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The broadcaster and the engineer, Charles and Prins have created an MRI Home Studio set-up that offers broadcasters a cost-effective, hi-fi option to keep on-air safe at home and deliver professional quality audio streams to keep on-air operations running smoothly and efficiently.
“What we’re offering is a studio in a box solution for radio stations that are doing terrestrial broadcasting, looking for a way to keep their staff safe and at home, and delivering it at an affordable price,” Charles explains.
“Most stations have a lot of the equipment. necessary What we’re doing is showing them how to put it together and make it viable, so they can maintain Plan B, and Plan B is providing a way for radio stations to have all their broadcasts done from home studios with professional sound and tech support. We have a couple of engineers who will talk you through the set-up and are on call if and when needed,” he continues.
“Radio station may have two-thirds of the stuff needed to set up a home studio, but what they don’t have is the clean feed audio that gives you that professional quality audio and we are offering that. It’s not the typical zoom audio that sounds compressed. And if they have a need for programming consultancy, we can certainly talk about that as well, but the bottom line is we want to make sure they can get to where the shows and news reports can be done from home with the same audio quality and frills they have in the station studios, and all packaged in a very affordable way.”
The package all-in is priced at about C$8,000.
Call Glenn Prins at 705 717-3111 and get all the details you require on MRI Home Studios. – David Farrell
Up to 10 free music channels are now available on Comcast Xfinity, Distro TV, Freecast’s Select TV, Channel Plus on LG, MX Player and XUMO, boosting the web service’s audience reach potential in the market by over 40 million. Stingray currently counts 400 million subscribers in 156 countries.
Separately, Stingray Group Inc. says revenue in its fiscal Q1 ended June 30 fell by 35 percent to $52.3M as the impact of the pandemic hit revenue from radio operations. However, management is optimistic that its global media business will be able to resume rapid growth as the impact of the pandemic fades and new services come out in Canada, the United States and further abroad. – Sources: Stingray & The Canadian Press
Now that the deal is closed and the company is going private, Torstar’s new owners are focusing on the future of the company.
Job one? Listening to their new employees.
“We will be going into the office and sitting down and listening and hearing perspectives on what we need to do. We will listen to everyone,” said Bitove in an interview Wednesday afternoon. Bitove said he and Rivett will meet with executives and editors in a series of small, socially distant get-togethers and will also be holding a digital town hall for all Torstar employees. – Josh Rubin, The Star
Among the lineup of 50 titles participating in this year’s festival are four Crave-supported films: the Crave original documentaries Inconvenient Indian (from Michelle Latimer) and The New Corporation: The Unfortunately Necessary Sequel (from Joel Bakan and Jennifer Abbott), as well as the feature films Falling (from Viggo Mortensen) and Beans (from Tracey Deer), which received funding through Bell Media’s The Harold Greenberg Fund. – Media release
I received the same 47-page document that the players got. The rules and procedures are the same for everyone, players and staff. There’s a nice outdoor area right outside (Rogers Place, the Oilers home rink) we call The Yard. Tim Hortons has been giving us free coffee and doughnuts and sandwiches. There’s basketball, a golf simulator and a giant screen outside, so guys are out there watching games. In one restaurant on Friday – the night before the playoffs – there was NHL staff, players from opposing teams, coaches and GMs, referees and linesmen, all dining out under one roof. I said, this feels like the Twilight Zone. – Patrick Maloney, London Free Press
The crews at AT&T SportsNet and Penguins Radio Network are working hard to call playoff hockey from home. – Michelle Crechiolo, Penguins team reporter
With everything happening in the world are we really still arguing whether Don Cherry should still be on the air? There is nothing sad about an adult male being held to account for their words. Hell hath no fury like a white man who feels other white men are being marginalized. – Jody Brimacombe, Fresh Daily
In recent years, the NBA star has added another dimension to his public persona by hosting his own podcast. He has interviewed athletes and chefs, authors and bankers, politicians and actors. For a self-described introvert, Redick thinks of it as an exercise in personal development — and as a way for him to connect with an even broader audience.
“It’s given me a medium to express myself,” he said.
Now, Redick hopes to expand his platform. – Scott Cacciola, The New York Times
Chatham Asset Management has a growing presence in the news industry. In 2016, it took a majority stake in Postmedia, one of Canada’s largest newspaper companies. Since that deal went through, 1,600 Postmedia employees have been laid off, and more than 30 of its publications have been shut down. Chatham is also the principal owner of American Media Inc., the parent company of The National Enquirer and other supermarket tabloids. – Marc Tracy, The New York Times (subscription)
The Insider Interviews podcast, created and hosted by marketing strategist and journalist E.B. Moss has posted a new episode featuring a live chat with RAIN president Brad Hill, and an excerpt of the recently produced RAIN Global Podcast Leadership Summit. (See/hear the YouTube version below.)
