FIRE UP THE LOBBYISTS, lawyers and regulatory experts, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government has opened up a once-in-a-generation chance to change everything about the cable, radio, television and telecom (CaRTT) business in Canada.
You think the new “Let’s Talk TV” rules are challenging, or the new Basic Service Objectives might hurt or Heritage Minister Mélanie Joly’s Cancon review was perplexing? Wait until the feds begin the overhaul of the Broadcasting Act (last updated in 1991) and Telecommunications Act (1993) later this year – as the 2017 Budget said is going to happen. Everyone with skin in…
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Perhaps co-operation is the key
GATINEAU – Arguments that the British Columbia market isn’t big enough to support two distinct radio broadcasters don’t hold water, according to First Peoples Radio.
Debra McLaughlin of Strategic Inc., a firm that did work for FPR on its application, noted under questioning during the company’s reply to the CRTC’s Aboriginal radio licence hearing on Wednesday, the last day of the proceeding, that advertisers, in fact, are likely to spend more money in the smaller markets than the big cities. (Cartt.ca covered the first two days of the hearing here and Continue Reading
GATINEAU – On the first day of the CRTC’s hearing into new licences for Aboriginal radio stations in several large Canadian markets, it heard there are a number of ways urban Indigenous people can be served. Some of the applicants advocated for a largely spoken word and news format while others suggested a combination of music, news and spoken word would be best.
The CRTC is looking to license radio stations in Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Toronto and Ottawa after it revoked the licences from Aboriginal Voices Radio (AVR) following multiple instances of non-compliance with its license…
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OTTAWA – While some might say that a review of the Broadcasting Act and Telecom Act has more or less already begun with Heritage Minister Mélanie Joly’s “everything is on the table” consultations on Canadian Content in a Digital World, the federal government’s 2017 budget, released Wednesday, confirmed that a more formal review will begin this year.
While Minister Joly and the federal government have not given any formal indications on where her consultation will lead when it comes to new law or policies (so far, just a detailed summary of her cross-country consultations has been released), the budget…
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OTTAWA and GATINEAU – Community media groups are taking exception to being left out of two recent Canadian media reports.
The Canadian Association of Community Television Users and Stations (CACTUS) and the Fédération des télévisions communautaires autonomes du Québec (la Fédération) are criticizing the Public Policy Forum’s report The Shattered Mirror: News, Democracy, and Trust in the Digital Age and Heritage Canada’s #DigiCanCon report, What We Heard Across Canada: Canadian Culture in a Digital World.
In a joint statement, CACTUS and la Fédération said that it is “surprising and disappointing to find but a passing mention in both of community…
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GATINEAU – Canada has become the first country outside of Europe to join Eurimages, the Council of Europe's common film coproduction fund.
Established in 1989, Eurimages promotes the European audiovisual industry by providing financial support to feature films, animation and documentaries produced in Europe. It has an annual budget of about EUR22 million (C$32.2 million), which is granted to approximately 70 films per year.
Heritage Minister Mélanie Joly said Wednesday that membership in the fund will help to increase the number of audiovisual co-productions between Canada and European countries.
"Our government understands the importance of supporting Canadian creators in accessing international markets and…
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TORONTO – The Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists (ACTRA) has chosen Canadian actor, humanitarian and activist Tina Keeper as its 2017 ACTRA National Woman of the Year.
The award is bestowed annually on an ACTRA member who uses her passion to support her fellow female ACTRA members and women within the audiovisual industry as a whole. Keeper (pictured) joins past recipients Shirley Douglas, Tantoo Cardinal, Sandi Ross, Mary Walsh, Jean Freeman, Amanda Tapping and Catherine Joell MacKinnon.
An active member of Canada's film and television industry for over 30 years, Keeper is well-known for her role as RCMP officer…
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Minister Joly says "timing was right"
GATINEAU, QC – Canadian Heritage Minister Mélanie Joly is sharing some of the input she received during her recent consultations on Canadian Content in a Digital World.
Based on feedback collected by Ipsos via the online portal, in-person events, social media discussions and mail and e-mail submissions, What We Heard Across Canada: Canadian Culture in a Digital World, released Tuesday, identified the following eight key themes and messages heard during the consultation:
– Showcasing Canada’s cultural sector: increased support for production of Canadian content as well as sustained efforts on marketing and communication will help underscore…
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OTTAWA – After securing a global Netflix streaming deal for its new original show, Wow! Unlimited Media’s CEO Michael Hirsh says opportunities abound for Canadian content.
Wow! Unlimited Media (formerly Rainmaker) scored its big win earlier this month when it announced that Netflix would stream Castlevania, the first proprietary production from its subsidiary Frederator Studios. The program, a mature-rated animation project, is written by best-selling author and comic book legend Warren Ellis.
The original Netflix series, which is to debut in 2017, is a dark medieval fantasy that follows the last surviving member of the disgraced Belmont clan, trying to…
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OTTAWA – BCE Inc. got the official go ahead to proceed with its $3.9 billion purchase of MTS early Wednesday after the Competition Bureau and Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED) offered their respective blessings.
As part of the regulatory wrangling, Bell and MTS agreed to transfer 40 MHz of 700 MHz, AWS-1 and 2500 MHz wireless spectrum currently held by MTS to Xplornet Communications who will launch a new mobile wireless service in Manitoba in the coming months. In addition to picking up 24,700 new mobile customers from Bell MTS and six retail outlets in the province, Xplornet…
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