The Weekly Briefing

REVOLVING DOOR:

Joe Gabor has been promoted at Vista Radio from Director, Business and Digital Innovation to the position of Vice-President, Business Development. Gabor has been with Vista since 2019, initially joining the company as Director, Western Operations.

Allison Worone has been promoted to Vice-President & General Counsel at Evanov Communications, effective immediately. Worone has been with Evanov since 2018, most recently serving as General Counsel. Prior to that, she was an associate with Faksen Martineau DuMoulin and McMillan LLP in Toronto.

Ciara Yaschuk is joining Global News Morning and Global News at Noon in Edmonton as the new weather anchor, starting Oct. 2. Yaschuk, who has been a community reporter with Global Edmonton since 2021, succeeds Phil Darlington, who has moved to Global Edmonton’s evening newscasts. Yaschuk was previously an anchor on the morning show at Global Saskatoon. 

Tony Grace is leaving CTV Kitchener to take on a new role with CTV National News. Grace, who has been the station’s late night anchor since 2019, has been a fill-in host on CTV News Channel since 2001. He’s been with CTV News for 22 years.

Tyler Barrow is leaving CTV Saskatoon for CTV Calgary where he’s accepted a multimedia journalist position. Barrow has been with the network since 2018 and with the Saskatoon bureau since 2020. 

Dan Getz, Executive Producer of Network News at CBC Vancouver, has been named Associate Dean, Broadcast and Media Communications at BCIT. A former lawyer, Getz was previously an instructor in BCIT’s School of Business for 15 years, teaching Media Law and Advanced Journalism, among other courses.

Rob Fai begins hosting weekend mornings on 980 CKNW Vancouver, beginning Oct. 7. The former TSN Radio (CKST-AM) host succeeds Stirling Faux in the 6 – 9 a.m. timeslot. Faux has joined Durham Radio’s WAVE 98.3 (CIWV-FM) in afternoons.

Julia Lovett-Squires is joining Pattison Media’s newsrooms in Saskatchewan as a Senior Reporter. Lovett-Squires arrives from Metroland Media Group’s newspapers in Muskoka and Orangeville, ON where she’s been a reporter and photographer since 2016. She’s one of 605 staff and nearly 70 journalists laid off by Metroland amidst a bankruptcy protection filing earlier this month.

David Rockne Corrigan joins the My Broadcasting Corporation (MBC) stations in Kingston as a reporter/anchor. He was formerly TVO’s Eastern Ontario Hub reporter.

Loreena Dickson has joined My Broadcasting Corporation (MBC) as network anchor. Dickson was previously the anchor and morning show co-host on AM 1290 (CJBK-AM) London.

Kesha Maile is joining the news team for both 91.7 Giant FM (CIXL-FM) and New Country 89.1 (CKYY-FM) Welland, ON. She was previously with Heart FM (CIHR-FM) Woodstock.

Emily Moore is the new Program Director for FREQ 90.5 (CJMB-FM) Peterborough and Assistant Program Director for MBC’s myFM brand stations. Moore, who also hosts middays on both stations, will remain based in Renfrew, ON.

Eryk Trickett is the new Assistant Program Director for 91.7 Giant FM (CIXL-FM) and New Country 89.1 (CKYY-FM) Welland, ON. Trickett will also continue to handle swing and oversee Niagara Ice Dogs broadcasts.

Darlene Check is the new morning show host on 91.7 Giant FM (CIXL-FM) and will serve as Promotions Director for both Giant FM and New Country 89.1 (CKYY-FM) Welland. Check was previously helming the morning show on 105.1 The River Niagara.

Chris Lukas is adding middays on Classic Rock 107.9 (CHUC-FM) Cobourg, ON, in addition to her current gig hosting middays on 91.7 Giant FM (CIXL-FM) Niagara.

Adam Weekes, swing announcer at Lake 88.1 (CHLK-FM) Perth, ON, has added evening announcer duties on MBC’s myFM branded stations. Weekes also serves as Lake FM’s Production Manager.

