BANFF – It’s a tradition at the BWMF… CBC/Radio-Canada has a huge presence.
But with Catherine Tait, president and CEO, it’s almost personal. “The impact this festival has on our industry and on Canadian creators is unparalleled… here at Banff, and in the days and months beyond this festival, we look to you, the creators, for inspiration… our new three-year strategic plan ‘Your Stories, Taken to Heart’ – will be the engine of brilliant storytelling from Canada to the world,” she said Monday morning.
And we hadn’t even poured our orange juice yet!
At the CBC breakfast Tait continued. “What I’m selling…
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TORONTO – Capitalizing on Canadians’ surging interest in professional basketball, CBC Sports has announced plans to live-stream the remaining 39 games of the inaugural season of the Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL).
The CEBL includes six teams – the Fraser Valley Bandits, Edmonton Stingers, Saskatchewan Rattlers, Guelph Nighthawks, Hamilton Honey Badgers, and Niagara River Lions – featuring top Canadian players as well as international talent.
Coverage tips off June 12 at 7:00 PM ET/4:00 PM PT and will stream within Canada at cbcsports.ca, CBC Gem, and via the CBC Sports app for iOS and Android devices. Coverage will also include the CEBL…
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BANFF – This year’s Rockie Awards Gala is hosted by our national treasure, Jann Arden.
A multi-platform, award-winning singer and actress in her own right (with her own namesake show, too!), she’s always had that special talent for combining serious messages with belly jiggling humour.
I caught up with Arden for a quiet one-on-one to get an artist’s perspective on the 2019 BWMF vibe.
Before I could get to anything approaching earnest talk about OTTs or Cancon, we had to cover off favourite sandwiches… I think she was famished and projecting onto the evening’s legendary BBQ Late Night Party. So for those…
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OTTAWA – Listeners in Ontario's North Bay may soon have a new radio station after the CRTC determined that the region can support one.
The Commission said Thursday that it is not necessary to publish a call for applications for new stations given that Vista Radio was the sole party to express an interest in serving that market.
Located in northeastern Ontario, approximately 120 kilometres east of Sudbury, the North Bay radio market currently has four English-language commercial radio stations: CHUR-FM, CKFX-FM and CKAT, which are operated by Rogers Media, as well as CFXN-FM, operated by Vista. The market is also…
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BANFF – New to the Banff World Media Fest this year was The Banff Debate.
The inaugural topic was “Media, Creativity & Technology: Thriving Ecosystem or Future Monoculture?” and framing that debate was moderator Jesse Wente, who is director of Canada’s Indigenous Screen Office.
Wente noted the conundrum of international and local players all competing for global audiences and asked:
What does this all mean for creator opportunities and consumer choice?
Will domestic screen cultures get hammered?
Are local-only platforms and business models even viable in a globalize industry?
Or are we all Chicken Littles here, where instead of a plummeting sky, the digital future…
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BANFF – The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) and CBC have announced a new creative and commercial collaboration aimed at enhancing the reach and impact of the broadcasters’ content across both countries.
The two national public broadcasters said Monday at the Banff Media Fest they have signed a three-year memorandum of understanding (MOU) to co-develop English-language drama, comedy, factual, children’s and podcast content to try and maximize the value of their public funding for audiences. The deal will also provide further opportunities for co-financing and format sales of drama and children’s content.
“At a time when public broadcasters are competing with the…
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BANFF – CBC/Radio-Canada announced today at the Banff Media Fest a new “commitment to diversity” for all of its English and French-language commissioned programs across scripted and factual genres.
The pubcaster made this announcement in the context of its new strategic plan, “Your Stories Taken to Heart,” which, among other things, prioritizes giving underrepresented Canadians greater opportunities to build their skills, experience and relationships in the industry.
“By 2025, CBC/Radio-Canada aims to ensure that at least one of the key creatives in all scripted and factual commissioned programs will be held by a person from a diverse…
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Blames pressure on traditional TV on unfair practices
MONTREAL – Quebecor Media's TVA Group announced Wednesday morning it has eliminated 68 jobs in its television group.
“The decision was made necessary by numerous unfair practices that have been undermining the television industry for years. It is the result of government inaction and the failure to modernize the system in order to keep businesses based in Quebec and the rest of Canada competitive,” reads the TVA press release.
"The status quo is crippling our industry, weakening our culture and driving us to the cliff's edge," said France Lauzière, president and CEO, in the…
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TORONTO – Telecommunications companies had better drop their deceptive and bullying consumer sales practices before they gets smacked by Ottawa, the head of a consumer group warned industry leaders.
"This will continue to be a political issue for you and it may trip up your other businesses because it resonates with the public," John Lawford, executive director of the Public Interest Advocacy Centre (PIAC), said Monday during a panel discussion on improving customer experience at the annual Canadian Telecom Summit.
"You guys are too big and too important now to think that what you do for business is your only consideration."
His…
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OTTAWA – A growing segment of TV viewers is seeking out content in a language other than Canada’s two official languages, says a new report from Media Technology Monitor (MTM).
Watching TV in a Language other than English or French: Analysis of the Canadian Market looks at Canadians who watch TV and movie content in a third language.
Highlights from the report include:
– One fifth of Canadian TV viewers say they have watched content in a language other than English or French.
– Visible minorities and those born outside of Canada are among those most likely to be watching other language…
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