COMMENTARY: The new bill can’t be the same as the old bill
Dear Prime Minister Trudeau,
FOR MOST OF ITS SHORT life, Bill C-10, your now-dead proposed amendment to our Broadcasting Act, trundled along, hardly noticed by those outside the content industry.
It was considered a modest attempted bill which avoided some complicated questions altogether (such as the CBC’s future mandate) but, as you know, aimed at one main thing – having the likes of Netflix, Disney, Amazon, Google and others, contribute to Canadian content.
However, the whole thing turned sour, as you and our readers may recall, on just what will be…
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TORONTO – Canadian media mogul and philanthropist Allan Slaight died on Sunday in his Toronto home. He was 90 years old.
The announcement was made Monday by family friend David Ben, according to news reports.
Slaight, who was born in Galt, Ont. in 1931, started out as a news reporter and announcer in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan in 1948, an article written by J. Lyman Potts for the Canadian Communications Foundation says.
This was the start of a storied career.
Over the course of his decades long career in media, Slaight held news and announcing roles at stations including CFRN, CJCA and CHED in…
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TORONTO — Sportsnet announced today award-winning play-by-play hockey commentator Jim Hughson is retiring from sports broadcasting after a 42-year career, which included stints at Sportsnet, CBC and TSN.
“It’s been a fantastic run and I’d like to thank Sportsnet, Hockey Night in Canada and all my friends and colleagues over the years for the tremendous support and countless memories,” Hughson said in a press release.
“This is a decision I made in consultation with my family and I’m very much at peace with it. My only goal in this industry was to work at the highest level and on the…
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Independent ISP pushing voters to get pledges to lower rates from election candidates
By Ahmad Hathout
OTTAWA – The Federal Court of Appeal will look into whether the CRTC was correct in its May decision to revert back to older, more expensive bulk internet purchase rates set in 2016.
The court said it will review the case in a decision dated last Wednesday after independent internet service provider (ISP) TekSavvy, which buys network capacity from the larger telecoms, filed an appeal of the decision in June. The larger carriers include Bell, Rogers, and Telus.
The CRTC originally set lower final rates in a 2019…
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Five little words and a world of difference
By Doug Barrett
It’s hard to say how much the detailed party platforms matter in an election. In this one, each of the main platforms contains dedicated sections on the arts/culture/broadcasting sectors and it’s instructive to have a look at them.
To start, there appears to be complete unanimity on the question of ensuring the “foreign web giants contribute to the creation and promotion of Canadian stories and music” (Liberal); requiring “digital streaming giants to reinvest a significant portion of Canadian gross revenues” (Conservative); making sure that “Netflix, Facebook, Google and other digital media…
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TORONTO — Corus Entertainment’s kids content producer and distributor Nelvana and children’s book publisher Kids Can Press announced today the Nelvana/Kids Can Press Talent Incubator: Black Write Edition, a new initiative designed to discover, support and mentor emerging Black storytellers and illustrators, according to a press release.
“Our goal with this talent incubator is to match promising Black creators with industry professionals from two of Canada’s leading children’s content companies in order to develop original work,” said Athena Georgaklis, head of development at Nelvana, in the press release.
“We want to give budding creators, particularly those currently outside of the children’s…
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TORONTO — Google Cloud announced today its new Toronto cloud region is now open.
“Toronto joins 27 existing Google Cloud regions connected via our high-performance network, helping customers better serve their users and customers throughout the globe,” reads a blog post from Jim Lambe, managing director of Google Cloud Canada.
It is the second such region in Canada, following the launch of Google Cloud’s Montreal region in 2018.
Like Montreal, the new Toronto region launches with three zones “allowing organizations of all sizes and industries to distribute apps and storage to protect against service disruptions,” Lambe writes.
In addition, the new…
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TORONTO – SiriusXM Canada announced today it has added sports talk radio personality Bob McCown’s The Bob McCown Podcast to its collection of podcast content.
The Bob McCown Podcast is a sports podcast “covering the biggest stories with the biggest names in professional sports,” a press release says.
It is hosted by McCown and co-hosted by John Shannon.
“For over thirty years, Bob ‘Bobcat’ McCown has been an iconic figure in sports radio, making outstanding contributions to the industry and building the category in Canada,” said John Lewis, senior vice-president of programming and operations, at SiriusXM Canada, in the press release.
“We are…
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Says five federal parties agree a thriving media is important
TORONTO – The Canadian Media Guild (CMG), a trade union representing over 5,000 members, today published the answers to five election questions it asked five federal political parties.
Four of the five parties – the Liberals, NDP, Green Party and Bloc Québécois – “support a strong and stable media, with increased funding for the national public broadcaster,” a CMG press release reads.
“A vague response by one national party however raises concerns about the future of CBC/Radio-Canada, and the nationwide services it currently provides.”
CMG is referring to the Conservatives. The party did…
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TORONTO — WarnerMedia Access Canada announced today a new initiative, WarnerMedia Access Festivals, which is designed “to demystify the festival experience and guide mid-level filmmakers from underrepresented communities in making the most of networking opportunities,” according to a press release.
The program is launching at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), which is running from Sept. 9-18. WarnerMedia Access Canada says it aims to partner with film festivals across Canada and the United States.
“WarnerMedia Access Festivals will build relationships with, and support committed filmmakers who are pursuing careers in the industry and are ready to maximize their festival experiences,” reads…
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