Louis Lalande retiring from Radio-Canada

Louis Lalande, CBC/Radio-Canada’s executive vice-president of French services, is stepping down at the end of the year, the public broadcaster said Thursday.

CBC president Hubert Lacroix announced Lalande’s retirement in a press release, adding that as head of French services, Lalande had led many projects to help modernize public broadcasting.

76% of anglophones multitask while watching TV: MTM

According to a new report, 76 per cent of anglophones used the Internet at the same time as they watched television in 2015.

“While multitasking has grown immensely over time, incidence has slowed over the past year,” MTM, a project of CBC/Radio-Canada said. Only 12 per cent of anglophones reported multitasking in 2001, a number that rose to 66 per cent in 2013 and 74 per cent in 2014.

CBC funding to destroy ‘precarious balance’ in industry: Que. broadcasters

A group of Quebec broadcasters say that unless accountability measures are put in place, the increased funding the federal government has slated for CBC/Radio-Canada will be a “blank cheque” allowing it to “step up its already ferocious competition against private broadcasters.”

CBC is not private broadcasters’ problem: Lacroix

CBC/Radio-Canada is not the cause of problems facing private broadcasters, CEO Hubert Lacroix said in a speech Tuesday.

Speaking at the University of British Columbia, Lacroix said that “at a time when Canadian culture is facing global challenges, some believe the solution is to make public broadcasting smaller.”

CBC News reps outline plans for increased funding at committee

OTTAWA — CBC/Radio-Canada’s English news division is undertaking aggressive “re-engineering” of its newsrooms, CBC News editor-in-chief Jennifer McGuire told the House of Commons standing committee on Canadian Heritage, indicating the public broadcaster plans to stay on that same path.

Radio-Canada not moving from Montreal headquarters

CBC/Radio-Canada says that its Montreal headquarters will stay at its current downtown location.

CBC applies for advertising extension on Radio 2, ICI Musique

CBC/Radio-Canada has applied to the CRTC to continue broadcasting ads on its ICI Musique and Radio 2 networks and stations, according to a notice posted by the regulator Wednesday.

Sirius XM to go private

Sirius XM Canada Holdings Inc. is going private in a move it plans to close by the end of the fourth quarter of 2016, the company announced Friday.

“SiriusXM and certain Canadian shareholders will form a new company to acquire shares of Sirius XM Canada not already owned by them pursuant to a plan of arrangement,” it said in a press release.

Heritage’s CanCon review could take a decade to play out, panel hears

OTTAWA — The results of the sweeping review of Canadian content in a digital age announced by Heritage Canada last week could take 10 years to materialize, University of Ottawa law professor Jeremy deBeer said Thursday during a panel discussion at the New Developments in Communications Law and Policy conference.

OTA revenues continue to fall: CRTC

Private conventional TV station revenues fell another 2.6 per cent in 2015, continuing a five-year downward trend, according to new data released Wednesday by the CRTC.

The 93 over-the-air (OTA) stations brought in $1.76 billion in the year ending Aug. 31, 2015, down from $1.8 billion in 2014, said the CRTC’s annual report on conventional television stations’ financial results, adding that total revenues have fallen 17.9 per cent ($381.9 million) between 2011 and 2015.

CBC’s Olympics coverage to include virtual reality

CBC/Radio-Canada’s coverage of the summer Olympics in Brazil will incorporate some virtual reality content.

The broadcaster said in a press release Wednesday that “it will provide viewers with both a 360-degree motion-sensitive stream as well as an immersive virtual reality stream for use with compatible headset technology.”

Sweeping government review to include CRTC, Broadcast Act, CanCon

Industry insiders and observers are calling Canadian Heritage’s impending study of Canadian content in the digital age — which could potentially affect CBC/Radio-Canada, legislation like the broadcasting, telecom and CRTC acts, and Canadian content rules for TV and radio — long overdue.

