Life has changed for all of us in recent weeks. Each day brings a new set of challenges and opportunities as we adapt to ensure Canadians continue to have access to reliable communications networks across the country. More than ever, Canada’s communications system plays a vital role in our lives.
Broadcasters are doing their best to help Canadians navigate their way through the Covid-19 pandemic by disseminating accurate and high-quality news and information updates, despite facing some challenges. For its part, the telecommunications sector is working diligently to maintain a high level of service so we can all stay connected professionally and personally. And even though there may be occasions when networks are more congested, we know service providers are trying to resolve any issues in a timely manner.
We are paying close attention to the ever-shifting landscape, adjusting our work accordingly and dealing with urgent matters expeditiously. Where we can the CRTC has extended deadlines and postponed or rescheduled public hearings. As well, we are delaying the launch of certain new proceedings. We know the industry’s primary focus, presently, is on the delivery of services to Canadians.
We encourage you to consult our open proceedings page, as well as the Secretary General’s letters, for the latest information. Please keep checking the page regularly to see what deadlines may have changed.
In the meantime, we appreciate the continued efforts to ensure Canadians stay well-informed, engaged with work and entertained during this difficult period. – Ian Scott, CRTC Chair & CEO
“What I am saying is until there is a vaccine available, the reality of Covid-19 will still be with us,” Trudeau said, in French, during his daily press conference outside his Ottawa home. “And so for the months that that will take, and there are some estimates that say six or eight months, some say a year or a year and a half, we will have to be vigilant.” – Zi-Ann Lum & Althia Raj, HuffPost
The karmic king of all things rock ‘n’ roll, sports and media relations returns to the mic with The Joey Vendetta Show Saturdays on Sportsnet radio stations in Toronto (Fan 590), Vancouver (Fan 650) and Calgary (Fan 960) from noon-3:00 EST. His rebirth behind the mic is Easter Saturday with LA Kings legend Luc Robitaille in hour one, Baltimore Orioles/MASN Network owner John Angelos in hour 2 and NHL all-time great Doug Gilmour in hour 3.
“Each Saturday from noon to 3 pm EST we take an in-depth view of the week’s biggest sports stories with some irreverent entertainment and sports business thrown in for good measure while teeing off on the latest breaking hot button topics,” Joey ‘Vendetta’ Scoleri explains. Continuing: “We’ll talk to name guests who offer one of a kind insights and unique stories. The personal relationships we have in sports & entertainment will create an engaging, enthralling and entertaining experience to deliver a prime audio experience. The audience will also play a large part in the show via call-in & social media.”
Mark Boffo and Andrew Holland will be producing the show and “we may reach out to some of you as guests in the future,” Vendetta advises. Oh, and podcasts are to be available on the usual platforms too.
Scolari (Vendetta) is a regular on the network in addition to handling his temporarily furloughed post at Live Nations as head of industry relations.
Newsrooms across the country are largely empty, with video conferencing the key connection point for staff all day long.
Many of our radio hosts are broadcasting live-to-air from home (see some of them in action in the photo gallery above).
Staff are also producing our biggest TV programs, including The National and CBC News Network, from home, with only a core group left in our buildings. – Brodie Fenlon, CBC News
Canadians place their trust in professional journalism over unregulated social media platforms like Facebook. And with the media industry experiencing layoffs and closures due to Covid-19, a clear majority believes that the federal government should treat the media crisis as an emergency. These are some of the findings of a new survey released Thursday morning, conducted by Nanos Research for Friends of Canadian Broadcasting. – The Suburban
In a remarkable display of solidarity and affection, 26 local Toronto musicians of note came together separately to record a song that is intended both as a lift for the city and a kindly nod to the radio station that has forever been a strong supporter of their endeavours. Below, before the spliced video segments used in the song, a brief note sent to us yesterday by Lorrie Russell, VP/MD, JAZZ.FM
I am a regular reader of your great publication.
I thought I would send this to you.
Never in my career in radio, have I seen this kind of collaboration from great local musicians, to show gratitude for a station. Our station, the only one in Canada, dedicated to jazz and to our local community.
