By David Farrell
Jonathan Pie gets pissed on and pissed off about the sad little loser that was Liz Truss
Torstar owners hope to split up NordStar assets before end of year, sources say
Paul Rivett and Jordan Bitove aim to complete the difficult task of splitting up the assets of NordStar Capital Inc., which includes the Toronto Star, before the end of the year, according to two people familiar with the matter.
The pair are equal partners in NordStar, but a deep rift developed between them earlier this year and they can no longer work together, according to court documents. – Joe Castaldo, The Globe and Mail
'We got a lawsuit every week': How CBC's Marketplace began and why it's still thriving 50 years on
More than 1,000 episodes later, Marketplace continues to bust scams and fight for consumers.
‘Final nail in the coffin’: Why SiriusXM dropping CBC Radio 3 is ‘potentially catastrophic’ for Canadian artists
Earlier this month SiriusXM Canada quietly dropped CBC Radio 3 from its programming.
For fans of the beloved digital station, which curated an eclectic mix of indie and alternative music, the decision is inconvenient — listeners now have to visit CBC Music’s website to access the Radio 3 playlist.
But for many musicians, the change is potentially disastrous, as it eliminates royalty revenue generated from satellite radio — widely considered one of the last viable sources of income for independent Canadian artists. Insiders say that the move will make it even harder for musicians and local record labels to survive in an already precarious industry. – Richie Assaly, Toronto Star
Feds reject Rogers-Shaw deal, sets conditions for Freedom Mobile sale: Champagne
The federal government says it will not approve the wholesale transfer of wireless spectrum licenses from Shaw to Rogers, threatening the proposed merger of the two telecommunications giants unless new conditions are met.
Innovation and Economic Development Minister François-Philippe Champagne said Tuesday the decision, which he previously committed to earlier this year, was meant to promote competition in the sector. – Sean Boynton, Global News
How Canada opened the door 30 years ago to the dissent that threatens the nation today
Thirty years ago this week, Canada reached a rare, national-unity consensus — to never speak of the Constitution again.
From the moment the Charlottetown constitutional accord crashed and burned in a national referendum on Oct. 26, 1992, the country has emphatically embraced the belief that nothing good happens when we try to make changes to the fundamental law of the land.
For three decades, over four prime ministers, that taboo has held. Is Canada ever going to get over it? – Susan Delacourt, Toronto Star
Danielle Smith’s characterization of journalism as entertainment is a dismissal of democracy
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith – a former newspaper columnist and talk-show host – likened journalism to entertainment in remarks she made over the weekend. While suggesting stories about things such as city council decisions and constitutional crises are akin to some sort of amusing diversion might be good for a giggle – and thus somewhat entertaining – a premier’s critical lack of understanding of the media is no laughing matter. – Marsha Lederman, The Globe and Mail
Is Canadian Federalism in Trouble?
The Agenda examines the recent moves by several provinces to claim jurisdiction over areas they say the federal government is infringing upon. Host Steve Paikin asks: What does this indicate about the state of federalism in Canada?
Detaching from Democracy: What’s drawing young people to authoritarianism?
The idea that young people are the most liberal and progressive people you'll ever meet is being challenged as new studies show youth are detaching from democracy across the Anglosphere. Instead, they are finding forms of authoritarianism appealing. Fed up with the challenging generational hand they've been dealt, some are denouncing democratic institutions and looking towards strong leaders to quickly fix their problems. The Agenda’s Steve Paikin asks: Is Canada immune to this trend?
TikTok and Instagram are the only social networks that are growing as news sources for Americans
Adults under 30 are the most likely group to say they regularly get news on TikTok. About a quarter of Americans in this age group (26%) say they regularly get news there, higher than in 2021 and 2020. This compares with 10% of those ages 30 to 49, 4% of those 50 to 64 and just 1% of those 65 and older. – Katerina Eva Matsa, Pew Research Center
U.S. households with Live Pay-TV service subscriptions decline to 66%
The number of U.S. TV households with access to live pay-TV, whether via cable, satellite, Telco or an internet vMVPD subscription, has dropped to 66%, down from 88% a decade ago, according to the findings of new research from Leichtman Research Group (LRG).
