TORONTO – Thirteen days into the CBC lockout and nothing has changed.
No budging on issues. No talking. While the union issued its latest release Friday saying any meeting would be pointless at this stage, CBC management issued its own edict this (Sunday) evening. While there are some 40 issues outstanding, the main one – an increased ability, going forward, for the Corp. to hire more workers on contract – is the key stumbling block.
“The Canadian Media Guild has made clear that it does not want to resume negotiations so long as the Corporation continues to seek the…
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TORONTO – As the CBC lockout drags on, the Canadian Football League and TSN announced this morning (Sunday) that the CTV-owned sports network will broadcast the Toronto Argonaut-Hamilton Tiger-Cats traditional Labour Day game.
As football fans around the country know, CBC has now broadcast two games (including last night’s Calgary at Saskatchewan tilt) using management and others in the production trucks and behind the cameras – and with no announcing crew or game analysts.
(Ed note: We watched large chunks of both games and while the decreased yakkety-yak during the games was a pleasant change on one level, announcers -…
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OTTAWA – The job of chair of the CBC has been open since past chair Carole Taylor decided to get into politics in British Columbia. CBC CEO Robert Rabinovitch has been filling in but the federal government has decided now’s the time for a new chair.
So, if you’re interested… the posting is out today. Time for the speculating on who’ll get the post to begin.
CANADIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION
Chairperson (part-time position)
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC), Canada’s national public broadcaster, was created by an Act of Parliament on November 2, 1936, and now operates under the 1991 Broadcasting…
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NEW YORK – SIRIUS Satellite Radio made a pair of announcements today touting the shrinking nature of the satellite radio receivers.
The first is its smallest plug and play car receiver. The Starmate Replay, at 5 x 1.9 inches and 0.8 inches thick, weighs just 3.9 ounces. The small satellite radio features a five-line screen that displays the artist’s name and song title, a four-way navigation button, and a sleek shape specially designed for easy integration into today’s vehicles.
The radio has 44 minutes of replay capability, allowing the user to pause, rewind and fast forward their favorite music,…
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TORONTO – Rogers and Bell may have had the press releases out first this year, but Telus Mobility is the first to market with mobile TV – video to cell phones.
Telus Mobility today launched Telus mobile TV, offering clients across Canada real-time access to live television programming including news, weather and shopping channels on their wireless phones.
Both Rogers and Bell made announcements earlier this year that the service was coming soon (those releases anticipated the service would be in the market by now from both companies), powered by MobiTV, but both companies say technical issues has…
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TORONTO – Martine Gaillard, whom sports fans got to know from her years on The Score and with CBC, has joined Rogers Sportsnet, it was announced today.
Gaillard (right) will be one of the hosts of sportsnetnews, replacing the recently departed Jody Vance, who recently quit to pursue other things.
“The addition of Martine to sportsnetnews bolsters an already strong line-up of on-air personalities,” said Rick Briggs-Jude, vice-president, production, Rogers Sportsnet. “Her experience and on-air presence are definite assets to the Sportsnet team.”
Gaillard’s resume includes work as…
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OTTAWA – Citing unnamed sources, a report this (Friday) evening from the Canadian Press says the federal cabinet is about to ask the CRTC to rescind its June decision to license two satellite radio providers.
As reported by www.cartt.ca, many cultural groups, as well as traditional radio companies (led by CHUM Ltd. and Astral Media, which together won a competing terrestrial digital radio license), have asked that the decision be set aside.
CHUM has warned that its proposed service probably won’t launch at all if the two satellite providers remain.
On June 16, the CRTC granted…
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TORONTO – “If both sides are willing to tackle issues outside the confines of the proposals on the table, there is a chance for agreement.”
That sentence, from today’s lockout update by the Canadian Media Guild, is a head-scratcher. We’re not sure how either side can tackle the issues outside of their own proposals in a negotiation.
Anyway, CMG said that it and the CBC are still in contact but with neither side yet willing to budge, a face-to-face meeting would be pointless, says the union.
It also said that the federal Minister of Labour, Joe Fontana, told them…
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TORONTO – Erin Paul, winner of a 2000 Gemini Award for her work on CBC’s the fifth estate, is now part of the sportsnetnews team, Rogers Sportsnet announced today.
“Adding Erin to our Sportsnet family makes our already strong news team even better,” said Rick Briggs-Jude, vice-president, production, in a news release. “Her proven journalistic track record and versatility will provide sportsnetnews with a dynamic new dimension.”
Paul joins the sports channel after spending nine years at CBC. Most recently, she has as a reporter and producer on Sports Saturday. Paul also co-hosted the opening ceremonies for CBC at…
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TORONTO – Talks between the CBC and its union might begin again soon, the Canadian Media Guild reports this afternoon.
Representatives of the Guild met this week with federal cabinet ministers who are attending the Liberal caucus in Regina. “We are encouraged by the interest and support among MPs to get CBC employees back to work,” says the CMG.
Labour minister Joe Fontana has said he is willing to help get the two sides together and CMG says his ministry is looking to appoint a special mediator, perhaps as soon as this week.
However, while early on Wednesday, CBC…
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