GATINEAU – Protect Canadian feature films and drama, expand the reach of the Local Programming Improvement Fund (LPIF), and create a credit system for Canadian content were a few of the things advocated Friday during the CRTC hearings, which wrapped early.
The Canadian Association of Film Distributors and Exporters (CAFDE) urged the CRTC to ensure that more, not less, Canadian drama is commissioned under the new broadcast framework. Canada’s film industry is also in peril because not many homegrown movies are getting shown on the small screen, according to CAFDE president Ted East.
“Of all the sub-genres of drama, we believe…
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GATINEAU – Canadian content again took centre stage at Wednesday’s CRTC hearing.
Both the Canadian Conference of the Arts (CCA) and ACTRA pinned the blame for our broadcasting system’s issues squarely on the broadcasters for overspending on foreign content.
The CCA, which provides research and analysis on public policies affecting the arts and Canadian cultural institutions and industries, suggested, using words we’ve heard steadily for a week and a half, that the Commission consider re-regulating cable rates in order to “re-balance the system”, and to “bring back regulations so that broadcasters fulfill their Canadian programming obligations.”
“Your responsibilities are specifically to use…
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GATINEAU – The sale of advertising time on American cable channels, by a new third-party company, can help fix what ails the broadcasting system, says former Canadian Association of Broadcasters president and CEO Glenn O’Farrell.
His new company, Mediadenovo (Italian for “media of the new”, we’re told) would be a new programming undertaking that would sell the two minutes per hour of local availability ad time to national advertisers. Mediadenovo submitted its application for a license to the CRTC months ago, said O’Farrell, but it has yet to be made public.
American cable channels like CNN, A&E, Golf Channel and others…
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OTTAWA – The Canadian Association of Broadcasters inducted eight people into its Hall of Fame, it was announced today, calling them “a diverse mix of industry experts who have made significant contributions to Canadian broadcasting throughout their careers.”
Without an annual convention (which would normally be taking place right about now, but was cancelled after last year’s event), the CAB will honour the eight at a cocktail party on November 30th in Ottawa.
The 2009 CAB Hall of Fame Inductees are:
– Rob Braide, President, Braide Media (and long-time head of Standard Broadcasting in Quebec)– Michel Chamberland, founding president of…
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GATINEAU – The sale of advertising time on American cable channels, by a new third-party company, is now back on the industry’s agenda.
In its presentation to the CRTC this morning Telus advocated an approach by Mediadenovo which would see the new company (Italian for “media of the new”, we’re told) – which is headed by former Canadian Association of Broadcasters president and CEO Glenn O’Farrell – sell the two minutes per hour of local availability ad time to national advertisers.
American cable channels like CNN, A&E, Golf Channel and others make that time available to distributors to sell into local…
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MONTREAL – Cogeco Cable said that it is broadcasters’ “rampant spending to purchase major US network programming” that is at the real root of what ails the industry, not simply the erosion of market share and advertising revenue.
In a statement released after its appearance at the CRTC hearings Tuesday, the cable co said that granting broadcasters the right to charge compensation for signal “would be irresponsible and inappropriate”.
"Compensation for signal is only a partial and inappropriate solution to a much broader problem," said president and CEO Louis Audet, in a statement. "We are entitled to ask why the broadcasters…
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OTTAWA – Returning community broadcasting back to the community is a cost-effective way to both support and increase local programming content, says The Canadian Association of Community Television Users and Stations (CACTUS).
The group says it will ask the Commission in its submission on Wednesday to “liberate” the money earmarked for community access to an independent production fund directed at volunteer community TV boards. The boards, in turn, would then offer free over-the-air community TV, training to community participants and access on all platforms, including new media, free of charge.
"As one of the three elements protected by the Broadcasting Act,…
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NOMINATIONS are now being accepted for the Young Canadian Engineering Professional of the Year.
The award honours the outstanding technical achievements and contributions made to the advancement of the cable telecommunications industry by a young Canadian engineering professional. The recipient will receive a complimentary registration to the SCTE Canadian Summit held March 9-10, 2010 in Toronto, and will be recognized at an awards luncheon.
Nominees must be a resident of Canada, a member of the SCTE, and under the age of 35 as of December 31, 2009. Nominations are due by January 11, 2010.
Click here for more information or to…
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TORONTO – Has Rogers found the way to save the Canadian broadcasting industry from suffering the same fate as the recording industry? David Purdy, VP and GM for television products at Rogers, seems to think so.
The big, red cable company announced that its widely anticipated broadband portal – officially known as Rogers On Demand Online – will debut November 30th, to be followed a mighty marketing push in January.
On Monday evening at the posh Hazelton Hotel in Yorkville, Rogers allowed the blogging and social media community, and a few of us other media types, a sneak peak at the phenomenon it’s…
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QUISPAMSIS, B.C. – Having been unable to secure a wireless partnership for its membership with one of the three incumbents, the Canadian Cable Systems Alliance is looking forward to having more players in that market.
The independent cable and telecom group which represents member companies in most of Canada said in a letter to Industry Minister Tony Clement on Wednesday that its members are “keenly interested in offering full communications service bundles, including wireless telephony.”
However, no CCSA member companies operate wireless services because they have not been able “to negotiate commercial partnering arrangements with existing wireless carriers to offer such services…
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