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Canada AM’s Jeff Hutcheson announces retirement

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It’s the end of the road for Jeff Hutcheson. The longtime sports reporter, weather guru and Canada AM co-host announced during Friday’s broadcast that he is retiring following one final remote tour across the country.

Canada AM followed up Hutcheson’s on-air reveal with the following Facebook post:

“This morning, Jeff shared the news that he is retiring next month. Of course, we’ve been heartbroken since he told us his decision last June… but his wife is thrilled. Since they met twelve years ago, Jeff and Heather have spent 2,600 nights apart, with his work in Toronto and her work and life in PEI. As we get ready to say farewell, Jeff is heading out on one last Canadian tour, visiting some of his favourite places and remembering some of his favourite moments. If you’re near Niagara-on-the-Lake next Wednesday, May 11th, please come out and join us. If you have any retirement messages or advice for Jeff, you can share it with us here, or email us at canadaam@ctv.ca”

“I am humbled and overwhelmed by all your well wishes…thank you very much,” Hutcheson posted on his Twitter page soon after. “Looking forward to my last six weeks..it’s been my pleasure.”

Hutcheson has been with Canada AM since 1998, and has created several trademark segments for the show, including remote broadcast tours that have taken him to points in Canada and around the world and “Things I Learned on the Internet Today.” He began his broadcast career in 1976 as a college student on Toronto’s CFRB 1010 radio before being hired by Kitchener, Ont.’s CKCO-TV after graduating. The next two decades were spent at CKCO-TV as a sports anchor, reporter, producer, writer and program host before making his final move to Canada AM.

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Industry News, Reality, Lifestyle & Documentary

Rezolution Pictures begins production for Season 2 of Indians + Aliens

From a media release:

Rezolution Pictures has begun production on the second season of the original APTN series Indians + Aliens; a 13-episode, half-hour documentary series revealing where ancient Indigenous legends and cutting edge science converge to explore the unknown, from UFO’s and Alien Abduction to Sasquatch, Little People, Lake Monsters and Thunderbirds. Principal shooting begins this week, the first week of May, 2016.

In Season Two, show creator and host Ernest Webb will travel across the continent through Canada and the United States, including North Dakota and New Mexico to unearth these encounter stories. New experts, both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal, will shed light on the events offering traditional Indigenous explanations as well as theories rooted in newly emerging science. With the new collection of stories, the audience will be transported across Indigenous cultural and geographic landscapes while being exposed to the most remarkable accounts of sightings.

Experts and Knowledge Keepers from Indians + Aliens, Season One, including Chris Rutkowski and Matthew Mukash, are eager to return. Rutkowski, science-writer and head of the Canadian UFO Survey, has said that Season One was “the best show he’s ever worked on.” Mukash, former Grand Chief of the Cree and spiritual advisor for the series, commented that Season One “got it right.”

Indians + Aliens, Season Two promises to be as rich and varied as the communities from which they originate. Detailed accounts of hovering craft, mythical creatures of legend, alien abduction and military conspiracy will keep viewers riveted and push the boundaries of tangible belief. These stories come from credible and respected community members who will share Aboriginal concepts of spirituality and existence – a rich legacy of traditional myths and explanations that shed light on these bewildering events.

Season One of Indians + Aliens is one of the most popular shows on APTN.  It also won “Best UFO Short Film” at the 2013 EBE Film Festival. Building on this success and incredible fan feedback, and created by a team of award-winning documentarians, Indians + Aliens, Season Two will be led by Showrunner Greg Lawrence.

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Industry News

Bell Media acquires Gusto Brand to launch its first food and lifestyle channel

From a media release:

Bell Media announced today that it is acquiring the Gusto brand to launch a new food-centric cooking and lifestyle network later this year, its first-ever foray into this genre. Bolstering the company’s already successful suite of English and French-language specialty channels, the new network’s slate of exclusive programming will feature a delicious mix of creative cooking and food programming paired with exciting home design, fashion, travel, and lifestyle shows.

Gusto will also feature appetizing homegrown hit programming, all in 4K, as well as some of the highest-rated, first-run food and lifestyle series from around the globe.

