Rehak/Stuebing Mostly Media

Jeremy Lin owns Twitter, Facebook, YouTube

2012-02-15T11:06:00.006-05:00

In the era of social media, fame can strike like lightning. For New York Knicks phenomenon Jeremy Lin, the flash has come so quickly he’s not just leaving opponents in the dust – traditional marketing and merchandising can’t keep up. Lin, who has shot to fame seemingly overnight by leading the Knicks to victory, scoring 109 points in his last four games, has turned the typical slow build-up of fame on its ear. “What I’ve been impressed by — from the technology perspective — is how prepared Lin was for this onslaught of attention. Lin began strutting his stuff on social media long before doing it for the Knicks,” Kashmir Hill, a staff writer for Forbes wrote on the website. Toronto Star

How media handled Whitney Houston's death

2012-02-14T10:23:00.002-05:00

Whitney Houston's sad and sudden death on the eve of the Grammys after a well-documented history with substance abuse has plunged the media into schizophrenic mode as it wrestles with ways to praise her legacy while acknowledging her lurid end. Reuters

Saudi journalist faces execution for 'blasphemy'

2012-02-12T21:54:00.000-05:00

Dear God, what can we say.

Ethnic press to ask for financial assistance

2012-02-12T15:12:00.006-05:00

This news will not come as a surprise to anyone. There are few special interests in Canadian politics that are more special than the ethnic media. No government can resist the chance to try to forge a bond of blood -- even artificial blood -- with Canada's more recent immigrants.. Give money to the arts and you get a nice feeling.in return. Somehow it doesn't translate into votes the same way as ethnic stroking. Now, is there anybody we haven't offended?

Canadian Donald Weber winc World Press Photo

2012-02-11T22:20:00.004-05:00

Canadian sports writer Trent Frayne dead at 93

2012-02-11T21:24:00.000-05:00

Five Arrested at Murdoch's Sun Newspaper

2012-02-11T20:28:00.007-05:00

Reuters reports tonight that five top editors and reporters from the News Corp.-owned Sun newspaper have been arrested in London apparently in connection with the corruption of police officers. The events have played out in the wake of the message hacking scandal at News of the World. It is said that police were bribed for news tips. News International chief executive Tom Mockridge announced the news in a memo to his staff. "I am very saddened that a further five colleagues from The Sun have been arrested this morning by the Police," he wrote. Mockridge said that deputy editor Geoff Webster, picture editor John Edwards, chief reporter John Kay, chief foreign correspondent Nick Parker and deputy news editor John Sturgis had all been arrested in an investigation into payoffs to police and public officials.

Star expose employs device to sell paper edition

2012-02-11T11:43:00.001-05:00

The Toronto Star has an interesting presentation today which combines an expose story and a new technique in promoting street sales of the paper edition. The story involves a woman named Alanna Steinberg. She is being assailted by "clients" over loans they say they were supposed to receive. Interesting stuff but here's the clever device used to promote this story. According to the index of stories online, the Alanna yarn won't be posted at the thestar.com until noon. The paper has made available an embed video of a confrontation with Alanna as a teaser. It ends with a promo: See what the Star has. The full story on Alanna Steinberg in Saturday's paper. See the promo video here.

Arianna's quaint view of the marketplace

2012-02-10T14:34:00.001-05:00

Arianna Huffington's quaint notion of the marketplace was unrolled at a public reception yesterday in Montreal. . No word in the linked Gazette story if there was any snickering. What Arianna says is that prominent bloggers should write for her website for free because she does not charge them for the opportunity to write for her. Free for free. Of course, Le Post Huffy is intended, and required, to make money. But there is apparently no connection in Arianna's mind between that and the value of the blog postings. Maybe she thinks the bloggers should pay her.

Bell Media fires 16 in Ottawa

2012-02-10T14:13:00.001-05:00

Ottawa Citizen story on these layoffs occurring yesterday.

Redbox bringing DVD vending machines to Canada

2012-02-09T10:45:00.001-05:00

The DVD rental isn’t dead yet.

Redbox is bringing its popular vending-machine DVD business to Canada’s billion-dollar movie-rental market, aiming to fill a void created by the failure of Blockbuster Corp. and other traditional video stores.

Along with Netflix Inc. Redbox Automated Retail LLC is credited with revolutionizing the movie rental business in the United States and helping to persuade some cable and satellite television subscribers to cut their cords and rely entirely on the easily accessible, lower-cost offerings.

The company,has quietly laid the groundwork for a Canadian launch and will set up a few hundred kiosks in the coming months to decide whether to jump fully into the market. It has 29,000 kiosks through the United States that offer movie and game rentals for less than $2 a day.

“The combination of Redbox and Netflix completely destroyed the store channel in the United States,” said Brahm Eiley of Convergence Consulting Group. “And they also encroach on television subscriptions,” he said. “Cord cutting in the U.S. is almost triple what it is in Canada.”

Huffington Post launches in Quebec; no mention of journalists who won't work for no pay

2012-02-08T14:50:00.000-05:00

In an over-the-top self-congratulatory message online, the HuffPost launched its French-language version in Quebec Wednesday. There is no mention of the several high profile Francophone journalists who declined to work for no pay.
Read all about it

Those who pulled out of the no-pay job at Le Huffington Post Québec according to The Gazette:

They are high-profile – intellectuals, leftist activists and politicians – who had agreed to blog, but pulled out when they found out they’d be writing for free.
The list:
Amir Khadir, Steven Guilbeault, Normand Baillargeon, Françoise David, Évelyne de la Chenelière, Jean Barbe, Philippe Couillard, Bernard Drainville and Pierre Curzi won’t blog for the new online news site.
Two others – Vision Montréal leader Louise Harel and feminist activist Djemila Benhabib, author of Ma vie à contre-Coran – also appear to be absent.
“There’s nothing we can do about it,” Patrick White, HuffPost Quebec’s managing editor said of the defections, adding that some bloggers pulled out for “personal reasons” like lack of time.

2 Rulings Uphold Media Rights in Europe

2012-02-07T16:16:00.003-05:00

The European human rights court on Tuesday rejected an invasion-of-privacy complaint by Princess Caroline of Monaco, one of two potentially groundbreaking rulings that uphold the media’s right to report on celebrities.

In both verdicts the European Court of Human Rights, based in Strasbourg, referred to the often-tricky balance between the media’s right to expression and an individual’s right to privacy.

Princess Caroline and her husband, Prince Ernst August von Hanover, had filed a complaint with the court alleging that their privacy rights had been violated in Germany in 2002 after the publication by Frau im Spiegel magazine of a photo of the couple during a skiing holiday — a time when her father, Prince Rainier, was ailing.

A German court had initially upheld the media’s right to report on how the royal family was coping with Rainier’s illness, and how his children “reconciled their obligations of family solidarity with the legitimate needs of their private life.”

The Strasbourg court upheld that ruling, saying Princess Caroline and her lawyers “had not provided any evidence that the photos had been taken in a climate of general harassment, as they had alleged, or that they had been taken secretly.”

The second ruling issued Tuesday involved a Hamburg court’s injunction in 2005 to stop Axel Springer, the publishing house behind the German daily Bild, from publishing articles about a well-known television star who was arrested on charges of cocaine possession. A federal court in Germany later upheld the injunction.

The E.C.H.R. said Tuesday that the German courts violated the right of expression, and affirmed the “public interest” of some Bild articles in 2004 and 2005 about a nationally known star who long portrayed a police superintendent on TV.

The court noted that the actor, which it did not identify, had been arrested in a public place — the Munich Beer Festival. It said that Bild had also received its information from German officials, and that there was no evidence to indicate the newspaper had acted in “bad faith.”

Harold Nelson, long-time fixture at CBC's The National, dies at 82

2012-02-06T23:35:00.003-05:00

Harold Nelson, a behind-the scenes figure at The Natinal during the n1960s and 1970s, has died at age 82.

Harold was known for his encyclopedic memory of film footage and could retrieve needed shots from archives in a hurry. It was an invaluable skill in the days before computers. He retired from CBC several years ago.

The Morley Bedford funeral home says that the Church service will take place at St. Paul’s Anglican Church, 227 Bloor Street East on Tuesday, 7 February 2012 at 2:00 p.m. A private interment will be held from Port Crewe late in the week.

Rogers, BCE vying for a bite of Apple’s iTV

2012-02-06T21:23:00.002-05:00

Rogers Communications Inc.and BCE Inc. are in talks with Apple Inc. to become Canadian launch partners for its much-hyped Apple iTV, a product that has the potential to revolutionize TV viewing by turning conventional televisions into gigantic iPads, the Globe and Mail repoirts..

