Tag Archives: Rogers Media

Cue the hits in 5, 4, 3, 2, 1… City unveils its 2017/18 prime-time schedule

From a media release:

Proven, powerful, and pedigreed. Today Rogers Media unveils City’s 2017/18 programming schedule, building on last season’s proven hits with bold new additions backed by some of the most creative minds in television today. Rogers Media president, Rick Brace, and senior vice president of television & broadcast operations, Colette Watson, together with the executive team will present the new schedule to advertisers and media this afternoon at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre.

Comedies
This broadcast year, City had three of the Top 10 and eight of the Top 20 comedy hits4, and City will continue to bring the laughs with five new comedy series for the 2017/18 season. Joining the fall lineup, The Orville, from Emmy Award-winning executive producer and creator Seth MacFarlane and director Jon Favreau, is an irreverent workplace sci-fi adventure comedy set 400 years in the future that follows the adventures of the U.S.S. Orville, an exploratory spaceship, and the familiar and funny everyday challenges of its human and alien crew. The weird and wonderful out-of-this-world theme continues with Ghosted, when a cynical skeptic (Craig Robinson, The Office) and a genius “true believer” (Adam Scott, Parks and Recreation, Big Little Lies) are recruited to investigate unexplained phenomena in Los Angeles – all the while uncovering a larger mystery that could threaten the existence of the human race. Canadian cult classic Fubar moves to the small screen, propelling beloved characters Terry and Dean into the modern age. New-to-City, Speechless starring Minnie Driver joins the schedule in mid-season, along with new Will Ferrell-produced commuter comedy LA to Vegas.

Dramas
Power and political games drive City’s scripted drama slate for the 2017/18 season with four new series joining the lineup.  A City original, Bad Blood follows the true-crime saga of one of Canada’s most notorious mob families, a revenge story of Godfather-like proportions. New-to-City this fall, hit series The Blacklist joins the schedule with prime-time’s favourite fugitive-turned F.B.I informant, “Red” Reddington (James Spader), as he teams up with his hand-picked profiler to work through his own “most wanted” list of criminals. Coming in 2018, Versailles is a lush Canadian drama about Louis XIV, and the darkness, ambition, and manipulation that simmers just beneath the gilded surface of the Sun King’s court. Also, a young doctor’s ethics are tested when The Resident, starring Canadians Emily VanCamp and Bruce Greenwood, joins City’s schedule in mid-season.

Returning Favourites
Proven hits and fan favourites return as City confirms the renewal of 16 prime-time series, delivering more laugh-out-loud moments, dramatic plot twists, and thrilling competition through the 2017/18 season. Returning series include The Bachelor franchise, Black-ish, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Family Guy, Hell’s Kitchen, Hockey Night in Canada, Last Man on Earth, Lethal Weapon, Life in Pieces, The Mick, The Middle, Modern Family, Mom, New Girl, Nirvanna The Band The Show,and Scorpion.

New Series:

BAD BLOOD
60-minute Canadian scripted drama series
Thursdays at 8 p.m.
National broadcast

Inspired by reputed mobster Vito Rizzuto, and based on the best-selling book, Business or Blood: Mafia Boss Vito Rizzuto’s Last War by Antonio Nicaso and Peter Edwards, Bad Blood: The Vito Rizzuto Story is a six-part limited event series. While imprisoned in Colorado’s Supermax Prison for the murders of three Bonanno family members, Rizzuto watches helplessly as the thriving empire he built is dismantled, and his closest friends and family members are mysteriously murdered one by one. When Rizzuto is finally released from prison, a Shakespearean-level revenge tale plays out – leading to the brutal murders of his closest companions, and ultimately the death of Rizzuto himself.

PRODUCTION COMPANY: New Metric Media, Sphere Media, and DHX Media
EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS: Michael Konyves, Simon Barry
CAST: Anthony LaPaglia (Without a Trace), Kim Coates (Sons of Anarchy), Paul Sorvino (Goodfellas), Enrico Colantoni (Flashpoint)

FUBAR: THE AGE OF THE COMPUTER
30-minute Canadian scripted comedy series
Sundays at 10:30 p.m.
National broadcast

Based on the beloved film franchise and hurdling it into the modern age, Fubar: The Age of the Computer finds Terry and Dean fleeing from the wildfires of Fort McMurray in a desperate retreat to Calgary, with nothing but emergency government debit cards to their names. Discovering high-speed Internet for the first time, Terry is exposed to a world of commerce and social media and attempts to harness the web to make a profit. Meanwhile, Dean embarks on a journey to record a triple-concept album using his burnt bass guitar and extreme falsetto voice.

PRODUCTION COMPANY: Busted Tranny Productions Ltd Cardinal Film Inc., Vice Studio Canada
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: Michael Dowse
CAST: David Lawrence (Freezer Burn), Paul Spence (It’s All Gone, Pete Tong)

Facebooktwitterredditlinkedinmail

Rogers Media expands CityNews across Canada

From a media release:

Building on its commitment to deliver more local news to even more Canadians, Rogers Media will expand its award-winning news program, CityNewsâ„¢, across Canada, beginning September 4. Currently seen in Toronto and the Greater Toronto Area, the expansion ofCityNews will now include local versions of CityNews produced locally and airing daily on City, in Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Winnipeg, and Montreal.

The one-hour newscasts will broadcast seven days a week with CityNews at Six at 6 p.m., and CityNews Tonight at 11 p.m. local time. Newscasts in Edmonton and Winnipeg will debut Monday, Sept. 4 at 6 p.m. local time. CityNews will expand into the Vancouver, Montreal and Calgary markets in Winter 2018.

