SAINT JOHN, NB – The Canadian Cable Systems Alliance (CCSA) has announced the shortlisted nominees for their Tuned-in Canada awards – a national celebration of excellence in communications service delivery, community-mindedness, and community channel content development.
“We received a record number of nominations this year, many from our member companies – but many others from their customers across the country,” said Alyson Townsend, CCSA president and CEO. “That level of support really shows that Canada’s local cable and telecommunications companies are a valued part of our country’s communications ecosystem.”
“The nominations this year highlighted amazing local television content, introduced us to the on-air personalities that make local programming so special, and told us truly moving stories of customer service and community building,” continued Townsend.
Judges Greg O’Brien (President of FindTV, and editor & publisher of Cartt.ca), Kurt Muller (Associate Dean of Media and Entertainment at Mohawk College), and Suzanne Lamarre (Lawyer, engineer, consultant and Québec Commissioner at the CRTC from 2008-2013), have completed their work and the shortlisted nominees will be published on the contest website for nationwide voting on May 24, 2016.
The shortlisted nominees are:
Best customer service story
CCAP – Taking care of senior customers
Execulink Telecom – Customer fall follow up
Hastings Cable – Support for disabled client
Valemount Entertainment Society – Access to Canada Winter Games content
Best public service/community building effort
Access Communications – Women’s shelter donation
Beanfield Technologies – Liberty Village streetscape
Eastlink – QEH Eastlink Telethon
Novus Entertainment – Brilliant fundraising event for mental health
Best community channel programming – news
Access Communications – RezX
CCAP – Parlons-en! (Let’s talk about it!)
DERYtelecom – Actualité TVDL (TVDL news)
Novus Entertainment – Vancouver Streeters
Best community channel programming – sports
Access Communications – Hockey night in Saskatchewan
CCAP – Freeski school
Eastlink – NSSAF high school track and field
Seaside Communications – QMJHL Eagles hockey
Best community channel programming – entertainment
Access Communications – Heritage in Scarlet
CCAP – Vent de mémoire (The winds of memory)
Novus Entertainment – The Real Houses of Vancouver
Valemount Entertainment Society – Discover Valemount
Best on-camera community channel personality
Access Communications – Lisa Peters
Cable Axion – Sophie Dorval
CCAP – Louis Antoine-Gagné
Delta Cable – Iayisha Khan
“We hope Canada will embrace their local nominees and bring out the vote,” added Townsend. “It should be a thrilling ride, so stay tuned.”
The winner in each category will receive $1,000 to donate to a community charity of their choice.
CCSA represents more than 115 independent cable, telco and IPTV companies that serve over 700,000 Canadians in communities in all provinces and territories. Its membership includes television distribution companies operated by many small, family-owned companies, a large number of First Nations and more than 20 not-for-profit community cooperatives.
