to focus on its internet, TV and home phone service offerings. Pattison says the move will allow it to “super serve listeners and clients not only in Brandon, but western and southwestern Manitoba.” The sale is subject to CRTC approval and expected to close by the end of the year or early 2023. Read more here.

CBC Music, Toronto alternative station Indie88 (CIND-FM), LiVE 88.5 (CILV-FM) Ottawa, and Rogers Sports & Media’s SONiC RADiO stations in Edmonton and Metro Vancouver, are among those that have removed Arcade Fire from their playlists, at least temporarily. The move comes following allegations against the Montreal-based indie band’s frontman, Win Butler, that appeared in an exposé in Pitchfork magazine over the weekend. Read more here.

Evanov Communications’ CFMB AM 1280 multilingual radio Montreal is launching a new program directed at the region’s Filipino community. Tunog Pinoy (Sound of The Philippines) will make its debut Sept. 1, airing from 8 – 9 p.m., featuring news, information, and music. Hosted by veteran Filipino broadcasters Chester & Donna, the program will be conducted primarily in Tagalog. According to the 2016 Quebec census, there are 44,000 Filipinos living in Montreal, the sixth largest Filipino community in Canada concentrated in the Snowdon neighbourhood and Décarie Expressway. The most Filipino programmed ethnic station in the country is Evanov’s CKJS-FM Winnipeg.

CBC has unveiled its original podcast slate for fall 2022, with the lineup featuring new investigative series Pressure Cooker and The Outlaw Ocean, a collaboration with L.A. Times Podcasts. Run, Hide, Repeat, a five-episode adaptation of former CBC journalist Pauline Dakin’s 2017 memoir about a complicated childhood spent on the run, also joins the fall lineup, launching Nov. 15. Read more here.

Twitter is testing a new audio hub feature that will enable users to listen to podcasts, themed audio stations, and recorded and live Spaces within the app. Initially available to only a select group of English-speaking users, the beta feature sees podcasts integrated into Twitter as a part of a newly-redesigned Spaces Tab. The redesign introduces personalized hubs that group audio content together by themes like News, Music, and Sports with the aim of offering a more personalized selection of live and recorded Spaces discussing topics most relevant to the user. The hubs will also feature popular podcasts from around the world, with Twitter banking on internal research indicating that 45% of Americans on the app are also monthly podcast listeners. Read more here.

The Canadian Country Music Association (CCMA) has announced that seven-time 2022 CCMA nominee Tenille Townes and multi-platinum selling artist Blanco Brown will host the 2022 CCMA Awards presented by TD, live from Calgary’s Scotiabank Saddledome. The awards will be broadcast live on Global on Sunday, Sept. 11 at 8 p.m. ET and on Corus radio stations Country 104 (London), Country 105 (Calgary) and CISN 103.9 (Edmonton). Celebrating its 40th anniversary, performers at this year’s ceremony include Townes, Brown, Gord Bamford, James Barker Band, Dax, Jade Eagleson, Lindsay Ell, Tim Hicks, High Valley, Brett Kissel ft. 98°, JoJo Mason, Tyler Joe Miller, Jess Moskaluke, Meghan Patrick, MacKenzie Porter, SACHA, Dallas Smith, and Bailey Zimmerman.

LISTEN: Todd Cochrane, the CEO of Blubrry Podcasting, returns to the Sound Off Podcast to talk about the technical side of podcasting from RSS feeds to micro payments and what the future might look like for podcasts. Listen on your favourite podcast app or here:

SIGN OFFS:

Dave Biro, 70, on Aug. 23 after a long bout with cancer. Biro got his start in journalism writing for The Vancouver Province, while still attending high school at Burnaby North Secondary. After studying at the Columbia Academy of Broadcasting, he started his broadcasting career in 1973, reading news at stations including CFVR Abbotsford, CJIB Vernon, and CKIQ Kelowna. He landed at CKNW in New Westminster in 1978, before moving into television in 1980 at CKVU-TV Vancouver, first as assignment editor and then news director where he won a Peabody Award in 1987 for the documentary, Aids and You. In 1988, he returned to radio briefly at CKWX as news director, before going back to television to serve as the assignment editor and senior news producer at CHEK-TV Victoria. After a two-year detour serving as a provincial ministerial assistant under the NDP government of Dan Miller, Biro joined CBC Radio in Victoria as an associate producer and host, before taking up the role of assignment editor at CTV Vancouver Island. After 10 years, he semi-retired in 2015, continuing to work with CBC as a casual news reader. In 2011, Biro was honoured with a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Radio-Television News Directors Association.