The new Gusto network will join Bell Media’s leading specialty channel portfolio, which delivers more weekly reach, both full-day and primetime, than any other broadcaster for total viewers and all key demos. The lifestyle brand is the perfect complementary ingredient to Bell Media’s vibrant slate of specialty networks catering to women, including Bravo, E!, Animal Planet, and Investigation Discovery.

In addition to launching the new channel, Bell Media has also secured a production arrangement with industry veteran Chris Knight to supply exclusive programming for the network through Gusto Worldwide Media. This includes ONE WORLD KITCHEN currently airing in more than 30 countries. ONE WORLD KITCHEN shines a spotlight on five global cuisines that are arguably just as “Canadian” as tourtière and poutine. The production commitment will allow Bell Media to grow Gusto’s roster of hit series with new original Canadian programming, all in 4K.

Bell Media will license Gusto Worldwide Media’s existing creative cooking and food series, including marquee original Canadian series:

  • ONE WORLD KITCHEN: This series shines a spotlight on five global cuisines (Indian, Thai, Italian, South American, and Japanese) and features five passionate and Canadian cooks, each with a unique background and culinary expertise to share.
  • A IS FOR APPLE: This series explores the world of food and ingredients by challenging chefs to create recipes based on letters of the alphabet
  • CRATE TO PLATE: This creative and entertaining series meets the people whose lives are shaped by the food that others grow, sell, and eat
  • FISH THE DISH: A playful and delicious 30-minute series following Chef Spencer Watts as he cooks up some of his favourite seafood dishes

There will be no changes to the current Gusto TV channel until the transition is complete. Additional announcements about Gusto will be made in the coming weeks.

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Industry News

CRTC releases 2015 financial results for Canadian conventional television stations

From a media release:

The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) today released statistical and financial information on Canadian conventional television stations for the broadcast year ending August 31, 2015.

In 2015, there were 93 private conventional television stations in operation in Canada, which generated total revenues of $1.76 billion. These stations continued to operate in a challenging environment, with total revenues declining 2.6%, or $46.6 million, from 2014.

To meet the objectives of the Broadcasting Act, the CRTC requires most television broadcasters to spend a minimum percentage of their revenues on content made by Canadians. In 2015, private conventional television stations invested $652.8 million in Canadian programing, a 5.4% (or $33.5 million) increase from 2014.

Investments in Canadian programming have grown consistently over the last five years as conventional televisions stations spent 16% more in 2015 than in 2011. These investments accounted for 49.8% of total programming expenses in 2015, up from 43.6% in 2011. Of note, private conventional television stations spent $60.9 million less on foreign programming in 2015 compared to 2014, primarily due to a reduction in spending on drama.

The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation/Société Radio-Canada (CBC/SRC) reported total revenues of $1.1 billion in 2015, down 16.6%, or $220.9 million, from the previous year.

As Canada’s public broadcaster, the CBC/SRC continued to invest heavily in Canadian programming. In 2015, these investments totaled $557.2 million, accounting for 96.4% of the CBC/SRC’s total expenditures on programming. In particular, spending on news ($190.9 million) and drama ($144.1 million) accounted for 60.1% of its total expenditures on Canadian programming.

Conventional television stations employed 10,995 people in 2015, with the CBC/SRC employing 5,205 people.

Each year, the CRTC compiles financial data on the Canadian broadcasting and telecommunications sectors to produce a series of reports. To increase Canadians’ access to relevant information related to the Canadian broadcasting system, this year’s publication on conventional television stations includes the amount they spent on animation and children’s programming.

The CRTC recently published the financial results for AM and FM radio stations and will soon publish the results for the specialty, pay, pay-per-view and video-on-demand services, as well as cable and satellite companies. Following the publication of these reports, the CRTC will issue its annual Communications Monitoring Report.

These annual reports help interested parties to stay informed about the state of the Canadian communication industry and to participate in the CRTC’s public consultations.

