Media Beat: September 09, 2019

By David Farrell

What Was Said

Eat A Friend

At a summit about food last week some genius Swedish professor declared that we "must break down 'conservative' attitudes to cannibalism" and get ready to start eating humans.

The rationale for this brilliant idea was some logic-torturing nonsense about climate change. This is just what the climate consciousness movement needs -- imbeciles like this to make them a laughing stock.

But what a great opportunity for agencies. Think of the campaign possibilities...
   - The Man Your Man Can Taste Like
   - Great Taste. Less Fillings
   - Got Milkmen?

– Bob Hoffman, The Ad Contrarian

 TIFF's so money! Why Toronto slays at predicting box-office hits

The top prize at the Toronto International Film Festival has a surprising superpower.

Since 2000, movies that won the People's Choice Award at TIFF earned in total more than $3-billion US worldwide, compared to films that won Cannes' Palme d'Or, which made over $815-million, according to the movie industry database The Numbers. – CBC Radio

APTN turns 20: ‘We weren’t supposed to succeed’ 

The network was founded Sept. 1, 1999, in Winnipeg, Man., where it broadcasts a now-daily newscast to more than 11 million subscribers.

It produces a variety of news and current affairs content on air and online, operates two radio stations (in Toronto and Ottawa), while its reporters regularly win national journalism awards alongside Canada’s mainstream media outlets.

Failure, it seems, was not an option.

“The stakes were so high,” said David, an award-winning journalist and media trainer.

“We knew that if we failed… we wouldn’t be failing a network, a corporation, a company, we would be failing all Indigenous people – not just for now but for generations to come.” – Kathleen Martens, APTN News

How 9/11 made Gander into a tourist destination

Before 9/11, Gander was primarily known for its airport and strategic location on the east coast of Canada. During World War II, more than 20,000 Allied fighter planes and bombers took off from Gander’s airport, destined for battles across the Atlantic. In 1942, the Canadian military gained control of the airfield but returned it to civilian hands after armistice. By the 1950s, Gander was operating one of the busiest international airports in the world, though few passengers ventured beyond the terminal. The airport was basically a pump-and-go station for flights needing fuel for the ocean crossing. Locals would hitchhike up to the airport to buy ice cream and search for famous faces waiting to reboard, such as Elvis Presley; Frank Sinatra, who unsuccessfully tried to cut the food line; and Johnny Cash, who drunkenly fell off his bar stool at the Big Dipper Bar.

The advent of long-haul jets put an end to Gander’s golden aviation age, though a few planes, mainly from communist countries, continued to arrive. Often times, the aircraft left with empty seats, when defectors claimed political asylum on Canadian soil. – Andrea Sachs, The Washington Post

Ontario announces $350K grant for Canadian Film Centre

Lisa MacLeod has announced a $350,000 grant for a nationally-recognized film school and training centre for creators and entrepreneurs in television and media. The funding comes less than a month after Canadian band Billy Talent called out the minister over music fund cuts. – CBC News

Struggling media could get lift from Competition Bureau digital scrutiny

The Competition Bureau’s examination of possible anti-competitive practices by digital giants like Facebook and Google could offer a reprieve to the traditional media they “decimated,” but industry watchers say the step feels years behind action taken by other world powers.

The Competition Bureau announced Wednesday it wanted the public and businesses to provide it with confidential information on what companies in the digital economy may be doing to harm competition. – Aleksandra Sagan, The Canadian Press

Rogers lays off four as it ‘Reimagines’ Breakfast Television Vancouver; More Gone in Calgary, Montreal

Rogers Media laid off four staff members at Citytv’s Breakfast Television Vancouver on Thursday as the media giant prepares to “reimagine” its long-running TV morning show. Also Thursday, Rogers Media cancelled Montreal’s Breakfast Television, eliminating eight jobs, and laid off 11 people at Calgary’s Breakfast Television, which was put on hiatus until a Sept. 23 relaunch. – Scott Brown, Vancouver Sun

Mike McVay to keynote OAB Connection confab

Consultant Mike McVay spent 28 years at the head of McVay Media before joining Cumulus Media as SVP/Programming. He will share the mistakes he made and learned from as he journeyed through two CEO’s, two Boards of Directors, was promoted to EVP/Content & Programming for the USA’s second largest broadcast company and as head of programming for Westwood One Radio Networks. He will offer his experiences of how the company turned around under CEO Mary Berner, how the ratings grew consistently every month for nearly three years and how the company continues to be a leading content provider. Reservations and other details on the OAB website.

U.S. states launch antitrust probes of tech companies, focus on Facebook, Google

Two groups of U.S. state attorneys general on Friday announced separate antitrust probes of large tech companies such as Alphabet’s Google and Facebook.

The first probe, led by New York and including seven other states and the District of Columbia, focuses on Facebook. The second, announced by Texas and likely to include up to 40 other states, did not specify the targets among large tech companies but was expected to center on Google. – Diane Bartz, Reuters