TV & FILM:

Numeris has quietly announced on its website that it has ceased publishing its TV Topline Reports, breaking down the Top 30 programs in Canada and Quebec Franco. “Effective the start of the 2022-23 broadcast year (August 29, 2022), the TV Topline Reports will no longer be produced. The final report will encompass the period ending on August 28, 2022,” reads a statement on the website. The report was one of the last data sets still made public by the audience measurement organization, which listed television programming by week and ranked by Average Minute Audience (the average number of viewers, age 2+, watching the program during any given minute). Read more here.

The Alberta Media Production Industries Association (AMPIA) has announced the finalists for the 48th Annual Alberta Film & Television Awards, celebrating outstanding achievement in Alberta’s screen industries. In collaboration with the Calgary International Film Festival, the Rosie’s will be held in person this year over two celebrations on Saturday Sept. 24. This year’s nominees are led by Abracadavers and Heartland.

Michelle Yeoh will receive the inaugural TIFF Share Her Journey Groundbreaker Award, recognizing a woman who is a leader in the film industry and has made a positive impact for women throughout their career. Spanning a nearly 40-year career, Yeoh has broken barriers with her performances, including her most recent lead role in Everything Everywhere All at Once, as well as Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Tomorrow Never Dies, and Crazy Rich Asians, among others. The TIFF Tribute Awards  return to an in-person gala fundraiser during the 47th edition of the Toronto International Film Festival on Sunday, Sept. 11 at Fairmont Royal York Hotel. 

Corus Entertainment is set to launch new streaming service TELETOON+ on Sept. 1, featuring a commercial-free, downloadable library of popular shows and mega-franchises from the DC Animated Universe to Scooby Doo. With new episodes dropping on the platform the day following their Canadian broadcast premiere, TELETOON+ will be available to subscribers via Amazon Prime Video Channels, Bell Fibe TV App, Virgin Plus, or RiverTV, for $5.99/month. Corus’ former kids and family streaming service, Nick+, will cease to be offered as of Sept. 1, with select Nickelodeon content available on TELETOON+ until the end of October. New episodes of Nickelodeon series can be found on Corus subscription video streaming package, STACKTV. Read more here.

WildBrain Television has announced that Family Channel has greenlit three new content projects across live-action and animation, in partnership with independent Canadian producers. Heading up the live-action slate is Life with Luca, a 90-minute spin-off feature film of beloved franchise, Life with Derek. Produced by Shaftesbury as an original commission, the movie recently wrapped filming in Southern Ontario and will premiere on the network in early 2023. WildBrain is also now the exclusive worldwide distributor of the classic Life with Derek library (70×22′) and an earlier spin-off film, Vacation with Derek (1×90′). ­WildBrain Television’s animation lineup features Slugterra: Ascension, produced in partnership with Epic Story Media. The shorts will premiere exclusively on WildBrainTV in Canada in a sneak peek on Sept. 5, with new episodes beginning Sept. 18, before rolling out globally across WildBrain Spark’s Slugterra YouTube channels. Also newly greenlit is an expanded order of five half-hours to the popular new series Summer Memories, produced in partnership with A&N Productions, Aircraft Pictures and Yeti Farm Creative. Summer Memories debuted on Family Channel this summer. The new stories will begin airing in 2023.

Vérité Films, Jeremy Fisher Music, and Hidden Pony Records have announced Jeremy and Jazzy, a new children’s animated television, music, and multi-platform brand that brings to life a new collection of children’s music written by three-time JUNO-nominated singer-songwriter Jeremy Fisher (Jeremy) with award-winning artist Aiza Ntibarikure (Jazzy). Jeremy and Jazzy is set to debut on CBC Gem on Sept. 5, followed by its linear broadcast premiere on CBC Kids, starting Sept. 12 and then streaming on CBC Kids’ YouTube channel starting Sept. 19. 