Steve Ladurantaye moving from Twitter to CBC

Steve Ladurantaye, head of news and government partnerships at Twitter Inc.’s Canadian division, will be the new managing editor of digital news at CBC/Radio-Canada.

The move is effective May 9, Ladurantaye said in a message on Twitter.

A former Globe and Mail reporter, Ladurantaye joined Twitter in 2013.

Katherine Wolfgang CBC’s new head of publicity

CBC/Radio-Canada said in a press release Wednesday that Katherine Wolfgang will be its new head of publicity as of April 26.

Calls for CBC funding to be used for in-house, independent production

Following the release of the first Liberal budget, the Canadian Media Guild (CMG) said funding for CBC/Radio-Canada should be used for producing in-house content, while the Canadian Media Producers Association (CMPA) said it expects a large chunk of it to be used to support content made by Canadian independent producers. 

TV subscription rate down to 77%: MTM

The percentage of Canadians subscribing to TV service in Canada fell to 77 per cent in the fall of 2015, according to a new report released Tuesday by Media Technology Monitor, a project of CBC/Radio-Canada.

Rural broadband, CBC funding in 2016 federal budget

In its first budget, the new Liberal government is continuing the previous Conservative government’s practice of setting aside funds for broadband service in underserved areas, cyber security and research frameworks, according to the financial plan released Tuesday, but isn’t shedding much light on its own telecommunications strategy.

Budget documents highlighted a five-year investment of $500 million, starting with $6 million in 2016-17, for a new program to “extend and enhance broadband service in rural and remote communities.”

Radio-Canada still mulling options for Montreal headquarters

CBC/Radio-Canada said in a French-language press release Tuesday that it hasn’t decided on the future of its Montreal headquarters.

It said it is currently studying its options, which include selling the building and moving to an outside location or into a new one built on the same site, or renovating the existing structure.

Radio-Canada said it issued the release in response to “various opinions” that have been expressed on the subject recently. 

CBC board to be gender-balanced: Joly

OTTAWA — Heritage Minister Mélanie Joly told a Senate committee Wednesday evening that the government aims to have a gender-balanced board of directors for CBC/Radio-Canada, as part of review of the governance structure of the public broadcaster.

“We want to make sure that there’s an open and transparent process in order [to] have the right governance,” she said at the Senate heritage committee, where she appeared as part of a study into ministerial mandate letters.

TV advertising needs better metrics, execs say

While advertising will remain a key part of the TV ecosystem, the television industry will have to provide better audience data in order to keep up with digital competition, said Barbara Williams, president of Shaw Communications Inc.’s media division.

“The future is not ad-free,” Williams said during a panel discussion on Thursday at the annual conference of the Canadian Media Producers Association (CMPA), formerly known as the Canadian Media Production Association.

Joly non-committal on $150M in extra funding for CBC

Heritage Minister Melanie Joly is refusing to specify that the CBC will receive the $150 million in extra funding the Liberal government promised during last year’s election, despite receiving questions on the subject from both the opposition and the media in recent days.

CBC wants in on news fund despite $150M funding increase

CBC/Radio-Canada told the CRTC Friday that if it sets up a fund for local news, the public broadcaster should be able to participate, despite the Liberal government’s promise to increase its funding.

“I would say that there is a huge pent-up demand on any new dollars that we might get. We have made significant cuts over the past 10 years,” executive vice-president of English services Heather Conway said on the fifth day of the CRTC’s eight-day hearing on local and community TV.

As CBC’s funding increases, will it have to change course?

Following last fall’s election, the government is set to boost CBC/Radio-Canada's funding, but when that will happen and under what conditions is unclear. It also remains to be seen whether the public broadcaster will continue the long-term plan it began under the former Conservative government.

The new Liberal government plans to hold a consultation prior to making additional funding available, though it’s not disclosing when it will happen, how comprehensive that consultation will be or how it might affect CBC’s current plans.

CRTC proposes fund for local TV news

The CRTC is proposing a new fund to support local TV news programming, which would be funded by existing financial resources within the broadcasting system.