While the iTV product remains cloaked in secrecy, sources say Cupertino, Calif.-based Apple has approached Rogers and Bell as it actively pursues partnerships with Canadian carriers.

Google bows to censors in India

2012-02-06T20:53:00.001-05:00

In the latest case of a government tightening the reins on the online flow of ideas and information, Google India has agreed to take down Web pages considered offensive by Indian political and religious leaders, stoking censorship fears in the world's largest democracy.

The removal order announced Monday resulted from a court case and follows weeks of aggressive government pressure on 22 Internet giants to remove photographs, videos or text considered "anti-religious" or "anti-social."

Warning that their sites might be blocked "like in China,'' a New Delhi judge gave Facebook, Google and the other sites two weeks to present further plans for policing their networks, according to Indian press reports.

A Google spokesperson, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Monday that while the company recently declined a request by a government minister to pre-screen content considered politically or religiously offensive,

Google now faced a court order and had no choice but to follow it. Google would not release details about what content it had taken down or explain how it planned to respond to the government's demand for a self-policing action plan.

Gunmen force 2 newspapers to publish Yemen president’s photo on the front page

2012-02-05T23:02:00.001-05:00

A state-run Yemeni newspaper’s office is being occupied by armed men who kicked out the paper’s editors and journalists in order to reinstate the outgoing president’s picture on the front page, the AP reports.

Al-Thawra newspaper board member Mohamed Shabita says President Ali Abdullah Saleh’s loyalists took over the newspaper’s offices in the capital of Sanaa and brought in their own journalists. They published his picture on Sunday.

Hundreds of armed men loyal to Saleh also surrounded another state-run newspaper’s offices in the southern city Taiz last week, demanding the president’s picture be restored. The editors of the el-Gomhoreya paper gave in.

After months of street protests demanding his ouster, Saleh is set to transfer powers to his deputy later this month. Saleh is in New York for medical treatment.

When do cameras belong in court? Globe situationer

2012-02-04T21:37:00.005-05:00

The Globe and Mail's Sunny Dhillon notes that more than a decade ago, some court cases in British Columbia were broadcast on television. He writes:

"The new era that appeared to be on the brink in July of 2000 has been delayed – and then some. Broadcast proceedings remain few and far between in this province. But that could soon change, courtesy of what opposition politicians call Premier Christy Clark’s Riot TV. The Crown will next week make the first of its applications to a judge hearing a riot case for the proceedings to be broadcast publicly, following through on a pledge in the government’s Throne Speech.

"The decision could propel the B.C. courts into that new era.

"The Attorney-General has said the application is part of the government’s plan to make the courts more accessible to the public, but hasn’t said whether it would do the same with future crimes. Media that have long argued for cameras are wondering if the Crown will take over that role.

"Ms. Clark has been lambasted from all sides over the broadcast order – the Criminal Justice Branch dissented until prosecutors were bluntly told to forge ahead. Defence lawyers and political rivals have derided the order as a populist stunt.. . ."

The full story

CTV, CBC producer Ron Carlyle dies at 78

2012-02-04T11:36:00.001-05:00

Ron Carlyle, who produced a variety of programs at CTV, CBC and Dome Productions, died on Tuesday at age 78. One of his last gigs at CTV was on the lifestyle and consumer program Live It Up, where he produced segments and was the program's on-air "watchdog" who never showed his face but did tests such as how many lights do you get with a bic lighter as opposed to a cricket lighter.

Funerals services will be held on Tuesday, February 7, at 11 a.m., at the R.S. Kane funeral chapel, 6250 Yonge Street, south of Finch. Visitations are Monday 2 to 4 p.m. and 6 to 8 p.m.

Senior officials praised bureaucrat for phony Sun News citizenship ceremony

2012-02-03T22:18:00.002-05:00

Two senior Citizenship and Immigration Canada officials — including the registrar of Canadian citizenship — thanked and congratulated a mid-level bureaucrat for organizing a fake citizenship ceremony broadcast on Sun News Network, internal department emails show.

“Thanks for the feed back (sic) and the quick fix to bring CIC staff,” writes Raylene Baker, registrar of Canadian citizenship, to Tracie LeBlanc, acting senior communications adviser for the department’s Ontario office, in an email obtained under Access to Information laws by The Canadian Press.

LeBlanc is the bureaucrat who, according to the emails, recruited six of her colleagues to participate in a citizenship reaffirmation ceremony at Sun News Network’s Toronto studio last October that purported to show 10 “new” Canadians “finally” attaining their citizenship.

“Tracie saved the day on this one! Merci mille fois Tracie!” Ian Darragh, director of communications for Citizenship and Immigration Canada’s Ontario branch, writes in another email to a colleague.

Sun News interview didn’t violate ethics code, CBSC rules

2012-02-03T22:15:00.001-05:00

The Canadian Broadcast Standards Council ruled Friday that Sun News Network’s interview last year with interpretive dancer Margie Gillis did not violate the group’s ethics code.

Krista Erickson, host of Canada Live, interviewed Gillis on June 1, 2011 as part of a series on taxpayer-funded arts grants. The network displayed the amount that Gillis and her dance foundation received in government grants since 1998.

Erickson questioned Gillis about why she received the funding, and grilled her for saying Canada was not a “compassionate society” while giving out arts grants and fighting in Afghanistan.

The CBSC says it received a record 6,676 complaints about the broadcast. Most said the interview was unfairly harsh, while others classified the figures as misleading.

The council’s release says that “although somewhat heated,” the interview did not violate the Canadian Association of Broadcasters’ ethics code for balance and fairness.

“While Erickson was forceful, she did not make any nasty comments about Gillis personally,” the ruling said.

Sun TV's fake citizenship ceremony canon fodder for other media

2012-02-03T10:44:00.002-05:00

CP outed SUN TV's fake citizenship ceremony. Sun TV's competitors just love it.

Here is Star columnist Heather Malick:

Fake Sun TV segment has mocked our democracy

"When Stephen Harper’s government wants a happy clap-clap Canadian moment on Sun News, it goes the Full North Korean.

Yes, six of the “new Canadians” attending a “reaffirmation” ceremony for Citizenship Week in the Sun studios last fall turn out not to have been recently minted citizens after all. As The Canadian Press’ Jennifer Ditchburn has reported, they were actually federal bureaucrats told to smile and wave the damn flag like they meant it.

The thing looked like a school play with grown-ups. Sad frightened grown-ups.

According to CP, Immigration Minister Jason Kenney’s office had asked Sun News to do a soft news segment, at the network’s studio, on new citizens taking the oath. It does sound as though the Tories and Sun News are joined at the hip. I have never worked anywhere in journalism where the government phoned and asked you to do anything. Oh yeah, when an 8-year-old designs a Christmas stamp, we’ll be there.

But journalists and government never get together and fake stuff. That would be a firing offence, presumably on both sides. How times have changed. . .."

The full column:

Newspapers will remain in demand

2012-02-02T20:46:00.000-05:00

Publishers of the four Toronto dailies agree that the newspapers have a future. “I feel very optimistic about the long term for our news organizations … the best of times are ahead for the best of brands,” said Toronto Star publisher John Cruickshank, during a panel discussion at the Four Seasons hotel on Thursday. Read it in the Star by clicking headline.

NFL sets up BCE-CRTC Super Bowl showdown

2012-01-31T21:21:00.005-05:00

BCE throws NFL ownership rights at the CRTC to thwart the regulator's order to permit all mobile carriers to show games. When worlds collide. . Globe and Mail.

Husband of CTV Ottawa anchor found dead

2012-01-31T16:30:00.001-05:00

Condolences poured into CTV Ottawa Monday evening after it was announced that the husband of CTV Ottawa anchor Carol Anne Meehan has been found dead.

Ontario Provincial Police officers found Greg Etue's body inside a 2008 Pontiac Montana van parked on a lane in the Brudenell, a small community about a two-hour drive west of Ottawa. The 56-year-old had been missing for two weeks. Foul play is not suspected in the death.

Etue, a prominent Ottawa pharmacist, had been living with multiple sclerosis, and had been battling cancer for the past two years. Meehan has been off-air since her husband's disappearance.

After the OPP issued a press release identifying the body, Ottawa-area residents reacted with sympathy, offering numerous condolences to Meehan and her family.

"I never personally met you, Carol Anne, but have come to know you and your compassion for others by watching you deliver the 6 p.m. evening news," said one respondent wrote in a Book of Condolences on the CTV website. "I am saddened by the news. My prayers are with you and your kids. I just want you to know that your absence has been felt by all of us who are blessed enough to have CTV News as our hometown platform."

