TORONTO – Ron Suter has been named executive vice-president/general manager, Canada, NBC Universal Television Distribution and executive vice-president, Universal Studios Canada, the company announced today.
Suter, who is based in Toronto, will continue to oversee all Canadian television operations for NBC Universal Television Distribution and represent Universal Studios as a national leader for both the studio and parent company General Electric. He is responsible for licensing all of NBC Universal’s theatrical and television programming in all media for English and French Canada.
"Ron has done a tremendous job leading our Canadian sales team for many years now," said Barry Wallach,…
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OTTAWA – James Moore is the new Minister of Canadian Heritage.
A former broadcaster (he was a radio host and reporter in Vancouver and Prince George, B.C.) Moore was elected MP for the Port Moody-Coquitlam-Port Coquitlam in 2000 at the age of 24.
He has served in a couple junior roles in cabinet since the Conservatives came to power in 2006 – as the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Public Works and Government Services, and also the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for the Pacific Gateway and the Vancouver-Whistler Olympics.
This summer he was appointed Secretary of State…
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TORONTO – Canadian actors, writers, musicians and others rallied on Wednesday in Toronto’s Simcoe Park, next to the CBC Broadcast Center, to encourage Canadians to vote for culture on October 14.
“Today we’re showing all parties that culture lives in Canada,” said screenwriter and Writers Guild of Canada (WGC) President Rebecca Schechter (Little Mosque, ‘Da Kink in my Hair). “We’re here to let all Canadians know that they can vote with their hearts and their heads in this election – by voting culture.”
Among those in attendance were songwriter/singer Melanie Doane, screenwriter Suzette Couture, playwright Linda Griffiths, singer Tabby…
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OTTAWA/GATINEAU – Tickets for the October 29th Telecom Laureate Awards Gala at the Canadian Museum of Civilization in Ottawa/Gatineau are now on sale.
The 2008 Telecom laureates who will be honoured are: Jim Balsillie (RIM); Mike Lazaridis (RIM); Carol Stephenson (Stentor, Lucent, Richard Ivey School of Business); David Golden (Telesat Canada); The late David Simmonds and his sons, Robert Simmonds, Gordon Simmonds and Donald Simmonds (Clearnet, Lenbrook Communications).
The 2008 Special Recognition Award winner is the Western government telephone companies and their successor companies for 100 years of service: Manitoba Telephone System (MTS Allstream) – Pierre Blouin, CEO; Alberta…
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OTTAWA – New CBC president and CEO Hubert Lacroix today urged the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage to push the Federal Government to implement the committee’s report CBC/Radio-Canada: Defining Distinctiveness in the Changing Media Landscape.
"The report highlights the importance of public broadcasting in Canada, and the belief, that I strongly share, that CBC/Radio-Canada should continue to play a pivotal role in the social, cultural, and democratic life of this country," Lacroix said in his opening remarks to the Committee Thursday afternoon.
Lacroix, along with Sylvain Lafrance and Richard Stursberg, the executive vice-presidents of French and English Services, respectively,…
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TORONTO – CTVglobemedia today announced a $400,000 grant to the Canadian Broadcast Museum Foundation/Fondation du musée canadien de la radiodiffusion (CBMF/FMCR).
This grant is part of the public benefits package that was approved by the CRTC following CTVgm’s acquisition of the CHUM properties.
"We are pleased to continue our support of the CBMF and salute their mission to ensure our nation’s broadcasting history is preserved as an important component of Canada’s cultural heritage," said Paul Sparkes, executive vice-president corporate affairs, CTVgm, in a press release.
"This sustaining commitment by CTVgm has really set the bar for Canada’s broadcasters. In…
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OTTAWA – The CBC has welcomed a report from the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage that recognizes the role of the public broadcaster as an essential institution that requires long-term support and reinforcement.
But there were mixed reviews from ACTRA and words of warning from the Friends of Canadian Broadcasting.
ACTRA said the government already missed a chance in this week’s budget to back up the Committee’s words with money, while the Friends pointed to the dissenting opinion from the Committee’s Conservative minority which it said sets the CBC up to fail.
The majority report, CBC/Radio-Canada: Defining Distinctiveness in…
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IN 2003, WHEN THE HOUSE of Commons Heritage Committee issued the “Our Cultural Sovereignty” report (better known as the Lincoln Report) it recommended that “the existing foreign ownership limits for broadcasting and telecommunications be maintained a current levels.”
At that time, the then Canadian Alliance Party, whose leader was Stephen Harper, put out the following dissenting opinion: “The Canadian Alliance disagrees with (this recommendation). The Canadian Alliance supports relaxing foreign ownership rules on Canadian industry, including telecommunications and broadcast distribution. We suggest conducting an immediate review to determine whether to reduce or completely remove these rules.” Those very same…
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OTTAWA – Outgoing CBC/Radio-Canada president and CEO Robert Rabinovitch said Tuesday the public broadcaster needs a contract with Canadian in order to reach its potential before the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage.
It’s a message similar to the one Rabinovitch delivered last march in his first appearance before the standing committee, which is review the role of the public broadcaster in the 21st century. Today was his second and last appearance before the committee.
“The Broadcasting Act has not changed in more than 15 years, CBC/Radio-Canada has not received an increase to its base operating appropriation in more than…
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OTTAWA – The membership of the House of Commons Standing Committees on Canadian Heritage and Industry – the two with the most impact on the cable, radio, television and telecom industries were announced this week.
New members are in bold.
The members of the Heritage Committee are: Chair: Gary Schellenberger (Conservative, Perth-Wellington, ON); vice-chairs: Mauril Bélanger (Liberal, Ottawa-Vanier, ON) and Maria Mourani (Bloc Quebecois, Ahuntsic, QC); Members: Jim Abbott (C, Kootenay-Columbia, BC), Dave Batters (C, Palliser, SK), Gord Brown (C, Leeds-Grenville, ON), Ed Fast (C, Abbotsford, BC), Hedy Fry (L, Vancouver Centre), Luc Malo (Bloc, Vercheres-Les Patriotes, QC), Francis…
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