Lloyd Robertson has died!

 Canadian journalist Lloyd Robertson, who covered everything from the fall of the Berlin Wall to the 9/11 terrorist attacks during 35 years as chief anchor of CTV National News, has died. He was 92. According to his family, the veteran broadcaster died on Tuesday evening.Robertson’s more than six-decade broadcasting career began in 1952 at a local radio station in his hometown, Stratford, Ont. Robertson made his national television debut in 1956 with the CBC, where he rose to prominence before moving to CTV National News in 1976. When Robertson’s CTV News co-anchor retired in 1984, Robertson took the helm of the nightly news show, which he led as chief anchor and senior news editor until 2011.

Quite amazing!

The longtime CTV journalist Natalie Johnson is running to replace Brad Bradford who is actually looking to replace Olivia Chow as Toronto mayor!

Johnson, 39, started her political reporting in Ottawa with CTV nearly two decades ago. She moved in 2010 in Toronto, when she reported on municipal affairs in several elections and by-elections.

 Philip (Pip) Wedge, a pioneer of Canadian television and long-time executive at CTV Television Network who helped shape Canadian viewing habits for decades, died in Toronto on April 15 at the age of 97.

Giorgie Mammoliti, Toronto Councillor, has died at 64

 Giorgio Mammoliti, an outspoken former Toronto city councillor and member of the Ontario legislature, has died at 64.

His son Chris Mammoliti confirmed the news to The Canadian Press on Wednesday, saying his father was surrounded by family members when he died.

“We are obviously devastated and are left with a tremendous void,” he wrote in a statement. “Dad loved his family, his community and our beautiful city.”

The family is asking for privacy as they grieve, he wrote.

Mammoliti served as an NDP member of provincial parliament from 1990 to 1995, sat on city council from 2000 to 2018 and twice ran for Toronto mayor.

He also unsuccessfully ran for the People’s Party of Canada in last year’s federal election to represent the riding of Simcoe-Grey, northwest of Toronto.

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-giorgio-mammoliti-obituary-toronto-politics/

Julie Ann Abouchar

 Julie Ann Abouchar passed on Tuesday January 27. Among many things, she worked during the Walkerton Inquiry many years ago. Her obituary is on the Globe and Mail. There will be a celebration of her life during the Spring. 

CTV's Beverly Thomson has died.

The long-time CTV News anchor, Beverly Thomson, has died. She was 61. She was well known. She died on Sunday morning surrounded by her family after a long battle with cancer.  Her obituary can seen everywhere.

Colbert cancellation a ‘financial decision,’ says Paramount CEO: Writers Guild calls for investigation

 CBS says its decision to end Stephen Colbert’s late-night comedy show is financial, not political. Yet even with the ample skepticism about that explanation, there’s no denying the economics were not working in Colbert’s favor.

The network’s bombshell announcement late Thursday that the “Late Show” will end next May takes away President Donald Trump’s most prominent TV critic and the most popular entertainment program in its genre.

The television industry’s declining economic health means similar hard calls are already being made with personalities and programming, with others to be faced in the future. For the late-night genre, there are unique factors to consider.

As recently as 2018, broadcast networks took in an estimated US$439-million in advertising revenue for its late-night programs, according to the advertising firm Guidelines. Last year, that number dwindled to $220-million. (David Bauder. Associated Press)

CBS is cutting the Colbert show!

CBS is axing The Late Show With Stephen Colbert in May 2026, the host told an audience at a taping Thursday.

The announcement came two days after Colbert spoke out against CBS Global settling with U.S. President Donald Trump over a 60 Minutes story.

The news was also announced in a press release sent from CBS with a link to a clip of Colbert’s announcement on Instagram. (AP)

TVO ending The Agenda with Steve Paikin after 19th season

 TVO journalist and host Steve Paikin has announced that The Agenda, the long-running current affairs show he co-hosts on Ontario’s publicly funded English-language educational television network, will end in June.

In a blog post, Paikin wrote that TVO’s flagship program’s current 19th season would be the last - and, with his 65th birthday impending, he would soon no longer be a full-time employee at the network.

“As much as I have loved hosting The Agenda for the past 19 years (and hosting four other programs for TVO over the past 32 years in total), anchoring a daily program is a seven-day-a-week job,” he wrote.