HGTV Canada celebrates 25 years as a network this fall after launching in Canada on Oct. 17, 1997. Kicking off the celebration this October are new and returning series including Island of Bryan, Sarah’s Mountain Escape, Making It Home With Kortney and Kenny, and Property Brothers: Forever Home. The celebration continues throughout the 2022/23 broadcast year with the premiere of nine additional Corus Studios series including Pamela Anderson’s hotly anticipated renovation adventures, Pamela’s Garden of Eden, Season 3 of Rock Solid Builds featuring Randy Spracklin and crew, and Renovation Resort, starring Bryan Baeumler and Scott McGillivray, who are each celebrating more than 15 years with the network. HGTV Canada will be available in a National Free Preview starting Oct. 1 until the end of the month.

Food Network Canada’s fall schedule kicks off Sept. 12 with seven consecutive weeks of festive Halloween-themed content. A slate of new series also joins the schedule including It’s CompliPlated, Guy’s Ultimate Game Night, Bobby & Sophie on the Coast, Bobby’s Triple Threat, Big Bad Budget Battle, plus the return of Corus Studios’ Big Food Bucket List and the recently announced milestone 10th season of Top Chef Canada.

This Hour Has 22 Minutes returns to CBC and CBC Gem on Sept. 13 at 8 p.m. (8:30 NT) for a historic 30th season that includes a live taping at the Glenn Gould Studio in Toronto (Oct. 4) and a special episode (Oct. 11) that explores what has made the show a cultural touchstone for viewers across Canada over the past three decades featuring Rick Mercer, Mary Walsh and Peter Mansbridge. Trent McClellan, Aba Amuquandoh, Stacey McGunnigle, and Mark Critch are back on the news desk for Season 30. CBC says throughout Season 29, the show’s social media audience grew by over 650,000 followers collectively. The season also marked a successful introduction to TikTok, earning roughly 82.2 million video views and 9.1 million likes.

CTV’s The Social celebrates its 10th season, weekdays at 1 p.m. ET/PT on CTV, CTV.ca, and the CTV app, beginning Sept. 6. Co-hosts Melissa Grelo, Cynthia Loyst, Lainey Lui, and correspondent Jess Allen are back to reflect on the past 10 years.

CBC Sports’ digital platforms will live stream the 2022 49er, 49erFX and Nacra 17 World Championships, starting Sept. 2. Taking place in St. Margarets Bay, NS, a total of 143 teams and close to 300 athletes will be in action, including Canada’s Tokyo 2020 Olympians Ali ten Hove and Mariah Millen in 49erFX, and Will Jones and Evan DePaul in 49er. Canadian sailing fans will be able to follow the action on CBC Gem, cbcsports.ca and the CBC Sports app. The streams will include the last round of the qualifying races, as well as the final series and medal races. The stream will also be carried on the 49er World Class Association YouTube page and Facebook page.

CBC has revealed what it has in store for the upcoming season of Family Feud Canada, premiering Monday, Sept. 12 with two new Celebrity Special episodes. Hosted by Gerry Dee, the fourth season will feature 104 new episodes and broadcast four nights a week (Monday through Thursday) at 7:30 p.m. on CBC and CBC Gem. This fall’s Celebrity Special lineup features The Great Canadian Baking Show vs. Heartland (airing Sept. 12) and Strays vs. Dragons’ Den (Sept. 13).

Canoe Productions and The Hunting Party have announced The Canoe Project, a new short-form comedy series set to make its national debut on Fibe TV1 on Sept. 30, Canada’s National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. The series was created by comedian Mark Harnett, alongside producer Gaelen Patrick Condon (Incredible Violence, Infanticide!), and stars both Harnett and Jimmy MacKinley (Trailer Park Boys, CBC Radio Laugh Out Loud). The new six-part series follows Richard (played by MacKinley), a slimy Newfoundland government official as he blackmails Canoe (played by Harnett), an Inuit man from Labrador. Canoe is coerced to move to the big city so that Richard can document his indoctrination to the “modern world” and score a promotion.

