CANNES – Newly-installed CBC/Radio Canada chief Catherine Tait by now has gotten used to people congratulating her on being the first woman to run the public broadcaster.
"But most importantly, I'm the first producer to run the CBC," a fact underlined this week as Tait attends the MIPCOM TV conference in Cannes, where she sat down with Cartt.ca for an interview.
Walking up and down the Croisette and around the bunker-like Palais des Festivals is meant to signal the CBC is open for business as it looks internationally for content and commercial opportunities, Tait said Sunday. She argued the CBC or…
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OTTAWA – As part of Canada’s Copyright Act review, the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage announced earlier this year it would study remuneration models for artists and creative industries. Even Bryan Adams made an appearance last month.
On Thursday, the committee heard from Google Canada’s Jason Kee, who serves as the company’s Counsel on Public Policy and Government Relations. As the company has stated many times prior all around the world, its stance on remuneration is based on a partnership model. Its YouTube division has, of course, created a large number of content-creating…
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OTTAWA – Last evening, the Standing Senate Committee on Transport and Communications heard how staff at Canadian Heritage as well as Innovation, Science and Economic Development might change the Telecommunications, Broadcasting and the Radiocommunication Act.
As we’ve reported, the Senate is thinking about how the legislation can be modernized to account for the evolution of the broadcasting and telecommunications sectors in the last decades. As you may have heard, the federal government has appointed an expert panel to do the same thing.
Some criticisms were voiced by Senators on the composition of that panel. For example, Committee…
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OTTAWA – The Standing Senate Committee on Transport and Communications started to examine how the three federal communications statutes (the Telecommunications Act, the Broadcasting Act, and the Radiocommunication Act) can be modernized In light of the evolution of the broadcasting and telecommunications sectors in the last decades.
Last week they heard from university professors and today, Konrad von Finckenstein, former chair of the CRTC, and the Commissioner of Competition met the committee.
Von Finckenstein submitted six points for the Committee to examine. “First, in the reform of our communication legislation, examine everything from an Internet-centric point of view. To borrow a…
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OTTAWA – While ISED looks a model of stability, Canadian Heritage has seen in the recent months a new minister, Pablo Rodriguez (July 18, 2018) two new Parliamentary Secretaries (August 31st) and announced today a new deputy minister, Hélêne Laurendeau starting October 9th (coming over from Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs) and a new associate DM, Isabelle Mondou, starting on starting October 22nd (moving over from the Privy Council Office.
The previous DM, Graham Flack is going to become DM at the Department…
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WHEN NOW-FORMER Heritage Minister Melanie Joly announced the launch of public consultations with consumers and creators to bring Canada’s cultural properties (everything from the Broadcasting Act to the CRTC) into the digital age, there was great excitement.
That was in April, 2016, nearly two and a half years ago.
Her extensive consultations led to the publication of the Creative Canada Policy Framework in September, 2017, which included a request to the CRTC to examine future programming distribution models and report back to her by June 1, 2018. The Commission used a variety of consultation tools in preparing…
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OTTAWA – Canadian Heritage staffer Nathalie Théberge has been named vice-chair and CEO of the Copyright Board for a five-year term beginning October 1.
Théberge is currently director general of creative marketplace and innovation at Canadian Heritage, and has also held the roles of director general, copyright and international trade; director of international negotiations; and director of copyright policy, planning and research in that department.
In her new role, in which she replaces Claude Majeau whose term expired August 3, Théberge will lead the Board’s work as well as supervise and direct its staff, reads Monday’s announcement. In addition, Adriane Porcin, currently…
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Feds told CRTC to take another look
GATINEAU – In decisions issued today, the CRTC determined that increases in Canadian production spending are required to preserve a Canadian presence in a changing viewing environment, but did not mandate an increase in local content, as the CRTC limited its examinations to issues listed in the Government order. That is, for PNI: short films and short-form documentaries in English – and levels of original programming in French – and music programming for both languages.
For the French-language market, the CRTC now requires each broadcsting group to make adequate investments in the creation of French-language programs, representing…
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OTTAWA – The Minister of Canadian Heritage, Pablo Rodriguez, has his work cut out for him with the continuation of former Minister Mélanie Joly’s work on the renewal of the Broadcasting, Telecom, Radiocommunication and Copyright Acts, in collaboration with ISED Minister Bains.
We note that those Legislative reviews were absent from Joly’s original mandate letter issued on November 12th, 2015. Also included in this new mandate letter:
“Work with the Minister of Finance to implement Budget 2018 commitments to support local journalism and developing business models that better facilitate private giving and philanthropic support for trusted, professional non-profit journalism and local…
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Feds demanded CRTC take another look
GATINEAU – Back on May 15, 2017, the CRTC issued a series of decisions to renew licences for the television services of large English- and French-language private ownership groups (Bell Media, Corus Entertainment, Rogers Media, Groupe V and Quebecor Media).
These outlined new conditions of license which allowed, among other things, broadcasters to spread their Cancon spending collectively over all of their channels, rather than counting it brand by brand. It also standardized a Canadian programming expenditure (CPE) rate of 30% of revenues for each large broadcaster. The Commission also set…
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