The proposal was included a paper released Tuesday, which will be used as a basis for discussion at an eight-day hearing on local and community television that begins Jan. 25.

Broadcasters advised to ‘pick their winners’ as pick-and-pay approaches

As the Canadian TV industry approaches an era where customers have more choice over the channels they subscribe to, large broadcasters should “pick their winners” and consolidate into a smaller number of channels, a new report from RBC Capital Markets says.  

Trudeau tells Bains to boost broadband coverage

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has directed Innovation, Science and Economic Development Minister Navdeep Bains to increase “high-speed broadband coverage and work to support competition, choice and availability of services,” according to a mandate letter released Friday.

He also said Bains should “foster a strong investment environment for telecommunications services to keep Canada at the leading edge of the digital economy.”

Liberals’ infrastructure plans could extend to telecom: lawyer

TORONTO — The newly elected Liberal government has indicated infrastructure will be a priority, and that could include telecom infrastructure, said lawyer Chris Tacit during a panel discussion at the Canadian ISP Summit in Toronto on Wednesday.

Tacit, a lawyer for the Canadian Network Operators’ Consortium (CNOC), which organized the conference, said that “there is a likelihood, with this government’s focus on infrastructure, that they might actually turn their focus in a much more meaningful way to broadband infrastructure.”

No more industry minister, Bains becomes innovation minister

Navdeep Bains, MP for the Ontario riding of Mississauga-Malton, was named minister of innovation, science and economic development on Wednesday, a post intended to replace what was previously the position of industry minister.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his cabinet were sworn in Wednesday, following the election of a Liberal government on Oct. 19.

Another union urges change in CBC leadership

The Canadian Media Guild said in a press release that it has taken “the unprecedented step of publicly declaring our lack of confidence” in Hubert Lacroix, president and CEO of CBC/Radio-Canada, and the public broadcaster's board of directors.

“We join with our ​colleagues represented by the SCRC … to ask for an end to the leadership of a ​​team that is implementing a plan to weaken the public broadcaster, and ​that ​has lost our confidence,” the union said in a press release Thursday.

Bell Media asks for CBC disaffiliations in B.C.

BCE Inc.'s Bell Media division has asked the CRTC to approve the disaffiliation of two TV stations it owns in British Columbia from CBC/Radio-Canada.

Most francophones consume some English media: survey

Most French-speaking Canadians watch some English television and film, and most of those do so at least once a week, according to a newly released survey.

CBC/Radio-Canada's Media Technology Monitor said in a report released Thursday that 60 per cent of francophones in Canada reported viewing English TV or film, and 66 per cent of those who said they consumed English content did so on a weekly basis.

NDP promises review of IoT privacy issues

In full election platforms released last week, the NDP is promising to implement changes to Canadian privacy law and look into Internet of Things (IoT) privacy, the Conservatives are pledging funding for rural broadband and cyber-security, and the Liberals say they would improve access to online government services.

NDP gets A-, Conservatives get D+ in OpenMedia ‘report card’

Internet advocacy group OpenMedia released a “report card” Thursday ranking the federal parties’ digital policies ahead of the election, in which the NDP received an overall grade of A- while the Liberals had a C and the Conservatives a D+.

Green Party would increase CBC funding

The Green Party supports reversing recent years' cuts to CBC/Radio-Canada and boosting its funding further, though the party doesn’t oppose the public broadcaster's attempt to find alternative sources of funding, said Jo-Ann Roberts, the party’s arts and culture critic.

Amis de Radio-Canada to march to Ottawa

Advocacy group Tout Amis de Radio Canada is organizing a march from Montreal to Ottawa ahead of the federal election.

The group said in a press release Friday the march will start on Oct. 6 at CBC/Radio-Canada’s Montreal headquarters, and end on Oct. 12 at Parliament Hill. Shuttle buses will run between Montreal and the location of the march daily, meaning individuals can march for whatever distance they like, it added.

iPhone users more likely to stream: MTM

Apple Inc.’s iPhone owners stream audio and video content more than any other device owners, according to a new report released by Media Technology Monitor (MTM), a project of CBC/Radio-Canada.

