By David Farrell
Marilyn Denis Show concluding after 13 seasons
“After 13 wonderful seasons, I’ve decided that this is the last season of this show,” Denis, 64, said, fighting back tears. “I want to be clear, I’m not retiring, and I’m very, very healthy.”
Denis isn’t quitting the business entirely. The veteran broadcaster will continue to co-host the Marilyn Denis and Jamar radio show weekday mornings on CHUM 104.5, and her iHeartRadio podcast Marilyn Denis Does a Podcast. – Mark Daniel, Toronto Sun
iHeart U.S. programming whiz added to CMW’s Radiodays line-up
Tom Poleman, Chief Programming Officer and President of National Programming for iHeartMedia in the US, has been added as a marquee addition to Canadian Music Week’s Radiodays line-up. The youthful and decorated programming and events whiz for the dominant American broadcast chain is featured in a one-on-one interview.
As per the announcement: An example of his leadership and innovation is when he changed the trajectory of New York City's iconic Z100 station. Poleman introduced Elvis Duran in mornings, brought back the mainstream top-40 format, and created the Jingle Ball concert that has become a nationwide tour. Today, Z100 is one of the most listened-to top-40 stations in the nation. More about him here and here.
CMW this year is headquartered at the Westin Harbour Castle, Toronto-June 5-10.
Why CBC isn’t the enemy — no matter what Pierre Poilievre and Elon Musk may think
Since buying Twitter, Musk has leaned heavily into easily disprovable right-wing conspiracy theories — for instance, he promulgated the repellent lie that the home invasion attack on Paul Pelosi, the husband of prominent Democratic Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi, was a gay tryst gone wrong. Equating the BBC and NPR to state propaganda was in keeping with Musk’s fart-cushion childishness of late, and his habits.
Pierre Poilievre has habits of his own, and an audience to court. So he posted an open letter to Musk… – Bruce Arthur, Toronto Star
… The government portrays itself as a defender of the independent press, typically pointing to media funding, both in the form of increases to the CBC allocation and tax policy that supports other media outlets. Yet cutting big cheques is not the same defending an independent press. In fact, its recent policies have had the opposite effect. For example, Bill C-18 turns every media outlet in the country – television, radio and newspaper – into a potential beneficiary of Internet platform money, creating a significant conflict of interest along the way. Indeed, coverage of the bill has been a case study in the blurring of the editorial and business interests of Canadian media, one welcomed by politicians who benefit from favourable one-sided news coverage with newspapers, in particular, loath to criticize the government as they run a steady stream of favourable op-eds. – Michael Geist
Freedom Mobile’s new owner comes out swinging — pledging to undercut Bell, Telus and Rogers by 20%
After combining with Freedom, Pierre Karl Péladeau’s Montreal-based telecom company Videotron is now the fourth-largest wireless carrier in Canada, with 3.5 million customers, a footprint in Quebec, Ontario, British Columbia and Alberta, and ambitions to expand to Manitoba. – Christine Dobby, Toronto Star
Corus Ent.’s fiscal 2023 Q2 results
Consolidated revenue decreased 5% for the quarter and 6% for the year-to-date
Consolidated segment profit) decreased 32% for the quarter and 28% for the year-to-date
Consolidated segment profit margin of 17% for the quarter and 25% for the year-to-date
Net loss attributable to shareholders of $15.5 million ($0.08 loss per share basic) for the quarter and net income attributable to shareholders of $15.9 million ($0.08 per share basic) for the year-to-date
Net debt to segment profit of 3.59 times on February 28, 2023, up from 3.02 times on August 31, 2022
Free cash flow of $28.4 million for the quarter and $49.2 million for the year-to-date. – Corus media release
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Nominations open for 2023 Allan Waters Young Broadcaster of the Year
Nominations for the 14th annual award, recognizing a young Canadian broadcaster, can come from anyone working in the industry who meets the following criteria:
Candidates must be under 30 years of age as of Dec. 31, 2022.
Must work in the programming department: On-Air, Programming, Promotion, Production or Creative.
Must be nominated by another individual working in the radio industry.
Must be a Canadian Citizen or Landed Immigrant.
Must have made a significant, documented contribution to the community they serve, the radio industry or their craft.
Dominion Voting Systems and Fox reach last-minute $787M settlement defamation lawsuit
lawyer Justin Nelson called the settlement "a tremendous victory" and noted that there are six more lawsuits pending regarding election claims.
Dominion was originally founded in Toronto by John Poulos and James Hoover. – CBC News
Broadcast archivists, and fans will want to know about this online resource
WorldRadioHistory.com is a portal offering a library of radio, TV, music, and electronics publications from the 20s through today including Broadcasting Magazine, Billboard, Popular Electronics and Canadian Broadcaster. With a shout out to Doug Thompson who brought the resource to our attention and who is involved with a homegrown version–the virtual Canadian Broadcast Museum or Aireum as it is officially titled.
Google CEO Sundar Pichai discusses the pros and cons of AI
Notable
Senate debates passing Bill C-11 without further changes – CTV News
The low productivity of Canadian companies threatens our living standards – Policy Options
Your ChatGPT idea could leave you with an eye-watering legal bill: If OpenAI gets sued for something you’ve done using their products, including ChatGPT, you are considered the one liable for “any claims, losses, and expenses (including attorneys’ fees)”. – Muskaan Saxena, TechRadar
The best places to work in Canada and the tech companies dominate - blogTo
Quantum light source goes fully on-chip, bringing scalability to the quantum cloud – PhysOrg
Apple has launched an Apple Card savings account, offering 4.15% interest – TechCrunch
Parking meter for stranded Russian plane Hits $330,000 at the Toronto airport – The Wall Street Journal
Why tech companies can no longer ignore their role in shaping politics and society – Global Voices
The Independent Production Fund (IPF) and the Canada Media Fund (CMF) have approved financing for 30 scripted short-form series as part of the 2023 Development Packaging Program – Canadian Media Fund
Canadian broadcaster halts Twitter use after being labeled ‘government-funded media’ – Associated Press
