REVOLVING DOOR:
Shane Hewitt has revealed that Corus Entertainment has cancelled his late night network talk show The Shift with Shane Hewitt that aired across 980 CKNW Vancouver, QR Calgary, 630 CHED Edmonton, 680 CJOB Winnipeg, 640 Toronto, 900 CHML Hamilton, and 980 CFPL London, in addition to Stingray’s Radio NL in Kamloops. Hewitt said in a YouTube post that to his understanding he will not be replaced, but rather “re-run” content will air in The Shift’s former time slot. Hewitt was a frequent guest host on The Shift with Drex, prior to taking the helm of the show in November 2020. Read more here.
Kirk LaPointe has parted ways with Glacier Media and Business in Vancouver (BIV). Lapointe, most recently held the roles of Vice-President, Editorial, BIV Publisher and BIV Executive Editor. The former CBC Ombudsman, CTV Senior VP of News, Roundhouse Radio (CIRH-FM) host, and Vancouver mayoral candidate had been with Glacier Media since 2015.
Hayley Woodin Hastings has taken on the role of leadership of The Orca and Western Investor as part of leadership changes at Glacier Media. Editor-in-chief of BIV News since January, her expanded role encompasses leadership of BIV events, strategic initiatives, partnership development and the digital expansion of BIV journalism. Woodin Hastings has been with Glacier Media since 2014.
Leslie Stojsic has announced she’ll be leaving Global News at the end of the year. With the network for the last eight years, Stojsic was an executive producer on Global National before helping launch network current affairs program, The New Reality, on which she served as Managing Editor and was recently cancelled. Prior to joining Global in 2015, she was a senior producer for CBC Power & Politics, The National and Mansbridge One on One.
Sam Houpt has announced his departure from Global News Peterborough. Houpt had been a videographer with CHEX-TV since 2021.
Liam Nixon has left Global News Lethbridge and broadcasting to join the City of Lethbridge as a Communications Strategist. Nixon had been with the station for more than nine years holding roles including newsroom manager, producer and anchor. Prior to Global, Nixon was Assistant News Director at CHAT Medicine Hat.
Amanda Kline has signed off from CTV Montreal. Kline told viewers it’s time for a new chapter for her and her growing family. She had been with CTV Montreal for the past eight years, most recently as a weekend anchor and videojournalist. She previously produced and reported for MAtv, CTV New Channel in Toronto and CJAD 800.
Brooklyn Connolly has joined CTV Toronto and CP24 as a multi-platform writer. A 2022 University of King’s College Journalism grad, Connolly was previously a reporter with online outlet, Cabin Radio, in Yellowknife.
Deborah Wilson has retired from CBC Radio Victoria where she was part of the seven-person staff cohort that opened the station in 1997. Wilson had been a journalist with the public broadcaster for more than 27 years.
Laurie Hoogstraten, a producer and frequent guest host on CBC Radio One in Manitoba, is retiring after nearly 40 years in broadcasting. Hoogstraten has been a contributor to CBC Manitoba for more than 23 years, in addition to working as a writer and producer on shows like It’s A Living with Peter Jordan (1997-2004), among other programming.
Blair Henatyzen is leaving Classic Rock Mornings on Classic Rock 98.1 (CKLO-FM) London. Henatyzen had been with the morning show since 2019 and with Blackburn Media for 12 years. He’d most recently been hosting alongside Sara Rubino.
Matt Fisher will be leaving his Program Director post at 88.7 CKAR Hunters Bay Radio in Huntsville, ON to take on the role of PD and afternoon drive host at Bounce 92.3 (CJOS-FM) Owen Sound. Fisher had been with the station for the past year, following on-air and promotions roles at 104.7 Heart FM (CIHR-FM), Country 93.1 (CHMT-FM) Timmins, and 93.1 CFNR Terrace, BC.
Millzy (aka Matt Miller) has joined Kool FM (CKMB-FM) Barrie on-air weeknights from 7 – 10 p.m., in addition to working as a digital producer. A recent Humber College grad, Miller arrives from a part-time producing gig at Zoomer Radio and an internship at Indie88 (CIND-FM).
Travis Goodman has joined Durham Radio in Vancouver as General Sales Manager. Goodman arrives from Rogers Sports & Media where he’s been for the last 13 years, most recently as Manager, Retail Media Sales.