Quick facts

Private stations

  • Private conventional television stations saw their revenues drop by 2.6%, from $1.80 billion in 2014 to $1.76 billion in 2015.
  • Expenses went from $1.85 billion in 2014 to $1.82 billion in 2015, a decrease of 1.6%.
  • Profits before interest and taxes (PBIT) declined from –$138.7 million to –$140.9 million, and the PBIT margin decreased from -7.7% to -8%.
  • Investments by private conventional television stations in Canadian programming increased from $619.3 million in 2014 to $652.8 million in 2015.
  • Private conventional television stations invested $49.6 million on Canadian drama series, $5.3 million on films, $86.7 million on human interest programs, $369.6 million on news programs, $7.3 million on long-form documentaries, $30 million for other information programs, $17.1 million for music and variety shows, $21.5 million on sports programming, $17.3 million on game shows, $45 million on reality TV shows, $2.7 million on awards shows, $358,000 on animation programming and $343,000 on children’s programming.
  • As part of these investments, conventional television stations paid $142.1 million to Canadian independent producers.
  • Revenues from the sale of local advertising declined from $333.6 million in 2014 to $330.1 million in 2015, a 1.0% decrease. National advertising revenues for private conventional television stations remained virtually unchanged at $1.2 billion in 2015.

CBC/SRC

  • In 2015, the CBC/SRC reported advertising revenues of $220.1 million, which represented a decline of 53.6 % from the $474.6 million generated the previous year.
  • The absence of major sporting events in 2015 coupled with the loss of the NHL television rights contributed to the decline in advertising revenues.
  • The amount of Parliamentary Appropriation allocated to the 27 conventional television stations rose by 4.4% to $757.9 million in 2015.
  • The CBC/SRC’s program expenditures totaled $687.3 million; of that amount, $557.2 million (or 81.1%) were expenses related to Canadian programming expenses.
  • The public broadcaster also spent $9 million on animation programming, and $33.8 million on programming targeting children.
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Industry News

James Tupper and Anne Heche star in Space’s Aftermath

From a media release:

May 3, 2016 – Halfire Entertainment, Syfy, and Space announced today that real life couple James Tupper (“Revenge”, “Men in Trees”, “Big Little Lies” – David E. Kelley’s upcoming limited-series on HBO) and Anne Heche (“Hung”, “Men in Trees”) will star as husband and wife in the new post-apocalyptic thriller AFTERMATH. Created by William Laurin and Glenn Davis, and produced by Halfire Entertainment in association with Syfy and Bell Media’s Space, the 13-episode series will premiere on Syfy in the United States and Space in Canada this summer. Production begins May 9 in Vancouver.

Tupper and Heche will play Joshua and Karen Copeland who, along with their three teenagers, must battle for survival after civilization comes to an apocalyptic end, triggered by devastating natural disasters – and the rise of supernatural creatures.

James Tupper portrays Joshua Copeland, a university professor whose study of world cultures gives him unique abilities and insights that may help him decode the events of the apocalypse. Anne Heche plays his wife Karen Copeland, a fierce protector who, in her quest to keep her family safe, draws on the combat skills and survival training she received as an Air Force pilot.

Tupper and Heche join co-stars Julia Sarah Stone (“The Killing”, “Falling Skies”) and Taylor Hickson (“Deadpool”) who play their twin daughters Dana and Brianna, as well as Levi Meaden (“The Killing”, “Olympus”) who portrays their eldest son Matt.

AFTERMATH will feature guest stars throughout the season, including Leslie Hope (“Tyrant”, “24”) who will also direct two episodes of the series.

AFTERMATH creators/showrunners will be William Laurin and Glenn Davis (“Missing”, “Power Play”, “John Woo’s Once a Thief”). Jason Stone (“This is the End”, “The Calling”), will direct the first two episodes. Laurin and Davis will executive produce along with Julie Hope. Suzanne Berger and Connie Dolphin will produce. In addition to his lead role on the series, James Tupper will also co-produce. Jason Stone is consulting producer.

Also set to direct this season are Stefan Pleszczinski (“Being Human”, “Supernatural”), Kaare Andrews (“Altitude”, “Cabin Fever 3: Patient Zero”), April Mullen (“Killjoys”) and James Marshall (“Smallville”, “The Shannara Chronicles”).

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