Apple TV+ has begun rolling out on Rogers’ Ignite TV and Ignite Streaming, giving customers access to Apple TV+ original series and films. New and existing customers are eligible to receive a three-month Apple TV+ subscription when they sign up before Nov. 23. Ignite TV and Ignite Streaming customers that subscribe to Apple TV+ can discover Apple Originals via voice remote by simply saying “Apple TV+” or the name of an Apple TV+ title (for example, Ted Lasso or The Morning Show) to start watching.

Ontario Creates has announced the return of the International Financing Forum (IFF) for a 17th year, its first in-person event since 2019. Held in association with the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), Sept. 11-12, the feature film co-financing and co-production market, brings together jury-selected producers looking to secure financing for upcoming projects with film industry executives, including international sales agents, financiers, distributors, agents, and executive producers. Since 2006, over 100 projects launched at Ontario Creates’ IFF have been successfully financed and produced with several others currently in production and post-production. Successful projects include 2022 TIFF premieres Alice, Darling and The Swearing Jar, and in recent years Castle in the Ground, Sharkwater Extinction, and Maudie; Berlinale premiere, Night Raiders; and Academy Award-nominated Incendies, among others. In addition to the two-day in-person financing event, an online version will be facilitated for attendees under travel restrictions. 

CaribbeanTales’ Micro-Credentials for Black Media Professionals has released its online Production Manager Course. Through the course, participants will gain a range of knowledge and insight on what planning and organizing happens ahead of and during production. The course will be instructed by Mark Allyene, an active production manager who has also had vast experience working as a locations manager. Targeted at emerging filmmakers, the program aims to fill a critical gap providing accessible online tools for skills development, increasing the employability of participants and the number of qualified Black Professionals in critical industry roles.

The Movie Theatre Association of Canada (MTAC) and The Cinema Foundation are welcoming moviegoers across Canada and the U.S. to celebrate a day at the movies with discounted admissions to kick-off National Cinema Day, Sept. 3. National Cinema Day will bring together audiences at a discounted admission of $3 (plus applicable taxes). The one-day event will be held at more than 3,000 participating locations with more than 30,000 screens across North America. Participating theatres in Canada include Cineplex, Cinemas Guzzo, Cinemas Cine Entreprise, Imagine Cinemas, Landmark, Magic Lantern Theatres and many local independent theatres. 

ONLINE & DIGITAL MEDIA:

MTM and MTM JR. have released two reports exploring the use of Subscription Video on Demand Services (SVOD) services. Key findings from the SVOD Services Market Landscape 2022 include that 82% of Anglophone Canadians subscribe to at least one SVOD service with subscribers watching around nine hours of content a week. The top three streaming services in terms of both subscription and viewership are Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and Disney+. 68% of SVOD subscribers also subscribe to traditional TV services, such as cable, satellite or fiber optic. Key findings from the Kids and SVODs report include: Four in five anglophone kids aged 2-17 watch content on SVODs in a typical month. Monthly viewing is fairly consistent across age groups, but girls are 6% more likely to watch them than are boys; Netflix remains the most popular SVOD service, with four in five English-speaking children aged 2-17 having access to a subscription. However, there is growth in other services such as Amazon Prime Video (65%) and Disney+ (56%).

QYOU Media has partnered with cloud-based data analysis platform, StarLifter, to launch Q Data as a companywide initiative leveraging the use of data-driven technology to support and accelerate the accuracy and effectiveness of its advertising and programming. With the objective of moving decision-making further into a data-driven process, QYOU says Q Data will provide actionable information to increase the value of advertising slots and more accurately inform content and programming decision-making across all QYOU Media business units including The Q India, Chtrbox and QYOU USA. To lead the new unit within QYOU Media, the company has promoted longtime Vice President of Product, Jace Sparks, to the newly-created role of Chief Product Officer. He’ll be responsible for aligning overall data collection and usability with the overriding goal of increasing predictable content effectiveness and monetization potential. 