All episodes of the Insider Interviews podcast, plus subscription links, can be found here – RAIN News
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Coleman Insights’ test list is generated by compiling the most consumed songs from the past year by streaming, sales and radio airplay as measured by MRC Data/BDSradio. The company tested these songs with 1,000 people ages 12-54 across the US and Canada utilizing Coleman Insights’ FACT360 Strategic Music Test platform. Due to the cancellation of this year’s Worldwide Radio Summit, the findings were released via webinar. The research findings start getting interesting at the 16-minute mark.
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Edmonton’s hockey and media communities’ paid tribute to longtime local broadcaster Tim Dancy on Monday after news of his death emerged. The former play-by-play commentator for the Edmonton Oilers later spent time in that same role for the Saskatchewan Roughriders. He went on to work for other media companies like Shaw and 630 CHED. – Phil Heidenreich, Global News
– Peter Rakobowchuk, a journalist with Canada’s national news agency whose high energy delivery was instantly recognizable to decades of listeners, has died.
More widely known by his radio moniker Peter Ray — a supervisor early on told him it sounded smoother — the irrepressible Rakobowchuk had been undergoing chemotherapy for liver cancer. He was 71.
Source: – FYI Music News
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VICTORIA — Premier David Eby has pushed the pause button on a contentious bill that would have allowed the province to recover health care and other costs attributed to the marketing of risky products in B.C.
Two dozen business and industry groups had called for the New Democrats to put the bill on hold, claiming it was so broadly drafted that it could be used to go after producers, distributors and retailers of every kind.
“It is safe to say that we got the attention of these major multinational companies,” the premier told reporters on Tuesday, citing the deal with Meta, Snapchat, TikTok and X, the major players in the field.
“They understand our concern and the urgency with which we’re approaching this issue. They also understand the bill is still there.”
The New Democrats maintain that the legislation was never intended to capture the many B.C. companies and associations that complained about it.
Rather it was targeted at Facebook owner Meta and other social media companies and the online harm done to young people. A prime example was the suicide of a Prince George youth who was trapped by an online predator.
Still, there was nothing in the wording of Bill 12, the Public Health Accountability and Cost Recovery Act, to indicate its application would be confined to social media companies or their impact on young people.
Some critics wondered if the bill’s broad-based concept of harms and risks could be used to prosecute the liquor board or the dispensers of safer-supply drugs, products with proven harms greater than any sugary drink.
Perhaps thinking along those lines, the government specifically exempted itself from prosecution under the Act.
This week’s announcement came as a surprise. As recently as Monday, Attorney General Niki Sharma told reporters the government had no intention of putting the bill on hold.
Tuesday, she justified her evasion by saying the talks with the social media companies were intense and confidential.
She said the pause was conditional on Meta and the other companies delivering a quick response to government concerns.
“British Columbians expect us to take action on online safety,” she told reporters. “What I’ll be looking for at this table is quick and immediate action to get to that better, safety online.”
A prime goal is addressing online harassment and “the online mental health and anxiety that’s rising in young people,” she said
“I want to sit down with these companies look at them face to face and see what they can do immediately to improve the outcomes for British Columbians.”
Meta has already committed to rectifying Eby’s concern that it should relay urgent news about wildfires, flood and other disasters in B.C. Last year, those were blocked, collateral damage in the company’s hardball dispute with the federal government over linking to news stories from Canadian media companies.
Eby says he was very skeptical about the initial contact from the companies. Now he sees Meta’s willingness to deliver emergency information as a “major step” and he’s prepared to give talks the benefit of the doubt.
Not long ago he was scoring political points off the social media companies in the harshest terms.
“The billionaires who run them resist accountability, resist any suggestion that they have responsibility for the harms that they are causing,” said the premier on March 14, the day Bill 12 was introduced.
Given those characterizations, perhaps the big, faceless billionaires will simply direct their negotiating team to play for time until the legislation adjourns as scheduled on May 16.
“The legislation is not being pulled and we’re not backtracking,” said Sharma. “We can always come back and bring legislation back.”
The government could schedule a quick makeup session of the legislature in late May or June or even in early September, before the house is dissolved for the four-week campaign leading up to the scheduled election day, Oct. 19.
More likely, if the New Democrats feel doublecrossed, they could go back to war with the faceless billionaires with a view to re-enacting Bill 12 after a hoped-for election victory.
Even if the New Democrats get some satisfaction from the social media companies in the short term, they have also framed Bill 12 as a way to force the marketers of risky products to help cover the cost of health care and other services.
B.C.’s attorney general says the province can bring the online harms legislation back but it will first seek remedies through negotiations with social media companies.Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images
The British Columbia government has agreed to shelve proposed legislation that would have allowed it to sue social-media companies for online harms after Meta, TikTok and others agreed to work with the province to put voluntary protections in place.
The social-media companies have not agreed to anything other than talks, but Attorney-General Niki Sharma credited the proposed legislation with bringing the key players to the province’s door.
“Our bill was able to get the attention of some pretty big companies out there and get them to the table with us, and I’m pleased with that,” she told reporters Tuesday.
