By Ahmad Hathout
The Supreme Court of Canada (SCC) late last week denied leave to appeal applications challenging the upholding of a ruling that allows the formation of a class of plaintiffs in Quebec to file a lawsuit against Apple and Samsung for alleged phone radiation harm.
The two largest smartphone manufacturers in the world argued in their submissions to the SCC that allowing the authorization of the class of plaintiffs to bring the companies to court for punitive damages based on what they called unfounded claims of RF harm would challenge – and effectively render useless –…
Continue Reading
CBC on Wednesday announced applications are now being accepted for the third round of AccessCBC, a national program that provides pre-development training, mentorship and financing support to Deaf and disabled creators.
CBC is once again collaborating with the Disability Screen Office (DSO) for the third edition of the program, which is adding a new podcast stream alongside the returning scripted comedy/drama, unscripted and kids programming streams.
The podcast stream will offer one selected individual a chance to work on CBC Podcasts’ Sickboy, to hone their audio production skills and help create…
Continue Reading
By Connie Thiessen
Alan Dark, chief revenue officer at Rogers Sports and Media, is exiting the company, confirmed a source to Broadcast Dialogue, Cartt’s sister publication.
He’ll remain with the company until the end of June.
Dark joined Rogers in 2014 as vice president of national sales, media, moving into the role of senior vice president, sales of Rogers Sports and Media sales division within seven months. He’d been senior vice president of revenue since 2020.
Prior to Rogers, Dark held sales, marketing and revenue roles with CBC, Bell Media, and CanWest MediaWorks.
Dark’s departure announcement comes just ahead of Rogers Sports and Media…
Continue Reading
By Ahmad Hathout
Pushing back against the assertion that the public broadcaster should take up the mantle of at-risk programs where private broadcasters have struggled, CBC’s executive vice president said this must be a whole-of-system effort.
“We feel that we should not be seen as a gap filler for the problems of the other broadcasters – that where market forces don’t come easily to their decisions about programming – it shouldn’t just be assumed not to worry about it, the CBC will do it,” Barbara Williams told the five-member CRTC panel on the second-last day of its hearing into the definition…
Continue Reading
Toronto-based independent production company Cameron Pictures Inc. (CPI) announced Monday it has appointed former Pier 21 Films executive Karen Tsang to the newly created role of vice president of creative affairs.
In this role, Tsang will oversee the creative pipeline of original scripted series, reporting to CPI co-founders and sister filmmakers Tassie and Amy Cameron. CPI is the award-winning prodco behind Law & Order Toronto: Criminal Intent, Mary Kills People and Pretty Hard Cases.
“Karen is so smart and she has a remarkable eye for developing standout stories and characters,” Tassie Cameron said in a press release. “Her creative expertise, strong relationship with writers, and…
Continue Reading
Access Canada in partnership with The Hollywood Reporter announced Monday the advisory board for the inaugural Access Canada Summit, which is scheduled to take place Sept. 8-10 at the Omni King Edward Hotel in downtown Toronto, coinciding with the Toronto International Film Festival.
The advisory board members include:
Mark Bishop, co-president of Blue Ant Studios
Allison Brough, senior vice president of unscripted television at Blink49 Studios
Vanessa Case, vice president of content for Paramount+ and Pluto TV in Canada
Mike Cosentino, president and executive producer of CosMedia.Inc
Jocelyn Hamilton, president of television for…
Continue Reading
Quebecor Media subsidiary TVA Group announced Wednesday several layoffs, primarily in its television division, as the broadcaster faces an uncertain future due to ongoing financial challenges, the Montreal-based company said.
“TVA Group, like other private broadcasters, is operating in a steadily deteriorating business environment and continues to absorb substantial financial losses while competing on an uneven playing field,” Quebecor President and CEO Pierre Karl Péladeau, who is the acting president and CEO of TVA Group, said in a press release.
“In this alarming situation, TVA Group is forced to cut some 30 jobs,…
Continue Reading
By Ahmad Hathout
Quebecor executives said Wednesday that Radio-Canada, the French-language version of the CBC, should be made to step-up on producing children’s programming because it has become economically difficult to do so for private broadcasters.
The company’s vice president of public and regulatory affairs told the five-member CRTC panel in response to a question about how to sustain the delivery of children’s programming that the public broadcaster — which is already required by the CRTC to broadcast a certain number of hours of kids programming — should pick up where private broadcasters have failed.
“We hope the mandate of Radio-Canada will…
Continue Reading
Corus Entertainment’s Global News announced Tuesday veteran journalist Kevin Gallagher will be the new anchor of its weekend news programs, airing on Global TV across Canada from the Maritimes to Saskatchewan, beginning Saturday, May 31.
In addition to his weekend anchor role, Gallagher will appear on Toronto’s late newscast every Friday and also as a reporter one day a week on Global News at 5 and Global News at 6.
Gallagher is a former parliamentary correspondent for CTV National News, a position he was laid off from as part of Bell Media’s 4,800 staff…
Continue Reading
By Connie Thiessen
CBC/Radio-Canada’s board of directors has announced it’s discontinuing executive performance bonuses, following an independent review.
The executive bonus structure, known as the Short-Term Incentive Plan, sparked outrage in late 2023 when the Canadian Taxpayers Federation released data indicating that in 2022, the CBC paid out more than $16 million in bonuses in the face of a looming $125 million budget shortfall. Catherine Tait, then president of the public broadcaster, went on to defend the bonus structure before the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage saying that “like every other Crown Corporation” performance pay was a key part of the…
Continue Reading
