Former PC cabinet minister Kevin Klein buying Winnipeg Sun from Postmedia!

 A former Progressive Conservative cabinet minister and MLA is buying a Winnipeg newspaper. 

Kevin Klein has agreed to purchase the Winnipeg Sun, where he once was the publisher, Postmedia confirmed on Monday.

The Klein Group, of which Klein is president and CEO, is also buying the Graphic Leader in Portage la Prairie, Man., and the Kenora Miner and News in western Ontario.Postmedia's commercial print division in Winnipeg, including all associated digital properties, contracts and other related parts of the businesses, is also part of the sale to the investment group.

Postmedia said all employees are expected to keep their jobs. 

Klein has been writing a regular column for the Winnipeg Sun since he was defeated in last fall's provincial election.

He served as publisher of the newspaper from 2007 to 2013, according to his LinkedIn account.

Klein served as a Winnipeg city councillor for one term, representing Charleswood-Tuxedo-Westwood from 2018 to 2022. He ran for mayor in 2022, but came in third place. (CBC)

Hot Docs to temporarily close Ted Rogers Cinema for three months to ‘recalibrate’ organization

The Globe and Mail's Barry Hertz reports:

 Less than a month after wrapping the 31st edition of its annual film festival under a cloud of financial and organizational uncertainty, Hot Docs on Wednesday announced that it would temporarily close its flagship Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema in Toronto for approximately three months, starting June 12.

During this period – which will result in temporary layoffs for an unknown portion of staff – the Hot Docs leadership team aims to conduct a review of the single-screen theatre’s programming and operations in order to ensure what organizers hope will be a viable path forward for the non-profit organization.

“This has been an incredibly difficult decision to make, but it’s crucial for us to take this step now. This temporary closure will enable us to pause, recalibrate and strategically plan a sustainable future for this beloved organization,” Robin Mirsky, co-chair of Hot Docs’ board, said in a statement.

The move comes after Hot Docs endured a rash of challenges both external and internal.

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/film/article-hot-docs-to-temporarily-close-ted-rogers-cinema-for-three-months-to/

Seven media experts selected to help modernize CBC/Radio-Canada before next election

 Seven multimedia experts have been selected to advise Heritage Minister Pascale St-Onge as she renews the role of Canada’s public broadcaster.

The group will provide policy advice mainly on CBC/Radio-Canada’s governance and funding, Canadian Heritage said.

The department notes that consultations on the CBC’s mandate have already been done with the general public.

The newly appointed advisory panel will now help St-Onge chart a path forward, with members contributing knowledge from a variety of fields.

St-Onge said committee members have diverse perspectives and experiences that will help her modernize CBC and its French-language arm, Radio-Canada.

“Canadians need a strong, innovative and independent public broadcaster that is ready to meet the challenges of this period of transformation and upheaval in news and content creation,” St-Onge said in a statement Monday.

The panel will help her promote Canadian culture, stories, languages, artists and creators, “while adapting to our rapidly changing broadcast and digital landscape,” she added.

The panel includes:

– Marie-Philippe Bouchard, CEO, TV5 Québec Canada;

– Jesse Wente, chair of the Canada Council for the Arts, founding executive director of the Indigenous Screen Office;

– Jennifer McGuire, managing director, Pink Triangle Press;

– David Skok, CEO and editor-in-chief, The Logic (independent media startup);

– Mike Ananny, associate professor of communication and journalism, University of Southern California Annenberg;

– Loc Dao, executive director of DigiBC;

– Catalina Briceno, professor, Université du Québec à Montréal. (CP)

Rex Murphy has died

 The National Post is reporting that Rex Murphy, the pundit and columnist who hosted a national call-in radio show for decades, has died.

The newspaper, where he worked as a columnist, says in an obituary on its website that Murphy died at age 77 following a battle with cancer.

He was born outside of St. John’s, N.L., and graduated from Memorial University before attending Oxford University as a Rhodes Scholar.

Murphy hosted CBC Radio’s Cross Country Checkup for more than two decades, before retiring from the role in 2015.

Later in life, he became a loud detractor of the federal Liberal party and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government.

He was also an outspoken opponent of “wokeism,” progressive ideology sensitive to systemic inequities, and argued in his column that conservative voices like his were being pushed to the margins. (NatPost)