The government can bring the bill back, she said, but it will first seek remedies through negotiations. “We could be locked in litigation for years, but at this stage it’s my obligation to see if we can come to some kind of improvements,” Ms. Sharma said.
Premier David Eby said the agreement was hammered out after Meta reached out to the province. A spokesperson for the company could not immediately be reached for comment.
Danielle Morgan, a spokesperson for TikTok, said her company is committed to developing new safeguards. “We look forward to joining Premier Eby and working with industry counterparts … to discuss best practices towards our shared goal of keeping young people safe online.”
The province introduced Bill 12, the Public Health Accountability and Cost Recovery Act, in March with the promise that it would allow government to recover costs associated with the promotion, marketing and distribution of products that are harmful to adults and children in the province.
But while the bill received the support of researchers who study the impact of some platforms on mental well-being, particularly in teenagers, the broad scope of the legislation alarmed business leaders who warned it could be used to target companies well beyond social-media platforms.
“The net spread so widely, it could capture just about anything you could imagine,” said Bridgitte Anderson, president and chief executive officer of the Greater Vancouver Board of Trade. She said the provincial government heard the concerns of many different sectors when it withdrew the bill from this spring’s legislative agenda. “We’re delighted the government is going to hit pause on this.”
The B.C. bill was tabled just weeks after Ottawa introduced Bill C-63 to create a new Online Harms Act, which is meant to hold tech platforms accountable for the content they host.
Kaitlynn Mendes, a professor of sociology at Ontario’s Western University, is an expert on the impact of online harms on youth, including sexual exploitation, self-harm, anxiety and anti-social behaviour.
She said the B.C. government is being optimistic in thinking it can bring social-media giants into line without a legal cudgel.
“I think that is wishful thinking. Industries don’t want to be governed. They’d rather have codes of conduct but that relies on them being good faith actors – ultimately, they are going to act in their best interests. I’d be skeptical that it’s going to change anything,” she said in an interview.
“I really hope the Canadian government doesn’t try to rely on deals. We need to have structures in place to hold these companies accountable.”
Mr. Eby issued a joint statement on Tuesday with representatives from Meta, TikTok, Snap and X, saying they have reached an agreement to work to help young people stay safe online through the new BC Online Safety Action Table.
“Digital platforms are powerful tools, which can connect family members and loved ones and are places where we find like-minded people. Places where community is built and sustained. But the internet is also a place where criminals and scammers are constantly seeking new ways to find and extort potential victims,” the joint statement said.
Mr. Eby championed the pursuit of tackling social-media harms after meeting with the grieving parents of Carson Cleland, a 12-year-old who killed himself last October after being sexually victimized online.
“Carson was deceived by an online predator, tormented and sexually extorted. He took his own life before his parents were aware of what was happening,” the statement continued. “Premier Eby made a promise to Carson’s parents that his government would find ways to make sure Carson left behind a legacy that will help protect other young people.”
The province will place Bill 12 on hold while the parties meet to discuss how to protect youth from online harms before they happen.
Ms. Sharma said there are three areas B.C. wants addressed: sexual exploitation of youth online; rising mental-health issues and anxiety among young people; and online harassment and bullying.
B.C.’s bill was modelled on its efforts to seek damages from major tobacco companies over tobacco-related health costs. The province was the first Canadian jurisdiction to launch such a lawsuit, in 1998, but that case is not yet resolved – underscoring the lengthy process involved in reaching a resolution.
Welcome to Best of Late Night, a rundown of the previous night’s highlights that lets you sleep — and lets us get paid to watch comedy. Here are the 50 best movies on Netflix right now.
Opening arguments began in former President Donald Trump’s criminal trial on Monday, with much of the news media coverage homing in on as many details as possible about the proceedings.
Jon Stewart called the trial a “test of the fairness of the American legal system, but it’s also a test of the media’s ability to cover Donald Trump in a responsible way.”
Jimmy Kimmel’s sidekick, Guillermo Rodriguez, took the stage with Madonna in Mexico City over the weekend.
The economist Stephanie Kelton will chat with Jordan Klepper and Ronny Chieng, the guest co-hosts, on Tuesday’s “Daily Show.”
In “Under the Bridge,” Hulu’s chilling new series, Riley Keough and Lily Gladstone investigate the murder of a teenager.
Remnants of bird flu virus found in pasteurized milk, FDA says
Mayor's youth advisory council seeks submissions for art gala – SooToday
Bird flu virus found in grocery milk as officials say supply still safe
Some Canadians will be digging out of 25+ cm of snow by Friday – The Weather Network
"Hi, It's Me": NASA's Voyager 1 Phones Home From 15 Billion Miles Away – NDTV
Jon Stewart Slams the Media for Coverage of Trump Trial – The New York Times
Caution about Canada's private real estate sector abounds as valuations slow to adjust – The Globe and Mail
Taxes should not wag the tail of the investment dog, but that’s what Trudeau wants