“I realized that if I ever wanted to tackle some of the other things on life’s to-do list, I just couldn’t do them and host a daily show at the same time. Something’s gotta give.”

In a press release, TVO said that Paikin – who moderated the English-language federal leaders debates last week – would continue to be involved with the broadcaster in a number of ways, including as co-host of the weekly #onpoli podcast and writer of a weekly online column. (Globe an Mail)

Ted Kotcheff has died at 94

 Ted Kotcheff, the prolific Toronto-born filmmaker behind classics from both sides of the Canada-Hollywood divide — from a beloved adaptation of Mordecai Richler’s The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz to First Blood, which introduced moviegoers to Sylvester Stallone’s John Rambo — died Thursday at the age of 94, his family confirmed to The Globe and Mail.

Kotcheff was born in Toronto’s Cabbagetown neighbourhood, the son of two impoverished Bulgarian immigrants. In his 2017 memoir, Director’s Cut: My Life in Film, Kotcheff recalled a formative moment growing up when he witnessed his next-door neighbours get evicted because they could not afford the monthly $2 rent. “I remember thinking, at four, ‘What sort of world would do that? It shaped me, made me compassionate about other people’s stories.” (The Globe and Mail)

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/film/article-canadian-filmmaker-ted-kotcheff-director-of-first-blood-and-weekend-at/

Evan Solomon to run for MP!

 Evan Solomon has announced he will be running to be an MP for the Liberal party in the next federal election.

Solomon revealed the news in a LinkedIn post on Thursday afternoon, confirming a report from CTV News earlier in the day.

“Given the urgent challenges and threats facing Canadians right now, I’ve decided it’s the right time to come home and do whatever I can to help serve my community and country,” Solomon wrote.

Solomon most recently worked for the Eurasia Group as the publisher for GZERO Media – a position he started in the fall of 2022. He was also recently a special correspondent with CTV News, but resigned from that role prior to Prime Minister Mark Carney being elected as Liberal party leader on March 9.

Previously, Solomon worked at Bell Media from 2016 to 2022, first as the host of Ottawa Now on 580 CFRA and later as the host of CTV News political programs Question Period and Power Play. During that time, he also hosted The Evan Solomon Show, a nationally syndicated radio program on the iHeart Radio network.

Before that, he was the host of CBC’s daily political show Power & Politics and weekly national radio program The House. (Toronto Star)

The CRTC wants to find out what's happening in broadcasting!

 The CRTC is looking at how the Canadian broadcasting system can survive the shift away from traditional TV to international streamers.

The regulator is opening a public consultation on market dynamics and plans to hold a hearing in Gatineau, Que. in May.

Its consultation document says the Canadian broadcast industry is at a crossroads and “facing profound changes” posed by new technologies and changes in consumer habits and global competition.

The CRTC is studying those market dynamics as Canadians move from traditional broadcasting and cable — which is regulated by the CRTC and subject to Canadian content rules — to streaming services dominated by international giants like Netflix, Amazon and Disney+.

The consultation is part of the commission’s work on implementing the Online Streaming Act, which updated broadcasting laws to capture online platforms. (CP)

Robert Fulford has died at age 92

 Robert Fulford, who died Tuesday aged 92, was one of Canada’s leading cultural journalists.

As a critic and essayist, his expertise spanned art, literature, architecture and music. As a columnist on current affairs, he grappled with some of the most urgent questions in Canadian justice and politics.

His famously clear prose was the product of fastidious rewriting, always at least twice, a rule he shared with the generations of younger writers he edited and mentored. Publishing, as he used to say, was a “necessary evil” that sadly stopped the rewriting process. (National Post)

https://nationalpost.com/news/canada/robert-fulford-obituary

Trudeau to be on "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert" tonight!

 The Prime Minister is to appear as a guest tonight (Monday) on the CBS's "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert." The interview will be shot during his trip to New York where he is meeting with the United Nations General Assembly.

A schedule says that RuPaul Charles will also be a guest on "The Late Show" tonight.

"The Late Show with Stephen Colbert" airs in Canada on Global TV.

Ottawa mulling over bonus for CEO of CBC, but won’t make decision public

OTTAWA - The Liberal government said it has not yet made a decision about whether it will grant a bonus for the head of CBC after the public broadcaster eliminated hundreds of jobs.