The findings also highlight ongoing worries about the future of the pay-TV industry in that one-third of the respondents (34%) reported that they had never had a pay TV service. – Phil Kurz, tvtech
The Bruce Willis deepfake is everyone’s problem
Jean-Luc Godard once claimed, regarding cinema, “When I die, it will be the end.” Godard passed away last month; film perseveres. Yet artificial intelligence has raised a kindred specter: that humans may go obsolete long before their artistic mediums do. Novels scribed by GPT-3; art conjured by DALL·E—machines could be making art long after people are gone. Actors are not exempt. As deepfakes evolve, fears are mounting that future films, TV shows, and commercials may not need them at all.
Not even Bruce Willis. – Will Bedingfield, Wired
The days of cheap music streaming may be numbered
Apple Music gets a price hike, and Spotify may be ready to debut its Platinum Plan – Ariel Shapiro, The Verge
Apple issues new app store rules for Crypto and NFT payments
… in order for apps to sell NFTs and related services, they’ll have to go through Apple’s in-app purchase systems and “may not include buttons, external links, or other calls to action that direct customers to purchasing mechanisms other than in-app purchase.” – Vlad Savov, Bloomberg
Edison Podcast metrics
SVOD viewership up in Q3, led by Netflix
The handwringing over the market saturation of subscription streaming video services appears to be overblown. New data finds that almost all of the major SVOD platforms saw viewership gains in the third quarter (ended Sept. 30), led by Netflix with about 70% market share, according to new data from research firm Attest.
YouTube TV made the biggest gains of all the TV streaming services upping weekly U.S. users by six percentage points to 23%. – Erik Gruenwedel, Media Play News
Twitter is losing its most active users, internal documents show
"Is Twitter dying?" billionaire Elon Musk mused in April, five days before offering to buy the social media platform.
The reality, according to internal Twitter research seen by Reuters, goes far beyond the handful of examples of celebrities ghosting their own accounts. Twitter is struggling to keep its most active users - who are vital to the business - engaged, underscoring a challenge faced by the Tesla chief executive as he approaches a deadline to close his $44 billion deal to buy the company. – Sheila Dang, Reuters
The great podcast robbery? Sony and Spotify accused of stealing shows
The media giants have allegedly released ‘new’ podcasts mirroring those made by the likes of Gizzi Erskine and Pandora Sykes. So why is it so hard to make a case against them? – Danielle De Wolfe, The Guardian UK
Presenters leaving, viewers switching off... why US talk shows are past their prime
With hosts such as James Corden and Trevor Noah departing, and revenue declining, a 70-year-old late-night TV format is in turmoil. – Edward Helmore, The Guardian UK
Another bad week for truth
Former president Donald Trump's Truth Social social media platform had another bad week. Trump, who wouldn't know the truth if it sat on his face, took another major hit from a former colleague.
Former Trump Media and Technology Group executive and Truth Social partner, Will Wilkerson has turned whistleblower and told the SEC that the company used “fraudulent misrepresentations … in violation of federal securities laws” in its attempt to raise more than $1billion in investment money.
If it was any other former president this would be big news. But in the crooked world of this guy, the story hardly made a ripple. – Bob Hoffman, The Ad Contrarian
Dickheads and social media
And while we're on the subject...apparently the new status symbol among the world's greatest loudmouth egomaniacs is to own a social media platform. Well, that or a newsletter.
This week, ultra-douchebag Kanye West joined the parade of creeps who own social media platforms by agreeing to purchase Parler, a platform heavily used by the geniuses who planned the Jan. 6th riot in DC. – Bob Hoffman, The Ad Contrarian