The report said that among anglophone iPhone owners, 55 per cent stream audio and 68 per cent stream video. It said that of all anglophones that own any type of smartphone, 37 per cent are audio streamers and 46 per cent are video streamers. 

NDP most trusted to ‘protect’ CBC: advocacy group

Advocacy group Friends of Canadian Broadcasting said in a press release Tuesday that a Nanos Research poll it commissioned found the NDP is the party “most trusted by voters to protect the CBC,” followed by the Liberals at 27 per cent, 13 per cent for the Conservatives and three per cent for the Green Party.

CBC says it’s not selling all real estate

CBC/Radio-Canada said the Canadian Media Guild’s claim that the public broadcaster is selling off all of its buildings is false.

The union issued a press release Monday claiming that CBC had announced at a town hall meeting earlier in the day that it is planning on “selling all its property across the country, including major production facilities in Montreal and Toronto.”

Trudeau promises $150M in new CBC funding

Liberal leader Justin Trudeau said Tuesday that he would provide $150 million in new annual funding for CBC/Radio-Canada if the Liberals win the federal election in October.

That will reverse cuts made to CBC by the Conservative government and go “even further to ensure that our national broadcaster is able to fulfill its mandate — promoting Canadian culture, identity, bilingualism and minority voices across the country,” a party press release said.

Public broadcasters being ‘boiled to death’: Lacroix

CBC/Radio-Canada CEO Hubert Lacroix, speaking at an international conference, said public broadcasters should speak out about how dropping revenues are affecting them.

Public broadcasters in countries such as Australia, France and Canada are dealing with shrinking resources, he said in a Sept. 10 speech at the Public Broadcasters International Conference in Germany.

Smartphones owned by 73% of anglo Canadians: MTM

Smartphone penetration among anglophone Canadians was at 73 per cent this spring, according to a new report by Media Technology Monitor (MTM), a project of CBC/Radio-Canada.

MTM said in a report Tuesday that the proportion of anglos with smartphones has grown from 69 per cent in 2014, 66 per cent in 2013 and was as low as 10 per cent in 2008.

The report showed that 86 per cent of anglophone Canadians report owning a cellphone of some kind, which was unchanged from the previous two years.

Production sector must understand telecom: new CMPA boss

As the telecommunications and media industries continue to converge, the production sector must pay more attention to what were traditionally considered telecom issues, according to Reynolds Mastin, the new CEO of the Canadian Media Production Association (CMPA).

Friends says CBC refuses its anti-Harper ads

The advocacy group Friends of Canadian Broadcasting says CBC/Radio-Canada is refusing to air TV advertisements critical of Prime Minister Stephen Harper for cuts to CBC.

The group said in a press release that the ads in question have been accepted for broadcast, starting this week, on channels owned by BCE Inc., Rogers Communications Inc. and Shaw Communications Inc.

CBC gives Susan Marjetti top radio job

Susan Marjetti has been appointed executive director of radio and audio for CBC's English services, CBC/Radio-Canada announced Tuesday.

CBC said in a news release Tuesday that Marjetti has been with the broadcaster for almost 30 years, most recently as managing director of CBC Toronto and the region of Ontario for the last five years.

Commercial-radio revenue down 0.5%: CRTC

The CRTC on Monday said commercial-radio revenue in Canada was down 0.5 per cent for the 12 months ended last August, describing the trend as “stable from the previous year in spite of competition from satellite, online and mobile services."

It said commercial-radio revenue fell to $1.61 billion from $1.62 billion.

The release said local advertising for AM and FM stations decreased by 2.9 per cent to $1.09 billion in 2014, while national advertising sales rose by 4.4 per cent to $497.4 million.

