CBC and BBC World Service announced Wednesday their latest collaboration — a new true crime podcast, The Con: Kaitlyn’s Baby, launching Jan. 14.
Part of the The Con podcast strand exploring international scam stories, Kaitlyn’s Baby follows a pregnant young woman in crisis who “takes dozens of birth workers through a series of disasters — rape, baby loss, and even a coma,” explains a CBC press release. “One by one, the doulas struggle to support her, to grieve with her, and even to save her life as they are led down a devastating path. Then the truth comes out — it’s all…
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By Ahmad Hathout
The House committee on Industry is calling on the CRTC to launch a “full review of the matter of price certainty and the issue of surprise fees increasing during fixed term contracts” and to take regulatory action on it, according to a report that was delivered to the House floor last week.
The report also urges Industry Minister Francois Philippe-Champagne to “use his available powers in the interim to correct these unfair practices,” expresses “disappointment in Rogers Communications Inc. for not proactively disclosing the true costs of their products and services to consumers,” and “notes the detrimental impact…
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By Ahmad Hathout
Rogers CEO Tony Staffieri on Monday defended a $7-per month price hike on the company’s TV set top boxes in front of House’s committee on industry, saying it’s the result of increased investments the company makes to improve software and functionality to the device it considers a premium product.
The cable giant’s head also said the majority of customers are not impacted by the hike on the Ignite boxes first revealed by a CBC/Radio-Canada investigation – stemming from consumer complaints that promises of fixed-rate contracts were allegedly broken – and that customers who were affected,…
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CBC/Radio-Canada last week announced its broadcast and streaming schedule for the Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) 2024/2025 season, offering fans live coverage of 17 games in English and six in French.
CBC’s English coverage began on CBC TV and CBC Gem on Saturday, Nov. 30 with the season opening game between the Toronto Sceptres and the Boston Fleet. (Host Toronto won 3-1.)
Radio-Canada’s live French coverage of the PWHL season will begin Saturday, Dec. 21 at 2 p.m. ET/11 a.m. PT on ICI Télé and ICI TOU.TV with the Toronto Sceptres hosting the Montreal Victoire.
The complete schedules…
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CBC last week announced the streaming and broadcast premiere dates for its winter 2025 lineup of new and returning programming on CBC Gem and CBC TV, including more than 30 original series from Canadian creators, producers and storytellers.
New Canadian original series unveiled earlier this year include Saint-Pierre (10 episodes x 60 minutes), a police procedural starring Allan Hawco (Republic of Doyle) and Joséphine Jobert (Death in Paradise) set in the French territory of Saint-Pierre et Miquelon, just off the coast of Newfoundland. Fitz (Hawco) and Arch (Jobert) are two seasoned officers with very different policing…
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By Connie Thiessen
A group of Canadian news publishers has come together to file legal action against OpenAI, alleging its content is being used to develop products like generative artificial intelligence chatbot, ChatGPT.
CBC/Radio-Canada, The Canadian Press, Torstar, Postmedia, and The Globe and Mail released a joint statement Friday morning following the filing of their copyright infringement suit in Ontario Superior Court, which maintains that Delaware-based OpenAI is “unjustly enriching themselves” at the expense of the news media companies.
The suit’s statement of claim says in order for OpenAI to obtain the significant quantities of text data needed to develop their GPT…
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By Ahmad Hathout
Apple and Samsung, the two largest smartphone manufacturers in the world, are expressing befuddlement that the Quebec Court of Appeal would uphold the authorization of a class of plaintiffs to take the companies to court for punitive damages for what they describe as unfounded claims of health-related harm associated with the emissions of radio frequencies (RF) from cellphones.
The class authorization, which the companies are calling a first in Canada, creates a disastrous precedent involving the approval of classes seeking damages for mere allegations of an intentional violation of Quebec’s Consumer Protection Act (CPA) with no harm claimed,…
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By Ahmad Hathout
A paper petition calling on the federal government to prop up local radio and television news after a string of layoffs in the industry has been presented to the House of Commons on Wednesday.
The petition, which was carried by Kingston Liberal MP Mark Gerretsen, is asking that government to extend the Canadian Journalism Labour Tax Credit to include radio and television; dedicate 70 per cent of federal government advertising dollars on local radio, TV, print and digital media; and eliminate tax-deductions for advertising purchased on foreign-owned, internet-delivered media sites and services.
“The abrupt departures of radio and television…
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CBC/Radio-Canada announced Tuesday that it is investing more in local and regional news coverage after the CRTC approved Google’s application to be exempted under the Online News Act, triggering the release of $100 million for news production.
The public broadcasters said it is adding up to 25 journalists in more than a dozen communities that are underserved by broadcast news outlets, with a focus on Western Canada.
“These new positions complement CBC News’ strategy to reach more Canadians by launching new local FAST channels, offering local and breaking news on CBC Gem and the CBC News app, and connected TV platforms in…
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By Connie Thiessen
Canadian Heritage Minister Pascale St-Onge has confirmed the appointment of Marie-Philippe Bouchard as CBC/Radio-Canada’s next president and CEO.
Appointed for a five-year term, effective Jan. 3, Bouchard’s appointment had been widely rumoured since last week when Quebec media outlets, including Radio-Canada, reported she was in line for the job.
Bouchard has served as President and CEO of francophone public broadcaster TV5 Québec Canada since 2016, overseeing the TV5 Unis channels and platforms, in addition to presiding over TV5 Numérique, TV5MONDE’s partner in establishing international French-language platform TV5MONDEPlus.
Prior to joining TV5, Bouchard held management and executive positions at CBC/Radio-Canada in legal services, strategic planning, regulatory affairs, and digital services, most recently as Director…
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