New CRTC head

Heritage Minister Pablo Rodriguez has appointed the next head of the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission.

Vicky Eatrides will serve as the broadcasting regulator’s chair and CEO for a five-year term starting on Jan. 5.

Eatrides was most recently an assistant deputy minister at Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada, a role she took on in 2019 after serving in several senior roles at the Competition Bureau.

She replaces Ian Scott, who has been the CRTC chair since 2017.

The change in leadership comes as the regulator finds itself in the national spotlight with two controversial government bills that aim to give the CRTC new powers making their way through Parliament. (CP)

CTV names interim new VP of News

 

CTV has a named Richard Gray  as interim vice-president of news, replacing Michael Melling who took leave after the ouster of key anchor Lisa LaFlamme.

“Michael Melling has been reassigned to VP Shared Services, and will not be returning to CTV’s news operations,” according to an internal memo from Bell Media.

Melling’s move followed an independent third-party review of the CTV National newsroom started in late August and conducted by leading employment lawyer Sarah Crossley.

“The goal of this review was to gather information about the culture, environment and practices in the CTV National newsroom, with a view to identifying any issues, concerns or areas for improvement so that we could then work to address them,” according to the memo.

It highlighted several findings, including a need for greater civility and respect in the newsroom, and a desire to improve working conditions, as well as a culture where “people are sometimes afraid to raise concerns for fear of reprisal or inaction.”

LaFlamme’s termination, a move some laid at the feet of Melling, sparked outrage among viewers and initiated a nationwide conversation on sexism and ageism in workplaces.

U.S. sports writer dies during World Cup

 

Grant Wahl, one of the most well-known soccer writers in the United States, died early Saturday while covering the World Cup match between Argentina and the Netherlands.

U.S. media seated near him said Wahl fell back in his seat in the media tribune at Lusail Iconic Stadium during extra time and reporters adjacent to him called for assistance. Emergency services workers responded very quickly, the reporters said, and the reporters later were told that Wahl had died.

Wahl tweeted on Wednesday that he had celebrated his birthday that day. American reporters who knew Wahl said he was 49.

Wahl was covering his eighth World Cup. He wrote Monday on his website that he had visited a medical clinic while in Qatar.

67 journalists and media workers have been killed this year

BRUSSELS (AP) — Russia’s war in Ukraine, chaos in Haiti and rising violence by criminal groups in Mexico contributed to a sharp spike in the number of journalists killed doing their work in 2022, according to a new report released Friday.

The International Federation of Journalists says that 67 journalists and media staff have been killed around the world so far this year, up from 47 last year.

The Brussels-based group also tallied 375 journalists currently imprisoned for their work, with the highest figures in China including Hong Kong, in Myanmar and in Turkey. Last year’s report listed 365 journalists behind bars.

With the number of media workers killed on the rise, the IFJ and other media rights groups have called on governments to take more concrete action to protect journalists and free journalism.

“The failure to act will only embolden those who seek to suppress the free flow of information and undermine the ability of people to hold their leaders to account, including in ensuring that those with power and influence do not stand in the way of open and inclusive societies,” IFJ General Secretary Anthony Bellanger said in a statement.

More media workers were killed covering the war in Ukraine — 12 in total — than in any other country this year, according to the IFJ. Most were Ukrainian but also included those of other nationalities such as American documentary filmmaker Brent Renaud. Many deaths occurred in the first chaotic weeks of the war, though threats to journalists continue as the fighting drags on.

Hundreds walk out at New York Times

 Hundreds of journalists and other employees at The New York Times 

began a 24-hour walkout Thursday, the first strike of its kind at the newspaper in more than 40 years.

Newsroom employees and other members of The NewsGuild of New York say they are fed up with bargaining that has dragged on since their last contract expired in March 2021. The union announced last week that more than 1,100 employees would stage a 24-hour work stoppage starting at 12:01 a.m. Thursday unless the two sides reach a contract deal.

The NewsGuild tweeted Thursday morning that workers, “are now officially on work stoppage, the first of this scale at the company in 4 decades. It’s never an easy decision to refuse to do work you love, but our members are willing to do what it takes to win a better newsroom for all.”

Negotiations took place Tuesday and some of Wednesday, but the sides remained far apart on issues including wage increases and remote-work policies. (AP)

University of Ottawa apologizes for preventing media from filming Chinese amabassador

The University of Ottawa has apologized less than 48 hours after university officials told accredited media they could not film the Chinese Ambassador to Canada, Cong Peiwu, during a speech on campus in which he criticized the Liberal government’s newly released Indo-Pacific Strategy.

The Canadian Press and Radio-Canada were not allowed to set up cameras, whereas a photographer from the Globe and Mail was not allowed in the room. The CTV News crew was also told their camera would not be allowed inside the building and had to stay outside.