"I'd like to send the family my deepest condolences during these extremely difficult times," said another sympathizer. "Please know that you are not alone, that your friend and family embrace you." Ottawa Citizen

George Christopoulos is Mayor Ford's press aide

2012-01-31T15:58:00.002-05:00

Former Toronto Sun crime reporter George Christopoulos has been appointed press secretary to Mayor Rob Ford. Christopoulos replaces Adrienne Batra who handled media for Ford since his election. Mr. Christopoulos leaves his position as a media relations coordinator for the police, where he worked closely with Chief Bill Blair. It's a position he took in 2003 after his stint with the Sun; He started at the paper in 1990, working as a reporter covering crime, general assignment news and City Hall. Christopoulos covered municipal affairs for the Sun from 2000 to 2003.

Triumph at Kapyong goes to second printing

2012-01-30T23:07:00.002-05:00

Dan Bjarnason's riveting story of Canada's epic stand at Kapyong during the Korean War is going to its second printing. It's not surprising as "Kapyong" is a richly detailed account of how greatly outnumbered Canadian troops held their ground against the Communist Chinese. In the end, it is said that Canada's gutsy holding action permitted U.S. forces to re-group and re-take large portions of the Korean Peninsula. There would be much more fighting before the armistice. But it is history's verdict that Canada's small force played a pivotal role in saving the Republic of Korea.

Honda releases "Ferris Bueller" ad a week early

2012-01-30T21:32:00.006-05:00

When you spend millions making a Super Bowl spot, it might seem sensible to get it out on You Tube and build the hype for the on air debut. That's what the Honda people thought as they let loose this entertaining parody on the seemingly timeless1986 classic Ferris Bueller's Day Off.

News Corp among bidders for Turkish media giant

2012-01-30T14:58:00.002-05:00

News Corp, Time Warner and TPG Capital have placed bids of up to around $1 billion for the ATV-Sabah media unit of Turkey's Calik Holding, three sources close to the matter told Reuters on Monday.

Murdoch talking to Les Fenwick

2012-01-29T10:20:00.004-05:00

News Corp. is in serious talks to hire former Bloomberg LP chief executive Lex Fenwick to be the new hief of Wall Street Journal publisher Dow Jones & Co., according to people familiar with the matter. Wall Street Journal.

UK Sun scandal: 5 charged for bribing cops

2012-01-28T13:04:00.000-05:00

A Scotland Yard team investigating the bribery of police officers by journalists searched the offices of Rupert Murdoch’s flagship British tabloid, The Sun, on Saturday after arresting a police officer and four men identified as current or former journalists at the paper. A police statement said searches were also being conducted at the homes of the arrested men.

Polygamist sect buys ads urging repentance (?)

2012-01-27T14:55:00.002-05:00

Warren Jeffs sect has taken ads in the U.S. and Canada. One appeared in the Vancouver Sun. It isn't clear to whom the ads are directed, but Jeffs had complained repeatedly during his Texas trial last year that he was being persecuted because of his religious beliefs. Jeffs' sect, which teaches that for a man to be among the select in heaven he must have at least three wives, is estimated to have 10,000 followers in North America.

Toronto photog Andrew MacNaughtan dead at 47

2012-01-26T22:44:00.001-05:00

Toronto photographer Andrew MacNaughtan, well known for his work documenting rock band Rush and many other Canadian musicians, has died. He was 47. Rush members Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson and Neil Peart confirmed the death in a statement on their website, which expressed shock and sadness at MacNaughtan's sudden passing. The rockers called the photographer a "sweet person and a very talented artist" who will be deeply missed. CP

Twitter to restrict user content in some countries

2012-01-26T21:57:00.001-05:00

Twitter announced Thursday that it would begin restricting Tweets in specific countries, renewing questions about how the social media platform will handle issues of free speech as it rapidly expands its global user base.

Until now, Twitter had to remove a Tweet from its global network if it received a takedown request from a government. But the company said in a blog post published Thursday that it now has the ability to selectively block a Tweet from appearing to users in one country.

"Starting today, we give ourselves the ability to reactively withhold content from users in a specific country while keeping it available in the rest of the world," the Twitter blog said. Twitter gave as examples of restrictions it might cooperate with, such as "pro-Nazi content" in France and Germany, where it is banned. It said even with the possibility of such restrictions, Twitter would not be able to coexist with some countries. "Some differ so much from our ideas that we will not be able to exist there," it said.

"As we continue to grow internationally, we will enter countries that have different ideas about the contours of freedom of expression," Twitter wrote.

Full story

CTV Ottawa anchor’s husband missing

2012-01-26T11:41:00.002-05:00

Greg Etue, (pictured) 56, the husband of CTV Ottawa anchor Carol Anne Meehan, is still missing, Ottawa police said Thursday.

On Wednesday Ottawa police issued a second appeal to the public to keep an eye out for Etue, who was last seen Jan. 16 driving a 2008 Pontiac Montana van with a Thule ski box on top.

“This is a nightmare that is now into its 8th day,” Meehan posted on her Facebook page Tuesday.

Ottawa police released a surveillance camera photo of the van, as well as a newer photo of Etue in an effort to seek the public’s assistance in locating him.

Police described Etue as white, 5-foot-9 and slim, with short grey hair and blue eyes. He was wearing a grey jacket, a baseball hat and winter boots. Etue, who is a pharmacist and a father of two, has both multiple sclerosis and cancer.

Leonard Katz appointed interim CRTC chairman

2012-01-25T16:34:00.001-05:00

Canada’s federal broadcast and telecommunications regulator appointed vice-chairman Leonard Katz to the post of interim chairman Wednesday, following the departure of longtime chairman Konrad von Finckenstein. Mr. von Finckenstein’s five-year term at the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission expires today. The appointment was widely expected as the government vets long-term candidates for the job. A new chairman is expected to be selected before Mr. Katz’s own term expires next fall. Mr. Katz, an industry insider who held senior positions with both Bell Canada and Rogers Communications Inc. before joining the CRTC in 2005, was appointed to vice-chairman of telecom in 2007.

Stop throttling video games, CRTC tells Rogers

2012-01-25T09:30:00.005-05:00

Rogers Communications is breaking the law by deliberately slowing down certain types of Internet traffic, the CRTC says.

In a letter made public Jan. 20, the CRTC gives Rogers two weeks to show it’s complying with the rules.
“Commission staff is of the belief that Rogers applies a technical ITMP to unidentified traffic using default peer-to-peer (P2P) ports,” said Andrea Rosen, the CRTC’s chief compliance and enforcement officer.

Publication ban lifted on Russell Williams divorce

2012-01-24T21:16:00.006-05:00

The woman who married former colonel and convicted sex killer Russell Williams is “yet another victim” of his depravity, but there is no legal basis for wrapping a cloak of secrecy around her divorce file, Ontario’s highest court said Tuesday.

The Ontario Court of Appeal has set aside a sweeping series of publication bans and sealing orders that were imposed by an Ottawa family court judge last April.

While the decision would normally take effect immediately, the court is holding its ruling in abeyance for 14 days to give Williams’ wife an opportunity to consider “what steps, if any” she will take to challenge it, said Justice David Doherty, who wrote Tuesday’s judgment on behalf of a 3-0 appeal panel.

That means that for the time being, the bans will remain in effect and Williams’ spouse — whose identity and occupation were widely reported in the aftermath of his February 2010 arrest on two counts of murder and multiple counts of sexual assault, forcible confinement and breaking-and-entering — will remain known as M.E.H.

In seeking the bans last year, M.E.H. said she dreads the divorce proceedings will bring even more attention on her than did her husband’s criminal trial.

But in its strongly worded decision Tuesday, the appeal court made perfectly clear that courts do not impose publication bans or seal court files to prevent personal embarrassment to someone involved in a legal action.

Canada needs to reinvent CRTC, outgoing head says

2012-01-24T09:39:00.001-05:00

Konrad von Finckenstein gives exit interview to the Globe and Mail:

"After five stormy years as Canada’s chief communications watchdog, Konrad von Finckenstein is departing with a warning to his successor: Internet and wireless technology has disarmed federal regulators of their weapons to protect cultural identity.

National culture and viewpoint have traditionally been defended by controlling access to content – primarily flowing from the U.S. entertainment machine. But that power is rendered toothless as programming becomes freely available to anyone with a computer or mobile device, Mr. von Finckenstein says.

“We have now moved into an era where the consumer is in control, and where thanks to the Internet and mobile devices, you cannot control access any more,” he said."