Greg Murphy has been named Local Media Sales Manager – Atlantic Canada at Rogers Sports & Media. Murphy has been a Halifax-based account manager with the company since 2007.
Rob Arnold has departed Homefield and Golden West Broadcasting where he’s been a Sales Consultant and more recently Senior Marketing Advisor, off and on since 2018 in Edmonton and Fort Saskatchewan, AB.
Anja Karadeglija is joining The Canadian Press (CP) Ottawa bureau for the next six months, focused on general political reporting. She recently departed the National Post, where she’d been part of the Ottawa bureau for the last three years.
Edythe Yee is joining Netflix Canada as its first Manager of Production. Yee was formerly with CBC for 19 years in production planning and unit production, working on dozens of series including Arctic Air, Heartland, Murdoch Mysteries, and Coroner, among many others. Prior to CBC, Yee was a Production Manager at Nelvana.
Emilie L. Laguerre has been appointed Executive Director, Equity, Diversity and Engagement for Radio-Canada. Laguerre has held the role of Director, Marketing and Business Communications at CBC and Radio-Canada Solutions Media since 2021. Prior to that, she was a Marketing and Public Relations Specialist with Montreal’s Renaud-Bray.
RADIO & PODCAST:
Hot AC tuning is maintaining steady growth, according to the fall data release from radioCount. The fall release reflects listening in 22 markets, including Charlottetown, Fredericton, Saint John, Sydney, Chatham, Cornwall, Guelph, Owen Sound, Pembroke, Sarnia, Timmins, Wingham, Brandon, Lethbridge, Red Deer, Chilliwack, Kamloops, Prince George, and the continuous measurement markets of Belleville, Peterborough, North Bay and Thunder Bay. From Aug. 28 to Oct. 22, tuning increased slightly among those 12+ with an average of 17.9 hours per week spent listening to radio, up from 17.6 hours in fall 2022. Compared to fall 2022, time spent listening by those aged 18-49 increased by 2.7% and by 1.7% among those 25-54. radioCount says the most listened to format during the fall survey period was Hot Adult Contemporary, with time spent listening to Hot AC stations up 7.1%, 12+, and up 6.8% with adults 25-54. With steady growth in average weekly cume over the past two years, ratings for Hot AC stations are up 23.9%, 12+, and 28.2%, A25-54, from fall 2021. Read more here.
Harvard Media is undertaking minor restructuring within its Alberta operations. The Regina-headquartered company announced Friday it is reducing positions in Red Deer, where it owns X100.7 (CKEX-FM) and Kraze 101.3 (CKIK-FM), and adding positions within its Fort McMurray operation, which includes Mix 103.7 (CFVR-FM) and 100.5 CRUZ FM (CHFT-FM). Impacting five employees in programming and promotions, Executive Vice-President and Managing Partner George Leith told Broadcast Dialogue that three of the displaced Red Deer team members have been offered new opportunities within the organization. The Fort McMurray station group has largely been dependent on voice tracking from personalities in other Harvard Media markets, outside the local morning show on both stations. Read more here.
It’s Q104’s 40th Birthday today! A BIG Q Salute to you Q Nation for your loyalty and support over the years. It was November 28, 1983 when Led Zeppelin’s ‘Rock And Roll’ kicked off Q104 The Rock Of The Atlantic. Where were you 40 years ago? pic.twitter.com/aTmYr7TkhY
— Q104Halifax (@Q104Halifax) November 28, 2023
Q104 (CFRQ-FM) Halifax celebrated its 40th anniversary with an anniversary bash at Scotiabank Centre featuring Sam Roberts Band, The Trews, and Campbell & Johnston. Currently owned by Stingray, the station first went to air on Nov. 28, 1983 under the leadership of Patterson Broadcasters President Arnie Patterson. Growing into an iconic and highly-rated rock brand, Q104’s original line-up included the “Morning Zoo” with Brother Jake Edwards, Hal Harbour (Doug Barron), and “Billy-Bob” (Bill Phillips), middays helmed by Bob Powers, and afternoon drive with Andy K, among other personalities.