 

RADIO & PODCAST:

Corus Entertainment has released its on-air staff at its Winnipeg Soft AC station, Peggy @ 99.1 (CFPG-FM) ahead of a format flip, including morning man Tom McGouran (who had just joined the station in July), midday host Colleen Rusholme (who is also heard in mornings on Corus’ boom 99.7 Ottawa and Big 101 Barrie) and afternoon drive host Frank Andrews. The station had been carrying its current format – that spans hits from Blondie and Doug and the Slugs to The Verve, Usher and Bryan Adams – since December 2016. Read more here.

A Day To Listen returns for a third year on Saturday, Sept. 30, in recognition of the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. Nearly 500 Canadian radio stations will come together for a third year to elevate Indigenous voices with the 12-hour broadcast (airing from 6 a.m. – 6 p.m. local time), produced by the Gord Downie & Chanie Wenjack Fund (DWF) in partnership with Orbyt Media. Singer-songwriter William Prince returns to host the special for a second year, joined by new co-hosts, singer-songwriter Aysanabee and ShoShona Kish of the band Digging Roots. This year’s theme is Mino Bimaadiziwin: Honouring Indigenous Identity. Mino Bimaadiziwin means “the good life” in Anishinabemowin. Special guests include Buffy Sainte-Marie, Dr. Amy Cardinal Christianson, Dr. Cindy Blackstock, and former NHL player Jordin Tootoo. Read more here.

Media Technology Monitor’s (MTM) latest report exploring in-vehicle and public transit listening habits finds Canadians aged 18-34 are just as likely to listen to AM/FM radio in the car as they are a streaming service. “Cruising through the Soundscapes – Audio on the Go” found that two-thirds of Canadians continue to tune in to AM/FM radio in-vehicle. While radio remains the key source of audio entertainment in-car, music streaming services like Spotify and Apple Music, are popular among one third of Canadians. Read more here.

Re:Sound is calling on lawmakers in Ottawa to take urgent action to update the Copyright Act, ahead of International Music Day on Oct. 1. The not-for-profit music licensing company wants to see the definition of a sound recording amended to allow performers and record labels to be equitably compensated when their music is performed in movies, television, and other audio-visual content. It’s also calling for removal of the $1.25M exemption for radio stations and asking that the private copying regime updated to be technologically neutral in support of the Canadian Private Copying Collective.

LISTEN: Fatima Zaidi, the Founder and CEO at Quill Inc., an award-winning production agency specializing in corporate audio, and CoHost, a podcast growth and analytics tool, joins Matt Cundill on the Sound Off Podcast. Among other topics, she and Matt discuss why attribution is a good thing, which metrics are important, and she shares some tips about podcast promotion. 

SIGN OFFS:

Jim Morrison, 80, on Sept. 23. Morrison first got his feet wet in broadcasting as part of the UBC Radio Society, while obtaining his Bachelor of Science. He worked with CKWX Vancouver early in his career, before joining CBC Calgary in 1975 as a producer and host on the evening news hour. Morrison went on to host mornings on Selkirk Communications’ CJAZ Vancouver, billed as Canada’s first all-jazz radio station in the early 1980s. He established Morrison Productions in 1985, his own corporate video production company. 

Stan Klees, 91, on Sept. 22. A Toronto native, Klees got his first taste of radio in his teens, dropping out of high school to host on CKLB in the late 1940s, later hosting “Teens and Tunes” on CHUM. Klees transitioned into the music business, eventually landing a producer role at London Records, going on to found the Tamarac record label and then Red Leaf Records. Frustrated by the lack of opportunity for homegrown acts beyond the Billboard charts, Klees urged friend Walt Grealis to found Canadian music industry trade publication RPM Weekly, which made its debut in February 1964. Grealis became a collaborator on future ventures, including the creation of the JUNOs in 1970, which grew out of RPM’s Gold Leaf Awards celebrating Canadian talent, with an eye to building a star system north of the border. Klees and Grealis began lobbying Ottawa to legislate making Canadian content viable, with CanCon regulations, based on Klees’ proposals, introduced by the CRTC in 1971, requiring radio stations to play 30% Canadian musical selections during peak hours. Klees was also the creator of the MAPL logo intended to help programmers identify Canadian-produced selections. He founded the Canadian Independent Record Production Association in 1971, and helped establish the Canadian Academy of Country Music Advancement, the pre-cursor to the Canadian Country Music Association. The Big Country Awards, forerunner to the Canadian Country Music Awards, followed in 1975. Klees was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1995 and was recognized, along with Grealis, with a SOCAN Special Achievement Award in 2001. The duo also received the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame Legacy Award in 2005. Read more here.