Debuting in Toronto in 1975, the multi-award winning CityNews has been globally recognized as a trailblazer for news innovation, earning accolades for its local coverage including the esteemed RTDNA National Bert Cannings Award for Best TV Newscast in a Large Market in 2016. Late last month, CityNews reporter Cynthia Mulligan won the national RTDNA Adrienne Clarkson Award for Diversity in Reporting for her in-depth series on Danica Rain – a transgender Ontario woman who underwent gender reassignment surgery at a clinic in Bangkok.

Adding regional and national perspectives, complementary stories from Rogers Media’s sister brands such as Maclean’s, Breakfast Television, and Sportsnet will also be featured in the broadcasts. Viewers will also see news content delivered across all platforms, with each CityNews team engaging with audiences through their respective local websites and social media channels.

Additional programming details and on-air news talent will be announced in the coming months.

Facebooktwitterredditlinkedinmail

Rogers Media presents The Canada Project to celebrate 150 years of Canada

From a media release:

What does it mean to be Canadian? As the country prepares to mark 150 years since Confederation, today Rogers Media launches The Canada Project, a multi-brand cross-platform collection of content celebrating Canada.

At the centre of The Canada Project is a sweeping survey of nearly 100 questions put forth to more than 1,500 Canadians, revealing what Canadians really believe, and how we really feel. Commissioned by Rogers Media and executed by Abacus Data, the survey asked Canadians – from new immigrants to fourth-generation families, millennials to boomers, parents to singles – questions on everything from hot-button political issues and values, to lifestyle and leisure preferences, and intensely personal queries. Canadians take pride in being different from our southern neighbours, but how different are we really? When we travel, where do we want to go? When we lie awake at night worrying about our family’s future, what’s on our mind?

Results from the survey will be showcased on a dedicated hub launching today at Macleans.ca, with relevant stories and complementary anniversary content featured throughout June and July across broadcast and digital platforms, including CityNews™, Breakfast Television™, OMNI Television™, FLARE™, HELLO! Canada™, Chatelaine™, Today’s Parent™, Sportsnet.ca and more. Rogers Media’s news, entertainment, sports, and lifestyle brands dig deeper into what Canadians have revealed. From platform to platform, these stories examine our country through the most important eyes: Yours.

Other The Canada Project highlights include:

LOCAL NEWS AND CURRENT AFFAIRS:

  • Beginning June 16 for 15 consecutive days leading into July 1, CityNews Toronto spotlights a different decade each day – beginning with 1867 – exploring Canada’s history and the historical issues…and what we think of those ideas now. Catch up on segments online at CityNews.ca and join the conversation at #DecadeOfTheDay. Have something to say about your Canadian experience – starting June 16, join the CityNews crew at noon in Toronto’s Dundas Square each day for a revival ofSpeakers’ Cornerâ„¢ and watch it on Facebook Live.
  • Wake up on Canada Day with a one-hour Breakfast Television special at 7 a.m. ET on City (check listings for local markets) that highlights our national pride. Driven by results from the exclusive Rogers Media The Canada Project survey, the special includes segments about what national and international events we’re most proud of, best sporting moment, favourite iconic Canadian food, and ultimate Canadian music hero.
  • On Canada Day weekend, OMNI Television presents Why I Chose Canada, a 30-minute special that profiles 10 people’s journey to Canada and what lead to their decision in choosing this country. Hear how some came seeking better opportunities while others came to escape political turmoil. Each person’s story is unique, but all share a common love for Canada. Reflecting the diverse languages and cultures of Canadians today, Why I Chose Canada will end with “O Canada” sung in multiple languages including Mandarin, Punjabi, Arabic, Italian, German, Spanish, Tagalog and more, courtesy of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra. Why I Chose Canada will air in English, with subtitled versions in Cantonese and Mandarin.

ENTERTAINMENT:

  • Entertainment City asked Canadian celebs what makes them proud to be Canadian and what they love most about our country. Non-Canadian stars chime in to share their best experience about Canada and Canadians.
  • Starting June 26, visit HELLO! Canada for a gallery/video to discover stars with surprising Canadian roots, an essay by Dustin Milligan on why he’s proud to be Canadian, and a gallery highlighting the Royals’ most memorable Canadian visits.

LIFESTYLE:

  • Cityline loves a celebration! Airing on City on Friday, June 23 at 8 p.m. ET, host Tracy Moore travels coast to coast with PC in Cityline Celebrates Canada 150, a one-hour special exploring truly Canadian food, products, and ideas to celebrate the holiday. Exclusive digital content delves into entertaining ideas, favourite Canadian holiday destinations, uniquely Canadian life hacks, and more.

* The Canada Project Survey Methodology:

Commissioned by Rogers Media, the survey was conducted online by Abacus Data with 1,515 Canadians aged 18+ on April 4 and 5, 2017. A random sample of panelists was invited to complete the survey from a large representative panel of over 500,000 Canadians. The data were weighted according to census data to ensure that the sample matched Canada’s population according to age, gender, educational attainment, and region. Totals may not add up to 100 due to rounding. The Marketing Research and Intelligence Association policy limits statements about margins of sampling error for most online surveys. The margin of error for a comparable probability-based random sample of 1,515 is +/- 2.6%, 19 times out of 20.

Facebooktwitterredditlinkedinmail