NDP, Liberals say OTT services should disclose

In supplementary comments on a House of Commons heritage committee report on the feature film industry, the federal NDP and Liberal parties said government should have access to information about revenues and viewership of over-the-top (OTT) services.

Quebec, Ontario request more funding for CBC

Quebec and Ontario are making the case to federal political parties for more financial support for CBC/Radio-Canada.

The offices of Jean-Marc Fournier, Quebec’s minister of Canadian intergovernmental affairs, and Madeleine Meilleur, Ontario’s minister of francophone affairs, said in a joint press release Monday that the NDP and Liberals accepted an invitation to a meeting held that day, and that Fournier presented them with observations from a report that was published last week.

Jean-Pierre Blais to speak at Banff conference in June

CRTC Chairman Jean-Pierre Blais will give the keynote address to the Banff World Media Festival on June 7, according to a press release from the organizers of the event.

Blais will speak to the conference, which bills itself as “the world's largest and most important gathering of entertainment industry and digital media executives,” about the recent Let’s Talk TV proceeding as well as the future of telecom regulation in Canada, the release said.

Rogers enjoying playoff boost, but benefits hard to quantify

Having five Canadian teams reach the NHL playoffs for the first time in more than a decade is set to translate into a winning season for Rogers Communications Inc. as it completes the first of 12 years of a $5.2-billion rights agreement with the National Hockey League.

News channels face funding challenges after CRTC decision

Canada’s national news channels face new obligations from the CRTC even as the regulator is taking away their place on basic cable, raising questions about their future finances.

Last month, as part of the CRTC’s wide-ranging review of its television rules, the regulator detailed a new basic package of cable channels that excludes the national news channels from BCE Inc. and Quebecor Inc. and any future entrants into that market.

Should copyright tariffs be mandatory?

CBC/Radio-Canada and the Society for Reproduction Rights of Authors, Composers and Publishers in Canada (SODRAC) recently argued before the Supreme Court of Canada over whether a tariff on “broadcast incidental copies” of musical works for television or Internet productions is legal.

CBC cuts 244 jobs, mostly in English news

CBC/Radio-Canada cut 244 positions from its English and French services, the broadcaster announced Thursday, with the majority of the cuts coming from English-language local news.

CBC News editor in chief Jennifer McGuire said in a memo posted online Thursday that outlined the cuts while adding that it intends to add 80 jobs aimed at serving its online and mobile platforms.

English CBC TV saw $20.9M loss last year

CBC/Radio-Canada’s English-language conventional TV stations reported a loss of $20.9 million in the financial year ended on Aug. 31, 2014 despite an increase in revenue, which amounted to $799.5 million, according to numbers provided by the CRTC.

Its French-language conventional stations recorded a loss of $18.1 million on revenue of $528.6 million.

Jeffrey Orridge appointed CFL commissioner

Jeffrey Orridge, former head of CBC/Radio-Canada’s sports division, has been named the new commissioner of the Canadian Football League.

Orridge takes over for Mark Cohon, who served in the position for eight years.

According to a news release, the new commissioner has a degree from Harvard Law School and has worked in sports marketing and licensing with Time Warner Co. and Reebok International Ltd.

Orridge officially starts with the league on April 29.

Broadcasters seeking compensation for 600 MHz changes

Broadcasters participating in a consultation on moving 600 MHz spectrum from its role of carrying television signals to mobile usage are intent on avoiding the kind of costs borne by the industry as a result of the 2011 conversion from analog to digital over-the-air TV.

Friends of Canadian Broadcasting at odds with Bell over TV ad

Advocacy group Friends of Canadian Broadcasting say a television ad was turned down by Canada’s largest broadcasters, yet at least one company says it has no record of the denial.

In the 30-second spot, available on the group’s website, two men in suits tied to chairs with rope are submerged in water while a narrator says, “They can’t drown us all out. Join the campaign to free the CBC from political interference.”

CBC considers sale of Toronto headquarters: report

CBC/Radio-Canada is considering selling its headquarters in Toronto, according to a report in the National Post.