But because of the Privacy Act, it will likely be up to CEO Catherine Tait to publicly disclose if she does receive one. She previously confirmed she did accept performance pay for the 2021-22 fiscal year at a House of Commons committee meeting.

Heritage Canada confirmed the government is still deciding on a bonus for 2023-24, while CBC said Friday a decision hasn’t been made regarding a potential bonus for 2022-23.

The Opposition Conservatives have been seeking support from other parties to back their call to bring Tait back to committee to answer questions. (CP)

Long-time Hamilton station ending!

 A mainstay of Hamilton’s airwaves for almost a century has gone off the air.

A mainstay of Hamilton’s airwaves for almost a century has gone off the air, the Toronto Star reports.

900 CHML announced on social media on Wednesday that the radio station would be closing after many years of providing the city and surrounding area with local talk-radio programming.

“This decision, though incredibly difficult, has been made after careful consideration and is necessary following years of financial loss,” read the post.

“The shift of advertising revenues to unregulated foreign platforms, combined with the difficult regulatory and competitive landscape, has forced us to make the difficult decision to close,” added the post.

The radio station thanked its listeners, advertisers and community partners for their years of support in the post, noting that their loyalty has been the “foundation of our station’s legacy.”

As of 1 p.m. Wednesday, the station was no longer broadcasting. (Toronto Star)

https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/900-chml-closes-ending-nearly-a-century-of-local-radio-in-hamilton/article_af94bb92-8255-5265-8eea-46f45fb6250b.html

Postmedia offers to purchase Atlantic Canada's largest newspaper chain for $1 million

 A monitor’s report says Postmedia Network Inc. has offered $1 million to purchase Atlantic Canada’s largest newspaper chain.

The offer is being recommended by Toronto-based KSV Restructuring Inc., the court-appointed monitor overseeing the insolvency proceedings involving SaltWire Network Inc. and the Halifax Herald Ltd.

In March, the two insolvent media companies were granted court-ordered protection from creditors who were owed more than $90 million.

Under the plan, Postmedia, who will be the sole limited partner, will also make future payments for accrued liabilities.

The senior secured lender, Fiera Capital, has said SaltWire and The Herald together owe it $32.7 million.

The report says Postmedia is looking to close the deal by Aug. 24, and the offer is scheduled to be presented to a Nova Scotia Supreme Court judge for approval on Thursday.

Toronto-based Postmedia owns the National Post, Vancouver Sun, Calgary Herald and dozens of other publications. (Canadian Press)

OMNI wants money for ethnic media!

 A group of producers who make content for OMNI Television has launched a campaign urging the federal government to offer millions of dollars in funding to protect struggling multilingual and multicultural programming.

The producers, who represent 62 programs across 50 ethnic communities, say they risk having to cancel a chunk of their programing because of dwindling ad revenue and lack of government funding.

“The systematic marginalization and lack of support for this ethnic media sector contradict the official policy of multiculturalism,” said Madeline Ziniak, chair of the Canadian Ethnic Media Association (CEMA), which is involved in the campaign. She added that one in four Canadians speak a language at home other than English or French.

Programs on OMNI are ineligible to access the Canada Media Fund (CMF), which is the main source of funding for Canadian television production and is financed jointly by the federal government and private broadcasters.

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-omni-television-producers-want-access-to-canadian-media-fund-for/

(Globe and Mail)

Corus Entertainment announces layoffs at Global News

 Corus Entertainment Inc. is cutting jobs at its Global News division as it seeks efficiencies across the company and battles adverse trends in the media industry.

The cuts came a few days after Corus said it stands to lose programming next year due to an arrangement struck between Warner Bros. Discovery Inc. and Rogers Communications Inc. 

“As part of our ongoing evaluation of our business and continued enterprise efficiency review across Corus, we have made some changes at Global News today, and as a result, certain roles have been impacted,” Corus spokesperson Anna Arnone said in a statement.

“These changes correlate with the current economic and regulatory reality we, and other media organizations, find ourselves in. We are continuously working to improve the way we gather, produce and deliver award winning content.”

Corus shares have been in a tailspin in recent years, slumping to just 24 cents Wednesday on the Toronto Stock Exchange, down from levels above $6 in 2021.

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)