CALGARY — Shaw Communications said today it is donating $1 million to Community Food Centres Canada (CFCC) to support food banks and agencies across the country, while also providing two months’ service credit to Shaw Internet customers using the federal Connecting Families program for low-income families.
“The Covid-19 pandemic has affected all aspects of our lives and has significantly increased the demands placed on the organizations that are helping to provide food and resources to the most vulnerable Canadians,” said Brad Shaw, CEO of Shaw Communications, in a news release Tuesday. “As long-time partners of Community Food Centres Canada…
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TORONTO – After a wave of criticism of its decision to suspend local newscasts due to the unprecedented challenges presented by the Covid-19 outbreak – which viewers and others complained providing coverage nationally and locally is what the CBC is for – the public broadcaster announced Tuesday it will restore lost local newscasts over the next two weeks.
As we’ve reported, CBC News decided to temporarily scale back local supper-hour English language newscasts “for operational reasons due to the surge in Covid-19 related live news stories across the country. To be clear, this was a temporary measure to ensure…
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TORONTO — With many consumers feeling anxious about not only their physical health but also the health of the economy as the world deals with the coronavirus pandemic, marketers and brand managers are faced with developing campaigns during these uncertain times.
Thinktv, the marketing and research association dedicated to the advancement of commercial TV in Canada, has compiled some resources, research and insights from industry experts to help ensure the brand decisions made by marketers today also set them up for success over the long term.
In its latest email newsletter, the organization cautions advertisers to take care during a time…
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By Greg O’Brien
ALL ACROSS THE COUNTRY, millions of Canadians are working from home, or sadly just staying home after their job was placed on indefinite hold. Students don’t know when they will go back to class and seniors are being told going for groceries is dangerous because of the deadly Covid-19.
Politicians of all stripe are telling us to stay home – a call which most of us are thankfully heeding – and one which we will need to obey for some weeks to come to try and slow the spread of the virus.
We’ve hunkered down at home with our…
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By Greg O’Brien
TORONTO – Facing a wave of criticism from within and without, CBC leadership attempted Friday to again explain why it was absolutely necessary to temporarily suspend English language local newscasts across the country while providing national coverage of the Covid-19 pandemic.
CBC staffers received three different pieces of correspondence Friday: from their CEO and head of English services; the general manager of news, current affairs and local; and the editor-in-chief of CBC News.
The message was clear: Given the virus protections needed for staff and a never-before-seen demand on news resources, we really had no choice.
CBC announced the…
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TORONTO – Ontario’s public educational broadcaster TVO today launched a new learning initiative it says is designed to provide enhanced access to its various digital learning products during the current school closures.
As of this writing, all of Ontario’s schools are closed until April 5th due to the COVID-19 virus pandemic and these initiatives are aimed at helping familes help their kids keep learning.
Launched as part of the Ontario Ministry of Education’s Learn at Home program, the initiative provides online, easy access to learning tools for students from K-12, says the press release. Through direct online links, students will be…
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By Steve Faguy
OTTAWA – Despite a demand from the premier of Prince Edward Island to do so, the federal government has apparently chosen not to intervene to force the CBC to restore its local TV newscasts.
As Cartt.ca reported, on Wednesday, the CBC announced it would suspend local newscasts, except at CBC North, and instead rebroadcast CBC News Network on local stations. PEI Premier Dennis King demanded Heritage Minister Steven Guilbeault intervene, saying “now is not the time to scale back.”
The Canadian Media Guild, representing most CBC employees, and lobby group Friends of Canadian Broadcasting, also demanded the decision…
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By Konrad von Finckenstein
THE BROADCAST AND Telecom Legislative Review panel’s lengthy report is divided into institutional recommendations, telecom recommendations, broadcasting recommendations and others.
It made 46 regarding the Broadcasting Act. Apart from the recommendations on the CBC about which I express no comment, some are well thought out and would improve the present system substantially. The extension of the Broadcasting Act to “electronic communications services” on the internet is the area of greatest concern.
The Panel recommended:
… the Telecommunications Act be amended to establish explicit jurisdiction over all persons and entities providing, or offering to provide, electronic…
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By Steve Faguy
TORONTO – In what it describes as “unprecedented times,” CBC has decided to cancel local English TV newscasts in all markets except CBC North, replacing them with broadcasts from CBC News Network.
In a memo to staff sent Wednesday signed by CBC executives Susan Marjetti (general manager of news, current affairs and local), Brodie Fenlon (editor-in-chief of CBC News) and Cathy Perry (executive director of current affairs, investigative and long-form journalism), CBC cites “fewer staff in the Toronto Broadcast Centre and much stricter newsgathering protocols” as the reason for the change, which will be temporary.
CBC North newscasts are…
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WHILE WE’VE COVERED much of what the large Canadian ISPs, BDUs and wireless companies are doing for their customers during the current health crisis, smaller, independent operators are acting to protect their employees and help customers, too.
For example, Kirkton, Ont.-based co-op Quadro Communications told customers it has closed its offices but is still offering customer and tech support online and through its social channels – and is offering CTV News Channel and CP24 for free to all TV customers through to April 17th. It doesn’t have to waive data overage fees for broadband customers because none of its…
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