OTTAWA – "Community radio in Canada punches far above its weight. Despite being under-resourced, the sector makes unique and vital contributions to culture and pluralism," says Ian Pringle, a member of the first ever board of directors for the Community Radio Fund of Canada.
"The establishment of the Community Radio Fund will translate into a stronger, more vibrant broadcast system in Canada. It is long overdue and much needed."
The CRFC recently held its first annual general membership meeting and board elections in Ottawa. The members of the first CRFC board of directors are: Jean-Francois Côté, Victoria Fenner, Jean…
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TORONTO – "Without a doubt culture played a central role in this election,” said Richard Hardacre, ACTRA’s national president, in summing up Tuesday’s election.
“We hope that Prime Minister Harper heard the concerns of the thousands of Canadians who spoke up during the campaign and will make culture a priority in the coming months… We welcome the Conservatives’ campaign commitment to scrap their plans to give bureaucrats arbitrary powers to withdraw or withhold tax credits from Canadian films and television productions. And now the Prime Minister has an opportunity to re-consider his $50 million dollars in cuts to arts…
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TORONTO – On the eve of today’s election, Canadian broadcasters were distancing themselves from fellow journalist and Conservative candidate for the riding of Thornhill, Peter Kent.
The former Global News anchor (and NBC/CBC reporter) has posted a video on his web site where the likes of Lloyd Robertson, Pamela Wallin, Peter Mansbridge and Kevin Newman, among others, sing Kent’s praises.
While the video was made to honour Kent when he won the 2006 RTNDA Canada president’s award, the fact it is posted on Kent’s election site may make it seem to some that the journalists are endorsing his candidacy,…
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HALIFAX – EastLink and CBC News in Nova Scotia are partnering to provide coverage of this month’s Nova Scotia municipal election.
The joint coverage will run from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. on October 18, election day.
CBC News: Nova Scotia at Six host Jim Nunn will anchor the coverage, while EastLink’s Dan Robertson will provide regular updates from the EastLink Results Desk in Lower Sackville.
“We are delighted to be joining forces with EastLink to deliver community-by-community results of these elections in a way that no one else can match,” said Andrew Cochran, managing director, CBC Television, Maritimes….
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TORONTO – CBC Radio One 99.1 was quick to point out its Metro Morning Show continued to dominate the Toronto morning market when BBM released its S3 2008, or summer, radio ratings earlier this week. Radio One’s morning show with host Andy Barrie garnered a 12.4% market share in S3. The market share for CBC Radio One rose from 7.4 to 7.6. in Toronto from S2 to S3 for adults 12+ from Monday to Sunday in the 5 a.m. to 1 p.m. period.
But aside from markets such as Toronto, Ottawa and Edmonton, the picture isn’t as rosy in…
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WHAT A DIFFERENCE a day makes.
Or so they say in politics. Perhaps in the broadcast and cable regulatory environment it takes a little longer than a day, but the world has most definitely changed since last spring’s broadcast distribution undertaking and specialty & pay policy framework hearing in Ottawa. A quick look today at the headlines tells us in no uncertain terms that “Canada heading for recession, say economists” (CBC.ca), and that “Investors panic, markets plunge as crisis spreads in Europe, Asia” (Globe and Mail).
As the credit crunch deepens and consumers begin to rein in their spending,…
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TORONTO – The 2nd annual Insight Entertainment Industries Summit will run October 22-23 at St. Andrew’s Club and Conference Centre in Toronto.
The event is aimed at senior executives and counsels from the film, television, new media, gaming, music and print media industries who are involved in content creation, development or distribution.
The keynote luncheon address will be given by Namir Anani, executive director of Policy Development and Research at the CRTC.
The conference program co-chairs are Alan Sawyer, principal consultant, Two Solitudes Consulting, and Susan Abramovitch, partner, Gowling Lafleur Henderson, LLP.
Topics include issues facing each content genre,…
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TORONTO – Canadian actors, writers, musicians and others rallied on Wednesday in Toronto’s Simcoe Park, next to the CBC Broadcast Center, to encourage Canadians to vote for culture on October 14.
“Today we’re showing all parties that culture lives in Canada,” said screenwriter and Writers Guild of Canada (WGC) President Rebecca Schechter (Little Mosque, ‘Da Kink in my Hair). “We’re here to let all Canadians know that they can vote with their hearts and their heads in this election – by voting culture.”
Among those in attendance were songwriter/singer Melanie Doane, screenwriter Suzette Couture, playwright Linda Griffiths, singer Tabby…
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MONTREAL – The Office de consultation publique de Montreal (OCPM) on Wednesday will launch a public consultation on the site of the CBC broadcast antenna in Mount Royal Park. The first session starts at 7 p.m. at the Basement of Saint-Kevin Church, located at 5590 Côte-des-Neiges.
The consultation will focus on a new draft lease agreement for the broadcast tower as the current deal expires on December 31. The new agreement calls for the CBC antenna to be on the same site for another ten years. The amount to be paid by CBC/Radio-Canada would be $500,000 in the first…
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TORONTO – Former Hockey Night in Canada and Leafs TV executive John Shannon has been named as executive in charge of programming and production for the NHL Network.
Shannon will continue to serve in his current role as executive vice-president of programming and production for the National Hockey League.
His additional responsibilities include overseeing programming and production for the NHL Network in both Canada and the United States.
Shannon will work closely with Joe Gabor, director of the NHL Network in Canada. The NHL Network’s programming and production operations will continue to be based in Canada. The programming feed…
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