Evanov radio stations CHLO-AM 530 and Z103.5 (CIDC-FM) raised over $73,000 during their Nov. 22 Radiothon raising money and awareness in support of the Princess Margaret Cancer Foundation. Z103.5 morning host Sandra Crofford teamed up with afternoon drive personality Matt The Hammer on Z103.5, while Punjabi Lehran’s Navi Sidhu and Satinderpal Sidhu anchored on AM 530 for the South Asian community, who responded in droves. Both radio stations continued the effort throughout the entire broadcast day both on-air and online.
Last night, The Creative School at @TorontoMet and @JAZZFM91 unveiled the Canadian Jazz Time Capsule! The ribbon-cutting ceremony took place at the Allan Slaight Institute bringing together students, alumni, industry professionals, and jazz enthusiasts. pic.twitter.com/xtZ2xUitvO
— The Creative School (@thecreativeschl) November 29, 2023
JAZZ.FM91 (CJRT-FM), in partnership with The Creative School at Toronto Metropolitan University, unveiled the Canadian Jazz Time Capsule on Nov. 28. Through a curated selection of artifacts, photographs, memorabilia, and audio recordings, the time capsule provides a glimpse into the legacy of Canadian jazz for generations to come. Among the highlighted items are the last Canadian passport, business card, commemorative stamps, and vinyl recordings belonging to legendary jazz pianist and composer, Oscar Peterson.
Smartless, Dateline NBC and The Daily from The New York Times were the most-streamed podcasts in Canada in 2023, according to Apple Podcasts’ data released this week. Canadian True Crime is the highest-charting Canadian podcast on the Canadian Top Shows chart and the only Canadian-originating show in the Top 10. Canadian entries making the Top New Shows chart include CBC Podcasts’ The No Good, Terribly Kind, Wonder Lives and Tragic Deaths of Barry and Honey Sherman and the Apostrophe Podcast Network’s Backstage at the Vinyl Cafe. Find the full chart release here.
LISTEN: Terry Dimonte and Ted Bird are Montreal radio legends who started a podcast two years ago after Terry was unceremoniously retired from his morning radio job at CHOM-FM. Ted continues his morning show at Evanov’s Lite 106.7 which serves the West Island of Montreal. The podcast started as a one season affair that is now in its sixth season featuring guests like Just For Laughs President Bruce Hills and Seattle Kraken minority owner Mitch Garber. In this episode, you’ll hear all about their podcast experience, why it works and why it breaks a number of the conventional podcast rules.
The Pro Bono Group has released the second in a series of PSAs for the Canadian Alliance to End Homelessness, being offered free to radio stations. Andrew Burns, Director of Marketing and Communications for the organization, says since the first PSA launched five weeks ago, almost 1,000 people have visited their campaign landing page, with over 700 testing their knowledge about homelessness.
SIGN OFFS:
Alex J. Walling, 77, on Nov. 25. Walling’s journalism career began in 1965 as a newspaper reporter in Quebec City. After moving into radio, he landed at CHNS Halifax in 1972, hosting the city’s first full-time sports talk show on Sunday nights. As the station’s first full-time sports director, he travelled to numerous sporting events, including the 1972 Summit Series (where he was one of two journalists who got access to Paul Henderson) and was a mainstay on the sidelines of Atlantic University football games. In 1984, he started CKWK 1340 AM in Corner Brook, NL as president and general manager of Western Broadcasting. That was followed by a stint in Swift Current as GM of CJGL-FM. In 1988, he accepted the position as the inaugural sports anchor on independent television station, MITV (now Global). Concurrently, he founded the Atlantic Media Institute in Halifax, teaching the basics of radio, television, print and photography. Walling also worked for nine years as TSN’s Maritime correspondent and wrote regular column “A.J.’s Atlantic” for TSN.ca and hosted weekly sportstalk show “A.J., Harv & Company” from 1994 to 2000 on Eastlink television. In retirement, he secured a licence for Queens County Community Radio (CJQC-FM) in Liverpool in 2009. After suffering a stroke in 2011, he sold his interest in the station. He later hosted a morning show on Cobequid Radio Society community radio station, CIOE-FM, in Lower Sackville.
