OTTAWA – If you ask the Canadian Association of Community Television Users and Stations (CACTUS), the CBC could learn a few things from Ontario’s educational broadcaster TVO.
CACTUS wants the national broadcaster to follow TVO’s lead by offering its analog TV transmitters that are scheduled to be shuttered this summer to their local communities. TVO, which is pulling the plug on its over-the-air signals on July 31st, has already contacted over 100 affected communities to offer them the towers and satellite equipment for free.
"This transmission infrastructure is worth millions and has already been paid for by Canadian taxpayers," said CACTUS…
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BANFF – Some of the country’s most notable media leaders will share their perspectives on the key issues facing the Canadian media industry at next month’s Banff World Media Festival.
Shaw Media president Paul Robertson, Bell Media president Kevin Crull, Rogers Media president Keith Pelley, and CBC Executive vice-president Kirstine Stewart will participate in a panel discussion on topics such as the impact of further consolidation and vertical integration within the media industry, as well as how the Canadian content industry can become more globally relevant.
Delegates at the event will have the opportunity to submit questions via Twitter (@BanffMedia) or on…
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OTTAWA – The CBC’s oft-postponed licence renewal hearing will begin November 19, the CRTC confirmed Friday.
In a letter to CBC president and CEO Hubert Lacroix, the Commission directed the Corp. to file updates to its renewal applications by July 16, 2012.
“In recognition of your desire for a timely ruling on the amendments the Commission is scheduling the public hearing to consider the renewals as soon as its agenda permits”, reads the letter, signed by secretary general John Traversy. “The hearing will commence on November 19, 2012.”
CBC/Radio-Canada’s licences were last renewed 12 years ago. Since then, the licence hearing has…
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(Ed note: We ran this column back in May 2012 with our overall investigation into the CBC. Given the Corp's news this week – that it will still air, but has lost control of, NHL hockey – we thought it made sense to give it a re-print, as it were, on November 27, 2013.)
AT CBC ENGLISH TELEVISION’S fall 2012 programming launch last Thursday, you could hear how the massive recent budget cut – along with the constant hectoring of the Corp. by so many Canadians –…
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MUCH HAS BEEN SAID and written over the last few weeks on the new CBC Music service, which has generated quite a bit of interest from the industry, and from the population in general for Stingray’s Part 1 application with the CRTC regarding the newly launched service (and letter to the Minister of Heritage).
Founded in 2007, Stingray’s various services, including Galaxie, the Karaoke Channel and Concert TV, are now available to over 70 million households in 48 countries around the world. With over 200 employees, a good portion of which are here in Canada, Stingray…
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HAMILTON – CBC has officially launched the first of five new local digital services with the debut of CBC Hamilton.
CBC.ca/Hamilton provides an in-depth, neighbourhood-focused experience for Hamilton residents, catering to the needs of each individual user, from local news, weather and traffic alerts to things to do and the local economy. All of its information can be seen on any digital device – desktop, smart phone or tablet – so Hamiltonians can always get what they need, when and where they want it. Adding to the ease of service is a pinned map on the homepage allowing users to…
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TORONTO – Despite revealing much of its fall lineup last month, CBC made it official Thursday at an event in Toronto.
As Cartt.ca reported, the national broadcaster is bringing back 14 shows to its primetime schedule next season, including popular series Arctic Air, Republic of Doyle and Mr. D. What’s new, however, is that George Stroumboulopoulos Tonight is adding an early airing at 7 p.m. (7:30 NT) weeknights starting in September, in addition to its regular 11:05 p.m. (11:35 NT) slot, taking the place of U.S. game show Jeopardy! which will not return.
Also axed from the schedule is original reality…
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I’VE HEARD SOME CRITICIZE Richard Stursberg’s just-launched book, The Tower of Babble: Sins Secrets and Successes Inside the CBC, as “the gospel according to Richard.” After reading it I’d say well, yeah, it is his name on the cover, after all.
The book is an easy, entertaining read bound to inform, anger, confuse and confirm a lot about what folks in the industry have thought about both the author and his subject matter, our national public broadcaster.
Stursberg positions himself as something of a saviour of the 75-year-old public broadcaster who came in, raised English TV from the ashes and made…
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STOP US IF you’ve heard this before: “Psst, I hear (insert name here) is going to be the next CRTC chair.”
Today it’s Jean-Pierre Blais, a former executive director, broadcasting at the CRTC (during CRTC chair Francoise Bertrand’s tenure), former assistant deputy minister of international and intergovernmental affairs and former ADM of cultural affairs both at the Department of Canadian Heritage – and current assistant secretary of the government operations sector at the Treasury Board. He was the senior bureaucrat in charge of the federal government’s pre-budget strategic and operating review, so he is quite familiar now to the Conservative…
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TORONTO – CBC Music is planning to take its annual celebration of music education to new heights thanks to some help from Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield.
Hadfield, who is also an accomplished musician and songwriter, will team up with Ed Robertson of Barenaked Ladies fame to write and premiere a brand new song in time for Music Monday 2013. Music Monday is celebrated on the first Monday of May each year as students and teachers take their music programs outdoors and into their communities, performing the same song at the exact same time.
Over the coming months, Hadfield and Robertson will…
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