Bob Henry, 80, on Sept. 21. Henry’s foray into broadcasting came during a stint with the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) while serving at Station Armstrong in Ontario at “KOLD.” He went on to a 59-year career in radio with his first on-air appearance in 1964 at CFCY Charlottetown. From there, he worked at CKDH Amherst, NS and CKCL Truro, NS where his established the first incarnation of his “Weekend Jamboree” show in 1967. Stops followed at CFAN Newcastle, NB; CHER Sydney NS; CHTN Charlottetown; and CKPE Sydney, NS. In 1980, Henry moved the family to Saint John, NB where he joined CHSJ as Program Director and re-introduced “Weekend Jamboree,” which quickly became a popular Saturday evening staple with listeners. The show eventually ended in 1995 and Henry undertook a new career challenge with Canadian Blood Services, in addition to serving as fundraising director for the Muscular Dystrophy Association of Canada. In 2002, he returned to his radio roots, reprising “‘Weekend Jamboree” on Sunday evenings on Country 94.1 FM (CHSJ-FM) Saint John and working in sales for the station. He went on to host “Jukebox Country” on Oldies 96.1 (CINB-FM) Saint John, which aired Sunday evenings, starting in 2021 until September 3rd, 2023, when he signed off for the final time. Henry was a member of the Canadian Association of Broadcasters (CAB) 25 Year Club. In 2005, he was inducted into the New Brunswick Country Music Hall of Fame (NBCMHF).  

Pierre Camu, 100, on Sept. 5. A geographer, academic, transport executive and civil servant, Camu served as Chair of the CRTC from 1977-79, succeeding Harry Boyle. He previously had served as president of the Canadian Association of Broadcasters (CAB) from 1973-77. In 1976, he was made an Officer of the Order of Canada. Among other pursuits, Camu went on to notably became one of the founders of the 28,000 kilometre Trans Canada Trail, which connects Canada from one ocean to the other two.

 

 

TV & FILM:

Corus Entertainment has announced it’s ending production of Entertainment Tonight Canada after 18 seasons, as the company’s share price continues to hover around the $1 mark. Corus said in a statement that “the costs of producing a daily entertainment newsmagazine show in a challenging advertising environment have led to this decision.” Corus shares traded down Wednesday, closing at an all-time low of $1.01 on the TSX, as the company continues to look for efficiencies amid a soft advertising market. The magazine-style ET Canada had most recently been helmed by Cheryl Hickey and Sangita Patel, accompanied by reporters Carlos Bustamante, Morgan Hoffman and Keshia Chanté. Former Big Brother Canada houseguests Brittnee Blair and Jedson Tavernier also joined the show as correspondents last year. Hickey had been with ET since 2008, while Patel and Bustamante joined in 2017. Read more here.

The Writers Guild of Canada (WGC) says it will be carefully looking at the details of the tentative agreement reached Sunday between its sister guild, the Writers Guild of America (WGA) and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) after 146 days of striking. Many Canadian screenwriters are dual members of both guilds. “We will be looking very closely at the details of the deal,” said WGC Executive Director Victoria Shen, in a statement. “We are heading into negotiations with the Canadian Media Producers Association (CMPA) in October.” 

Canada Media Fund (CMF) has released its annual report Future Focused, which shows its investments in the screen-based industries unlocked $1.7B in industry activity during the 2022-23 fiscal year. Key takeaways from the annual report highlight that CMF programs delivered a total of $360.3M in funding for the prototyping, development, production, promotion, and export of 1,334 television and interactive digital media projects. Every CMF dollar invested generated $4.85 in production activity, with CMF investing over $63M in projects led by creators from Indigenous and equity-seeking communities—$3.7M more than the year before. The agency distributed close to $48M in funding to digital media projects. 