JAZZ.FM91, Canada’s Jazz, and the only non-profit radio station dedicated to jazz music development in Canada.
Perhaps a bit of a sell; maybe just a good “feel-good story.
Be safe, be well. And thanks for your continued great content.
NewsCo is expected to launch within the next year, with Canopy’s 15 staff swelling its team to “approximately two-dozen people” – so they’ll clearly have a big impact on its development. The bittersweet element of this news is that it seemingly puts the kibosh on any hopes that Canopy’s technology will be put to work on music discovery. – Stuart Dredge, music:)ally
JVC Media’s portfolio of 11 US radio stations has announced a campaign to support local businesses in its Florida and New York markets. The message is simple. In Florida call the Quarantine Speed Advertising line at 407-647-5332, in New York call 631-542-5441, and leave a 30-second voicemail showcasing your business. The JVC team will produce the message and play it on the appropriate radio station free of charge.
JVC/New York Executive VP Bruce Shepard added, “Consumers are spending less time in cars, at concerts, and other out of home locations. With consumers hunkered down in their homes with radios and smart speakers playing radio stations, radio wins. Listeners want interaction, not just a playlist. We have been overwhelmed with calls to our Pandemic Business Shout out and we are happy to help local businesses get the word out”.
JVC Media president and CEO John Caracciolo said, “This is the time for radio to shine. We are not closed, we are not automated, we are live, local, and serving our local communities. I don’t see the streaming or satellite services offering something like that.”
The company founded in 2008 derives its initials from its founder John Caracciolo. It is not associated with the electronics company with the same initials.
At a 2014 Fox Business panel, Kayleigh McEnany was all smiles. Sitting next to her was Gavin McInnes, the co-founder of the white nationalist group Proud Boys. Her smiles persisted even as he said that Muslims are genetically inferior because of “inbreeding”.
She also appeared to agree with McInnes when he argued that Muslims are “totally irrational”. – Ali Harb, Middle East Eye
Event cancellations and shutdowns due to Covid-19 have wiped out hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue from the hands of artists, promoters and venues. In response, music live streams are popping up globally at a rate we’ve never seen before — from artists doing spontaneous performances and DJ sets from their living rooms, to major initiatives like UnCancelled and Minecraft’s in-game showcases bringing the exploratory, all-you-can-eat, multi-stage experience of a festival into a virtual environment.
Amidst this ongoing surge in activity, one important element has been surprisingly under-addressed: Licensing. – Water & Music, Patreon
Meyers is learning how to assemble a late-night show from his attic during a global pandemic, but wishes he didn’t have to: “I would love this to end while I am still shitty at it.” – Julie Miller, Vanity Fair
Private equity has made multibillionaires of executives like Blackstone’s Steve Schwarzman (net worth: $17.5 billion) and Apollo’s Leon Black ($7.5 billion). Thanks to the $2 trillion bipartisan bailout bill, the industry’s coronavirus losses will belong to all of us. – Bethany McLean, Vanity Fair
RIP
Bill Anderson, Canadian broadcaster, died April 5, at age 70. There will be a private family interment (Anderson; Capizzano; Kelly) at the Kelly Family Cemetery in Baysville at a later date. What follows is written by his longstanding partner, Heather Kelly.
Most of you know that Bill (Anderson) died at home early Sunday morning. He’d suffered from a virulent variety of lymphoma for the past eleven months. He decided right at the beginning this was not a fight or battle he was engaging in; he preferred a more positive attitude of managing the disease and treatment and to live his life as long as he had it. He quit his consulting job and retired with surprising ease.
We both turned 70 in 2019 and had planned a year-long celebration as opposed to a big party; with cancer added to the mix, it became even more important to move ahead with the celebrating. We shared a love of music, he, much more eclectic; me, more rock and roll. We began our year of celebration at a concert at Koerner Hall with the Canadian group Lighthouse, and the party went on through last summer. Even after a day of chemo last July, he was raring to go to see Jeff Lynne’s ELO; we saw Queen with Adam Lambert, two Classic Albums Live concerts and he even suffered through a Def Leppard blast-a-rama in Hamilton. The man loved me, what can I say? We had such fun!