Lorna Jackson, 77, on Nov. 4. Jackson started her broadcasting career as a researcher and producer at CBC in Edmonton, working on public affairs programs like CBC Access, Marketplace, Take 30, and Information Morning radio. After a stint at CBC Regina hosting Saskatchewan Today, Jackson married colleague Allan Bonner, relocating to Toronto in 1980 where she became the first female co-host of The World at Eight with Rex Loring, read listeners’ letters on Peter Gzowski’s Morningside, anchored Canada at Five, The World This Weekend, As It Happens, and hosted children’s program Anybody Home?. Jackson additionally hosted regional music program, Music Around Us, for 14 years and contributed narration for The Nature of Things, among many other programs. She retired from the CBC in 2007.
Ron Harrison, 82, on Oct. 14. Best known for his long career as a director for Hockey Night in Canada (HNIC), Harrison started his career with CBC in the early 1960s, initially as a copy clerk and later in finance. He eventually joined CBC Sports as a script assistant, before moving into the position of Production Assistant mentored under the legendary first HNIC producer-director George Retzlaff. Harrison was transferred to Vancouver as producer and director of the network’s West Coast sports hub, including special event coverage, Stanley Cups, Grey Cups, and Olympic Games, among many other sporting events. In the 1980s, he joined Molstar Communications as Vice-President, which produced the HNIC broadcasts for CBC. Over the course of his career, Harrison earned two Emmy Awards, two Gemini Awards, in addition to a Career Achievement Award from Sports Media Canada in 2007.
TV & FILM:
Congratulations to all the award recipients of the 12th UBCP/ACTRA Awards! (1/2) pic.twitter.com/a3jfmVVoL2
— UBCP/ACTRA (@UBCP_ACTRA) November 28, 2023
UBCP/ACTRA has handed out its 12th annual awards. Sarah Chalke won Best Lead Performance – Series for Firefly Lane; with Gabrielle Rose awarded Best Supporting Performance – Series for The Night Agent. Cardi Wong won Best Lead Performance – Motion Picture for Golden Delicious, while June B. Wilde was awarded Best Supporting Performance – Motion Picture for Blood. Greyston Holt took the honour for Best Performance – Made for TV Movie for House of Chains. Best Performance Stunt went to the team of Mike Mitchell, Matt Mylrea, Gerald Paetz, and Chris Webb for The Night Agent. Best Performance – Short was captured by Jess McLeod for A Little Vacation, while Best Performance – Voice went to Ian Hanlin for The Guava Juice Show.
Paramount+ Canada and The Shine Network Institute (TSNI) have announced the Indigenous Producers Budgeting Intensive, an online course and new resource to support the professional development and mentorship of Indigenous women in film, television and media. This first virtual course will be geared toward budgeting for film. It will be accessible on TSNI’s @Learnatshine platform and will launch on National Indigenous Peoples Day, June 21. Geared toward emerging and mid-level Indigenous female producers, the first intensive of 10 x one-hour modules offers students hands-on learning accompanied by Indigenous-framed tutorials designed to empower students as they prepare to produce their first feature film. The course will also include candid conversations with Indigenous female producers to inspire and motivate students by giving them access to industry veterans who can dispel myths and misconceptions about producing.
Paramount+ is adding two new Canadian original comedy titles to its expanding development slate from Boat Rocker. Bensen, created and written by Clara Altimas, and Elected, created and written by Michael McGowan, have been added to the growing list of Canadian content backed by the global streaming service. Bensen is a scripted dramedy about a struggling limo driver who tries to maintain fun dad status after the death of his wife and with the help of his dysfunctional family, while Elected follows an A-list actor who unexpectedly has an opportunity to become the Prime Minister of Canada. Paramount+’s first Original documentary, 500 Days in the Wild will premiere at the Whistler International Film Festival this Friday, followed by a limited theatrical run in early 2024, before its premiere on Paramount+.
Taxam Films has announced that the TELUS original feature documentary Aitamaako’tamisskapi Natosi: Before The Sun from director Banchi Hanuse (Nuxalk Radio) has been acquired by Paramount+ for release in Canada in a deal negotiated by 10Star Media. Following sold-out premieres at Hot Docs and Vancouver International Film Festival, the film will be available to audiences across Canada on Dec. 22 on Paramount+ and free on demand on TELUS Optik TV Channel 8. Aitamaako’tamisskapi Natosi: Before The Sun is an intimate portrait of a young Siksika woman and the deep bonds between her father and her family, as she prepares for one of the most dangerous horse races in the world, the Indian Relay. The film was shot on location on Siksika Nation, Tsuut’ina, Îyâxe Nakoda, Blackfoot Territory, Enoch Cree Nation ᒪᐢᑫᑯᓯᐦᐠ Maskêkosihk, and Casper, Wyoming.