LISTEN: CPAC President & CEO Christa Dickensen, who joined CPAC from Telefilm almost exactly one year ago, joins us on Broadcast Dialogue – The Podcast to talk about her return to the channel at a time when journalism is in jeopardy and the broadcast landscape undergoing complex transformation. Under the mentorship of Rogers’ Vice-Chair Phil Lind over the past year, she also talks about carrying on the late CPAC founder’s legacy to uphold the torch of democracy.

Roku’s annual Video on Demand (VOD) Evolution study indicates 75% of Canadian internet users are now streaming TV, with the majority watching ad-supported TV. Based on a summer survey of 2,100 Canadians nationally, aged 18-64, who watched TV at least once in the last month, Roku found that ad-supported TV streamers increased exponentially in the last year alone, jumping to 59%, compared to 42% in the previous year. Another 63% of respondents plan to stream ad-supported TV in the year ahead. The study, conducted by Fuse Insights, indicates that rising inflation and cost-of-living expenses are driving the move toward ad-supported options with 24% planning to cancel or downgrade their cable/satellite package in the next 12 months, up six per cent from 2022. Read more here.

Prime Video viewers in Canada will start seeing ads on the Amazon streaming service early next year. “To continue investing in compelling content and keep increasing that investment over a long period of time, starting in early 2024, Prime Video shows and movies will include limited advertisements,” the streamer announced in an update last week. Ads will start rolling out during Prime content in the U.S., UK, Germany, and Canada in early 2024, followed by France, Italy, Spain, Mexico, and Australia later in the year. The price of a Prime membership will remain unchanged, with a new ad-free tier being introduced for an additional $2.99 per month for U.S. Prime members. Disney+ will make its ad-supported subscription available in Canada on Nov. 1. Read more here.

CBC has launched CBC Comedy, a free ad-supported streaming (FAST) channel featuring the public broadcaster’s original comedy series, sketch shows and stand-up specials. Now available on CBC Gem, the channel is set to launch on LG Channels, The Roku Channel and Samsung TV Plus later this fall. CBC launched its initial FAST channel offering, CBC News Explore, last November. In addition to CBC Comedy, it’s announced plans to launch CBC News BC, featuring the news of the day from the West Coast, along with additional local CBC News streaming channels in the New Year. Read more here.

Super Channel has launched its new streaming app Super Channel+, available on the Roku platform in Canada. Super Channel+ viewers can enjoy on demand content from the network’s four channels, including original movies, series, films, documentaries, docuseries, and esports programming, unedited and commercial-free. Roku users can subscribe to the Super Channel+ app and add it to their home screen directly from the Channel Store on the Roku platform. New subscribers are being offered a 30-day free trial.

Super Channel has acquired the historical docudrama Royal Mob, from eOne. The four-part series will make its Canadian premiere on Super Channel Fuse on Oct. 15, with each episode available on Super Channel On Demand the following day. Produced by Nutopia, the series tells the saga of the extended royal family – dubbed by Queen Victoria “The Royal Mob” – that once ruled the whole of Europe, and how their loves, marriages and feuds triggered World War 1.

CBC is marking the third National Day for Truth and Reconciliation on Saturday, Sept. 30 with a lineup of Indigenous-led original programming across CBC TV, CBC Gem, CBC News Explore, CBC News Network, CBC Kids, CBC Radio, CBC Listen and CBC Music. CBC’s programming will include CBC News Live Special: National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, hosted by Chief Political Correspondent Rosemary Barton from Ottawa, as well as the second edition of musical celebration Reclaimed Presents: ʔəm̓i ce:p xʷiwəl Come Toward The Fire across CBC platforms, and the CBC TV debut of TIFF 2023-selected docuseries Telling Our Story, airing its first two episodes. On CBC Radio and CBC Listen, Falen Johnson hosts live coverage of the events in Ottawa, beginning at 1 p.m. ET. 

The Statue Wars is a new documentary commissioned by CBC and produced by Saloon Media, premiering on The Passionate Eye on Oct. 4 on CBC Gem and CBC TV. The doc delves into the nationwide debate over public statues, including “The History Buff,” a staunch defender of John A Mcdonald; “The Statue-slayer” who beheaded Egerton Ryerson’s statue; “The Artist,” a Cowichan/Syilx First Nations artist who is also a survivor of the Kamloops Indian Residential School; and “The Land Defender,” a multi-hyphenate, Indigenous land defender, singer and actress from Tla’amin Nation. 