An article published Thursday said a consultant has been hired to determine whether it should sell the million-square-foot building. Fred Mattocks, general manager of media operations for CBC's English services, is quoted as saying it only needs one-third of the space there, though it would like to remain a tenant.

CBC to focus spending on content, Conway says

OTTAWA — CBC/Radio-Canada will emphasize "content over all other expenditures going forward," Heather Conway, the public broadcaster’s executive vice-president of English services, told the Senate's transport and communications standing committee Tuesday.

“So that means when we have the choice of spending money on infrastructure or real estate or content, we will privilege the spending on content,” she said.

Senators going to U.K. as part of CBC review

Five Canadian senators are going to the United Kingdom this month on a "fact-finding mission" as part of a study on the difficulties faced by CBC/Radio Canada.

The Senate's transport and communications standing committee said in a press release that five members would be in London from Feb. 9 to 12, to consult with British parliamentarians, representatives of that country's public broadcaster, the BBC, and the BBC Trust, which is its governing body.

CBC funding becoming political ahead of budget, election

MONTREAL — NDP Leader Tom Mulcair is promising, if elected, to reverse funding cuts imposed on CBC/Radio-Canada in recent years, though political observers do not expect the Conservative government to make any surprise moves regarding the public broadcaster in the coming months when it lays out its last budget before the next federal election.

CBC hires sales exec Mary Kreuk

CBC/Radio-Canada announced Monday that Mary Kreuk has been hired as the public broadcaster’s new executive director of multi-platform media sales for Toronto and Western Canada.

Kreuk was previous a sales executive at BCE Inc.’s Bell Media subsidiary, where she served as vice-president of brand partnerships for the last 12 years, according to a news release.

Live sports, the lynchpin of traditional TV, making inroads to OTT

As new over-the-top (OTT) services continue to be launched both in Canada and the United States, online alternatives for live sports have also been increasing.

But in a world where live sports continue to be crucial for the traditional television system — and the kind of revenue only available through that system is necessary to pay for expensive sports rights — it seems companies will have to continue a balancing act between the two technologies.

CBC cuts local TV newscasts, adds French digital services

CBC/Radio-Canada is making changes to its news operations across Canada, cutting back on the length of its evening TV newscasts and introducing new French-language digital content.

The public broadcaster said in a Thursday press release that its 90-minute local English TV newscasts will switch to either a 60-minute or a 30-minute format, and that it will begin televising its local Radio One morning shows.

There will also be new “local hourly news breaks” on television throughout the day, CBC said.

Lacroix gets rough ride from CBC employees at annual meeting

MONTREAL — CBC/Radio-Canada employees grilled CEO Hubert Lacroix over cuts to the public broadcaster during its annual public meeting in Montreal Wednesday.

Radio-Canada journalist Charles Tisseyre, host of Decouverte, on stage as part of a panel discussion, said the cuts have meant delaying the science magazine show’s season premiere and showing more reruns.

Jenna Bourdeau joins CBC

CBC/Radio-Canada said Jenna Bourdeau is the public broadcaster’s new senior director of acquisitions.

Bourdeau, who was previously vice-president of distribution in its proper rights division, will “oversee the acquisition of distinct, bold and engaging Canadian and international content that will find its way on to CBC’s platforms,” CBC said in a press release Tuesday. 

CBC, Weather Network agree on content sharing

CBC/Radio Canada and The Weather Network announced a content-sharing agreement on Monday.

CBC and Pelmorex Media Inc.'s Weather Network said in a press release that, starting Dec. 8, national weather forecasts on CBC News properties would be done by The Weather Network meteorologists and on-air personalities.

The Weather Network, in turn, will get access to CBC's weather-related news content and footage, the release said.

Olympic rights deal ‘fiscally responsible,’ CBC says

CBC/Radio-Canada says it will either break even or earn a profit on its acquisition of the broadcasting rights for the 2018 Olympics in South Korea and the 2020 Olympics in Japan.