Throughout, we spent countless hours at Princess Margaret Hospital at their Chemo Day Clinic, waiting to do blood tests, waiting for chemo to be prepared, many lumbar punctures, CT Scans, PET Scans, and radiation. Luckily there were few side effects and our life carried on, even as he grew weaker. I cannot say enough about the wonderful, warm medical people we met. They are saints truly, helping, caring, listening with their hearts.
At our niece’s wedding last September, the family started to notice changes – up to this point, Bill had not told anybody (other than Mike and Caroline, my son and his wife) about his illness – but it was time. Bill was a shy, private guy, but when the decision was made, he took the step to reveal his illness with courage.
When we knew that the latest chemo wasn’t working and he’d grown too weak to continue, we retreated to our little treehouse in the sky (we live at the top of a four-story apartment building in the middle of Rosedale and have a 60-foot spruce tree we can almost touch from the balcony). We got a hospital bed, lots of help from PSWs and nurses and warm supportive counsel from the PMH Palliative Care Team.
Bill died on Sunday morning at 6:20 am; it was pre-dawn, quiet, just the two of us together. It was like he orchestrated it himself – just the way he wanted it.
Bill was born in London, Ontario and lived there and in Lucan until he left home at about 17; three brothers and nieces and nephews still live there. He worked in radio as an operator at many radio stations, London, Windsor, Vancouver and in Toronto at CHUM and Q-107, so now you see where the love and knowledge of music developed. He also did a stint in promotions at CBS Records, working with a variety of musical groups – one of his prized possessions is a platinum album given to him by the members of Loverboy for their self-titled album in November 1980. He met and worked with Dolly Parton, Roy Orbison, Dylan, Elton John, Bob Seger and the Stones to name a few.
Later he worked as Canadian Director of Marketing for Subway Sandwiches, meeting and making many close friends. When Subway Head Office in Milford CT decided that Canada was no different than the U.S. and didn’t need any different marketing strategy (sound familiar?), he was turfed out. He then went on to do consulting for a variety of businesses until the illness took over. He’d originally planned to retire this coming June, but instead, retirement happened immediately after the diagnosis.
We’d travelled four times to Montepulciano in Tuscany, a heavenly, beautiful place, where we ate like kings and drank pure ambrosia and generally lived ’the life’. It was good we went when we were both healthy and had the energy.
I met Bill in December of 1987 at a group therapy weekend – we always laughed and said we were just two fuck-ups trying to get through life. Therapy saved our relationship and our lives and we owe so much to our loving compassionate therapist who helped us navigate life to the end. Marilyn, your love is a gift, and I thank you from my whole heart.
Bill and I eloped to Vermont to get married by a Justice of the Peace in the stunning Montpellier Inn; we’d done a road trip to New England when we turned 40 and fell in love with all the beautiful old country inns. Our honeymoon was spent at the Inn at Weathersfield Vermont; the owners, an older couple treated us royally – she was the chef and he serenaded us on piano with ‘Making Whoopee’. My mother, a staunch Catholic, wondered if our union was legal in Canada! She came to love Bill and his sweet nature, particularly after he reorganized the cottage kitchen cupboards and brought her a rosary from the Vatican, blessed by the Pope!
Bill meant something special to everyone he met; friend, conspirator, playmate, verbal jouster, a joker, often sarcastic, and very quick with the quips. He was a Virgo, very particular in his work and personal life. He loved design and staging – I’d often come home to find him rearranging furniture. He had a keen eye for detail, placement, and a feng shui attitude that he used to make every space we lived in warm, inviting and safe. Efficient use of space and an ability to visualize a dump transforming to a palace was incredibly satisfying fun for him.
Each of you knew him in a certain way and had a special relationship that you’ll miss as I will. I didn’t mean this to go on so long, but I needed to say these things and there is no better opportunity. Hopefully you know him a bit better now.
Attached is a short announcement Bill wrote along with a Spotify link to a playlist he had a lot of fun putting together; ‘Songs That Shaped My Life’. Listen and remember a very good man we all will miss.
