TORONTO – ACTRA said that it is “concerned” by media reports that the government may offer financial support to local television programming, but not to the “struggling” CBC.
The Canadian Press and the Globe and Mail have reported that the federal government is considering a $150-million fund to help keep community TV in business, after national networks CTV and Global indicated recently that they were willing to walk away from money-losing TV stations in small markets rather than absorb further losses.
CTV has announced plans to close a station in Brandon and two outlets in Windsor and Wingham, ON, while…
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VANCOUVER – Adbusters Media Foundation, the publisher of Adbusters magazine, has won its appeal in its case against the CBC and the Global Television Network.
Adbusters sued the two media companies after they allegedly refused to sell airtime to Adbusters for its “socially minded public service spots”, with “little to no explanation as to why these citizen-produced messages are being censored”, its press release said.
According to Adbusters, it brought its case against the CBC and Global because it believes “that the Canadian Charter grants every Canadian the right to access the public airwaves; to walk into their local TV…
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TORONTO – BBM has released its top-line radio statistics for January 5 through March 1, 2009, including the first report using data from portable people meters (PPM) from the Montreal market.
Highlights from Montreal, which reviewed data from December 1 through March 1, 2009, showed that Astral Media-owned news talk station CJAD dominated the Anglo market with a 25.6% share. They were followed by CJFM FM (Astral’s Virgin station), Corus’ “lite” rock focused CFQR FM and CBC Radio One (CBME FM) at 16%, 14% and 12.4%, respectively.
The leaders in Montreal’s Franco markets were CFGL FM with a 15.5%…
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OTTAWA – The CRTC has released its review of the broadcasting services in English and French linguistic minority communities in Canada.
The hearing began on January 13, after receiving public comments last November as it requested in Broadcasting Notice of Public Hearing 2008-12.
At issue was the availability of English- and French-language broadcasting services across all broadcasting platforms and distribution systems, and assurance that the diversity of these communities is reflected throughout the Canadian broadcasting system.
The Commission further identified three issues relating to the specific communities involved:
– the availability and quality of English- and French-language broadcasting…
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TORONTO – In two submissions on separate files, independent broadcaster High Fidelity HDTV has asked the CRTC to allow more open competition among Canadian specialty service operators, or to perhaps clamp down harder on the foreign channels permitted to be carried here.
A letter filed by the company on March 13th supports Rogers Broadcasting’s application to expand what sorts of programming Outdoor Life Network may carry. Rogers has asked the CRTC to let it add some pro sports and other shows, such as comedy, to its license terms.
Even though a changed OLN might compete somewhat with HiFi’s…
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TORONTO – CBC English Services announced where, exactly, the money will be saved and employees let go which were originally made public yesterday.
On the English side, its portion will be approximately $85 million out of the 2009/10 budget which will affect 393 positions.
These will involve:
*Planned reductions in prime time entertainment, variety and factual entertainment programming, including the number of episodes of programs such as The Border, Being Erica, Little Mosque on the Prairie and others; * Discontinuation of the daytime Living programs; * Reduction of spending on children’s television programs; * Reduction or elimination of some…
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OTTAWA – Calling him “a new leader for challenging times”, the Canadian Film and Television Production Association (CFTPA) has named industry veteran Norm Bolen as its new president and CEO.
Bolen is currently chair of the Banff World Television Festival, co-chair of the Hot Docs International Documentary Festival and a director of the National Screen Institute.
Most recently, he was a media consultant and a director with mDialog, a web-based high-resolution video distribution platform. He also held the role of executive vice president of content for Alliance Atlantis Communications, and spent 21 years at the CBC as a journalist and…
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TORONTO – CBC/Radio-Canada employees looked around the various rooms in which they heard the news today, wondering which of them will be among the 800 or so without a job in the next few months.
The Corp’s senior executive team blamed the current financial crisis when outlining its 2009-2010 business plan for employees today, saying cutbacks will be across the board. The strategic blueprint for managing the Corporation through the current financial crisis was approved by the board of directors on March 17.
The plan “includes major cuts to services, programs and people, measures necessary to bridge a financial…
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OTTAWA – CBC has received approval from the CRTC to use a subsidiary communications multiplex operation (SCMO) channel in Vancouver to launch a Fijian-language radio service called Radio Fiji Mirchi. The Commission said that it is satisfied that approval of CBC’s application, received December 9, 2008, will not have “an undue negative impact on existing local conventional ethnic radio stations”.
It reminded the CBC that approval will be effective when the Department of Industry notifies the Commission that its technical requirements have been met, and that the licensee’s broadcasting certificate has been amended.
Programming broadcast using an SCMO channel…
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TORONTO – Faced with a possible $200-million shortfall, the CBC’s board of directors has approved a budget for the coming year that includes deep cuts, cbc.ca is reporting.
The story said that no further details were available about the size of the cutbacks, and the public broadcaster said it would make an announcement to staff by the end of the month.
Media reports circulating this week indicated the broadcaster was looking at cutting anywhere between 600 to 1,200 jobs, but this has not been confirmed by CBC officials.
Click here for the full story.
www.cbc.radio-canada.ca
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