CBC warns past, current staff personal data may be at risk after break-in, theft of computer

The CBC is warning more than 20,000 of its past, present and contract employees that their personal and financial information may be at risk after a break-in and the theft of computer equipment.
"An intruder recently broke into a secure area of CBC/Radio-Canada, stealing a piece of computer equipment," Judith Purves, executive vice-president and CFO of CBC, said in a statement.
"We have determined that the stolen equipment, while password-protected, may contain electronic files, including some financial information."
Employees received an email on Wednesday saying that a letter has been sent to the home addresses of all employees detailing the information that has been put at risk — including names, bank accounts and amounts deposited into bank accounts by CBC.
CBC has budgeted $300,000 to cover the cost of notifying those affected by the breach and providing employees with a year's worth of credit monitoring and insurance against identity theft. (CBC web page)
Full story

Changing channels at Rogers: A creative cost cutter navigates a TV industry under threat

Susan Krashinsky Robertson writes in the ROB: 

It was early 2015, and Colette Watson, new to her job as vice-president of broadcast television at Rogers Media Inc., had just been handed an ugly assignment.

For decades, Rogers had run multicultural television stations under the OMNI name. They were losing significant amounts of money – and there was little hope it would get better. OMNI had become a big financial drag on a media company that was still trying to digest its $5.2-billion contract with the National Hockey League for 12 years of broadcast rights.

Ms. Watson’s marching orders from then-president Keith Pelley: “Shut it down.”

“The entire broadcast media group at Rogers was losing a ton of money,” Ms. Watson recalls now. “I chased Keith around saying, ‘Please let me do this. I think this can be fixed.’”

Full story

La Presse goes non-profit as Desmarais family lets go

Canada’s billionaire Desmarais family is cutting loose Montreal’s La Presse in a bid to take advantage of Ottawa’s new willingness to allow media companies to operate as charities, PaulChiasson of the Canadian Press reports.

Desmarais-controlled Power Corp. of Canada plans to make a $50-million contribution to La Presse and turn it into an independent, not-for-profit news organization. The change will allow the francophone publisher to seek new revenue sources, including government funding and donations.

The move comes as Canadian media organizations are facing threats to their business models as advertisers flee print and tech giants such as Facebook Inc. and Google Inc. increasingly control the flow of online traffic. La Presse made the boldest bet in the country on a daily tablet edition, investing millions in the process and eventually cutting the production of its newspaper altogether.

Full story

In Trump era, the death of the White House press conference

By The Canadian Press
The presidential news conference, a time-honoured tradition going back generations, appears to be no longer.
More than a year has passed since President Donald Trump held the only solo news conference of his administration — a rollicking, hastily arranged, 77-minute free-for-all during which he railed against the media, defended his fired national security adviser and insisted nobody who advised his campaign had had contacts with Russia.
But there are no signs the White House press shop is interested in a second go-round. Instead, the president engages the press in more informal settings that aides say offer reporters far more access, more often, than past administrations.
Full story

BNN, Bloomberg becoming partners

Business news channel BNN is going to become BNN Bloomberg this spring following a partnership deal between its corporate parent Bell Media (TSX:BCE) and Bloomberg Media, CP reports.
The deal will see the station add several hours of live evening television coverage of Asian markets, early morning programs from Europe and contributions from Bloomberg reporters.
BNN’s website will become BNNBloomberg.ca and include Bloomberg’s international news coverage.
The partnership will also see an increase in BNN’s syndicated radio content available for distribution to Bell Media radio stations, including rights to distribute the Bloomberg Radio livestream in Canada and a new channel on iHeartRadio.
BNN started in 1999 as Report on Business Television before it rebranded to its current moniker in 2007.
Bloomberg TV Canada announced in August that it was cutting its two original Canadian business programs, and in September the channel was replaced by Bloomberg TV.