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Links: A Christmas Fury

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From John Doyle of The Globe and Mail:

Link: A Christmas Fury is a new cracked and crazy Christmas classic
You will not see another holiday-themed special like this, ever. All others pale beside it, so get ready to get embrace the cracked humour of a new Canadian classic. Continue reading.

From Melissa Hank of Canada.com:

Link: Mary Walsh unveils Hatching, Matching, & Dispatching TV movie
“You know what they say about close friends, that even if you don’t see each other for 20 years, it’s like you were in the same room all the time? That’s what it was like when everybody came back together. It was like we never stopped doing it.” Continue reading. 

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Industry News

Link: Rogers to cut off support for Viceland TV station

From Christine Dobby of The Globe and Mail:

Link: Rogers to cut off support for Viceland TV station
Rogers Media Inc. has informed its partner Vice Media Canada Inc. that it no longer plans to financially support the Viceland television channel, leaving the upstart station’s future in Canada uncertain.

The TV channel aimed at a younger adult audience – which launched early last year, at the same time as a sister station with the same name in the U.S. – is a joint venture between Rogers Media and Vice, which also have a larger partnership that includes the Vice Canada content studio in the Liberty Village area in Toronto. (Rogers Media is owned by Toronto-based cable and wireless company Rogers Communications Inc.) Continue reading.

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Industry News

Minister Joly Announces New Appointment to the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission

From a media release:

Today, the Honourable Mélanie Joly, Minister of Canadian Heritage, announced the appointment of Monique Lafontaine to the position of Commissioner for Ontario of the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC).

A Toronto-based lawyer, Ms. Lafontaine brings over 17 years’ experience in entertainment and communications law. Her areas of specialization include television, radio, new media regulation, program licencing and affiliation agreements, stakeholder relations, and anti-spam and privacy legislation. Ms. Lafontaine holds a Bachelor of Laws and a Bachelor of Administration from the University of Ottawa and a Master of Laws from York University, and was admitted to the Law Society of Upper Canada in 1994. She is fluently bilingual. She has been appointed for a five-year term effective January 2, 2018.

This appointment is the result of the Government of Canada’s open, transparent and merit-based selection process.

The CRTC is an administrative tribunal that regulates and supervises broadcasting and telecommunications in the public interest. It is dedicated to ensuring that Canadians—as citizens, creators and consumers—have access to a world-class communication system that promotes innovation and enriches their lives.

Quotes

“The communications industry is constantly evolving. The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission plays a fundamental role at a time when Canadians, more than ever, need access to diverse and appealing creative content across a variety of platforms. Ms. Lafontaine’s experience and extensive knowledge will be valuable assets in her new position as CRTC Commissioner for Ontario.”

—The Honourable Mélanie Joly, Minister of Canadian Heritage

Quick Facts

The CRTC’s senior roles are Chairperson, Vice-Chairperson of Broadcasting and Vice-Chairperson of Telecommunications. There can be up to 13 full-time commissioners. These positions are appointed by the Governor in Council.

In 2016, the Government of Canada adopted a new approach to Governor in Council appointments. This approach respects gender parity and is supported by an open, transparent and merit-based selection process: one that will result in the recommendation of exceptionally competent candidates who truly reflect Canada’sdiversity.

This new approach requires a selection process for the majority of full- and part-time positions.

All appointment opportunities for the 18 organizations in the Canadian Heritage Portfolio are posted as they become available on the Governor in Council Appointments website. Interested parties can apply online.

 

 

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Industry News, Reality, Lifestyle & Documentary

Bell Media Studios confirms international orders for new original Canadian docudrama series Disasters at Sea

From a media release:

Bell Media Studios announced today that Exploration Production Inc. (EPI) has begun production on new original Canadian series, DISASTERS AT SEA (working title). Commissioned by Discovery Canada, the docudrama is made possible in part by international broadcast partners Smithsonian Channel (U.S.) and Seven Network (Australia), in the biggest and most comprehensive partnership of its kind for an EPI production.

DISASTERS AT SEA is a six-episode series about the most mysterious and unexpected marine disasters in recent history, recreated in each 60-minute episode through the visceral first-hand accounts of seamen and women on their worst day, and for some, their finest hour. In each of the stories featured, there are heroes who exerted herculean efforts to save their colleagues, the environment, and valuable property. International rights of DISASTERS AT SEA are managed exclusively by Exploration Distribution Inc. (EDI).

More about DISASTERS AT SEA:

Proving and disproving theories of catastrophic real-life events, DISASTERS AT SEA goes beyond the traditional documentary approach to explore six separate disasters at sea throughout the season. Often-conflicting reports leave the cause of the sinking unknown and mysterious, and DISASTERS AT SEA unravels these mysteries through a second set of key characters: the dedicated marine investigators whose job it was to separate fact from fiction, fill in the unknown, and identify cause and effect as they uncover the shocking chain of events, often with nothing more than tiny leads. The conclusions are dramatic, unexpected, and profound.

Designed to pull viewers off the sidelines and immerse them in the action, archival footage is combined with carefully imagined and evocative dramatic re-enactments that provide an engaging mix of factual and modern storytelling. To achieve this, the series includes CGI and special effects, bringing to life the wide shots of the ship in rough waters, and recreations to dramatically convey the catastrophic events.

Grounded in fact, each episode unfolds as a mystery, providing a suspenseful journey into the little known world of life at sea, and a tribute to the working men and women who sacrificed their lives for it all.

DISASTERS AT SEA (working title) is produced by Bell Media’s EPI in association with Discovery, and in conjunction with Smithsonian Channel (U.S.) and Seven Network (Australia). Series Producer is Alix MacDonald. Executive Producers are Marianne Kushmaniuk and Kelly McKeown, who is also Director of Production for EPI.

 

 

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Industry News

Bell Media welcomes esteemed business journalist Amanda Lang

From a media release:

Wendy Freeman, President, CTV News, announced today that award-winning Canadian business journalist Amanda Lang is set to rejoin Business News Network (BNN) in January 2018. In addition to her role on the network, Lang will also contribute to a number of Bell Media properties including CTV News and iHeartRadio.

Lang has been covering business news in North America for 20 years. She started her journalism career at The Globe and Mail and then the National Post. As New York correspondent, she was a key part of the team that launched BNN’s predecessor, ROBTV, in 1999. She then moved over to the channel’s partner, CNN, as a reporter and anchor.

Lang returned to BNN/ROBTV in 2002 as anchor of the network’s flagship morning show before creating and hosting SQUEEZEPLAY, a nightly issues-driven debate show with Kevin O’Leary. In 2009, Lang left BNN to join the CBC as its senior business correspondent. Most recently she worked as an anchor for Bloomberg Television Canada.

Lang studied architecture at the University of Manitoba before becoming a journalist. Her best-selling book, The Power of Why, (HarperCollins, October 2012) explores the connection between curiosity and success. Her second book, The Beauty of Discomfort, was published earlier this year.

 

 

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