Although the request was seemingly made by the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in Canada, the university did not confirm this information directly. A spokesperson said in a statement that a “speaker’s unexpected refusal to allow cameras jeopardizes the event.”

Window blinds were also lowered by university staff in order to hide protests in support of Uyghurs taking place outside the building. (CP)

Neil Oliver new chief executive of Torstar Corp.

 Torstar Corp. says Neil Oliver will become the new chief executive of the Toronto Star newspaper’s parent company.

Torstar spokesperson Bob Hepburn confirmed the appointment of the Metroland newspaper group president in an e-mail to The Canadian Press.

He adds that the company has “parted ways” with Marina Glogovac, who joined the Star as its president in June.

Ms. Glogovac was previously the president and chief executive of fundraising company CanadaHelps, chief marketing officer at e-reader firm Kobo Inc. and chief executive officer of dating website Lavalife Corp.

Her departure and Mr. Oliver’s appointment come after the company announced Star publisher Jordan Bitove had taken sole control of Torstar on Thursday, following a tense dispute between he and co-owner Paul Rivett.

The two had been in mediation and then arbitration since September, when Mr. Rivett sought a court order to wind up the company, saying his business relationship with Mr. Bitove had sustained “irreparable” damage. (CP)

Vassy Kapelos to CTV

Vassy Kapelos is moving from CBC to CTV, taking up the hosting of "Power Play" and "Question Period," starting December 1. The posts became vacant when Evan Solomon left for the U.S.

Kapelos will also host a new radio program called "The Vassy Kapelos Show" that will air weekday afternoons on iHeartRadio Canada Talk network station.

Before CBC, Kapelos was Ottawa bureau chief for Global News and hosted "The West Block. She has hosted CBC's "Power and Politics" since March 2018.

Pierre Poiliviere not attending the Parliamentary Press Gallery Dinner

Pierre Poilievre, the Conservative leader, has declined an invitation to attend the Parliamentary Press Gallery dinner on Saturday night, an event that was on a three-year hiatus due to COVID-19.

It’s tradition for political party leaders of all stripes to attend the event and deliver a speech, often filling it with jokes at their own expense and getting a few digs in at their critics, too.

A spokesman for Poilievre simply said he’s “not coming” to the gala that will take place at the Canadian Museum of History in Gatineau, Que., and did not give a reason why.

His former boss and Canada’s last Conservative prime minister, Stephen Harper, would also skip the event when he was in power but did attend when he was Opposition leader and showed off his funny bone.

Harper got in on the self-deprecating humour at his first event as leader in 2004.

Rona Ambrose, who served as the party’s interim leader after Harper, revived the tradition of Tory leaders attending.

In 2016, she took aim at the former prime minister in a bit about the party adopting a new tagline. “The Conservative Party of Canada: The bad man’s gone away.” (CP)

Former CP24 weather person files Human Rights Commission complaint

Longtime on-air television personality and CP24 weather specialist Patricia Jaggernauth has filed a complaint with the Canadian Human Rights Commission against Bell Media, alleging systemic discrimination throughout her 11-year career.

Jaggernauth’s complaint, launched on Wednesday and first reported by CBC, makes allegations of discrimination based on race, gender and disability by Bell, her former employer. The Toronto-based media company owns cable news network CP24. In the complaint, Jaggernauth alleges Bell continually passed her over for promotions and attempted to restrict her ability to freelance outside the company despite never offering her a full-time job.

“She has been used as a token and commodity when it is convenient and beneficial,” the Toronto-based reporter’s complaint reads. Jaggernauth identifies as being of Guyanese and Jamaican ancestry on social media.

“And Bell now wants to own her likeness and her career, despite putting her in a position where she cannot earn a living wage despite giving 11 years of her career to the company.”

In a statement emailed Saturday, Bell Media said it cannot comment on matters involving current or former staff. (CP)

Evan Solomon moving to New York

Evan Solomon is leaving his roles at CTV’s “Power Play” and “Question Period” to join a digital media company.

Solomon announced Monday on Twitter that he has been hired as publisher at the online political news outlet Gzero Media and will be based in New York. He will also join the management committee of its owner, Eurasia Group. The post begins Oct. 17.

CTV’s owner Bell Media said Solomon will continue to “report regularly” on Canadian politics and global affairs as a special correspondent for the network.

Bell Media will announce a new host for “Power Play” and “Question Period” in the coming weeks.

Toronto Star ownership before the courts

The Star's business reporter John Rubin reports that  one of the partners in the company which controls the Toronto Star has applied to the courts to break up the partnership and order its assets auctioned off.

The suit, led by Paul Rivett and his holding company Tevir Investments Inc., is seeking a court order to dissolve NordStar Capital, the partnership created by Rivett and Jordan Bitove to purchase Torstar in 2020.