W5 launches its 58th season with a move to a new day and timeslot. Beginning Oct. 6, episodes air weekly on Fridays at 10 p.m. ET/PT on CTV platforms. Led by Investigative Correspondent and Managing Editor Avery Haines, the new season premieres with “Prisoner 14000,” highlighting a breakthrough in an ongoing W5 investigation about a Canadian grandmother who was imprisoned in Hong Kong for smuggling cocaine into the country. Episodes of W5 encore Saturdays at 7 p.m. ET/PT on CTV2, Sundays at noon ET/PT on CTV, and Sundays at 7 p.m. ET/PT on CTV News Channel. 

CTV Sci-Fi Channel’s October schedule is possessed by ghosts, vampires, some unlikely heroes, and…real estate agents! With a slate of new and returning series, Season 2 of CTV Sci-Fi Original Surrealestate returns Wednesdays at 10 p.m. ET beginning Oct. 4, with new original storytelling series Paranormal Revenge haunting Fridays at 9 p.m. ET beginning Oct. 6. Joining Surrealestate on Wednesdays, and making its Canadian broadcast debut is Reginald The Vampire, which airs in the 9 p.m. ET timeslot beginning Oct. 11. Doom Patrol also returns to the schedule Oct. 12 with the final six episodes of the series airing Thursdays at 9:30 p.m. ET.

Boat Rocker has announced a raft of international sales of the first season of new 10-episode scripted series, Orphan Black: Echoes, to leading broadcasters and streamers, including ITV/ ITVX (UK), Stan Entertainment (Australia), PCCW Media Entertainment (NOW Studio) (Hong Kong SAR and Macau); TVNZ (New Zealand); NPO (Netherlands); OCS (Orange) (France); and NBCU (Syfy) (Spain, Portugal, African territories, Albania, Bosnia Herzegovina, Croatia, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro, Poland, Serbia, Slovenia). Starring Krysten Ritter (Jessica Jones, Breaking Bad) and Keeley Hawes (Bodyguard, Line of Duty), the spin-off is set in the world of landmark series, Orphan Black, in the near future, taking a deep dive into the exploration of scientific manipulation of human existence. 

WildBrain is launching Jonny Jetboy (40 x 11’), a new original kids’ series from Keith Chapman, creator of PAW Patrol and Bob the Builder, at MIPJUNIOR and MIPCOM 2023. WildBrain’s slate for the market will also include new originals: the CG-animated preschool show Caillou (52 x 11’) and the all-new version of comedy series, Johnny Test (40 x 11’). Targeted at kids aged preschool 4-7, Jonny Jetboy follows the action-packed adventures of Jonny Jones, the youngest member of the Jones family, who are secretly a family of superheroes known as the JetFleet. 

Thunderbird Entertainment Group has announced that Thunderbird Distribution has inked sales for the first season of Windy Isle Entertainment live-action preschool series Mittens & Pants across 34 international territories, including France TV (France, Andorra, Monaco, Martinique, Guadeloupe, French Guyana, Reunion, Saint Pierre and Miquelon, French Polynesia, New Caledonia, Wallis and Futuna, Mayotte), Warner Bros. Discovery’s Cartoonito, Cartoon Network and Boomerang channels (Australia, New Zealand, Southeast Asia, Hong Kong and Taiwan), Hop! Channel (Israel) and DR Denmark (Denmark, Greenland and Faroe Islands). These new television partners join CBC Kids in Canada and the UK’s Sky Kids, which both launched the series in February. 

Spin Master will produce a third feature film for its preschool powerhouse franchise PAW Patrol. A Spin Master Entertainment production, in association with Nickelodeon Movies, the film will be distributed by Paramount Pictures and is set for theatrical release in 2026. On Sept. 29, the second feature film, PAW Patrol: The Mighty Movie, will be unleashed in theatres with a star-studded cast that includes Taraji P. Henson, Kristen Bell, Christian Convery, Brice Gonzalez, Mckenna Grace, Lil Rel Howery, Alan Kim, Finn Lee-Epp, James Marsden, Chris Rock, Serena Williams, North West and Saint West alongside returning cast Kim Kardashian, Marsai Martin and Ron Pardo and existing voice cast members from the preschool series. 

