TORONTO – The labour situation between Canada’s actors and producers hasn’t changed so today ACTRA, the actors’ union, issued the following open letter to the Canadian Film and Television Production Association
Today, the CFTPA and ACTRA should be sitting down together and working out a joint strategy on the following:
* The current state of the CBC, an issue we should be collectively engaged in; * The purchase of Alliance Atlantis funded by an American company, a development with ramifications that we should at least discuss; * Shaw Communications has unilaterally pulled out of the Canadian Television Fund, followed…
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CALGARY – Saying he wants an accounting of exactly how the Canadian Television Fund money is spent and where the value is, Shaw Communications CEO Jim Shaw says until he gets that and is satisfied, his company will no longer pay into the CTF.
That’s potentially a huge blow for the fund, since Shaw – also the owner of DTH company Star Choice – is the largest BDU contributor, paying approximately $60 million into the fund last year. (However, the CRTC’s BDU regulations say all TV distributors must pay a percentage of revenues into the fund, which is doled…
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CBC/RADIO-CANADA DOES NOT receive any money from the Canadian Television Fund (see "Shaw suspends TV fund payments"). The fund goes to independent producers to help them make Canadian programs that will be broadcast on Canadian television.
The Canadian Television Fund (CTF) was created to provide financial support to independent producers who make distinctly Canadian television programs. This Fund ensures Canadians can watch programs, particularly drama programs, which reflect Canada. Contrary to Mr. Shaw’s claim that it supports programs that few watch, the CTF has made possible many highly successful Canadian programs including Shania: A Life in Eight Albums, H2O,…
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MONTREAL – Videotron announced late Tuesday afternoon that it won’t be making its regular monthly contributions to the Canadian Television Fund either.
In a letter to the CTF, Pierre Karl Péladeau, president and CEO of Videotron parent Quebecor Inc. said it won’t pay and has asked the Bev Oda, Minister of Canadian Heritage, to launch a thorough review of the fund’s management and membership structures.
In a press release, Péladeau said he feels "deep dissatisfaction with the Fund’s governance, performance and direction" and complained that "Fund managers pay little heed to the main private-sector contributors to the Fund and give…
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TORONTO – The TV weatherman known for decades for his signature chalk flip at the end of his segment, Percy Saltzman, has died. He was 91.
Saltzman was Canada’s first TV weatherman who worked with the technology of the day when illustrating the weather: a blackboard and a thick piece of chalk. He worked at CBC, CTV, Citytv and Global.
Click here for the CTVnews.com story (it’s a good one).
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TORONTO – CBC Radio will be bringing a new sound to its arts and culture programming, offering more Canadian musical content on Radio Two and strengthened arts content on the main Radio One network, the Corp. announced today.
The changes outlined today mean CBC Radio Two will broaden, showcasing the best of Canadian music for adult tastes. Classical music will still occupy centre stage on the schedule, but new evening programs will also embrace jazz, contemporary, singer-songwriter and live performance from across the country.
“The vast majority of recorded Canadian music receives no airplay. The place to discover great…
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A SINGLE ELEMENT ON DAY ONE of the new Sportsnet Connected typified the new programming focus of the Rogers Media-owned regional sports network.
It was Wade Belak.
It wasn’t so much the new set with its BAM ("big-ass-monitor", says Connected’s show manager Mike English) 103-inch plasma TV, lack of a traditional sports desk or that the anchors and reporters are more casual in their presentation and attire (some more comfortable than others) that hit hardest. It was Belak, and only figuratively, thank goodness.
The Toronto Maple Leafs enforcer showed up in a long-sleeved camouflage shirt and jeans. Great for…
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LOS ANGELES – The critically-acclaimed Da Vinci’s Inquest is gone from CBC-TV’s schedule but it lives on in U.S. syndication.
Program Partners has announced the launch of a new broadband video initiative for broadcast affiliates, featuring exclusive video content from the hit Canadian drama produced by Haddock Entertainment and Barna-Alper Productions.
It will use the Brightcove Internet TV service to launch broadband video channels and syndicate exclusive content to affiliate TV station websites to promote shows, debut behind-the-scenes footage, and provide highlights from the series. Later on, in addition to featuring the Da Vinci video on their own websites,…
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TORONTO – What is it about Saskatchewan?
First, the fictional residents of Dog River and their Corner Gas station on CTV captured millions of viewers and now comes word that over 2 million people watched the first episode of Little Mosque on the Prairie, whose creator based it partly on her life growing up Muslim in Regina.
The eight-part series continues in its regular time slot on Monday nights at 9 p.m. and Wednesdays at 8 p.m. on CBC Television.
“We’re extremely pleased that Canadians tuned in to watch. We knew this was a terrific show and we’re very…
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FINAL SUBMISSIONS TO THE CRTC on its conventional television policy review were due in yesterday.
Cartt.ca managed to get our hands on eight submissions (unfortunately, none of the companies serving the Francophone market responded to our e-mails), which were filed by parties Wednesday in response to what they were asked – or what others were asked – during the seven-day oral presentations that began on November 27th.
(Ed note: Thank goodness broadcasting vice-chair Michel Arpin – who looks as though he’ll be the Commission’s Interim Chair for the time being as the PMO explores more candidates to replace departing…
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