Enjoy – my love and gratitude for all the kindness and comfort you have extended to me.
Sutherland House Experts is Empowering Quiet Experts through Compelling Nonfiction in a Changing Ideas Landscape
TORONTO, ON — Almost one year after its launch, Sutherland House Experts is reshaping the publishing industry with its innovative co-publishing model for “quiet experts.” This approach, where expert authors share both costs and profits with the publisher, is bridging the gap between expertise and public discourse. Helping to drive this transformation is Neil Seeman, a renowned author, educator, and entrepreneur.
“The book publishing world is evolving rapidly,” publisher Neil Seeman explains. “There’s a growing hunger for expert voices in public dialogue, but traditional channels often fall short. Sutherland House Experts provides a platform for ‘quiet experts’ to share their knowledge with the broader book-reading audience.”
The company’s roster boasts respected thought leaders whose books are already gaining major traction:
• V. Kumar Murty, a world-renowned mathematician, and past Fields Institute director, just published “The Science of Human Possibilities” under the new press. The book has been declared a 2024 “must-read” by The Next Big Ideas Club and is receiving widespread media attention across North America.
• Eldon Sprickerhoff, co-founder of cybersecurity firm eSentire, is seeing strong pre-orders for his upcoming book, “Committed: Startup Survival Tips and Uncommon Sense for First-Time Tech Founders.”
• Dr. Tony Sanfilippo, a respected cardiologist and professor of medicine at Queen’s University, is generating significant media interest with his forthcoming book, “The Doctors We Need: Imagining a New Path for Physician Recruitment, Training, and Support.”
Seeman, whose recent and acclaimed book, “Accelerated Minds,” explores the entrepreneurial mindset, brings a unique perspective to publishing. His experience as a Senior Fellow at the University of Toronto’s Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, and academic affiliations with The Fields Institute and Massey College, give him deep insight into the challenges faced by people he calls “quiet experts.”
“Our goal is to empower quiet, expert authors to become entrepreneurs of actionable ideas the world needs to hear,” Seeman states. “We are blending scholarly insight with market savvy to create accessible, impactful narratives for a global readership. Quiet experts are people with decades of experience in one or more fields who seek to translate their insights into compelling non-fiction for the world,” says Seeman.
This fall, Seeman is taking his insights to the classroom. He will teach the new course, “The Writer as Entrepreneur,” at the University of Toronto, offering aspiring authors practical tools to navigate the evolving book publishing landscape. To enroll in this new weekly night course starting Tuesday, October 1st, visit: https://learn.utoronto.ca/programs-courses/courses/4121-writer-entrepreneur
“The entrepreneurial ideas industry is changing rapidly,” Seeman notes. “Authors need new skills to thrive in this dynamic environment. My course and our publishing model provide those tools.”
About Neil Seeman: Neil Seeman is co-founder and publisher of Sutherland House Experts, an author, educator, entrepreneur, and mental health advocate. He holds appointments at the University of Toronto, The Fields Institute, and Massey College. His work spans entrepreneurship, public health, and innovative publishing models.
Hallmark launching a streaming service with two new original series, and Bill Skarsgård out for revenge in “Boy Kills World” are some of the new television, films, music and games headed to a device near you.
Also among the streaming offerings worth your time as selected by The Associated Press’ entertainment journalists: Alex Garland’s “Civil War” starring Kirsten Dunst, Natasha Rothwell’s heartfelt comedy for Hulu called “How to Die Alone” and Sylvester Stallone’s second season of “Tulsa King” debuts.
NEW MOVIES TO STREAM SEPT. 9-15
— Alex Garland’s “Civil War” is finally making its debut on MAX on Friday. The film stars Kirsten Dunst as a veteran photojournalist covering a violent war that’s divided America; She reluctantly allows an aspiring photographer, played by Cailee Spaeny, to tag along as she, an editor (Stephen McKinley Henderson) and a reporter (Wagner Moura) make the dangerous journey to Washington, D.C., to interview the president (Nick Offerman), a blustery, rising despot who has given himself a third term, taken to attacking his citizens and shut himself off from the press. In my review, I called it a bellowing and haunting experience; Smart and thought-provoking with great performances. It’s well worth a watch.