More here:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/canada-needs-to-reinvent-crtc-outgoing-head-says/article2310806/

YouTube cracks 4 billion daily video views

2012-01-24T09:25:00.002-05:00

YouTube, Google Inc’s video website, is streaming 4 billion online videos every day, a 25 per cent increase in the past eight months, according to the company.

The jump in video views comes as Google pushes YouTube beyond the personal computer, with versions of the site that work on smartphones and televisions, and as the company steps up efforts to offer more professional-grade content on the site.

Globe appoints public editor-- better late than never

2012-01-23T11:42:00.001-05:00

The Globe and Mail has announced that it is appointing its first public editor, "in an effort to make the organization more transparent and accountable to its readers and the general public."

The new position will be assumed by Sylvia Stead, a senior editor who has held a range of editorial leadership positions. Ms. Stead, who moves into the role Monday, will report to both the editor-in-chief and publisher, to ensure any needed autonomy from the newsroom, the Globe said in today's edition.

CBC reporter's link to B.C. premier too close for comfort: ombudsman

2012-01-23T10:13:00.001-05:00

The CBC ombudsman has found B.C. provincial legislature reporter Stephen Smart's marriage to Premier Christy Clark's deputy press secretary, Rebecca Scott, to be in violation of the national broadcaster's journalistic standards and practices.

Kirk LaPointe's review stems from a complaint of conflict of interest by Merv Adey, who wrote to CBC News on Dec. 20. "I do not wish to impugn Mr. Smart's ability or character," Adey wrote. "However, I believe it's impossible for him to fairly carry out his job while married to the premier's friend and communications person.

"One of a reporter's first duties is to think and speak with a critical mind about his subject (in this case, the premier and her government and the opposition parties also). While married to a stakeholder in a political non-contract position, I think that's really too much to ask of him."

Wayne Williams, CBC's news director for B.C., responded to Adey on Jan. 3, insisting there is no conflict of interest and that CBC had "taken specific steps to address the issue, ensuring both distance and transparency."

LaPointe said there is "no evidence (Smart) has taken advantage of his wife's role, (and) even the complainant praises his journalist qualities.

"But just because there is no impropriety does not mean there is no conflict," LaPointe wrote. "Whether a real or perceived conflict of interest, no amount of managing it can do more than mitigate the impact of an impartial fulfilment of duties.

"As it stands there is a violation of CBC Journalistic Standards and Practices."

Kingpin of international copyright theft arrested in New Zealand

2012-01-22T00:01:00.002-05:00

New Zealand police on Saturday revealed bizarre details of the arrest of the suspected kingpin of an Internet copyright theft case against the James Bond-like backdrop of a country mansion hideaway with electronic locks, a safe room and a pink Cadillac.

German national Kim Dotcom, also known as Kim Schmitz, was one of four men arrested on Friday, a day before his 38th birthday, in an investigation of the Megaupload.com website led by the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation.

The group was accused of engaging in a scheme that took more than $500 million away from copyright holders and generated over $175 million in proceeds from subscriptions and advertising.

A police official said dozens of officers, backed by helicopters, forced their way into the mansion, nestled in lush, rolling farmland, after Dotcom refused them entry, a scene more reminiscent of a high-octane spy drama than the usual policeman’s lot in rural New Zealand.

Television footage showed vehicles, including a pink Cadillac and a Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupe, being removed from the property.

The house where Dotcom was arrested was one of the largest and most expensive in the country, worth around NZ$30 million. Located in hills northwest of New Zealand’s largest city, the mansion is surrounded — at suitably discreet distances — by other substantial country homes and luxury lifestyle blocks complete with stables, swimming pools and tennis courts.

Globe lunches with Arianna Huffington

2012-01-21T16:31:00.002-05:00

Unnoticed by this observer, the Globe and Mail's business section has been running a weekend series titled "The Lunch," a festgab by various reporters with business figures. This week's, by Susan Krashinsky, features Arrianna Huffington whose empire of web pages is out to conquer the world. As noted below, a French site launches on Monday with Anne Sinclair, wife of Dominique- Strauss-Kahn, at the helm.

The interview contains some interesting things: The site does not pay writers but seems to be able to con some big names to work for free. It also does not charge, making its money from advertising (if it does make any money, that is). The Canadian site employs 14 full-time people, four of whom will work for the upcoming Quebec edition that is to launch next month. Ms Huffington also plans to launch a streaming video version of the sites. The Globe web page features some audio clips from the interview.

Ms Huffington's site was bought by America Online a year ago for $315 million.

Here is a link to the full version:

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/careers/careers-leadership/the-lunch/arianna-huffington-linking-together-a-bigger-empire/article2310184/

Interesting as the lunch series is, we miss Jan Wong who always went for the jugular.

Court orders Vancouver newspapers to produce riot videos and photos

2012-01-20T23:09:00.003-05:00

The Vancouver Sun and Province will hand over all photos and video shot during the Stanley Cup riot to Vancouver police after a judge granted a police application, but the newspapers have decided to make every image available to readers first.

Nearly 5,500 photos taken during the riot can be viewed at pngphoto.com. These same images will be given to police on Monday as ordered by the court.

"We will reluctantly turn over the photos and videos to police, but remain concerned that the production order turns journalists into evidence gatherers for police," Sun deputy managing editor Harold Munro said. "Police should only make such demands on the media as a last resort," he said. "In this case, they have many thousands of photos and videos from the public that are still being reviewed."

On Dec. 16, a B.C. Supreme Court judge quashed an earlier production order because of errors made in the application by the Vancouver Police Department. A new, corrected application was granted by a judge on Dec. 21. The riot erupted after the Vancouver Canucks lost Game 7 of the Stanley Cup final to the Boston Bruins. Rioters set cars on fire, smashed windows and looted stores in downtown Vancouver, causing millions of dollars in damages.

As of Tuesday, police have recommended charges against 100 people.

Anne Sinclair, Dominique Strauss-Kahn’s wife, named head of Le Huffington Post

2012-01-19T23:37:00.004-05:00

Anne Sinclair has been named the editorial director of Le Huffington Post — the French edition of the popular American news website, French newspaper L'Express reported on Wednesday. New York Daily News

Murdoch pays victims of hacking, instrusion

2012-01-19T13:59:00.002-05:00

Admitting that News Corp. systematically hacked phones and spied on private people, Murdoch pays damages.

Stricken photographer's health improves

2012-01-19T12:26:00.000-05:00

A Halifax photographer suffering from a paralyzing illness says he's feeling much better these days. Darrell Oake, who was diagnosed with Guillain-Barré syndrome late last year, is now well enough to visit home on weekends. His doctors have given him a pass to see his family this weekend.. CBC.ca

A made-for-media marriage debacle

2012-01-18T13:57:00.000-05:00

Andre Coyne scores media (and others) for making a big deal out of very little.

Japanese papers, readers have close relationship

2012-01-18T13:51:00.002-05:00

An intimate relationship exists between newspapers and readers in Japan. That bond has long eroded in the West and it means that Japan's print media have been less damaged by the havoc wreaked by new media, analysts say. AFP link.

Big Buck among magazines on public dole

2012-01-16T08:52:00.000-05:00

Winnipeg Free Press: Here's a good question to ask as the federal government begins to trim public service jobs. Why is the government still handing taxpayers' money to some of Canada's largest media corporations? The little-known Canada Periodical Fund doles out about $71 million a year to publications ranging from Newfoundland Sportsman to the Canadian Coin News, but it's not the legion of obscure publications that is most objectionable, even though the spending produces little broad value.

CBS This Morning Draws Mixed Reactions

2012-01-15T12:33:00.002-05:00

On Monday, CBS This Morning made its debut with anchors Gayle King, Charlie Rose and Erica Hill. The network hopes its revamped, third-rated morning-show -- and fresh new format -- will make tougher competition for NBC's top-ranked Today show and ABC's Good Morning America. Hollywod Reporter

Star report offside re Harper-Putin hockey

2012-01-14T09:08:00.000-05:00

Embarrassing. Some will say never let the facts get in the way of a story.

