By David Farrell
Randy Bachman undun on CBC, but still takin’ care of business
After 16 years on the air with the pubcaster, CBC Music director Steve Jordan has cancelled the musician’s popular Saturday night Vinyl Tap flashback R&R show. But it ain’t over for the storyteller. According to the Globe and Mail’s Brad Wheeler, Bachman is currently in discussions with private radio networks in Canada to carry the show nationally. According to Wheeler, Bachman’s idea is to buy two hours of radio time on Saturday nights and finance the show with sponsors, rather than selling commercials.
“I’m already planning my next 12 episodes,” Bachman tells the Globe scribbler. “I’m going to continue my show, for my listeners, on channels they already listen to, which are classic rock stations. I am going forward.”
Story by story, Canada’s news media built Indigenous oppression
On July 6, 1885, Sir John A. Macdonald rose in Parliament to reaffirm the by then well-established colonial portrait of Indigenous peoples as a danger to society and spreaders of illness. “I have not hesitated to tell this House, again and again, that we could not always hope to maintain peace with the Indians; that the savage was still a savage, and that until he ceased to be savage, we were always in danger of a collision, in danger of war, in danger of an outbreak,” he said.
The quote is included in Bob Joseph’s book 21 Things You May Not Know About the Indian Act, an excellent primer on the cruel and racist legislation that continues to oppress First Nations. – Katłįà (Catherine) Lafferty, The Tyee
Canadian media needs more innovation, not concentration
Bell Media and Corus also receive – by far – the most amount of funding from the Canada Media Fund’s Performance Envelope Program – $30 and $40 million respectively while many Independents receive a pittance. No doubt the merged company would find a way to get even more out of the CMF, leaving less – if that’s possible – for everyone else.
This means if the two largest companies – the two who are receiving by far the largest benefits of the Canadian system – were to merge now, they could kick the can down the road a bit further, avoid innovation and take the benefits they have in the system to their bottom line. In the meantime, the companies which are trying to scale their niches internationally are provided with little or no support from the CMF and are being rapidly diminished – or worse – in the established broadcasting system. – Brad Danks, CARTT
TekSavvy launches appeal of CRTC’s decision on wholesale broadband rates
In documents filed with the Federal Court of Appeal on Monday, Teksavvy argues that the CRTC erred by reverting to the 2016 interim rates instead of again going through the process of calculating the cost of providing service.
Teksavvy also argues in court documents that CRTC Chair Ian Scott’s 2019 meeting with BCE Inc.’s chief executive Mirko Bibic at an Ottawa bar with no other CRTC staff present violates the regulator’s own guidelines around meetings with stakeholders. Mr. Bibic was BCE’s chief operating officer at the time of that meeting, which was first reported by the Toronto Star. A spokesperson for BCE declined to comment on the meeting between Mr. Bibic and Mr. Scott or on Teksavvy’s appeal. – Alexandra Posadzki, The Globe and Mail
Eric Alper’s unflappable Twitterings
The throughline is a childlike enthusiasm for music and an unflappable air of positivity, which Alper’s followers find refreshing and his detractors find grating. Alper’s online persona is defined by this positivity, which sometimes seems as out of place on Twitter as a clavinet on a Black Flag album. He’s like the human embodiment of BuzzFeed’s old “No haters” motto. As one of his fans recently put it: “All he wants to talk about is the music. Could be a terrible day with 4k Covid deaths and Capitol riot and he's all ‘What's the best rock duet with piano?’ and I am soothed.” – Zach Schonfeld, Billboard
Facebook rejects talks with Australia publisher, may test online law
Australia’s competition watchdog is looking into a claim that Facebook Inc. refused a publisher’s request to negotiate a licensing deal, the regulator told Reuters, setting the stage for the first test of the world’s toughest online content law.
The knock-back could present the first test of a controversial mechanism unique to Australia’s effort to claw back advertising dollars from Google and Facebook: If they refuse to negotiate license fees with publishers, a government-appointed arbitrator may step in. – Byron Kaye, Reuters
Danish media collective formed to negotiate with US tech companies
A collective of Danish media companies has been formed to negotiate with major US tech companies, such as Google and Facebook, over payment for online use of their material. The group, which includes state broadcaster DR; TV2; Berlingske; JP/Politikens Hus; and Zetland, is based upon the EU Copyright Directive which entered into force in June 2019 and gives publishers the right to claim revenue payments for the use of their online content. – Mathew Broughton, ExchangeWire
BuzzFeed becomes digital media test case as industry waits to find out investor interest
BuzzFeed will be the industry’s guinea pig — the first of its kind to test public investor appetite. Vice, Vox Media, Group Nine, Bustle and other digital media companies have all discussed going public via SPAC with varying timelines. BuzzFeed’s total unique visitors and time spent among millennials and Generation Z dwarf its competition, according to the investor presentation Buzzfeed released Thursday, making it a logical candidate to be first out of the gate. – Alex Sherman, CNBC
Stung by media coverage, Silicon Valley starts Its own publications
Companies and investors are trying to regain control of the narrative by launching their own media publications, with rah-rah stories that they hope will compete directly with news coverage of technology.
The most recent entrant into this trend is Andreessen Horowitz's Future, which bills itself as "the future of media." The site consists mostly of techno-optimistic articles written by people who have a financial stake in the ideas they are pitching, many from companies backed by Andreessen Horowitz. – Bobby Allyn, NPR
Amazon Music Unlimited customers can get 6 months of Disney+ for free
Starting June 28, Amazon Music Unlimited customers are eligible for up to six free months of Disney+. New Amazon Music Unlimited customers in the U.S. and Canada are eligible for 6 months of Disney+ for free while existing Amazon Music Unlimited customers in the U.S. and Canada can get 3 months of Disney+ for free. – Jess Barnes, Cord Cutters News
Putin signs law forcing foreign social media giants to open Russian offices
The Russian authorities are keen to strengthen their control of the internet and to reduce their dependence on foreign companies and countries.
In particular, they have objected in the past to political opponents of the Kremlin using foreign social media platforms to organise what they say are illegal protests and to publicise politically-tinged investigations into alleged corruption. – Reuters
