THE BROADCAST AND Telecommunications Review panel report (a.k.a. the Yale Report) has been lauded as needed, overdue and visionary, as well as decried as a dangerous, unnecessary overreach.
There have been many who find middle ground, too, but you get the picture. Some people love it (or parts of it) while some hate it (or parts of it).
The chair of the panel, Janet Yale (pictured), believes a number of the report’s 97 recommendations are simply misunderstood, which has resulted in some unfortunate assumptions which then also turned into headlines.
Examples? The report does not want to regulate…
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Xenophile may leave Ontario for B.C.
By Ahmad Hathout
PATRICK CROWE HAS sent a series of panicked letters to the digital media industry, colleagues and to Ontario’s Finance Minister Rod Phillips.
The president of Xenophile Media, an award-winning digital media and game studio in Toronto, has a serious problem: His company’s operations have stalled since 2016, he’s over half a million dollars in debt, he owes about $100,000 to his company’s contractors, and his home is about to be liquidated.
Crowe (pictured above) and Xenophile are preparing to move to British Columbia if Ontario does not apply tax credits under the Ontario Interactive…
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By Ahmad Hathout
GATINEAU – The CRTC team involved in the co-development of a new Indigenous broadcasting policy said it could use a government-commissioned panel report to guide its process, according to a confidential document released to this publication.
The undated document highlights several areas from the report by the broadcasting and telecommunications legislative review panel, released in late January, “which could help guide its own work, particularly where they prove consistent with issues discussed during early engagement sessions.” The three-phase review began in September 2019 with the engagement sessions and will be followed by a public consultation process and then…
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By Konrad von Finckenstein
IN HIS THREE RECENT articles for Cartt.ca entitled “Why we must act now on the Yale report recommendations,” OUTtv CEO Brad Danks quite rightly points out the Canadian broadcasting is in a precarious situation.
It faces massive competition from streamers like Netflix, Disney and Amazon Prime who deliver their content to Canada over the internet. However, because of the Broadcasting Exemption Order (formerly called New Media Exemption order and before that the Digital Media Exemption Order) streamers are not subject to the Broadcasting Act. They are not even obliged to collect federal GST from their customers.
Danks therefore…
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OTTAWA — The final components of the federal government’s $500-million Covid-19 relief fund for the cultural and sports industries were announced Tuesday by Canadian Heritage Minister Steven Guilbeault.
The cultural industry has been waiting on the announcement, which helps to address some of the gaps identified since the fund was first implemented. Phase one of the funding included $88.8 million for the Canada Media Fund and $27 million for Telefilm Canada. Some phase two components were announced in June, but they did not include additional details of funding for broadcasters and the audiovisual sector, for example.
With yesterday’s…
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More delay, indecision, will force a choice upon us
By Brad Danks
IT’S TIME FOR THE GOVERNMENT to take action to re-structure Canada’s broadcasting system. The Yale Report provides a series of strong recommendations – many of which, in my opinion, could be applied by the CRTC without requiring changes to the Broadcasting Act.
There is very little difference between the regulations applied in the current broadcasting system and those needed for the digital platforms. Certainly, the core issues around access, marketing and basic commercial terms are the same. The primary difference is the new platforms are very large, foreign (mostly U.S.)…
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TORONTO — The Canada Media Fund (CMF) released Friday details of $13.3 million in Covid-19 emergency relief funding for underrepresented groups and to support regional diversity in the screen-based industry.
Fifteen per cent of the Government of Canada’s CMF allocation of the Covid-19 Emergency Support Fund for Cultural, Heritage and Sport Organizations will be invested through targeted initiatives to ensure equity, including by region, language and for underrepresented groups, says the news release.
“We recognize many historically marginalized communities within the industry are disproportionately affected by the Covid-19 crisis and were not eligible for other CMF emergency relief funds,” said…
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By Christopher Guly
OTTAWA – Faced with an advertising market that has been cut in half in some cases, broadcasters are scrambling to survive the Covid-19 pandemic (to say nothing of the shifting media sands in general) and are seeking stronger lifelines from the federal government.
Earlier this month, during an appearance before the House of Commons Standing Committee on Finance, representatives of the Independent Broadcast Group (IBG) said while the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy has helped keep staff on the payroll, broadcasters need further relief.
On behalf of the IBG, a consortium of 10 independent Canadian television broadcasters, Luc Perreault…
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OTTAWA — The two vacant commissioner spots at the CRTC have been filled, with the announcement Thursday by Canadian Heritage Minister Steven Guilbeault that Ellen C. Desmond (pictured, left) has been appointed as commissioner for Atlantic Canada and Nunavut, and Nirmala Naidoo (right) as commissioner for Alberta and Northwest Territories.
Desmond is filling the vacancy left when former Atlantic Canada and Nunavut commissioner Christopher MacDonald’s five-year term ended June 16. Naidoo is taking over from former Alberta and Northwest Territories commissioner Linda Vennard, whose term expired in May. Each new commissioner will serve a five-year term.
Desmond, of New Brunswick,…
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TORONTO — The Canadian Media Guild (CMG) has asked the federal government for targeted funding to convert 50% of temporary and precarious workers at CBC to full-time staff.
The funding request was made by CMG CBC/Radio-Canada branch president Kim Trynacity during a 40-minute meeting with Canadian Heritage Minister Steven Guilbeault, said the union in a release.
“Many of the temporary employees are Black, Indigenous and people of colour,” Trynacity told the minister, according to the news release. “Converting so many temps to full-time will make the corporation more reflective of Canada, and go a long way to repairing a damaged…
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