OTTAWA – With ad dollars and attention moving away from traditional media outlets to the subjects everyone knows and frets about (Google, Facebook, et al) and with those same platforms being used to spread lies and hate and disinformation, it’s time to put away the brickbats directed at the CBC and instead pull together, said the public broadcaster’s CEO Catherine Tait.
“Canadian media companies are struggling. Advertisers are increasingly moving their ad dollars to Google and Facebook. Newspapers are folding and broadcasters have had to reduce local news operations,” she said in her Wednesday keynote address to the International Institute…
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OTTAWA – At the International Institute of Communications (IIC), 16th annual Canadian conference Wednesday morning, we quickly got into the heart of the matter with two panel discussions to tackle the Review of Canada’s Broadcasting and Telecommunications Acts.
Two bi-lingual panels of four people each got to have their kicks at the can for almost three hours to offer their points of view, perspectives on how the two Acts needs to change.
To structure the debate, the moderators (Cartt.ca editor and publisher Greg O’Brien and University du Québec à Montréal professor Catalina Briceño) suggested that participants outline what they would definitely…
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RCMP AND A CBC MARKETPLACE INVESTIGATION are being credited with helping to tip off Indian police to illegal call centres accused of targeting Canadians with the so-called CRA scam.
The CRA scam typically begins with a robocall from a spoofed number that claims to be the Canadian Revenue Agency. The calls tell the recipient that they owe taxes, and ask that they call back or face arrest and imprisonment. Those who call back are offered the chance to pay to settle the matter, often by BitCoins, gift cards or prepaid credit cards.
According to a CBC report, the call centre…
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OTTAWA – The majority of Canadians are concerned about fake news, especially with regards to upcoming elections, and continue to put the most trust in traditional, mainstream media, says new research from the Media Technology Monitor (MTM).
Information Disorder – Fake News & Trust: Analysis of the Canadian Market delves into the issue of fake news, traditional vs. new platforms, and potential impacts for the upcoming Federal election. The results are based on a Spring 2018 mixed-methodology survey (telephone and follow-up online surveys) of 4,100 Canadian respondents across the country.
Highlights from the report include:
– Three-quarters of Canadians indicated…
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The TV tax battle
By Phil Lind with Robert Brehl
FEW THINGS GET ME SEETHING like the Canadian television networks’ attempted fee-for-carriage cash grab, the so-called “TV tax.” After everything cable did to increase their TV licences’ value over the years, in 2006 the broadcasters ignited a six-year battle to get us to pay them for carrying their signals. It went all the way to the Supreme Court of Canada, and they came very close to winning.
Just writing this raises my hackles. Ken Engelhart and Jan Innes would joke that fee-for-carriage was my “Wullerton.” I had no idea what they meant…
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TORONTO – CBC is serving up a new podcast that promises listeners a deeper understanding of the news of the day, from a distinctly Canadian perspective.
Hosted by award-winning investigative journalist Jayme Poisson, CBC News: Front Burner is available to download daily from Monday to Friday at 6:00 AM ET. The first episode is available now on the CBC Radio app, Apple Podcasts and Google Podcasts.
“Jayme and Front Burner will build on CBC’s success as Canada’s leading podcaster to provide focus and depth to the stories shaping our country and the world each day, asking questions from a Canadian…
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TORONTO – CBC is digging into its archives for its new music series which promises historic performances and candid interviews with the biggest names in music over the past 60 years.
Hosted by by Amanda Parris and Tom Power, the six-part series From The Vaults spans 60 years of Canada’s music history, with highlights including Sammy Davis Jr. in his first ever solo television special Parade on CBC, Shania Twain performing on CBC’s The Tommy Hunter Show at the age of 14, and Leonard Cohen’s television debut on CBC’s Take 30 in 1966.
Producer Banger Films sorted through 600 hours of content…
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OTTAWA – Canadian listeners are increasingly turning to music streaming services to satisfy their appetite for curated, on-demand content, says a new report from Media Technology Monitor (MTM).
Music Streaming Services: Analysis of the English-Language Market focuses in particular on Anglophones' use of music streaming services. Highlights include their demographics, use of different services available, and devices used to access this type of content.
According to the report:
– One-third of Anglophones now listen to a music streaming service. As with other forms of online audio, Gen Zs (aged 18-28), Gen Ys (29-37) and students are the most likely to use…
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GATINEAU – If we may paraphrase some of the reaction by TekSavvy, Tbaytel and Eastlink representatives Wednesday morning in front of the CRTC it would be: "It seems strange to mandate us to continue being nice to our customers."
These three smaller independents (respectively, a wholesaler, a municipally owned telco and a regional wired and wireless carrier) also all had the same story to tell when it came to the dubious sales practices which have been so far outlined by consumers during the CRTC’s Telecom Sales Practices hearing this week in Gatineau:…
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Consumer groups tell Commission most problems likely go unreported
GATINEAU – No one is disagreeing telecom sales practices can and should be improved. The companies know this and so do the consumers and consumer groups.
But, how deeply do the problems run? The telecom companies have said, for the most part, the bare number of complaints made to the CCTS annually and to the CRTC in this proceeding collectively point to sporadic, small problems which are inevitable given the tens of millions of customer interactions they log every month. Even counting all of the complaints from all sources, the total is…
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