Electoral law grew old with Western maturity

2012-01-13T21:27:00.002-05:00

The federal government will do away the law that prevents TV networks from broadcasting election results from any time zone where the polls are still open. The 1938 law has become less and less enforceable for all the digital reasons we know. Even before the insidious tweet, email had made a joke of this stricture. The intent was to prevent the completed results in the east from influencing western voters. That power, if it ever existed, seems to be long gone. This is especially so following the growth and maturity of the west since the time of Pierre Trudeau. Once one hits the Manitoba border, he's dealing with people who know what they want based largely on their position on the Pacific flank of the nation. The South Bayview Bulldog

Shaw news venture "all about bandwidth"

2012-01-13T20:53:00.002-05:00

Shaw Media's application to launch a Global BC-driven all-news channel in B.C. is more about scrambling for bandwidth than providing a new news outlet, a Simon Fraser University marketing professor said. Above, Jill Krop will front a prime time show on the new service. Vancouver Sun linked above

Death of French journalist in Syria brings calls for independent probe of violence

2012-01-12T15:20:00.001-05:00

The death of a French journalist in Syria brought new calls Thursday for an independent investigation of the violence in the country after a series of mysterious attacks since December killed scores of people despite the presence of Arab League monitors.

The prospects for such an independent probe are slim in Syria, where the government has barred access by most foreign media except on escorted trips.

The Arab League observer mission has been beset by problems and itself criticized as merely providing cover for the regime’s crackdown on dissent. Help from the U.N. is unlikely, in part because Syrian allies Russia and China are blocking action against Damascus.

The French government, human rights groups and Syria’s opposition demanded an inquiry into the death Wednesday of Gilles Jacquier, 43, in a barrage of grenades in the restive city of Homs. The award-winning correspondent for France-2 Television was the first Western journalist killed in the 10-month-old uprising.

Shaw revenues, profits climb higher in Q1

2012-01-12T10:06:00.001-05:00

Shaw Communications Inc. reported an increase in profit in its first quarter on higher revenues amid a volatile economic and competitive environment, the company said Thursday.

For the period ended Nov. 30, 2011, Shaw posted a profit of $202-million (43¢ a share) compared with $17-million (3¢) in the same period the year before.

The significant change in profit is due in part to a charge of $139-million to the CRTC related to the acquisition of Canwest, as well as other restructuring expenses worth $58-million.

Revenues are up 19% to $1.28-billion, largely due to the inclusion of Shaw Media, the broadcast assets of Canwest that include Global Television and other specialty channels, as well as customer growth and price changes in cable and satellite divisions.

Revenues in the cable and satellite divisions are up, but the media division posted a decline due largely to weakness in advertising.

Shaw Media plans to launch B.C.'s first all-day news channel

2012-01-11T23:54:00.002-05:00

Shaw Media’s application to launch a Global BC-driven all-news channel in B.C. is more about scrambling for bandwidth than providing a new news outlet, a Simon Fraser University marketing professor said.

“There are pressures to control more bandwidth and bandwidth for TV is the creme de la creme and can easily be converted later to an Internet feed,” Lindsay Meredith said. “In the end, you can turn that into all kinds of different feeds. Down the line you have some flexibility ...”

Shaw Media announced its application to the Canadian Radio-Television Communications Commission yesterday. The as-yet-unnamed specialty channel will operate out of Global B.C.’s newsroom and is expected to launch this summer.

The channel’s final format is still being discussed, but it will provide headline as well as contextual news, and an evening prime time talk show hosted by veteran Global BC anchor Jill Krop, said Kenton Boston, Global BC station manager and senior director of Global national news who will be responsible for content on the new channel.

Corus Entertainment profit rises, raises dividend

2012-01-11T17:56:00.002-05:00

Broadcasting company Corus Inc. on Tuesday reported higher earnings and revenue from its first fiscal quarter, giving much of the credit to a stronger advertising market.

“We are very pleased with our Q1 results and, in particular, the renewed signs of strength we witnessed in the ad economy,” Corus CEO John Cassaday said in a statement.

The Toronto-based owner of television stations such as YTV, Treehouse and W Network said net earnings amounted to $50.4-million in the quarter ended Nov. 30, or 61 cents a share. That compared to income a year earlier of $47.7-million, or 59 cents a share.

Revenue was up 6.6% to $236.9-million in the quarter. Its TV operations saw growth of 10% and radio revenue was down five per cent.

Corus also announced it was raising its dividend by nine cents a year, which would put it at 95.5 cents a share annually for Class A holders and 96 cents for Class B.

Facebook finds a new home inside a Mercedes Benz

2012-01-11T17:54:00.003-05:00

Mercedes-Benz USA is bringing Facebook to its cars, with a special version of the service that is built-in to a new in-vehicle telematics system that will be unveiled at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas this week.

Accessing Facebook on the road is not the exactly the same as using the social network on a personal computer or a smartphone. The version of Facebook offered in Daimler AG’s Mercedes is stripped down to a limited set of features, specially designed for drivers and centered around the locations of friends and businesses.

But according to Facebook Vice President of Partnerships and Platform Marketing Dan Rose, the Mercedes version of Facebook reflects the social networking service’s expansion to a growing list of settings where screens and Internet connections are available.

“Now that cars have screens that are intelligent, you would expect that more and more car manufacturers will want to make those screens capable of allowing people to connect with their friends and take advantage of the social context that comes along with that,” Mr. Rose said in an interview.

Bertelsmann takes full control of McClelland & Stewart

2012-01-10T23:52:00.001-05:00

One of the last bastions of 20th-century cultural nationalism in Canada slipped into history when international publishing conglomerate Bertelsmann AG, owner of Random House and its Canadian subsidiaries, absorbed the final semi-independent remnant of iconic publisher McClelland & Stewart.

Under the direction of publisher Jack McClelland, the company broke new ground in the 1960s by proving that Canadian readers were eager to read Canadian writers – and, in the process, developed a list of authors whose names remain synonymous with the country’s literature around the world, including Margaret Atwood, Michael Ondaatje and Farley Mowat.

M&S flourished under still-extant legislation that bans foreign takeovers of Canadian publishers. And while it will continue to publish under its own imprint, its federally approved disappearance as an independent company brings to a head widespread industry concern about the survival of that law and other policies that have historically supported Canadian publishers and authors.

Already a 25-per-cent owner of the company, Random House Canada announced Tuesday that it has taken sole ownership of McClelland & Stewart by acquiring the 75-per-cent share formerly held by the University of Toronto, which acquired it as a donation from former M&S owner Avie Bennett 11 years ago.

Internet porn billionaire to take over Le Monde

2012-01-10T11:40:00.002-05:00

The Daily Telegraph reports that Le Monde's journalists' association, the paper's main shareholder, have voted for the daily to be taken over by three French investors who President Nicolas Sarkozy sought to block.
The consortium is made up of Pierre Berge, ex-partner of the late fashion designer Yves Saint-Laurent, Lazard banker Matthieu Pigasse and internet tycoon Xavier Niel.Mr Niel made his fortune on internet pornography, chat lines and peep shows.
The trio have promised journalists at the paper a "blocking" vote on future changes and complete editorial independence.
The journalists' association voted 90 per cent in favour of their bid and rejected an offer by a group that includes France Telecom subsidiary Orange, the Nouvel Observateur group and Spain's Prisa, which owns El Pais newspaper.The newspaper is expected to make its final decision on the offer by the end of the month.Le Monde, France's flagship daily, is being crushed by a mountain of debt and put out a call to investors capable of injecting between 80 and 120 million euros to come to its aid.

Postmedia to lobby Ottawa for more foreign investment

2012-01-10T11:31:00.001-05:00

The Globe and Mail's Susan Krashinsky reports that Postmedia is lobbying Ottawa to allow more foreign investment in the newspaper industry, a move that would have significant implications for the sector if it were successful. The Globe story says that lobbyist David Angus of the Ottawa firm Capital Hill Group Inc. filed a new registration last month listing Postmedia Network Canada Corp. as a client. The document says Mr. Angus will work on behalf of Postmedia in “seeking to allow foreign investment in Canadian newspapers,” according to the public registry of lobbyists. Postmedia, which publishes the National Post as well as urban daily newspapers, including the Calgary Herald and the Ottawa Citizen, is in the position of needing to find a committed owner in a difficult environment for print media.The company’s current investors, led by New York-based Golden Tree Asset Management LP and other funds, are expected to want to sell their stakes in the company within the next few years. Some, such as RBC Dominion Securities Inc. analyst Drew McReynolds, have speculated that Torstar Corp. could be a potential buyer. But others are not confident a Canadian buyer will emerge offering the right price.