Studio 104 Entertainment has announced that TELUS original mid-length documentary Overtime from writer/director Jenny Lee-Gilmore will have its television debut on Dec. 5. On the heels of its World Premiere at the Calgary International Film Festival and winning Best Short Documentary, Best Direction in a Short Documentary and Best Cinematography in a Short Documentary at the Vancouver Asian Film Festival, Overtime will be available to audiences across Canada free on demand on TELUS Optik TV Channel 8 and online at telusoriginals.com worldwide. The film follows Vancouver’s Kelley Lee Gilmore – a 60-year-old mother, wife, Ph.D. doctor, university professor, and hockey player – exploring what it means to be a Chinese-Canadian woman in hockey and her unwavering pursuit of her dreams as she faces the inevitable limits of age.
Crave Original series Nesting, created by Rosa Labordé (The Spencer Sisters, Sensitive Skin) and Anna Hardwick (Mrs. America, Murdoch Mysteries), debuts on the streamer Dec. 22. Comprised of eight eight-minute episodes directed by Emmy-winner Allana Harkin (Full Frontal with Samantha Bee), key cast includes creators Hardwick and Labordé, as well as Salvatore Antonio (Schitt’s Creek, Mary Kills People), Samer Salem (Yellowjackets, The Expanse), Ryan Allen (Titans, Five Days at Memorial), Paul Popowich (Spencer Sisters), and Lisa Berry (Slasher, Supernatural), Loosely inspired by the series stars and creators, it’s focused on unlikely best friends for whom the romantic comedy dream hasn’t panned out. Slowly, and surprisingly, their platonic friendship begins to feel romantic in the unflinching web series about fertility, friendship, the housing crisis, and love.
AMI has announced the cast, writing and producing teams for The Squeaky Wheel: Canada. Based on Steven Verdile’s popular web publication The Squeaky Wheel and produced by Hitsby Entertainment, the satirical, half-hour news format pokes fun at the ableist society people with disabilities face every day. The eight-episode series introduces a fresh perspective to the entertainment landscape with its disability-led creative team, fronted by series producer Michelle Asgarali. Directed by Lucy Belgum and Tobi Abdul, production is slated to begin in Hamilton in December. The series stars Graham Kent and Gaitrie Persaud as its lead anchors, and an ensemble cast featuring Margaret Rose, Samantha Wyss, Sivert Gorachand Das, Wesley Magee-Saxton and Yousef Abdullah Kadoura. The first season of The Squeaky Wheel: Canada will be broadcast on AMI-tv in 2024 and available for streaming on AMI+.
The Canadian Film Centre (CFC) has announced that Netflix has returned as a lead partner for the Norman Jewison Film Program for the second consecutive year. CFC’s longest running and signature film program for emerging to mid-level Canadian filmmakers, applications are now open and close Jan. 31. The participants of the 2024 Norman Jewison Film Program will be announced in early July, with the program running from July 15 to Dec 13 at CFC’s campus in Toronto.
CTV’s 2023 Holiday Schedule includes classic holiday movies, seasonal specials and episodes of series including Shark Tank, Gordon Ramsay’s Road Trip: Christmas Vacation, The Masked Singer: Holiday Sing-a-Long, and CMA Country Christmas. Additionally, CTV’s Holiday Hub – available on CTV.ca and the CTV app with no subscription or sign in required – offers more than 250 titles and 18 curated collections, including free movies, dozens of seasons to binge, holiday-themed CTV Throwback episodes, and more. CTV’s suite of specialty channels offers a holiday nationwide free preview from Dec. 21 through Jan. 9. The CTV Life Channel, CTV Sci-Fi Channel, CTV Drama Channel, and CTV Comedy Channel freeview is available through participating television service providers across the country, including but not limited to Bell, Bell Aliant, BellMTS, Cogeco, Eastlink, Rogers, SaskTel, Shaw, Telus, and participating members of the CCSA.