Corus Entertainment has announced a three-year renewal of the partnership between RBC and HGTV Canada’s Bryan and Sarah Baeumler. Now extending to nine consecutive years, the partnership has evolved with collaboration from Corus Tempo, offering RBC distinctive promotional support featuring the Baeumler family as brand ambassadors. As an extension, RBC is an integrated sponsor for Corus Studios series Bryan’s All In (10×60), debuting with a special two-episode event Oct. 8 on HGTV Canada and STACKTV.

Telefilm is now accepting applications from Canadian production companies specializing in animation (feature film or television) who would like to take part in the second edition of the RDVCANADA | Meet the Animations initiative. It enables a maximum of five producers, representing a production company, to benefit from personalized guidance and provides an opportunity to participate in an official pitch session during the Annecy International Animation Film Market (MIFA) in France in June 2024. Sign up here.

ONLINE & DIGITAL MEDIA:

Leger research conducted in mid-September, indicates nearly half of Canadians (47%) have seen changes in their online feed since Meta blocked news content in response to Bill C-18, with that proportion higher among those who mainly get their news via social media (59%) and Quebecors (54%). Leger also found that 66% of Canadians think that news should be free and accessible to anyone, while 34% think Bill C-18 is a good thing since news media are struggling. Those who mainly get their news via social media are more likely (75%) to think that news should be free and accessible to anyone. Leger’s research indicates 59% of Canadians believe Meta should lift its current ban on Canadian news on its platforms. Since news has been blocked on Meta platforms, 22% said they are turning more to radio and television, and 20% to free media websites and applications to access news content. Only 6% of Canadians say they would pay for a subscription to access news directly.

T.O. Webfest presented 37 awards at its Gala Awards ceremony, with Less Than Kosher, produced by Laura Nordin and Emily Andrews and created by Shaina Silver-Baird and Michael Goldlist, winning the festival’s Grand Prize, as well as Best Comedy, Best Writing (Silver-Baird and Goldlist) and Best Actor (Shaina Silver-Baird). Honouring the best in short form series, over 40 web series producers and crew took part in the peer group judging process to select the nominees and winners. With 15 nominations, Season 2 of Chateau Laurier won Best Drama, Best Supporting Actor (Emmanuel Kabongo) and Best Costume Design (Melissa Bessey). Also with three awards, Top Dogs: Vengeance was recognized as Best French Canadian series for producer Vincent Chabot, while the award for Best English Canadian series went to Streams Flow from a River from Fae Pictures’ Shant Joshi, Abdul Malik, and Linsay Blair Goeldner. Toronto’s Headspinner Productions (Michelle Melanson and Ken Cuperus) is the only company to win for two different series: Best Animated Series: Gisele’s Mashup Adventures, and Best Childrens’ Series (12 and under) for Happy House of Frightenstein (Season 2).

REGULATORY, TELECOM & MEDIA:

The CRTC will hold public consultations on its regulatory approach governing non-Canadian TV services, following a review of over 7,000 submissions in response to Egale Canada’s application to remove Fox News from Canadian airwaves. In April, the 2SLGBTQI advocacy organization sent an open letter to commission chair Vicky Eatrides calling for removal of Fox News from the list of non-Canadian programming authorized for distribution in Canada, maintaining the channel’s programming is in clear violation of Canadian broadcasting standards. The commission has informed Egale Canada that after carefully considering the thousands of interventions submitted, “it has become clear that the current decades-old regulatory approach for overseeing non-Canadian television services requires a review.” Following the public consultation, the CRTC would assess Egale’s specific application under an updated approach. Read more here.

ACTRA ((Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists) and ICA (Institute of Canadian Agencies) mediation talks have ended without a successful conclusion after two months as their 17-month long dispute over working conditions, benefits, and competitive pay for commercial production performers continues. ICA, which has been negotiating in partnership with the Association of Canadian Advertisers (ACA), said ACTRA refused almost all proposals presented. While an eight per cent increase in fees is on the table, Marie Kelly, ACTRA’s National Executive Director & Lead Negotiator, says under terms of the ICA proposal performers would be taking a 50 to 60% pay decrease, compared to current National Commercial Agreement (NCA) rates. Read more here.