Long-time Globe fashion writer Joyce Carter dies at 81

2012-01-10T11:27:00.000-05:00

Long-time Globe and Mail fashion writer Joyce Carter died at her Toronto home on Nov. 3 at the age of 81.Globe obituary here:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/globe-fashion-writer-had-a-healthy-distrust-of-artifice-and-hype/article2296810/page1/

Larry Solway, TV and radio broadcaster, dies at 83

2012-01-09T15:18:00.002-05:00

Larry Solway, hose deep booming radio voice brought him fame and sometimes controversy, has died at age 83 of complications arising from bladder cancer. Solway was best known for his days hosting radio and TV talk shows. He acted in film and theatre and had a brief stint in politics. In the 1960s he was at CHUM, hosting talk radio shows like Speak Your Mind, taking thousands of calls from Torontonians a year on all kinds of subjects with all kinds of opinions.He left CHUM in 1970 in a flurry of controversy over a series of explicit sex shows. The next year he wrote a book, The Day I Invented Sex, about the experience. In the 70s, he was a panelist on CBC’s quiz show This Is the Law, and hosted Talkback on CHIC radio in Brampton, Ontario. He dabbled in acting – playing small roles in films such as Meatballs and The Brood.

Public has right to view Cup riot trial proceedings: Vancouver Sun

2012-01-09T11:26:00.001-05:00

The Vancouver Sun's Ian Mulgrew writes:

Forget about those courageous crusading prosecutors featured around the world on the Law & Order television franchise.

Here, Crown attorneys are shaking in their boots at even the prospect of appearing on camera if Stanley Cup riot trials are televised. Well, not exactly trembling with fear, according to their spokesman, simply exercising their privacy rights.

"There's no guarantee these images won't be used in a threatening matter in future," Crown Counsel Association president Simiran Lakshman insisted Thursday.

"They will live forever in cyberspace." He added that none of the prosecuting team has given permission to have their image captured and broadcast.

In his opinion, the province's 450 prosecutors have privacy interests that must be respected even though they are well compensated for serving the public in an admittedly not-always-popular role. Today, a senior Crown earns about $178,000 annually and over the next eight years of their contract that will rise to about $198,000. Premier Christy Clark makes $193,000. In my opinion, Crown attorneys who don't want the hassle of being recognized in the grocery store or at the hockey rink should consider career options.

http://www.vancouversun.com/news/Public+right+view+riot+trial+proceedings/5956201/story.html

Literary Review of Canada celebrates 20 years

2012-01-07T10:18:00.007-05:00

The Star reports on the 20th anniversary of the Literary Review of Canada:

"In a brutal modern media industry of ever-shrinking margins and shuttered publications, a small niche magazine has survived 20 years, all with limited newsstand availability and a small cache of loyal subscribers.

The community around The Literary Review of Canada, a non-fiction book review magazine, celebrates two decades in 2012. Many outside that community have wondered how they did it.

“I think it’s this sense of loyalty to the importance of books and ideas, and the sense of that being threatened,” said Helen Walsh, co-publisher of the periodical.."

To read more:

http://www.toronto.com/article/709116

CBC ombudsman says "public cannot accept" Toronto police chief's version of mayor's 911 call

2012-01-06T22:15:00.002-05:00

CBC ombudsman Kirk Lapointe claims that the public cannot accept Police Chief Bill Blair’s account of the 911 calls Mayor Rob Ford made after a This Hour Has 22 Minutes comedian surprised him in his driveway. LaPointe, found that the CBC did not violate its journalistic standards in its reporting on Ford’s calls — though he also says he isn’t sure that its stories, which relied on anonymous sources, were correct.

“On one hand, CBC News is a major media organization with a reputation for high-quality investigative and precision journalism as part of its public mission,” LaPointe wrote in a report released Friday. “On the other hand, the chief of police is a major public figure expected to perform impeccable service.

In this matter only one of them is right. It just isn’t clear whom.” Blair’s Oct. 28 statement on the calls should not be considered the definitive final word, LaPointe argued. Blair’s independence, he wrote, was compromised by Ford’s key role in setting the police budget. Police spokespesman Mark Pugash strongly criticized that assertion.

It is “offensive,” Pugash said, for LaPointe to suggest the police budget had any influence on Blair’s statement. “Chief Blair listened to the calls, the CBC did not. Chief Blair’s account is accurate and truthful, he stands by what he said, and Mr. LaPointe’s suggestion that the ongoing budget process makes the chief ‘not a disinterested party’ is completely wrong,” he said. LaPointe wrote that he could not determine whether the CBC’s stories were accurate without access to the tape of the disputed call. Absent that proof, he wrote, “there remain questions about this episode that may never be answered.”

Ford, who has rejected much of the CBC’s account, has the right to release the tape. He has declined to do so.

Criticism of the CBC’s reporting has centred upon a profane comment its reports claimed Ford had made to a police dispatcher on Oct. 24 when he called to ask why officers had not yet responded to his first call. Citing multiple anonymous sources, the reports claimed Ford had said, “You . . . bitches! Don’t you f---ing know? I’m Rob f---ing Ford, the mayor of this city!”

"Boardwalk Empire" bans Sun columnist

2012-01-06T13:30:00.002-05:00

Sun columnist Sue-Anne Levy can be over the top sometimes in her columns but, hey, we have freedom of the press here in Toronto even under her friend Rob Ford as mayor. She has written columns critical of the sweetheart deal the previous City administration made with the Boardwalk restaurant down on the lake shore near the Beaches.

The owners were given a 20-year lease for a promise to renovate the charming spot on the argument that franchises must be kept out. Now it turns out they are negotiating with Tim Hortons. Sue-Anne has been critical of the deal and now, the owner, George Foulidis, has sent her a lawyer's letter banning her from the premises.

As Sue-Anne tells it: "By way of a letter from his pricey Prince Arthur Ave. law firm Foulidis has informed me I will no longer be allowed to walk through the doors of his pub/eatery/gin joint — call the establishment on a prime piece of public lakefront land whatever you want. In the Dec. 13 letter to my editor-in-chief James Wallace, lawyer Brian Shiller indicates that I am not only “banned” from the Boardwalk Cafe but if I do drop by, the police will be “notified” and a request made to escort me from the premises and be charged with trespassing. (Note from editor--we would hate to be the cop who gets that call :)) )

"Shiller, the same lawyer who is handling Foulidis’s libel suit against Mayor Rob Ford, suggests I could have been charged under the Trespass to Property Act when I attended the pub on Dec. 3 — conveniently not mentioning that I was there to cover a public meeting about a public lease on public land. . ."

You can read the whole thing here:

http://www.torontosun.com/2012/01/05/levy-banned-from-boardwalk-cafe

Legendary photographer Eve Arnold dies aged 99

2012-01-06T11:35:00.001-05:00

Eve Arnold, the U.S. photographer who has died aged 99, was one of a small group of pioneering women who in the middle of the last century, following Dorothea Lange, Margaret Bourke-White and Lee Miller, ignored the conventions of the time and became photojournalists.

Financial Times obit:
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/0ae15f42-37d5-11e1-9fb0-00144feabdc0.html#axzz1ihFaHXxO

German president, newspaper trade blows on whether he tried to prevent publication of a report about a loan

2012-01-06T11:30:00.002-05:00

Germany’s president and its biggest-selling newspaper traded blows Thursday over whether he tried to prevent it from publishing a report on a controversial private loan, adding to the embattled head of state’s troubles. President Christian Wulff has faced intense pressure to explain himself since it emerged that he left an angry message Dec. 12 on the voicemail of Bild newspaper’s editor-in-chief Kai Diekmann — the day before the story appeared. Wulff insisted in a television interview Wednesday, in which he repeatedly stressed the importance of transparency, that he hadn’t tried to block the report and had merely asked for it to be delayed a day so that “we could talk about it, so that it could be correct.” But Diekmann expressed “astonishment” about that in a letter Thursday to Wulff. He wrote that Bild had already agreed to a one-day delay on Dec. 11, and that Wulff’s spokesman — whom the president fired just before Christmas without giving reasons — provided and then retracted responses before Wulff called Diekmann. He said Bild wanted to publish the text of the message “in order to clear up misunderstandings regarding the actual motivation and contents of your call” and asked for Wulff’s approval “in the spirit of transparency you have spoken of.”

Former News of the World editor takes the helm at New York Daily News

2012-01-06T11:25:00.002-05:00

Colin Myler, the final editor of the News of the World who has been a key figure in the unravelling phone-hacking scandal in the UK, has crossed back over the Atlantic to take the helm of the New York Daily News. Myler's appointment as editor-in-chief of New York's biggest-selling tabloid gives him a chance to wreak revenge on the Murdoch family, with whom he has had strained relations in recent months as the hacking scandal unfolded. Rupert Murdoch, who effectively sacked him when he shut down the News of the World in July 2011, also owns the great rival of the Daily News, the New York Post. Martin Dunn, a former editor of the Daily News, said Myler was "obviously very upset at what transpired at News of the World. This will be a great opportunity for him to take his journalistic skills into battle with the Murdoch family in Rupert's own backyard."

