WHAT IS THIS NOW, THE FIFTH week of the CBC lockout? Is it ever going to end? Who really cares? I think many of us do, but it’s starting to crystallize in my mind what it is I really care about.
I work and travel extensively both in Canada and abroad and am, in fact, writing this piece on a plane between Miami and Manhattan. I’m a bit of a news junkie, too. Outside Canada I tune into BBC World and CNN. At home, I look mostly to CBC’s Radio One as my source of news and information –…
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TORONTO – Standard Radio’s Newstalk 1010 today announced pop culture guru George Stroumboulopoulos is joining CFRB.
The George Stroumboulopoulos Show will air Sunday nights 9 p.m. to 11 p.m. He will be joined by co-host Bob Mackowycz Jr. and together they will talk about the issues of the day, covering everyone from Paul Martin to Chris Martin,” says the station. This show marks a return to radio for Stroumboulopoulos (right) who, after graduating from Humber College, worked at a number of radio stations across Canada. His recent work includes five years as a popular VJ on…
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TORONTO – Sonic hit the shelves this week, a new music magazine developed by Max Trax, Galaxie and Toronto-based ad agency ZiG. It’s a free bilingual consumer publication “for music lovers with a thirst for knowledge and a desire to constantly expand their music collection,” says the press release. Sonic (Volume I, Issue I, at right) will be distributed to all Canadian cable and satellite providers beginning the week of September 12.
The 20-page premiere issue features rock icons U2 on the cover, as well as articles looking at seven genres of music found throughout the…
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THE LOCKOUT AT THE CBC is entering its fifth week because no one in senior management is directly responsible or accountable for their actions.
Consider this: CBC president Robert Rabinovitch approved the plan to lockout 5,500 people as a way to force extreme concessions – namely a staff structure with far more reliance on temporary work.
Based on the emails to Rabinovitch that are copied to me and based on general media coverage, I don’t think this approach is resonating with Canadians, even the most conservative of them. But who exactly can redirect Rabinovitch?
There’s the rub. The CBC’s…
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TORONTO – While the Canadian Media Guild and CBC management talked all weekend long, resolving a couple of more minor issues, the ones that led to the ongoing lockout (contracting out and the job categories in which that’s allowed) remain on the table.
A union statement on Sunday seemed somewhat positive, saying, “(d)iscussions continue to be constructive. However, there are significant challenges ahead, particularly in negotiations on employment status and layoff and recall.”
The release put out by CBC management was a little more pessimistic.
“Although there were discussions today, nothing further has been agreed to since Saturday. We…
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GATINEAU – Now that the two new Canadian satellite radio companies were scared into committing to more French language channels (going from three to four, or half of the Canadian channels they each will have), the federal cabinet issued a statement today saying it won’t interfere with the CRTC decision on the matter.
After two months of enormous lobbying pressure from all sides, as reported extensively by www.cartt.ca, Minister of Canadian Heritage Liza Frulla and Minister of Industry David Emerson late this afternoon said that cabinet decided to let the decision stand.
After looking at several…
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TORONTO – The Canadian Media Guild and CBC management are making steady progress at the negotiating table, the union reported this afternoon.
“Yesterday, the two sides came to agreement on provisions for assignment of work as they discussed the issues of day-to-day working conditions. The article outlines the Corporation’s rights and restrictions. They also discussed the working conditions for producers and associate producers, covered by the article on producers’ authority,” says the release.
"There has been a lot of talk about how many articles we have left to agree on," says the Guild’s CBC branch president Arnold Amber. "In…
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TORONTO – On day one of the Toronto International Film Festival, Rogers Group of Funds announced today that it will partner with CBC and Telefilm Canada in their Feature-Length Theatrical Documentary Program, bringing the budget for the program up to $1,250,000.
The Rogers Group of Funds will contribute $125,000 to each project in the form of recoupable equity.
"Rogers has been a significant contributor to Canadian documentary production for more than 20 years. Supporting this important initiative is a logical fit for us. Rogers, Telefilm and CBC together make a great partnership," said Phil Lind, Vice Chairman, Rogers Communications, in…
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TORONTO – Tomorrow night, Canadian broadcasters will simulcast Shelter from the Storm: A Concert for the Gulf Coast.
All six U.S. broadcasters will air the benefit concert and according to a report in Canadian Press, CBC Television, CHUM Television’s A-Channels and Citytv stations, CTV and Global Television will all present the one-hour commercial-free special at 8 p.m. ET.
The concert will be carried in 95 countries around the world, raising money for the victims of Hurricane Katrina.
"The entertainment special/fundraising event will salute the brave citizens in the devastated areas of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama and pay tribute to the…
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OTTAWA – Writer Guy Fournier has been proposed as the next chairman of the board of the CBC by Canadian Heritage Minister Liza Frulla.
Fournier will now face the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage for approval, which is basically a rubber-stamp. Fournier replaces Carole Taylor, who quit earlier this year to enter provincial politics in British Columbia.
“I am pleased to recommend such a distinguished Quebecker and Canadian like Mr. Fournier for this important role,” said Minister Frulla in her press release. “It goes without saying that his vast experience in newspapers, film, television and the theatre will be of…
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