OTTAWA – Friends of Canadian Broadcasting today presented a letter to Prime Minister Stephen Harper signed by 13 prominent Canadian journalists and educators supporting the watchdog’s call for changes to Bill C-60 so it does not undermine the editorial independence of the CBC.
The letter, signed by journalists including CBC’s Joe Schlesinger, Don Newman, and Globe and Mail columnist emeritus Hugh Winsor, was tabled this morning at the House of Commons Standing Committee on Finance by Ian Morrison, Friends spokesperson, during his appearance before the Committee.
“Without change, Bill C-60 will give government the…
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OTTAWA – Friends of Canadian Broadcasting says it will testify before the House of Commons Standing Committee on Finance tomorrow morning and ask to remove the CBC from the budget omnibus Bill C-60 provision, which would give the government unprecedented authority over the public broadcaster and other Crown corporations.
“No public broadcaster anywhere in the free world faces the degree of political interference that is proposed for the CBC in Bill C-60,” said Friends spokesperson Ian Morrison in a media advisory.
Morrison will be accompanied tomorrow by media and freedom of expression lawyer Brian MacLeod…
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May 22, 2013 – CBC announced today that its sidelined series Battle of the Blades is back on the roster of returning series for the 2013-2014 season.
The original reality series is back for a fourth season after being benched last year due to high production costs.
The public broadcaster also unveiled the addition of five new series to this fall’s schedule, including:
* The Best Laid Plans, based on author Terry Fallis’ award-winning novel;
* Crime drama Crossing Lines, starring Donald Sutherland;
* Four Rooms, a reality series that pits the…
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OTTAWA – Two new reports released today from Media Technology Monitor examine the ways Canadians are using TV and the Internet together.
In the first report, “Multitasking – TV and the Internet,” the relationship between television and the Internet and how Canadians are increasingly using them simultaneously is investigated. The second report, “Social Television,” explores how Canadians use social networking and television together as part of a second screen experience. Both reports are based on data from the Fall 2012 Media Technology Monitor (MTM).
Canadian homes are now more equipped today to encourage multitasking, says MTM. Heavy multitaskers spend more time than average…
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GATINEAU – Bell Canada and Astral Media say the list of new regulatory safeguards it has agreed to should allay any fears the CRTC has of a combined company – and that the deal should be approved.
In its final written submission to the CRTC filed late Tuesday, the companies say they have agreed to “an unprecedented package of regulatory safeguards relating to terms of trade with all independent producers, the negotiation of affiliation agreements (including tied selling, packaging flexibility, and other terms), the no head start rule, the availability of non-linear content, the timing of the Commission’s dispute resolution…
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TORONTO – The Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE) will be holding regional seminars in Montreal and Toronto entitled “Digital Media: Production to Distribution Using IP.”
This seminar covers the use of media on IT networks including both streaming and file-based workflows, covering many aspects of the media life-cycle including acquisition, production, broadcast, contribution and distribution.
The Montreal session takes place on May 30 at Société Radio-Canada / CBC Montréal, 1400 Boulevard René-Lévesque Est. For the Toronto section, the seminar will be held at Ryerson University’s Rogers Communications Centre, 80 Gould Street on…
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OTTAWA – Watchdog group Friends of Canadian Broadcasting delivered more than 120,000 signatures to Parliament Hill today in a petition opposing the Bill C-60 provision that would give the federal government sweeping powers over the CBC’s collective bargaining and impact its editorial independence.
The Free CBC petitions, coordinated by Friends along with Leadnow.ca and sumofus.org, call on the government to remove the provision. “With ultimate control of the salaries and working conditions of all CBC employees in the hands of the government, at a minimum CBC will have to contend with the perception that its editorial…
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TORONTO – Rogers Media announced today the appointment of Michka Mancini as vice-president of digital sales.
Following the recent announcement of Rogers Media’s streamlined and client-focused sales model, Mancini will be the single point of contact and agency lead for one of Rogers Media’s five agency groups.
Prior to joining Rogers Media, Mancini was most recently with the CBC where she was instrumental in forming strategy and driving revenue, said the Rogers announcement.
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TORONTO – Veteran radio morning show hosts “Humble” Howard Glassman and Fred Patterson are among the new additions that SiriusXM Canada today announced will form part of its revamped lineup of Canadian content.
Available to both Sirius and XM subscribers later this month, SiriuxXM Canada’s new line-up will feature a full suite of English and French content, including CBC channels and more Canadian music, current affairs and multi-cultural programming.
The Humble and Fred Show will feature content from the duo’s podcasts on SiriusXM Canada’s comedy channel, Canada Laughs (formerly Laugh Attack), starting May 9 at…
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TORONTO – CBC/Radio?Canada announced today that Visa Canada is its first major sponsor of the upcoming 2014 Olympic Winter Games in Sochi, Russia.
The multiplatform sponsorship agreement is designed to highlight Canada’s achievements at the Olympic Games through Visa’s “Go World” campaign, which celebrates the emotions and excitement of unforgettable Olympic moments.
“We’re thrilled to have a significant sponsor like Visa Canada on board, to bring the Olympic Winter Games home to Canadians,” said Alan Dark, CBC Revenue Group’s general manager, in a release. “Sochi 2014 will be an exciting time for both CBC/Radio?Canada and…
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