This is the second in a three-part series. For part one, please click here.
By Neal McDougall
IN THE FIRST PART of this series, I described the foundationally important role of screenwriters in the creation of serialized television, and how Canadian screenwriters must be central to the definition of Canadian content.
Yet when it comes to the debates about broadcasting policy in Canada, and how to define Canadian content under it, there have been a number of arguments that would have us look elsewhere. These arguments typically misunderstand how such content is made, can be self-contradictory, and ignore the unique…
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By Connie Thiessen
BILL EVANOV WILL be posthumously inducted into the Ontario Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame this October.
The Evanov Communications founder and president (above) passed away in March 2020 at age 77.
Nominated by the board, the Ontario Hall of Fame award is annually presented to individuals who’ve demonstrated a commitment to the highest standards of broadcast excellence.
The son of Bulgarian immigrants, whose work ethic he carried with him throughout his career, Evanov started in radio in sales in the late 1960s at Johnny Lombardi’s CHIN-FM in Toronto. Within 18 months he’d been named VP of sales, going on to spend 13 years with the company.
In 1980, he left…
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No set rates means decision will require a lot of work and time to implement, CEO says
By Amanda OYE
OTTAWA – Last week, when renewing independent broadcaster OUTtv’s licence for a five-year term, the CRTC also granted the service dedicated to the LGBTQ2 community, “must-offer” status for three and a half years in the English-language market starting next March.
Noting that with the decision the CRTC has recognized the distinctiveness and vulnerability of the LGBTQ2 community, OUTtv CEO Brad Danks said in an interview with Cartt.ca the decision was also an indication the Commission recognizes that without regulatory support, OUTtv…
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OTTAWA – Federal minister of diversity Ahmed Hussen announced today in a statement posted on Twitter the government has cut the funding it awarded to the Community Media Advocacy Centre (CMAC) to develop an anti-racism strategy for Canadian broadcasting after concerns were raised about a consultant on the project.
The project, which was awarded $133,822 by the federal government, has also now been suspended, according to the statement.
In April, CMAC launched a series of consultations as part of the project, which aim “to develop and disseminate an Anti-Racism Strategy that will reduce barriers to participation in media and broadcasting…
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GATINEAU — Minister of Canadian Heritage Pablo Rodriguez announced today 29 organizations in British Columbia, Alberta, Ontario, Quebec and New Brunswick will receive $11.2 million in Creative Export Canada program funding.
This program supports Canadian organizations for projects that generate export revenues and feature Canadian creative content, a press release explains.
The mission of the program “is to increase the visibility of Canadian creative works on the international market and help increase the profitability of exports from Canada’s creative industries,” the release says.
The organizations receiving funding under the fifth intake of the Creative Export Canada program include several television and film production companies….
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By Denis Carmel
OTTAWA – The CRTC’s renewal of the CBC/SRC’s licences on June 22, was met with dissenting voices within the Commission where the decision was approved by three commissioners over two dissents, as well as outside voices who have issues with some segments of the decision.
Several groups have now filed petitions to Cabinet to have the decision set aside or referred back to the CRTC, including Public Interest Advocacy Centre (PIAC) and the National Pensioners Federation (NPF), the Canadian Association of Broadcasters (CAB), FRIENDS, l’Association québécoise de la production médiatique (AQPM) and the Canadian Media Producers Association (CMPA),…
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CEO says they are “more determined and motivated than ever” to expand across Canada
MONTREAL – Quebecor Inc. today announced its second quarter 2022 financial results, which states revenue for the quarter was $1.1 billion – a decreased of $16 million compared to Q2 2021.
Adjusted EBITDA was reported to be $491.4 million, a $10 million decrease compared to the same quarter of 2021, according to a press release.
In its telecommunications segment, Quebecor reported $912.6 million in revenue for Q2 2022 (a decrease from $928.4 million in the same quarter of 2021) while adjusted EBITDA was $487.5 million (up from $481.5…
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Calls for minister to ban ads on the public broadcaster
By Denis Carmel
OTTAWA – In a letter obtained by Cartt.ca, Québecor CEO Pierre Karl Péladeau brings falling advertising revenues to the attention of the Minister of Canadian Heritage while criticizing the recent renewal of the national public broadcaster’s licences by the CRTC.
“In the face of technological globalization of non-Canadian companies that rely on advertising (FAANG, and soon Netflix and Disney+), which is the only source of revenue for traditional television, the CRTC has decided to maintain the CBC’s power to continue to use it,” Péladeau mentions in his letter…
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MONTRÉAL – Bell is mourning the loss of former Bell Canada CEO and Bell Canada Enterprises (BCE) founder Jean de Grandpré (above) who passed away last weekend. He was 100 years old.
“Mr. de Grandpré was instrumental in transforming the telecommunications industry in Canada, and an important leader in the business community,” a Bell press release issued today says.
de Grandpré joined Bell in 1966 as general counsel, became CEO and chair of the board in 1976, and played a key role in creating BCE in 1983. de Grandpré “guided Bell through a transformative period in its history that included the…
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TORONTO — Blue Ant Media announced today its Makeful channel will broadcast the Canadian premiere of a new reality series, The Prince’s Master Crafters: The Next Generation, which features Prince Charles (above, centre) as a judge.
Debuting Aug. 10 at 10 p.m. ET/PT on Makeful, the seven-episode series hosted by comedian and artist Jim Moir (above, left) spotlights “Britain’s rich heritage of traditional crafts,” explains a press release.
The series “follows six amateur craftspeople as they learn Heritage Crafts skills crucial to the preservation of landmark buildings, taking on a variety of crafting challenges to supercharge their abilities before creating a…
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