VANCOUVER and MONTREAL – The heads of three private Québec broadcasters have taken exception to comments made by CBC/Radio-Canada president and CEO Hubert Lacroix this week that they claim “mischaracterized” their position on the role of the public broadcaster.
Speaking Tuesday at an event at the University of British Columbia about the Corp’s ongoing transformation, Lacroix all but accused some unnamed Canadian private broadcasters of trying to “undermine” public broadcasting to stave off competition.
“Some private broadcasters have suggested that the solution to their declining revenue is to limit what CBC does for Canadians to some sort of "status quo" or…
Continue Reading
Outlines fresh approach to local news
OTTAWA – The national public broadcaster got a relatively easy ride at the Heritage committee on Thursday. CBC/Radio-Canada was given the opportunity to explain how its recent $675 million increase in funding would affect local news and its operations in general.
During its appearance, the broadcaster noted it is transforming its newsrooms to a multiplatform environment where there will be a single assignment desk for TV, radio and digital. The expectation is that all journalists will have to file for all platforms.
Decisions to shift news operations based on digital first mantra and adopt…
Continue Reading
"Citizen journalists" don't follow same high standards as pros, says RTDNA
OTTAWA – The Radio Television Digital News Association (RTDNA) told the Heritage Committee Tuesday that there has to be a way to deliver more local news to communities, and one that doesn’t necessarily require the major broadcasters to fund the endeavour.
Speaking at the House of Commons Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage, RTDNA president Ian Koenigsfest said regardless of whether it’s media concentration or a shrinking diversity of voices that have led to less local news in communities, it’s imperative that more be delivered to them.
“Local news isn’t only about…
Continue Reading
No easy answers
TORONTO – Yes, there were a ton of regulatory lawyers and policy wonks there and probably not as many newfangled content creators and distributors as organizers hoped, but the two-day Discoverability Summit, which wrapped up Wednesday in Toronto, seemed to us a worthwhile exercise even if the problem of discoverability remains unsolved and looks to be a challenge for some time.
The summit will definitely have helped flesh out ideas for the federal government’s just-started review of all things Canadian content.
1. What goes viral? No one really can predict. During the Youth Summit portion held last week in…
Continue Reading
Heritage Minister says culture spending can lead to economic growth
TORONTO – The federal government is turning its attention to overhauling the laws and regulations governing the cultural sector in Canada because it sees creativity as the driving force behind innovation, which will drive the growth of the Canadian economy, Heritage Minister Mélanie Joly told delegates at the CRTC and NFB’s Discoverability Summit in Toronto on Tuesday.
While noting that the government has promised a $1.9 billion investment in arts and culture over the next five years – the first G7 country to make such an investment,…
Continue Reading
SAINT JOHN, NB – The Canadian Cable Systems Alliance (CCSA) has announced the shortlisted nominees for their Tuned-in Canada awards – a national celebration of excellence in communications service delivery, community-mindedness, and community channel content development.
“We received a record number of nominations this year, many from our member companies – but many others from their customers across the country,” said Alyson Townsend, CCSA president and CEO. “That level of support really shows that Canada’s local cable and telecommunications companies are a valued part of our country’s communications ecosystem.”
“The nominations this year highlighted amazing local television content, introduced us to…
Continue Reading
OTTAWA – Can Canada maintain a rights market of its own for cultural content in the face of rampant and rapid technological change? If so, how? Should we? At what costs? What would any new rules say?
These very difficult, complex questions, along with Heritage Minister Mélanie Joly’s recent announcement that our aged legislation covering Canadian content rules will soon be getting an overhaul, were front and centre during the first morning of the Law Society of Upper Canada’s Biennial conference into new developments in communications law and policy at the Shaw Centre in Ottawa.
For example,…
Continue Reading
TORONTO – The public broadcaster’s ongoing transformation in the way it serves Canadians hasn’t been easy, but “the need for a Canadian public space” is more important than ever, according to CBC/Radio-Canada president and CEO Hubert Lacroix.
In an address to the Economic Club of Canada in Toronto on Thursday, Lacroix talked up the Corp’s recent successes as a result of its strategic plan 2020: A Space For Us All, including the 15 million Canadians that use its digital sites for news and information, a number that has increased by 3 million in the last year, and its new podcast series…
Continue Reading
OTTAWA – The local news business, while still attracting eyeballs, has ceased working from a financial perspective, Bell Canada told a Parliamentary committee on Tuesday. Echoing its appearance in front of the CRTC earlier this year, the company argued in front of MPs that creating a fund dedicated to local news programming would definitely help counteract falling advertising revenue.
Speaking at the House of Commons Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage, Wendy Freeman, president at CTV News, noted that 2011 advertising revenue from private Canadian conventional TV stations has declined by $325 million, $91 million at Bell Media…
Continue Reading
HAMILTON and NEW YORK – Clearcable Networks has added One Caribbean Television (OCTV) to its Content Distribution Network (CDN).
OCTV carries daily news and weather, sports, travel, lifestyle and entertainment programming about the Caribbean and its people. Now in its tenth year, OCTV is currently available on cable systems throughout the Caribbean and in many major U.S. cities.
“Clearcable is pleased to be able to extend more diverse content to more consumers by bringing OCTV to the Canadian market,” said Clearcable president Rob McCann, in Wednesday’s news release. “Adding OCTV extends our commitment to delivering more choice to subscribers in Canada.”
“Our partnership…
Continue Reading
