By David Farrell
Liberals pledge to move ahead with taxing digital giants
The policy commitment comes one week after U.S. officials threatened sanctions on France — including possible tariffs up to 100 percent on French wine and cheese — after concluding in a report that the country’s digital giants tax “discriminates against U.S. companies” such as Google, Apple, Facebook, and Amazon. — Zi-Ann Lum, HuffPost
Rogers announces plans to drop AMC
Against a backdrop of cord-cutting and declining revenues for traditional cable, Rogers subscribers may soon lose access to shows such as “The Walking Dead” and “Better Call Saul,” thanks to the latest salvo in the ongoing battle between AMC and television providers. — Peter Nowak, The Star
CRTC announces new plan to help prevent nuisance phone calls
Canada’s federal telecom regulator said Monday that telecom companies have until the end of next September to implement a new tool that puts the onus on carriers to recognize suspicious calls amid a scourge of caller ID spoofing that has seen fraudsters pose as Canada Revenue Agency auditors to defraud consumers. — Michael Lewis, The Star
Jimmy Pattison in Dubai for Ripley’s launch in Global Village
At 91, Jimmy Pattison is still going strong. Last week he was present for the opening of the latest Ripley’s Believe it or Not! that is the latest feature added to Dubai’s 17,200,000 sq ft Global Village, billed as the world's largest tourism, leisure, shopping and entertainment complex that reportedly attracts a many as 5M visitors annually. Pavilions inside let visitors take selfies against recreations of iconic structures such as Big Ben, the leaning tower of Pisa and the Taj Mahal. — Gulf Today
Nathan Downer switching from CP24 to co-anchor CTV News Toronto
During Monday’s six o’clock newscast, Downer joined Michelle Dubé and Ken Shaw on the anchor desk and was introduced to viewers as Shaw’s successor.
Shaw has been anchoring for CTV News at noon and 6:00 p.m. since April 2001, originally alongside Christine Bentley; he currently co-hosts with Michelle Dubé. His last day will be Jan. 6. You can read about Downer’s colourful backstory here, and watch him coolly under fire in an interview he did with Mike Tyson several years back.
What Taylor Swift can teach you about radio performance
She’s obviously wildly successful, wealthy and a household word. You may not like her music, but regardless of your opinion, Taylor Swift sets examples for radio performance.
Hard work and innovation are at the heart of success in any field, and this is no exception. Taylor has developed an influential presence through an amazing work ethic.
But she has also been smart.
Performing a radio show is hard, and many personalities tend to fall into a pattern. Soon a radio show becomes a production line as one day blends into another.
It’s okay, but it’s not delighting fans. — Tracy Johnson Media
Songs with big stories
Minutes To Midnight: After 1989: A Trip to Freedom
Working under the name Minutes To Midnight, bassist and sound designer Simone Silvestroni has created a concept album around his grandfather’s escape from a Nazi concentration camp, and his own journey to find answers to his past 30 years after the fall of the Berlin Wall.
Tara Shannon, (Bein’ a mommy is a) Mutha
The Ottawa singer-songwriter and mum to seven children co-wrote this theme song with Roxie Dean as an anthem for every mother out there who is taxed to the max but resolute in her love for family and wee ones. Video directed by Miranda Handford.