— Joey King stars in Netflix’s adaptation of Scott Westerfeld’s “Uglies,” about a future society in which everyone is required to have beautifying cosmetic surgery at age 16. Streaming on Friday, McG directed the film, in which King’s character inadvertently finds herself in the midst of an uprising against the status quo. “Outer Banks” star Chase Stokes plays King’s best friend.
— Bill Skarsgård is out for revenge against the woman (Famke Janssen) who killed his family in “Boy Kills World,” coming to Hulu on Friday. Moritz Mohr directed the ultra-violent film, of which Variety critic Owen Gleiberman wrote: “It’s a depraved vision, yet I got caught up in its kick-ass revenge-horror pizzazz, its disreputable commitment to what it was doing.”
— The year was 2006. Snow Patrol, the Northern Irish-Scottish alternative rock band, released an album, “Eyes Open,” producing the biggest hit of their career: “Chasing Cars.” A lot has happened in the time since — three, soon to be four quality full-length albums, to be exact. On Friday, the band will release “The Forest Is the Path,” their first new album in seven years. Anthemic pop-rock is the name of the game across songs of love and loss, like “All,”“The Beginning” and “This Is the Sound Of Your Voice.”
— For fans of raucous guitar music, Jordan Peele’s 2022 sci-fi thriller, “NOPE,” provided a surprising, if tiny, thrill. One of the leads, Emerald “Em” Haywood portrayed by Keke Palmer, rocks a Jesus Lizard shirt. (Also featured through the film: Rage Against the Machine, Wipers, Mr Bungle, Butthole Surfers and Earth band shirts.) The Austin noise rock band are a less than obvious pick, having been signed to the legendary Touch and Go Records and having stopped releasing new albums in 1998. That changes on Friday the 13th, when “Rack” arrives. And for those curious: The Jesus Lizard’s intensity never went away.
— Hallmark launched a streaming service called Hallmark+ on Tuesday with two new original series, the scripted drama “The Chicken Sisters” and unscripted series “Celebrations with Lacey Chabert.” If you’re a Hallmark holiday movies fan, you know Chabert. She’s starred in more than 30 of their films and many are holiday themed. Off camera, Chabert has a passion for throwing parties and entertaining. In “Celebrations,” deserving people are surprised with a bash in their honor — planned with Chabert’s help. “The Chicken Sisters” stars Schuyler Fisk, Wendie Malick and Lea Thompson in a show about employees at rival chicken restaurants in a small town. The eight-episode series is based on a novel of the same name.
— Natasha Rothwell of “Insecure” and “The White Lotus” fame created and stars in a new heartfelt comedy for Hulu called “How to Die Alone.” She plays Mel, a broke, go-along-to-get-along, single, airport employee who, after a near-death experience, makes the conscious decision to take risks and pursue her dreams. Rothwell has been working on the series for the past eight years and described it to The AP as “the most vulnerable piece of art I’ve ever put into the world.” Like Mel, Rothwell had to learn to bet on herself to make the show she wanted to make. “In the Venn diagram of me and Mel, there’s significant overlap,” said Rothwell. It premieres Friday on Hulu.
— Shailene Woodley, DeWanda Wise and Betty Gilpin star in a new drama for Starz called “Three Women,” about entrepreneur Sloane, homemaker Lina and student Maggie who are each stepping into their power and making life-changing decisions. They’re interviewed by a writer named Gia (Woodley.) The series is based on a 2019 best-selling book of the same name by Lisa Taddeo. “Three Women” premieres Friday on Starz.
— Sylvester Stallone’s second season of “Tulsa King” debuts Sunday on Paramount+. Stallone plays Dwight Manfredi, a mafia boss who was recently released from prison after serving 25 years. He’s sent to Tulsa to set up a new crime syndicate. The series is created by Taylor Sheridan of “Yellowstone” fame.