Sonja Chong appointed to CBC board

Sonja Chong has been named a part-time member of the board of directors for CBC/Radio-Canada.

Heritage Minister Shelly Glover announced Chong's appointment Monday in a press release that also said Chong would serve at term of five years.

Watchdog warns CBC, government about language obligations

Official Languages Commissioner Graham Fraser on Thursday warned CBC/Radio-Canada and the federal government about obligations they have to provide programming services in both official languages as the public broadcaster downsizes its operations in the coming years.

2014 World Cup most-watched ever, CBC says

CBC/Radio Canada said the 2014 FIFA World Cup was the most watched ever in Canada, with 30.7 million people viewing at least a portion of the month-long tournament.

The broadcaster said in a release Monday that the July 13 final between Germany and Argentina was the most-watched match of the tournament at 4.93 million viewers, “edging the 2010 Final for the record as the most-watched [World Cup] broadcast in Canadian history.”

CBC plan’s emphasis on mobile not ‘logical’: analyst

CBC/Radio-Canada’s re-focusing of its priorities on its digital and mobile presence is “not a very logical thing to do,” said Barry Kiefl, president of Canadian Media Research Inc.

The public broadcaster said in a strategy paper released Thursday, called "A Space For Us All," that its priorities will be completely reversed from the current pecking order of TV followed by radio, online and mobile.

CBC to outline 5-year plan Thursday

CBC/Radio-Canada will unveil a five-year strategic plan to employees and the general public on Thursday, outlining how it intends to move forward in an era of increasingly limited financial resources.

France Bélisle, CBC's director of public relations, said in an email that a town hall meeting would be held for employees featuring CEO Hubert Lacroix and other executives. She added that details of the plan would be released to news media.

She said it will be a "new five-year plan that will bring CBC/Radio-Canada to 2020 and beyond."

Ottawa company brings PVR capability to over-the-air TV

Amid the many challenges television service providers were already facing, along came an Ottawa company making devices with digital recording capabilities and electronic-guide functionality for those who rely on over-the-air signals for their TV.

More smartphone owners streaming audio, video: MTM

The number of anglophone Canadians who are streaming television content on their smartphones increased 71 per cent from a year earlier, according to a new report from Media Technology Monitor (MTM).

In 2013, 12 per cent of respondents reported watching TV on a smartphone, up from seven per cent a year earlier, according to MTM, a project of CBC/Radio-Canada.

“While smartphone TV streamers watch less traditional TV on a TV set, they more than make up for that time streaming TV,” said the report, released on June 5.

CRTC approves Ontario station disaffiliation from CBC

The CRTC has approved an application by a Thunday Bay, Ont., broadcaster to disaffiliate from CBC/Radio-Canada.

Thunder Bay Electronics Ltd. said in a Feb. 28 letter filed with the CRTC that it was seeking the disaffiliation “so that CKPR-DT can move forward and be an economically viable operation.” It asked for the disaffiliation agreement to become effective Aug. 31, 2014.

Jamie Brown becomes chairman of CMPA

The Canadian Media Production Association said Jamie Brown has been appointed the organization's chairman.

Brown is the founder and executive producer of Frantic Films, the CMPA said in a press release issued Saturday. The company's website lists some of its productions as TV series Men With Brooms and Til Debt Do Us Part, as well the made-for-TV biographies on Don Cherry that ran on CBC/Radio-Canada.

Brown replaced as CMPA chairman David MacLeod, who is executive producer of Big Motion Pictures Ltd.

CBC to take Radio 2 off the air, advocacy group says

OTTAWA — CBC/Radio-Canada will stop over-the-air broadcasts of its Radio 2 service and make it an “exclusively on-line music offering,” advocacy group Friends Of Canadian Broadcasting said at a news conference on Thursday.

