BANFF – The Banff World Television Festival is the place to be heard.
Although the pitch sessions, the keynote address and the behind-the-scenes deal making is a major part of the conference, it will not be what we remember most about these past few days in June.
It appears this, the 27th year of the annual conference, is where people went to make substantial announcements.
In a mere few days, we’ve seen the Bev Oda, Minister of Canadian Heritage and Status of Women announce the government will ask the CRTC to study the technological changes facing the broadcast industry and the saving our public broadcaster, CBC – Radio Canada, at least for now.
Then there was the chair of the CRTC, Charles Dalfen, announcing the complete review of the conventional broadcast industry.
Lest not forget, the release of the Green Paper (read it here, no sense re-posting the whole thing) on the future of television created for today’s town hall discussion with Peter Mansbridge.
Having these types of announcements made at Banff 2006, “shows that this event is the place and the platform for the industry to get together and define its future,” says CEO Robert Montgomery. This is evidence by the “seriousness by which the players in the industry use it for important announcements, to meet and use it to do business.”
Imagine next year, the hearings will be completed, the CRTC recommendations and reports will be released and 12 more months of digital world will have passed.
What possibly could we be shouting next year?
Tara Blasco Raj was in Banff all this week for Cartt.ca to cover the TV Fest.
