IN THE HISTORY of the Canadian TV industry, there have been just five series produced on Canadian networks made by Black Canadian creatives. Five.
Think about the titles – and how good they all were, or are. The Book of Negroes, Da Kink in My Hair, Shoot the Messenger, Guns, and Dartmouth, N.S.-shot Diggstown, which has been picked up by Fox in the States. Five.
In Quebec, the number of shows made by Black Canadians for the French audience is zero, despite the fact Montreal has the second-largest Black population in the country. Zero.
This means Joan Jenkinson (above) has her work…
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Some changes look to be permanent
By Steve Faguy
LAST YEAR WAS A bad one for radio.
According to data compiled by Standard Media Index, which tracks national advertising sales in Canada, ad revenue in the industry dropped 35% in 2020, almost three times how much it dropped in 2019 overall. In the second quarter, as lockdowns hammered the economy and closed businesses and events, it was down a staggering 76% from the previous year (see above, and below).
In August, a report released by the Canadian Association of Broadcasters warned 50 radio stations could close in four to six months and…
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By Greg O’Brien
THE PRIOR ITERATIONS OF our Broadcasting Act are carefully written, specific, documents.
The first, passed in 1968, was an Act meant to, among other things, “safeguard, enrich and strengthen the nation of Canada from sea to sea,” as quoted in the History of Canadian Broadcasting. That version of the Act also established the CRTC, empowering it with the responsibility to make sure the system stays under Canadian ownership and control.
American companies who had ownership positions in our broadcasters and then-nascent cable companies were forced to divest (down to a maximum of 20% ownership, but many left completely)….
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TORONTO — The federal government “must dramatically reduce the regulatory burden on the telecommunications industry to accelerate 5G deployment,” says the newest report from the C.D. Howe Institute’s telecommunications policy working group – which includes top regulatory experts and executives from Canada’s biggest telecom companies, including Bell, Rogers, Telus, Shaw, Cogeco and Eastlink.
“Telecommunications providers face obstacles in gaining access rights to infrastructure for installing telecommunications facilities. These barriers, alongside difficulty navigating government incentive programs for expanded connectivity, could stall the federal government’s aim of extending high-speed internet coverage to 98 percent of households by 2026,” reads a press…
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EDMONTON — As it did last year, Super Channel is bringing a virtual edition of the Canadian Film Fest (CFF) to film lovers this spring, with a lineup of nine features and 30 short films premiering exclusively on Super Channel Fuse beginning April 1.
The second annual Canadian Film Fest presented by Super Channel will run for three consecutive weekends, on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 9 p.m. ET/PT, until April 18. All festival feature films will have a linear-only limited run on Super Channel Fuse, and the short films will be interspersed into the channel’s schedule around the…
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OTTAWA — The Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association (CWTA) announced today it is kicking off a new monthly virtual event series, “5G Canada: What’s Next?”, later this month.
Presented by CWTA and its 5G Canada Council, the virtual series will host leading experts to discuss digital innovations in key areas of Canadian society, including the connected home, education, healthcare, automotive, industry 4.0 and public safety, and how 5G will serve as a key enabler for Canada’s innovators.
The first event in the series is scheduled for Tuesday, March 30 from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. ET.
The featured speakers include:
Luciano Ramos,…
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TORONTO and CALGARY — Today, on International Women’s Day, Hackergal announced in partnership with Shaw Communications it is launching a new student ambassador program in Western Canada and expanding its national hackathon program.
Both programs are designed “to raise awareness and generate enthusiasm for science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) and computer science education among girls in grades six-through-nine across the country,” reads the press release.
Hackergal was founded in 2015 to help bridge the gender gap in technology and computer science fields by introducing female students to coding through its hackathon programs. With Shaw Communications’ support, the Western Canadian Student…
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TORONTO — The Directors Guild of Canada (DGC) in Ontario announced Victoria Harding (above) has been appointed as executive director of DGC Ontario, effective today.
Harding first joined DGC in 1989, then worked as a location manager and production manager, in addition to serving as an elected officer of the executive board for seven years. In 2013, Harding joined DGC Ontario’s staff as associate executive director.
As executive director, Harding will oversee all operations and business activities for DGC Ontario and act as the lead negotiator for standard agreement negotiations with the Canadian Media Producers Association (CMPA), due to take place…
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By Steve Faguy
Kiss. Boom. Jack. Fresh. Jewel. Virgin. Country. Real Country. Pure Country. Hit Country. K-Rock. B. Q. O. X. Mix. Moose. Drive. Énergie. Rythme. Rouge. Plaisir.
They’re all brands used by Canada’s largest broadcasting companies for multiple radio stations in their groups. Some are generic enough they’re even used by multiple stations of different companies.
But these days, rather than some common brands being coincidental, they’re being planned. Bit by bit, national brands are replacing what had been individual stations’ identities. In January, Bell Media turned 10 of its adult contemporary stations, including heritage brands like Majic 100 in Ottawa…
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By Len St-Aubin
IN THE GUISE OF “broadcasting policy”, Bill C-10, An Act to Amend the Broadcasting Act, is really about promoting Canadian content in online media. To do that, it would expand the Broadcasting Act to capture virtually all online (internet) audio and video.
My previous articles discussed how Bill C-10 and Heritage Minister Steven Guilbeault’s forecast Cancon contributions risk highly problematic outcomes for Canadian broadcasting, for the internet in Canada and for Canadians. A third proposed an alternative approach.
This article returns to the impact on private sector television and revisits potential outcomes in light of market…
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