NYT discovers seminal rule of journalism

2012-01-04T23:19:00.001-05:00

Here is a story published in the New York Times that more or less discovers that candidates who do better than expected get more media attention. To which most journalists would say: "And?" It's an old joke that a dog biting a man isn't news. If the man bites the dog, well that's different. So candidates who are not expected to do well rightly, it seems, get a lot of attention if they surprise us all and win. It would be news if they didn't. As always, we invite comment. .

FP hints Stymeist will chair RIM board

2012-01-03T20:15:00.002-05:00

The Financial Post is suggesting that Research in Motion is preparing to shake up management at the company by appointing Barbara Symiest as Chair of the Board-of Directors. She is already an independent director who joined RIM's board in 2007, Stymiest was CEO of the Toronto Stock Exchange before moving on to become chief operating officer at the Royal Bank of Canada. . CBC.ca

Italian papers facing shutdown as subsidies end

2012-01-03T09:45:00.003-05:00

From the Guardian media blog the flash that newspapers including Liberazione, a communist daily, L'Unita, the paper founded by Antonio Gramsci, Il Manifesto, an independent left-wing paper and Avvenire, a popular Catholic daily may face closure because the government must cut off subsidies to them. .It says the bulk of the closures will involve local papers across the country.

Members quit press council, causing it to fold

2012-01-03T09:42:00.001-05:00

The Manitoba Press Council has folded after more than a quarter-century of service as a newspaper watchdog. The council announced its demise on Monday, citing a decision by its newspaper members to pull out.

Media mogul Rupert Murdoch takes to Twitter

2012-01-03T09:38:00.001-05:00

Rupert Murdoch has begun the new year by setting up in a new field of communications -- he's started tweeting. The media mogul, who is recovering from perhaps his most difficult year in the business, is posting on Twitter under the handle rupertmurdoch. Bloomberg Businessweek

Ford tells the Sun that Star story was all wrong

2012-01-01T10:15:00.005-05:00

Journalists will be interested in this story as an alternative to the implicit concern expressed in the Toronto Star story (see post below) about a Christmas Day call to 911 from the mayor's home. It is a very favorable story, of course, but it contains statements said to be fact which might, as the Star put it, "raise questions" Some might find a lot to read between the lines in this quote from an unnamed source: "In fact, a source close to the investigation told me that while alcohol was an issue none was consumed by the mayor". See what you think.

Canadian communists mourn Kim Jong Il

2011-12-30T20:30:00.004-05:00

The website of what is known as the Korean Central News Agency has published a list of "condolatory" messages to Kim Jong Un. One of them comes from Sandra Smith, national leader of the Communist Party of Canada (Marxist-Leninist). It must be a final and absolute admission of defeat for any hope at the polls that Ms. Smith has expressed her "heartfelt condolences on the untimely passing of Comrade Kim Jong Il, general secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea, chairman of the National Defence Commission of the DPRK and supreme commander of the Korean People's Army." While the rest of Canada thinks of Kim Jung Il as a tyrant and a notorious fraud, Ms Smith tells the North Korean gang leaders that Jong is greatly admired by all revolutionary forces for working tirelessly for the peaceful independent reunification of Korea, upholding the dignity and honor of the Korean nation, and securing peace on the Korean Peninsula on the basis of the Songun military first policy, thus contributing greatly to world peace" This incredible boiler plate goes on: "We are confident that the Korean communists and people led by the WPK and united around you as supreme leader, will turn their grief into strength and face all the challenges which lie ahead by marching together to ever greater victories on the road of independence, national reunification, socialism and peace". Given the challenges to her composition, Ms Smith wisely left out all that stuff about kidnapping Japanese women, floating his non-economy with billions of dollars of counterfeit U.S. dollars, stocking up on Marlboroughs and French wine while Koreans starved and his many other claims to fame.

Star exclusive about 911 Christmas Day call

2011-12-30T16:20:00.006-05:00

The Toronto Star has published a a story slugged exclusive about a 911 call made from the home of Mayor Ford on Christmas morning. The call was made by the mayor's mother-in law. The Star report suggests the essence of his mother-in-law's complaint was that the mayor was drinking and arguing with his wife. He is said to have decided to take his children to Florida and his wife objected. It is a long story with many sources but there is no material conclusive of anything except an undetermined number of calls to 911, including the call made by the mayor when he was ambushed in his driveway by a CBC comedy program. There is no further mention of drinking. The police are quoted as saying there have been no accusations of physical abuse. The nine-column banner headline says the calls "raise questions".

Tyler Anderson named news photog of the year

2011-12-29T20:55:00.004-05:00

National Post phoptographer Tyler Anderson has been named news photographer of the year by the News Photographers Association of Canada. Here he is interviewed by the CBC.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NbJHbVxXIwU&feature=player_embedded

Not everything funny in Canadian comedy: Joe Bodolai

2011-12-29T10:28:00.001-05:00

The death on Boxing Day of Canadian TV producer Joe Bodolai in a Los Angeles hotel room illustrates how everything isn’t all ha-ha in Canadian comedy. The Los Angeles County Coroner’s Office is treating Bodolai’s death as an apparent suicide before a final investigation is concluded. But in a departing blog, the former Saturday Night Live writer listed among his many regrets leaving Canada for Hollywood after being passed over in 1996 by then CTV topper Ivan Fecan to run the broadcaster’s Comedy Network, a cable channel he helped launch.

“My handshake disappeared. I got offered a deal my lawyer described as 'they want you to walk away. This is an insult.' I objected. The next day they hired Ed Robinson. I like Ed, but…,” Bodolai wrote in the final blog post entitled “If this were your last day alive, what would you do?”

The veteran writer, who died at 63 years of age after apparently drinking a concoction of Gatorade and antifreeze, came up against the harsh reality of Canadian comedy: you get to be creative north of the border, but you need to go to Los Angeles to get down to real business.

Read the whole article in the Hollywood Reporter:

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/what-snl-writer-joe-bodolais-276477

N.Y. Times selling U.S. regional newspapers

2011-12-28T22:53:00.001-05:00

The New York Times Co. is selling its 16 regional newspapers to Halifax Media Holdings LLC that paid $143 million in cash for the newspapers, which are spread across the Southeastern U.S. and California. The Times Co. said it was looking to cut costs and focus on its most important papers and their websites. Regional newspapers have struggled in recent years because of weak local retail and national advertising, partly reflecting the economy's broader travails. The newspapers being sold have a combined weekday circulation of about 430,000.

N.Y. Times sent e-mail to eight million people by mistake

2011-12-28T22:46:00.003-05:00

Some 8 million people received emails from the New York Times on Thursday offering a special discount if they would reconsider their decision to cancel their subscriptions. The trouble is, the offer was supposed to go to only about 300 people who had decided to stop taking home delivery of the newspaper -- it was erroneously sent by a New York Times employee to more than 8 million people on an email marketing list. The debacle lit up social media sites such as Twitter and Facebook, sparking concerns that hackers might have broken into the newspaper's computer network to send out spam. A spokeswoman for the newspaper blamed human error, saying hackers were not involved and security was not at fault. The email offered a 50 percent discount for 16 weeks on home delivery.

Google, Facebook top Internet destinations in 2011

2011-12-28T22:42:00.004-05:00

Search was still more important than being social on the Web in 2011--but not by much. Google edged out Facebook as the top Internet destination this year, according to data released today by market researcher Nielsen. The Web giant logged 153.4 million average unique visitors per month, compared with the social-networking giant's 137.6 million. Yahoo came in at No. 3 with 130.1 million unique monthly visitors, while Microsoft's MSN/WindowsLive/Bing and Google's YouTube filled out the top 5. (CNet)

BCE to buy back up to 2.1 million shares

2011-12-28T11:59:00.003-05:00

BCE Inc. says it will buy and cancel up to 2.1 million of its common shares under private deals with an arm's-length third-party seller. The share buyback will be part of the company's plan to repurchase 6.5 million common shares over the next year, BCE said Wednesday. The company did not say how much it paid for the shares, which are worth about $87-million at current TSX prices.

