TORONTO – Stompin’ Tom Connors’ self-produced concert special has found a home after all, on CTV, after the CBC had turned it down.
The Canadian legend hired his own producers to shoot and edit a concert he played last year in Hamilton, in answer to repeated requests over the years from the public broadcaster for a musical special. When it was delivered to the Corp., the CBC turned it down, saying it’s moving away from musical and variety programming and stressing it did not commission the special.
Tom was stompin’ mad, and told the CBC to “shove it.”
Now,…
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TORONTO – CBC Television Executive Vice-President Richard Stursberg is defending the corporation’s decision to pre-empt The National newscast for eight Tuesdays this summer to air a U.S. reality show, saying the CBC needs the ad revenues and the program will ultimately help promote Canadian talent.
There has been strong public reaction against the CBC’s decision to move The National, albeit temporarily, to simulcast the ABC music reality show The One, where aspiring singers attend a music academy and receive professional training to turn into stars.
In a statement, Stursberg defended the move on several fronts.
CBC’s primetime TV schedule…
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OTTAWA – After being told last month by the CRTC that it wasn’t allowed under its current license to distribute separate regional streams, TSN has applied for a license amendment.
In 2005, CBC complained to the Commission that CTV Specialty’s TSN had breached the conditions of its licence by broadcasting NHL hockey games using two simultaneous, national feeds last fall. The games were distributed by cable companies (BDUs) on an analog as well as a digital basis.
The Commission agreed with CBC and found that TSN’s use of two simultaneous national feeds when broadcasting a pair of games in…
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GATINEAU – The CRTC on Friday announced that it’s renewing the transitional digital radio licences for another 12 months for some 73 stations in large centres across Canada.
The commission is extending the licence terms from Sept. 1, 2006 to Aug. 31, 2007, to buy time while it develops its new commercial radio policy, following its extensive public hearing held last month in Gatineau, and while it makes changes to its transitional digital radio policy, introduced in 1995.
The licences allow existing stations to operate a digital audio broadcasting signal. Of the 73 licences, 20 are not yet on…
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OTTAWA – A top media union is endorsing the recommendations in yesterday’s Senate report on news media, particularly those calling for tighter controls on concentration of ownership, and moves to shore up the CBC.
The Communications, Energy, and Paperworkers Union of Canada is urging the federal government to act on the recommendations immediately.
The report said that media concentration of ownership has reached “very high levels.” CEP goes farther, saying that in the lower B.C. mainland, New Brunswick, and parts of Quebec and Newfoundland, concentration has reached “dangerous” levels.
“The notion put forward by the Senate report released…
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TORONTO – Five Canadian media outlets have won journalism awards from the Radio-Television News Directors Association International.
The 2006 Edward R. Murrow awards honour excellence in electronic journalism.
The Canadian winners are:
• Radio Small-Market Spot News Coverage: VOCM Radio, St. Johns, NF, VOCM News • Radio Network/Syndication Service Feature – Hard News: CBC National Radio News, Toronto, “This is How They Teach AIDS Awareness in Thailand” • Television Large-Market News Series: CTV British Columbia – CIVT-TV, Vancouver, “Crystal Meth” • Website: CP24, Toronto, pulse24.com • Television Small-Market News Documentary: CTV Atlantic – CJCH-TV, Halifax, NS, “Sentimental Journey”
“It…
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GATINEAU – Bell Canada has applied to the CRTC to be allowed to carry one or both of Canada’s satellite radio subscription services on its cable BDUs serving parts of Ontario and Quebec.
Bell has two regional Class 1 digital licences, serving Toronto, Hamilton/Niagara, Oshawa, Kitchener, London, Windsor, Ottawa, and the surrounding areas, and one serving Montreal, Gatineau, Sherbrooke, Quebec City, and the surrounding areas. The Ontario BDU will roll out starting in Toronto later this year, while the Quebec service is already operating in parts of Montreal, the company said in its application. Bell wants to be able…
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TORONTO – After a bit of an outcry, and some complaints on Parliament Hill, the CBC and the Canadian Media Guild announced Wednesday that the company’s design department, originally slated for closure, will be around at least until May of 2007.
"This delay has been implemented, in part, to permit the Guild the opportunity to explore potential alternatives and to conduct a financial feasibility study on a possible employee co-operative or other alternatives to compete for future business at the CBC and other broadcasters," says the Guild. The delay will also apply to the disposal of associated props, sets,…
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BANFF – The Banff World Television Festival is the place to be heard.
Although the pitch sessions, the keynote address and the behind-the-scenes deal making is a major part of the conference, it will not be what we remember most about these past few days in June.
It appears this, the 27th year of the annual conference, is where people went to make substantial announcements.
In a mere few days, we’ve seen the Bev Oda, Minister of Canadian Heritage and Status of Women announce the government will ask the CRTC to study the technological changes facing the broadcast industry…
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TORONTO – TSN announced today that it has locked up most of the major Canadian curling rights until 2014.
The Bell Globemedia-owned sports channel and the Canadian Curling Association (CCA) today announced a six-year broadcast and multimedia deal, providing TSN with exclusive broadcast and online Canadian rights to Season of Champions events each year, "making TSN the one and only home of curling in Canada," says the release.
The deal shuts out CBC beginning in 2008, which has been the home of the final rounds of bonspiels like the Brier and the Tournament of Hearts, well, forever.
(The move…
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