TORONTO — The producers of CBC’s award-winning comedy series Kim’s Convenience announced today the show is coming to an end after five seasons, with the series finale to air on Tuesday, April 13 on CBC TV and CBC Gem.
The decision to end the show comes after co-creators Ins Choi and Kevin White announced they would no longer be working on the series, and despite CBC having previously renewed the show for a fifth and sixth season.
Produced by Thunderbird Entertainment in association with the Soulpepper Theatre Company, Kim’s Convenience is executive produced by Ivan Fecan, Alexandra Raffé, Ins Choi and…
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And is about to make the biggest financial mistake in its history
By Barry Kiefl
THE CRTC, APPOINTED BY THE government to safeguard our broadcasting system, in January completed a three-week long public hearing into how the CBC should be spending its $1.7 billion annual budget over the next decade, where CBC executives told the Commission they want to spend close to $400 million annually on internet services by 2022-23 and effectively reduce budgets of traditional radio/TV to accomplish this.
CBC radio already has a smaller budget than CBC digital.
The Commission’s decision on CBC’s licence renewals will be based mostly on unsourced…
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Real battles will come in front of the CRTC
By Denis Carmel
OTTAWA – It was likely not done by design, but the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage could not have lined a more diverse set of individuals and groups as it did on its Friday, February 26 meeting to talk about Bill C-10, the bill to amend the Broadcasting Act.
Author and former CBC English services chief Richard Stursberg, Corus Entertainment, SOCAN, Rogers Communications, Netflix and two community television association groups.
Most, even including Netflix, support Bill C-10 and wish for speedy adoption (the real battles will come in front of the…
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TORONTO – CBC announced Thursday it is bringing four acclaimed drama series to CBC TV and CBC Gem this spring.
The first one will be the Canadian network premiere of the BAFTA and Emmy-nominated historical series Victoria (2017) on Monday, March 22.
This will be followed by the Canadian network premiere of new British detective series Miss Scarlet and The Duke (2020) on Monday, March 29; the exclusive Canadian premiere of BBC limited series Us (2019) starring Tom Hollander on Sunday, April 4; and the Canadian broadcast premiere of new Australian psychological thriller The Secret She Keeps (2020) starring Downton Abbey’s…
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Satellite radio company also adds new Peter Mansbridge show
TORONTO – SiriusXM Canada and GM Canada announced today a new multi-year agreement which will see the carmaker increase installation of the satellite radio hardware in new vehicles, making the SiriusXM satellite radio service available in nearly all Chevrolet, Buick, GMC and Cadillac vehicles, beginning with model year 2021.
“GM was one of the first automakers in the country to begin factory-installing SiriusXM on select models, and over the course of 15 years, GM has produced over 3 million SiriusXM equipped vehicles,” said Paul Cunningham, senior vice president, sales and marketing, SiriusXM…
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Company founder Tim Gamble stepping down from the board
VANCOUVER — Thunderbird Entertainment Group reported Wednesday evening its revenue increased by a whopping 98% year-over-year to reach $28 million in the second quarter ended December 31, 2020, compared to the same quarter in the previous year.
For the first half of its 2021 fiscal year, Thunderbird’s revenue was $47.7 million, which represents a 56% increase over the first six months of its 2020 fiscal year, the company said.
The company reported adjusted EBITDA of $5.2 million and $10 million for the three and six months ended December 31, 2020, which represent year-over-year…
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TORONTO — Production company Peacock Alley Entertainment today announced several creative leadership appointments within the company.
This follows last week’s announcement that producer Mary Anne Waterhouse has been hired as Peacock Alley’s new executive vice-president of content production.
The appointments announced today include Diana Foley (above, left) taking on the role of director of nonfiction development and production, and Eli Campbell (right) being hired as director of scripted development. In addition, Michael Brum is joining Peacock Alley as director of post production.
In their newly created roles, Foley and Campbell will oversee content development, from concept to series, and all aspects…
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OTTAWA — Seven in 10 Canadians listen to commercial radio on at least a weekly basis, with 39% saying they listen daily, according to a new report prepared by Ipsos Public Affairs on behalf of the CRTC.
In comparison, 39% of Canadians surveyed for the report said they listen to streaming music services on a weekly basis, while 32% said they listen weekly to CBC/Radio-Canada. The next two most-popular audio formats were podcasts (22% said they listened on a weekly basis) and satellite radio (17%).
According to the report, a car radio is by far the most commonly used device to…
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OTTAWA — Gusto Worldwide Media announced today it has hired Carrie Gillis (above) as its new vice-president and general manager.
She will start in the newly created role on March 1, and will be responsible for overseeing operations, sales and marketing at Gusto TV’s Ottawa-based studio and master control facility.
“With years of experience in the media and entertainment industry, Gillis brings leadership and expertise in multimedia content creation, client and agency partnerships, sales, marketing, and operations,” reads the press release announcing her appointment.
Gillis began her career in TV content distribution for CBC International Sales and Télé Images in Paris. After…
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MONTREAL — Radio-Canada’s director of digital operations and community relations, Pierre Champoux (above), has been appointed as ombudsman for CBC/Radio-Canada’s French services. He replaces Guy Gendron.
Champoux has 35 years of experience with media organizations, such as Groupe TVA and CBC/Radio-Canada, in key roles including lineup editor, editor-in-chief and news director. He will begin his five-year term on July 1, 2021.
The public broadcaster has two ombudsmen: one for CBC and one for Radio-Canada. They are responsible for investigating complaints regarding compliance with CBC/Radio-Canada’s Journalistic Standards and Practices. They work independent of program staff and management, reporting directly to CBC/Radio-Canada’s…
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