In the application, filed on Sept. 2, the relationship between Rivett, chairman and co-proprietor of Torstar, and Bitove, publisher of the Toronto Star and co-proprietor of Torstar, is described as “irrevocably impaired.”

“There is complete deadlock between Rivett and Bitove. ... They can no longer work together,” the application said.

Neither Bitove nor Rivett responded to a request for comment.

Under a draft court order filed with Rivett’s lawsuit, the two sides would each have a chance to bid for NordStar’s assets, either as a whole, or piecemeal. If neither is interested in a particular asset, the draft order proposes to sell it in a public auction.

The timeline for a potential auction wasn’t immediately clear.

According to an online database, no court hearing has been scheduled and no orders have yet been issued.

The Star's story

Lisa LaFlamme says she was "blindsided"

 Veteran news anchor Lisa LaFlamme says she’s been “blindsided” by Bell Media ending her contract as the company shakes up its flagship CTV National News program with a new anchor at the helm.

In a video posted on social media, LaFlamme says she remains “shocked and saddened by Bell Media’s decision,” which cuts her ties to CTV after 35 years.

Bell Media announced her departure Monday, but LaFlamme says she was told of the exit on June 29.

In a separate announcement, Bell Media says Omar Sachedina will replace LaFlamme starting on Sept. 5. Sachedina is the CTV News national affairs correspondent and joined the network in 2009.

“Recognizing changing viewer habits, CTV recently advised LaFlamme that it had made the business decision to move its acclaimed news show, CTV National News, and the role of its Chief News Anchor in a different direction,” Bell Media said in a statement. (CP)

CBC's National back to single host

 The CBC’s National has gone back to a single host. It has named Adrienne Arsenault as its chief correspondent who will anchor the broadcast from Monday to Thursday. Ian Hanomansing will host Friday and Sunday and will be the permanent host of radio's Cross Country Checkup. He will also hold a weekly interview series on The National. Andrew Chang will host “a free-streaming” news channel to be launched in the fall. Obviously, the multi-host program that replaced Peter Mansbridge has not worked. It took several years to go back to a single host.

Russia closing CBC bureau in Moscow

Russia's foreign ministry said on Wednesday it was closing the Moscow bureau of Canada's CBC and withdrawing visas and accreditation from the public broadcaster's journalists after Ottawa banned Russian state TV station Russia Today (RT).

"With regret we continue to notice open attacks on the Russian media from the countries of the so-called collective West who call themselves civilised," Maria Zakharova, Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman, told reporters.

"A decision has been taken to make retaliatory, I underscore retaliatory, measures in relation to the actions of Canada: the closure of the Moscow bureau of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, including the nullification of the accreditations and visas of their journalists."

Zakharova said Ottawa had chosen what she cast as a "Russophobic" path including censorship of the media. Canada in March removed Russian state-owned channels RT and RT France, the French version of RT.

In a statement, the CBC and its French language unit Radio Canada said they had operated a bureau in Moscow for 44 years and were "deeply disappointed" in the decision. (Reuters)

Postmedia buying all newspapers owned by Irvings

Postmedia has announced it will purchase all of the daily and weekly newspapers owned by New Brunswick's Irving family

Brunswick News Inc’s stable of daily newspapers in New Brunswick includes the Telegraph-Journal in Saint John, the Times and Transcript in Moncton and The Daily Gleaner in Fredericton.

The proposed deal includes acquisition of Brunswick’s digital properties and parcel delivery business.

Postmedia has offered J. D. Irving $7.5 million in cash and $8.6 million in shares of Postmedia at an implied price of $2.10 per variable voting share.

The transaction is subject to various closing conditions, including approval by the Toronto Stock Exchange.

Brunswick News also owns the Miramichi Leader, Woodstock Bugle-Observer, Bathurst Northern Light, Kings County Record, Campbellton Tribune and The Victoria Star, which covers the Grand Falls area of eastern New Brunswick.

The purchase signals J.D. Irving’s exit from the media business, Jim Irving, co-CEO of J.D. Irving Ltd., said in a statement. (CP)

Michael Melling new head of CTV News

Michael Melling has been appointed vice-president of CTV News, the network has announced. Melling is the former general manager of CTV News Toronto, CP24 and BNN Bloomberg. In this role, he will take helm of all news, information and current events programming including CTV News, BNN Bloomberg, CP24, as well as the current affairs shows Power Play, Question Period and W5.

Melling joined Bell Media in 2003, working as an editorial assistant at BNN Bloomberg. Since then, he has held senior roles in Toronto and Southwestern Ontario and has helped grow the digital news formats of CTV News Toronto and CP24.

Melling replaces Wendy Freeman who was the head of CTV News for the past 12 years. She announced in December that she would be stepping down at the end of 2021.