CBC/Radio-Canada President and CEO Catherine Tait called on public broadcasters around the world to fight disinformation and bolster trust in public media by getting Journalism Trust Initiative (JTI) certification from Reporters Without Borders (RSF). Tait issued the call to action at the Public Broadcasters International conference, PBI Prague 2023. Launched in 2018, JTI is designed as an ISO standard to combat disinformation and promote trustworthy journalism, scrutinizing a news service’s transparency and editorial practices. Public media who have been awarded JTI certification include CBC, France Télévisions, LRT (Lithuania), RTÉ News (Ireland), and SWI swissinfo.ch (Switzerland). PBI Ottawa 2024 will be hosted by CBC/Radio-Canada in the Capital Region, Oct. 8–10, 2024.

The Canadian Association of Journalists (CAJ) has launched the fall 2023 edition of its mentorship program. Open to early- and mid-career CAJ members, the deadline for applications is Oct. 6. The roster of 30 mentors includes Elamin Abdelmahmoud – Cultural writer & podcaster, CBC; Falice Chin – Executive Producer, CBC Ottawa; Allya Davidson – Executive Producer, CBC Fifth Estate; Tina House – Videojournalist, APTN; Kamil Karamali – Reporter and Anchor, Global BC; Justin McElroy – Municipal Affairs Reporter, CBC Vancouver; Tara Nelson – Anchor and Executive Editor, CTV Calgary; Valérie Ouellet – Investigative Reporter, CBC News Investigative Unit; and Selena Ross – Reporter, CTV Montreal.

Bell Canada, Verizon, Vodafone and Matsuko successfully conducted the first live transatlantic collaborative meeting connecting multiple holographic people in Canada, the U.S. and the UK using 5G and multi-access edge computing (MEC) technology. The call was enabled by the speed of 5G combined with the quick response times of MEC, which moves the necessary computing closer to the edge of the network, ensuring a more reliable and consistent hologram by removing delays resulting from multiple hops between different locations and across the internet. Holograms of employees located in three different countries were connected from Toronto, using Bell’s 5G network; New York using Verizon’s 5G network; and from London, using Vodafone’s 5G network. They were created using MATSUKO’s real-time software and just a single camera and were then streamed using spatial computing, an immersive technology which combines virtual and augmented reality. Bell, Verizon and Vodafone came together under the auspices of industry body, the 5G Future Forum (5GFF) for the first-of-its-kind demonstration. 

Rogers Communications is investing in industry-leading wildfire detection and prevention technology. Rogers is using satellite-connected sensors, using SpaceX’s low-bandwidth Swarm service, to better predict wildfires in remote areas of British Columbia without wireless networks. Rogers is introducing Pano AI cameras on the Rogers 5G network that detect smoke up to a 20-kilometre range. The AI cameras will be located on wireless towers in Fort St. James, Smithers and Chetwynd. The company is also donating satellite phones to the British Columbia Search and Rescue Association to support first responders. The new tech builds on ongoing 5G research by Rogers, UBC and BC Wildfire Service (BCWS) to monitor key wildfire indicators with real-time data from the satellite-connected sensors and tower cameras to be shared with BCWS and UBC to enable better detection.

BROADCAST TECH & ENGINEERING:

William F. White is rebranding after 60 years as Sunbelt Rentals Film & TV, aligning with parent company, Sunbelt Rentals, and its operations in the UK. The company says under the new brand, it can expand its reach to fully service filmmakers in local and international markets.

 

The NAB Broadcast Engineering and Information Technology (BEIT) Conference, taking place April 13-16, at NAB Show in the Las Vegas Convention Center, has issued a call for technical paper proposals and panel sessions. Selected papers will be presented during the conference and may be submitted online through the 2024 BEIT Call for Papers and Panels portal. Proposals explaining the underlying technologies used in new broadcast products or services will be considered, while those submitted for the purpose of promoting company products or services will not. The deadline for proposals is Nov. 3. Find the general NAB Show call for speakers here.