CP Editors pick Tory majority as story of the year; poll for Postmedia picks death of Jack Layton

2011-12-27T18:46:00.003-05:00

Prime Minister Stephen Harper's win of a Conservative majority government has been named Canada's News Story of the Year by editors and news directors who participated in the annual survey of newsrooms across the country by The Canadian Press. The Conservative majority captured 25 per cent of the votes in the annual CP survey – narrowly beating out the NDP's surge to official Opposition status, which earned a nod from 24 per cent of those newsrooms that voted. Together, those two sides of the Election 2011 coin dominated the other nominees. The post-Stanley Cup riots in Vancouver earned 12 per cent of the vote, the wildfires in Slave Lake 11 per cent and the Occupy protest movement 8 per cent.

Postmedia News and Global TV commissioned an Ipsos Reid poll in which the death of Jack Layton was the top Canadian news story in 2011. Thirty-seven per cent of survey respondents across the country cited Layton's death as the top national story, followed by the royal visit of Prince William and Kate (13 per cent), the Vancouver hockey riots (nine per cent), the federal election (eight per cent) and the Occupy protests rounding out the top five Canadian news stories at seven per cent.

Newspaper to pay damages after readers burned attempting recipe

2011-12-27T18:42:00.002-05:00

Chile’s Supreme Court has ordered a newspaper to pay out more than $120,000 to 13 people who suffered burns when they attempted a recipe the paper had published for churros, a snack of deep-fried dough dusted in sugar that’s popular in Latin America. Days after the recipe was published in 2004, hospitals around the country began treating people for burns after the dough had shot out of their pots, showering them with hot oil. The high court found that the newspaper failed to properly test the recipe before publication: If readers followed the instructions, their churros had a good chance of exploding once the oil reached the suggested temperature, which was too high. “The explosions were so violent that in some cases the splashes hit the ceiling and covered the person who was cooking,” the ruling said. “Faithfully following the recipe published in the newspaper, this damage could not have been avoided.” The publisher of the newspaper, La Tercera, will pay damages ranging from $279 to $48,000, the latter to one woman whose burns were especially severe.

Warren Buffet completes hometown newspaper purchase

2011-12-26T12:40:00.002-05:00

Berkshire Hathaway Inc. has completed the purchase of company Chairman Warren Buffett's hometown newspaper, the Omaha World-Herald. The $200 million deal, announced Nov. 30, included $50 million in debt. Under the agreement, Berkshire acquires the World-Herald and daily newspapers in Kearney, Grand Island, York, North Platte and Scottsbluff in Nebraska; the Council Bluffs Nonpareil in Iowa; a number of weekly newspapers; and World Marketing, a direct-mail company with operations in Omaha, Chicago, Dallas, Atlanta and Los Angeles. World-Herald spokesman Joel Long said Monday that the deal closed Friday. He says World-Herald shareholders—about 275 employees and retirees and the Peter Kiewit Foundation—approved the sale by an overwhelming vote. Mr. Buffett has said the World-Herald "delivers solid profits and is one of the best-run newspapers in America."

N.Y Times to re-start negotiations with union after CEO retires

2011-12-24T11:50:00.001-05:00

New York Times Co. contacted union leaders about restarting contract negotiations a day after the publisher announced last week the retirement of Chief Executive Officer Janet Robinson, according to the local Newspaper Guild. Negotiating groups plan to meet in January on a date to be determined, Newspaper Guild of New York President Bill O’Meara said in a telephone interview yesterday. The guild, representing almost 1,100 workers at the company’s flagship New York Times newspaper, said the two sides last met June 1. “We have been asking for full meeting since,” O’Meara said. “A lot of the big issues have yet to be dealt with.” The negotiations come at a “strange time” as Times Co. pushes a pension freeze for some employees that is intended to save $9 million a year, about the same amount as Robinson’s reported retirement payout, O’Meara said. The company said Dec. 15 that Robinson, who will retire Dec. 31 after seven years as CEO, will be paid $4.5 million as a consultant for one year. Reuters, citing unidentified sources, reported this week that Robinson also stands to make $10.9 million in pension benefits. “That would have paid pensions for over 1,000 employees,” O’Meara said. “Our employees are very upset.”

Volkswagen unplugs after-hours BlackBerry use

2011-12-23T13:48:00.002-05:00

Volkswagen employees in Germany will no longer receive company emails 30 minutes after their shift ends and they won't start up again until 30 minutes before work under a union agreement.The decision comes after complaints that the work and home lives of employees are blurred, causing stress and negatively affecting decision making. The move follows criticism of internal emails by Thierry Breton, chief executive of the French information technology services giant, Atos. He said workers at his firm were wasting hours of their lives on internal messages both at home and at work. He has taken the more radical step of banning internal email altogether from 2014.

Torstar to acquire Blue Ant Media

2011-12-22T21:43:00.002-05:00

Torstar Corp. is to acquire a 25 percent stake in domestic broadcaster Blue Ant Media for $22.7 million. The deal marks a return to broadcasting for Torstar after it sold a minority stake in CTV, Canada’s top-rated broadcaster, to phone giant BCE.Blue Ant Media is led by Michael MacMillan, a former CEO of Alliance Atlantis Communications until he cashed out in 2007.MacMillan has since returned to broadcaster with his Blue Ant Media earlier this year acquiring a controlling interest in GlassBOX Television, and a minority interest in Quarto Communications. Also Wednesday, Blue Ant Media unveiled a deal to acquire Canadian broadcaster High Fidelity HDTV Inc. and its four premium high definition channels - Oasis HD, eqhd, radX and HIFI.Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but Blue Ant Media will pick up an initial 29.9 per cent stake in High Fidelity HDTV, with the 70.1 percent stake to be acquired after the deal received regulatory approval from the CRTC. U.S. private equity firm Providence Equity Capital Markets will help Blue Ant Media finance its High Fidelity HDTV acquisition."We view the investment in Blue Ant Media as strategic, providing Torstar with the opportunity to further diversify our Canadian media asset base" David Holland, president and CEO of Torstar, said Wednesday. Hollywood Reporter.

What will Star do with high-brow properties

2011-12-22T21:39:00.006-05:00

The HDTV channels, which will now be 25 percent owned by the Torstar empire, sell a fine blend of niche entertainment. Much of it appeals to the intellect. All the channels are available only by subscription. The most broadly based of the quartet of HDTV signals is Oasis HD. It appears to be a family quality nature-oriented channel. The charming video from YouTube above, which is embedded on Oasis HD's website, tells the story of a friendship between an elephant and a sheep. The channel eqed is proudly brainy. Eqed boasts the motto "Ït's smart in here." HIFI is a highbrow music and arts service. Finally, radX features risk, adventure and danger. Some may wonder what a relentlessly populist media giant like Torstar would like to do with these rather narrowly-defined properties.

Guardian pans Piers Morgan at media inquiry

2011-12-20T21:51:00.005-05:00

Highly-coloured blog post from the Guardian expressing all its dislike of Piers Morgan. Most authoritative reporting: "But as a witness at the Leveson inquiry, when asked to explain his guide to hacking into telephone voicemail from a 2001 entry in his own published memoirs, Morgan said: "I'm sorry – it was 10 years ago, I can't remember." Questioned further, Morgan couldn't offer even the vaguest recollection where the "little trick" might have come from."

Killing of bin Laden AP's top news story of 2011

2011-12-19T20:21:00.001-05:00

Suitable choice even given the many profound events of this year.

CTV News Channel unveils new set, format

2011-12-19T20:08:00.001-05:00

CTV News Channel unveiled a new look and format Monday. Story linked off the headline

No free press in DPRK

2011-12-19T17:53:00.002-05:00

BBC pot boiler recounting the lack of freedom in North Korea. No, really? But in fairness, it's a complete picture of the worst predictions of Orwell come true in Korea.. The official name of this benighted national jail reminds us of the old newsroom rule-of -thumb that if a country has the word Democratic in its name, it definitely isn't.

.

CBS to revive Murrow epic Person to Person

2011-12-17T19:56:00.001-05:00

The New York Times is calling it "back to the future" programming and in this case CBS is going a long way back. The network will revive the seminal live-remote epic TV interview show Person to Person. Person to Person appeared during the 1950s and was hosted by Edward R. Murrow (left). Somewhat interestingly, it is said that Murrow rather disliked the program. It featured him in a New York studio talking live (or visiting) a celebrity or well known person in his/her home. The program involved tons of equipment and an army of cable pullers as the distant past required. (there was no satellite). The revival will feature Charlie Rose and Lara Logan, who are scheduled to take over the CBS Early Show in the new year.

Metroland closes 6 weeklies in Ottawa area

2011-12-17T19:33:00.001-05:00

Ottawa Citizen on how the EMC group of weekly papers is being shut down to let Metroland titles expand and thrive. Staff at the discontinued papers are to be absorbed by Metroland papers. More consolidation is expected. Link above.