CTV Atlantic hosts the 60th annual Christmas Daddies Telethon on Saturday, Dec. 2. Beginning at 11 a.m. AT on CTV, the holiday tradition is also available for live streaming on CTVAtlantic.ca and the CTV News app. CTV Atlantic’s longest-standing tradition, in partnership with The Salvation Army, will be co-hosted in Halifax by Steve Murphy and Todd Battis, joined by CTV News at Five anchors Maria Panopalis and Jayson Baxter, alongside Ana Almeida, Katie Kelly, Paul Hollingsworth, and Kalin Mitchell. CTV reporters Laura Brown, Avery MacRae, Alan MacLellan, and Alana Pickrell host from the Glad Tiding Church in Moncton with musician Ivan Daigle. Local comedian Bette MacDonald hosts from the Savoy Theatre in Glace Bay, Cape Breton. CTV’s Jack Morse and comedian Jimmy the Janitor host from The Guild in Charlottetown. The seven-hour special also features holiday songs from a multitude of performers across all three Maritime provinces with special tributes to two long-time supporters the Maritime community lost this year singer/songwriter Bruce Guthro and Hollywood actor Alan Arkin.
Global Calgary will host its sixth Morning of Giving on Wednesday, Dec. 13 from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. in support of The Magic of Christmas after a two-year hiatus. Global News Morning’s Leslie Horton will be at the donation drop-off at The CORE Shopping Centre where new, unwrapped gifts will be collected to help Calgary families in need. The Magic of Christmas is a 100% volunteer, non-denominational charity. Every Christmas Eve, Calgary Transit buses are loaded up and magically transformed into “reindeer buses,” with hundreds of gifts and volunteers dressed as Santa and his elves to deliver Christmas spirit to those who need it most.
Global BC’s Jason Pires, Sonia Sunger, Mark Madryga and Katelin Owsianski from Global News Morning and Rock 101’s (CFMI-FM) Willy in the Morning will be live on location at Vancouver’s Fairmont Pan Pacific Hotel on Wednesday, Dec. 13 from 6 a.m. – 9 a.m. in support of the 36th annual Pan Pacific Christmas Wish Breakfast. Donations of new or unwrapped toys, cash or gift cards are encouarged in support of the Lower Mainland Christmas Bureau.
ONLINE & DIGITAL MEDIA:
Narcity Media Group (NMG) has announced the launch of new local creator talent agency, Rally, focused on local Canadian creators who might be overlooked by larger talent agencies. Aiming to sign up 250 creators across Canada by the end of 2024, Narcity says Rally will offer an array of advertising opportunities for brands and agencies looking to engage in the local creator economy – from single-creator activations to multi-creator, cross-market and cross-vertical activations, along with content licensing agreements. Narcity has hired Tristan Rahman, co-founder of influencer marketing platform Rizer Social AI, as the Head of Creator Partnerships. Among the creators signed up so far are Toronto-based dancer and musical artist Alexander Panetta; GTA food-focused content creator Andrew Boateng (@the.6ix.eats); P.E.I. parenting creator Mary Jo Bernard (@maryjobernard); Vancouver beauty and lifestyle influencer Michelle Chen (@baybemichelle); Montreal figure skater Lea Marcantoni (@lmarxtoni); and TV personality Frankie Cena (@frankiecena). Read more here.
BetaKit has announced a new strategic partnership with Toronto-based venture fund and philanthropic foundation Good Future to fuel the growth of the Canadian startup and technology publication. Led by former Shopify executives Arati Sharma and Satish Kanwar, Good Future’s investment will see BetaKit’s editorial and business teams grow with new hires underway. BetaKit’s editorial division will continue to operate under the leadership of editor-in-chief Douglas Soltys, who has managed BetaKit since 2014. Kanwar will take up the position of interim CEO and join BetaKit’s board of directors as chair, with Sharma joining BetaKit’s business advisory team to support future brand direction. Good Future says the partnership will not impact the publication’s editorial independence with a new Editorial Advisory Board to be established.
Vividata says TikTok has captured an increasingly bigger and wider audience in Canada over the past year, opening the door for brands to reach more than just Gen Z through the platform. Overall, Facebook and Instagram, along with X/Twitter remain the top social media platforms for Canadian adults at a projected 27.5, 17.2 and 13.9 million visitors monthly, respectively. However after the top three, TikTok is now reaching nearly 13 million Canadian adults in an average month, double the 6.5 million monthly average last year. The surge in traffic now puts TikTok in fifth spot, within 200,000 monthly visitors of LinkedIn and just 1 million behind X. Vivdata says TikTok’s jump can be seen across all gender and age groups, growing 111% with those aged 35-49 and up 116% with Canadians 65+. Snapchat has also more than doubled its visitor base, now boasting nearly 5 million visitors in an average month, compared to the 2.2 million reported in fall 2022. That places them in eighth spot among social media properties in Canada, above Tumblr, but with only half the number of users reached by Pinterest in seventh place.