CBC conventional-TV financial performance improves: CRTC

CBC/Radio-Canada’s conventional-television operations improved their financial performance in the 12 months ended last August while private-sector, over-the-air TV stations collectively recorded their first loss before interest and taxes since the recession of 2009, according to the CRTC.

Numbers released by the commission on Tuesday showed that CBC’s conventional-TV stations recorded a profit before interest and taxes of $11.9 million in the broadcast year ended Aug. 31, 2013, up from $3.5 million a year earlier.

Bell defends targeted ad program as ‘transparent’

BCE Inc.’s chief legal and regulatory officer told a Senate hearing on Wednesday night that his company’s targeted advertising program respects Canada’s current privacy laws.

Mirko Bibic repeatedly compared his company to Facebook Inc. and Google Inc., which he said have access to richer and more personal data than Bell, and said his company needs the targeted advertising program to compete with those “global players.”

CBC chief discussed cable tax to support network

Hubert Lacroix, CEO of CBC/Radio-Canada, discussed at last week’s town hall meeting the possibility of having a levy attached to bills of cable- and satellite-TV customers and using that money to support the network.

Bigger picture still in question as CBC cuts deep

As CBC/Radio-Canada on Thursday announced another round of job cuts and other reductions throughout its organization, observers expressed impatience over the lack of a fundamentally different vision emerging from the public broadcaster.

CBC said Thursday that more than 650 jobs and $130 million in spending would be cut over the next two fiscal years.

Bell, CBC denied relief on local-programming quotas

The CRTC on Wednesday said it had denied requests by both BCE Inc.’s Bell Media division and CBC/Radio-Canada to calculate local-programing hours for their conventional TV stations differently.

Both are generally required to have 14 hours a week of local programing in metropolitan areas, and seven hours a week in smaller communities, in English-language markets, the CRTC notice said.

More cuts expected at CBC, meeting Thursday

More job cuts are expected at CBC/Radio-Canada as CEO Hubert Lacroix is scheduled to address all employees at a town hall meeting Thursday, according to a report by the Financial Post.

CRTC approves ad-rule changes for Radio 2, Espace Musique

The CRTC on Tuesday said it had approved requested amendments to some of the conditions applied to CBC/Radio-Canada’s broadcasting licences as they pertain to advertising on Radio 2 and Espace Musique.

Thunder Bay station wants to disaffiliate from CBC

Thunder Bay Electronics Ltd. has put in a request to the CRTC to disaffiliate from CBC/Radio-Canada, the company said in a Feb. 28 letter filed with the CRTC.

It said it was seeking the disaffiliation “so that CKPR-DT can move forward and be an economically viable operation.”

It asked for the disaffiliation agreement to become effective Aug. 31, 2014.

Cecil Hawkins appointed to CBC board

Cecil Hawkins, the Toronto executive who heads metal fabricator Canerector Inc., has been appointed to the board of CBC/Radio-Canada, Canadian Heritage announced Monday.

Hawkins, president and CEO of Canerector, has been involved with public agencies before, having served as chair of the Minister's Advisory Committee for the Canadian Space Agency.

Telus, Rogers customers get preferred treatment on Radio-Canada platform

CBC/Radio-Canada announced Thursday that will be adding a subscription-based section to its ICI Tou.tv streaming platform, and a partnership with Rogers Communications Inc. and Telus Corp. will give postpaid subscribers to services of those companies free access to the new content.

Radio-Canada said it will add a section to its French-language, multi-platform video service, Tou.tv, called Extra, which will include about 400 exclusive titles for premium customers while a further 1,200 titles will remain free.

CBC chief asks for support, flexibility from government

OTTAWA — The CEO of CBC/Radio-Canada told a Senate committee Wednesday night that he has never asked for “one dollar more” of public money but that the public broadcaster needs government support.

Hubert Lacroix told members of the Senate’s transport and communications committee, in a hearing dealing with challenges faced by the CBC, about some of the pitfalls the public broadcaster is facing, such as cuts to government funding and the loss of broadcasting rights to NHL hockey as of next season.