— One thing about the title of Focus Entertainment’s Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 — you know exactly what you’re in for. You are Demetrian Titus, a genetically enhanced brute sent into battle against the Tyranids, an insectoid species with an insatiable craving for human flesh. You have a rocket-powered suit of armor and an arsenal of ridiculous weapons like the “Chainsword,” the “Thunderhammer” and the “Melta Rifle,” so what could go wrong? Besides the squishy single-player mode, there are cooperative missions and six-vs.-six free-for-alls. You can suit up now on PlayStation 5, Xbox X/S or PC.
— Likewise, Wild Bastards isn’t exactly the kind of title that’s going to attract fans of, say, Animal Crossing. It’s another sci-fi shooter, but the protagonists are a gang of 13 varmints — aliens and androids included — who are on the run from the law. Each outlaw has a distinctive set of weapons and special powers: Sarge, for example, is a robot with horse genes, while Billy the Squid is … well, you get the idea. Australian studio Blue Manchu developed the 2019 cult hit Void Bastards, and this Wild-West-in-space spinoff has the same snarky humor and vibrant, neon-drenched cartoon look. Saddle up on PlayStation 5, Xbox X/S, Nintendo Switch or PC.
Former President Donald Trump is on the brink of a significant financial decision that could have far-reaching implications for both his personal wealth and the future of his fledgling social media company, Trump Media & Technology Group (TMTG). As the lockup period on his shares in TMTG, which owns Truth Social, nears its end, Trump could soon be free to sell his substantial stake in the company. However, the potential payday, which makes up a large portion of his net worth, comes with considerable risks for Trump and his supporters.
Trump’s stake in TMTG comprises nearly 59% of the company, amounting to 114,750,000 shares. As of now, this holding is valued at approximately $2.6 billion. These shares are currently under a lockup agreement, a common feature of initial public offerings (IPOs), designed to prevent company insiders from immediately selling their shares and potentially destabilizing the stock. The lockup, which began after TMTG’s merger with a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC), is set to expire on September 25, though it could end earlier if certain conditions are met.
Should Trump decide to sell his shares after the lockup expires, the market could respond in unpredictable ways. The sale of a substantial number of shares by a major stakeholder like Trump could flood the market, potentially driving down the stock price. Daniel Bradley, a finance professor at the University of South Florida, suggests that the market might react negatively to such a large sale, particularly if there aren’t enough buyers to absorb the supply. This could lead to a sharp decline in the stock’s value, impacting both Trump’s personal wealth and the company’s market standing.
Moreover, Trump’s involvement in Truth Social has been a key driver of investor interest. The platform, marketed as a free speech alternative to mainstream social media, has attracted a loyal user base largely due to Trump’s presence. If Trump were to sell his stake, it might signal a lack of confidence in the company, potentially shaking investor confidence and further depressing the stock price.
Trump’s decision is also influenced by his ongoing legal battles, which have already cost him over $100 million in legal fees. Selling his shares could provide a significant financial boost, helping him cover these mounting expenses. However, this move could also have political ramifications, especially as he continues his bid for the Republican nomination in the 2024 presidential race.
Trump Media’s success is closely tied to Trump’s political fortunes. The company’s stock has shown volatility in response to developments in the presidential race, with Trump’s chances of winning having a direct impact on the stock’s value. If Trump sells his stake, it could be interpreted as a lack of confidence in his own political future, potentially undermining both his campaign and the company’s prospects.
Truth Social, the flagship product of TMTG, has faced challenges in generating traffic and advertising revenue, especially compared to established social media giants like X (formerly Twitter) and Facebook. Despite this, the company’s valuation has remained high, fueled by investor speculation on Trump’s political future. If Trump remains in the race and manages to secure the presidency, the value of his shares could increase. Conversely, any missteps on the campaign trail could have the opposite effect, further destabilizing the stock.
As the lockup period comes to an end, Trump faces a critical decision that could shape the future of both his personal finances and Truth Social. Whether he chooses to hold onto his shares or cash out, the outcome will likely have significant consequences for the company, its investors, and Trump’s political aspirations.
