TORONTO – When the CBC appears in front of the CRTC in January asking for its broadcasting licences to be renewed, the commissioners had better ask the public broadcaster about Tandem, say a large group of former employees.
The CBC announced the new Tandem unit in September, which was meant to “enhance its offer to advertisers and media agencies in Canada with the dedicated service for the creation of unique and distinctive branded content,” by using CBC folks to create special content for certain clients – such as the Go The Distance podcast for Athabasca University, hosted by…
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TORONTO – Independent production company Pier 21 Films announced this week it has partnered Canadian YouTube personality, Jasmeet Singh Raina (a.k.a. Jus Reign, above) on a new half-hour series Late Bloomer (working title), currently in development at the CBC.
“Inspired by his own real-life experiences, Late Bloomer focuses on Raina’s journey navigating his newly found internet fame, dating, spirituality, culture, and his dysfunctional (yet loving) family. As a first-generation Indo-Canadian, his identity is constantly questioned as he struggles to find the balance between Eastern customs centered around community and the Western ideal of individualism,” reads the press release.
“Jasmeet is a…
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WOODSTOCK, Ont. — As Canada honours its veterans today, Execulink Telecom in southwestern Ontario announced it is making a $1,000 donation to the Royal Canadian Legion to support its annual Poppy Fund Campaign, which has seen a decrease in sales this year due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Four local Ontario branches of the Canadian Legion in Port Dover, Tillsonburg, Thedford and Woodstock will receive a donation for the campaign in support of veterans.
“Remembrance Day is an important event for our country and our communities. We are given the opportunity to spend a moment, uninterrupted, to honour those who have fought…
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GATINEAU — The CRTC today announced the public hearing for CBC’s licence renewals will now be held virtually, starting January 11, 2021 at 10 a.m. ET.
The hearing, originally scheduled for May 25, 2020, was postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic and then rescheduled for January 11, 2021. However, when the new hearing date was announced in June, the Commission was still hoping to hold an in-person public hearing in Gatineau.
Now, CBC and interveners who are expected to appear are being invited to participate remotely in the hearing, says the Commission’s updated notice of consultation.
The Commission also said today…
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“Just marketing for now,” says Pruneau
By Ahmad Hathout
MONTREAL – The monetization of next-generation mobile wireless technology will depend on what it’s used for and, currently, it’s about bringing customer defections under control, Quebecor executives said Thursday.
“I think because it’s just marketing for now, it’s just a question of reducing or stabilizing churn,” Jean François Pruneau, president of Videotron, said on the company’s third-quarter conference call last week. “But we’re going to have to see more user cases on the residential front or on the business front to be able to see real, true monetization plans from us and from…
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Broadcaster now in search of four new directors
TORONTO – CBC today said it is restructuring its scripted content team so it can “be more effective and responsive to the independent production community,” the broadcaster announced.
The new structure will include dedicated units for comedy and drama, with each one organized into specific development and current production teams, which means the changes replace the roles of senior director of comedy and drama respectively with a new leadership model that will include a director of development and a director of current production for each scripted content area.
That means Helen Asimakis, senior director…
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Briefing call shows urgency, sticking points, for large players on broadcast changes
By Ahmad Hathout
OTTAWA – As major Canadian broadcasters fired off rote responses to media requests saying they are still reviewing proposed changes to the Broadcasting Act announced Tuesday, Cartt.ca has obtained early reactions to potential landmark amendments that could see the CRTC enforce foreign online contributions to the benefit of Canadian content.
On Tuesday, Heritage held separate technical briefings with reporters and industry about the proposed amendments under Bill C-10, with Cartt.ca obtaining audio of the latter. The comments and questions in that call suggest an industry in relief,…
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By Greg O’Brien
GIVE THE DEPARTMENT OF Canadian Heritage and Minister Steven Guilbeault some credit for coming up with amendments to the Broadcasting Act which seem, at least upon first reading, like they can actually be turned into law in a minority Parliament.
This is something Guilbeault said would be coming some weeks ago, knowing there is only so much change for which the federal government can marshal support from its political rivals. He told an industry town hall in September: “One of the things we had to think long and hard about is do we go with this massive…
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TORONTO – Host David Suzuki goes to the “front lines of the climate rebellion” to launch the 60th season of The Nature of Things, on Friday, November 6th at 9 p.m. (9:30 NT) on CBC and CBC Gem.
In Rebellion, the new documentary from producers/directors Mark and Caitlin Starowicz, Suzuki profiles activists in the revolt, from Greta Thunberg to Gail Bradbrook as well as featuring interviews with leading figures in the climate crisis, including Sir David Attenborough and will also hear from the likes of Jane Fonda, Varshini Prakash, Bill McKibben and Bhavreen Kandhari.
“Suddenly people are hearing,” Attenborough tells Suzuki….
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Broadcasting industry needs relief from Covid, Netflix impacts
By Denis Carmel
GATINEAU – Back in July, the newly invigorated Canadian Association of Broadcasters (CAB) requested measures to provide regulatory relief to private Canadian broadcasters on an urgent basis in the face of the hardships presented by the Covid-19 crisis.
The Commission responded on September 17, by issuing a call for comments on the application – along with some of its own preliminary views on the CAB’s application – while also asking for comments on seven specific questions.
Of course, the CAB application represents the views of its members suffering serious ad…
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