MADE | NOUS has named its new MADE ambassadors, following a nationwide search for digital creators to represent the Canadian campaign promoting homegrown media and entertainment. Halifax-based pop culture commentator Liz Duff, Ottawa-based Plains Cree-Filipinx actor, model, and creator Haley Robinson, and Andrian Makhnachov, a Ukrainian-Canadian who recently immigrated to Regina, will be creating original social media content for MADE’s channels, covering Canadian entertainment and celebrating local talent.
REGULATORY, TELECOM & MEDIA:
Google has reached an agreement with the federal government that will see the digital giant contribute $100 million in annual financial support to meet its obligations under the Online News Act. By far the biggest digital advertising dominator in Canada with an estimated 50% market share, Google had been preparing to exclude Canadian news sites from search engine results, starting Dec. 19 when Bill C-18 comes into force. Under the legislation, by government calculations, Google would have been required to pay an estimated $172 million per year to prop up the media sector, equivalent to about four per cent of company revenues in Canada. It’s unclear exactly how the money will be distributed, with a statement from Canadian Heritage indicating Google will have the option “to work with a single collective to distribute its contribution to all interested eligible news businesses based on the number of full-time equivalent journalists engaged by those businesses.” Read more here.
Rogers representatives argued this week at the ongoing Online Streaming Act consultations that if online streamers are not required to commit a base financial contribution to the enhancement of Canadian content, traditional Canadian broadcasters must not be required to do the same. The CRTC is asking whether it should similarly require a base contribution on eligible online streamers, how much that should be, and to which funds those contributions should go. With a number of other parties proposing five per cent, Rogers is proposing a base of two per cent for foreign streamers. The cable giant said it arrived at that figure by examining a percentage of total revenue in the broadcast years of 2021 and 2022, which was close to 2.7 per cent. Read more coverage of the Online Streaming Act hearings in our partner publication, CARTT.ca.
Jody Porter, the late CBC Thunder Bay reporter and Wawatay News editor, has been posthumously recognized with an Ontario Premier’s Award in the Creative Arts and Design category. Porter, a Centennial College alum, is among seven award recipients recognized at the annual gala honouring outstanding Ontario college graduates. Porter was known for her reporting on social justice issues impacting Indigenous communities. She passed away from ovarian cancer in July 2022, at the age of 50. Her work has been referenced by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission with the documentary she produced on Chanie Wenjack ─ who died after fleeing a residential school ─ sparking a series of events that moved Gord Downie of the Tragically Hip to help share the Anishinaabe boy’s story.
The Michener Awards Foundation is seeking nominations for its Michener-Baxter Award. The award, which has only been presented 11 times since its inaugural year in 1984, celebrates individuals whose journalistic achievements have produced positive impacts on the world of journalism and have benefited Canadian society. Nominations for the Michener-Baxter Award are open until Jan. 12. Find more info and nomination criteria here.
CTAM Canada is organizing its second annual Stream Safely Day on Dec. 5 to educate Canadians about the danger of streaming entertainment through illegal, pirate services and unauthorized password sharing. According to CTAM, an industry association focused on the advancement of content distribution across multiple platforms, illegal streaming and other forms of digital video piracy account for more than $50 billion in lost revenue for the global TV and film industry. According to CTAM data, piracy rates skyrocketed during the pandemic by 44%, with an overwhelming majority of internet users (70%) believing there is nothing wrong with piracy websites and pirated content. Read more here.
Rogers has released a new video with Toronto Maple Leafs right winger William Nylander using 5G wireless service on the TTC to talk to his family in Sweden. Since launching 5G in the TTC and expanding to all stations and the Vaughan tunnels earlier this month, Rogers customers have used more than 45 terabytes of data in the new sections, which is the equivalent of streaming 6,500 Leafs games in less than a week. Rogers is now transitioning to the next critical phase of the project, expanding 5G coverage to connect the remaining 75% of tunnels.