REGULATORY, TELECOM & MEDIA:

The CRTC has announced it will adopt 9-8-8 as the number to call or text for Canadians who are in need of immediate mental health crisis and suicide prevention intervention. Once implemented by telephone and wireless service providers, calls and texts to 9-8-8 will be directed to a mental health crisis or suicide prevention service, free of charge. The commission says the number will enable greater access regardless of geographic location or socioeconomic status as it will be available from coast to coast, 24/7.

CBC has published Q1 Financial Highlights, reporting revenue increases of 11.3% in the quarter, mostly from stronger TV advertising demand and continued digital revenue growth, in addition to higher content sales and demand for production services. Government funding recognized in the quarter increased by 5.4%. Expenses increased by 4.1% mostly from higher programming costs due to scheduling changes. The public broadcaster says more costs were also incurred covering a news-heavy quarter.

CBC/Radio-Canada will hold its Annual Public Meeting on Sept. 28 at 4:30 p.m. ET. This year’s theme will focus on how the national public broadcaster is fulfilling its strategic priority to engage with young audiences across the country. A panel discussion on the theme of “News for the Next Generation” will allow Canadians to hear from contributors to the public broadcaster’s youth-oriented platforms, CBC Kids News, Street Cents, MAJ and Rad. Michael Goldbloom, CBC/Radio-Canada’s Chair of the Board of Directors, and Catherine Tait, President and CEO, will also provide an update. The virtual event will be streamed live on CBC/Radio-Canada’s corporate website and on Facebook and LinkedIn.

Canada Media Fund (CMF) CEO and President Valerie Creighton has been awarded the University of Regina’s Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of her “visionary leadership for some of the country’s most important arts and culture institutions.” Creighton is also an inductee of the Order of Canada and the Saskatchewan Order of Merit. Molly Thomas, a correspondent for CTV’s W5, is also receiving the Outstanding Young Alumni Award from the university. Thomas has been recognized with multiple awards, including a National Labour Reporting Award from the Canadian Association of Journalists for her W5 story Fields of Wrath, highlighting the plight of migrant workers during the early days of COVID-19. This year, RTDNA Canada also awarded her a National Award in Sports Excellence, for her team’s profile on Toronto Raptors’ head coach, Nick Nurse. 

BROADCAST TECH & ENGINEERING:

WABE (Western Association of Broadcast Engineers) is pleased to announce that its exhibit hall is sold out and education sessions are filling up for its annual convention, taking place Oct. 4-5 in Calgary. In addition, WABE is also extending its early bird delegate registration deadline for another week. Those who register by Sept. 9 will get the discounted price. This is also the deadline to book your hotel room at a discounted price. Please visit wabe.ca for more details or email info@wabe.ca.  We look forward to seeing everyone back together again for learning and networking!

The Association of Central Canada Broadcast Engineers (CCBE) held their annual Career Development Conference, August 26-27, at the Kingbridge Centre in King City, ON. The first in-person conference since 2019, attendance exceeded expectations with over 100 registered delegates. The CCBE Engineering Excellence Award was presented to Brian Hinz, Senior Engineering Manager of Blackburn Media. The Bob Norton Ambassador of the Year Award went to Ted Paley of Ron Paley Broadcast, while the CCBE Lifetime Achievement Award was awarded to Roger Cole, Chief Engineer of Television and Radio for Kingston and Peterborough at Corus Entertainment.  A graduate of the Electronics Technology program at St. Lawrence College, Roger started his career at CKWS Kingston before moving on to Brockville, Chatham and finally, back to Kingston where he has been for the last 30 years. Read more here.

Shutterstock has rebranded The Newsroom as Splash. The editorial content hub, launched in May 2021, was bolstered by the acquisition of Splash in May of this year, a leading source for image and video content across celebrity, red carpet and live events. With the rebrand to Splash, Shutterstock customers retain access to breaking news, as well as an archive of over 30 million images, with a live feed of 40,000 images uploaded per day from a network of over 4,000 photographers. This is combined with The Vault, Shutterstock’s archive of over 60 million photo and video assets from AP, ITV, The Condé Nast Collection, and The A+E Networks® Archive.