“In announcing that he was tired of overseeing annual budget cuts, president and chief executive Hubert Lacroix announced a massive cut: as many as 1,500 employees or almost 20 per cent of the workforce over five years, though a lot of that, it is hoped, will be achieved through attrition. The scythe will be taken most significantly to the local news and sports operations, with dinner-hour newscasts pared from 90 to 30 minutes and sports productions taking an inevitable hit from the loss of NHL broadcast rights to Rogers.”
Category: media
Canada’s CBC Says It Will “Disrupt” Itself (Read: Radically Downsize)
“CBC says it will “privilege content” by getting out of the activities it believes aren’t at the core of its mandate: It will, for example, try to sell a chunk of its real estate, so it can be a fleet-footed tenant instead of a lumbering landlord. CBC will also, most contentiously, get out of the business of producing its own content, except for news, current affairs and radio.”
Should Public TV Stations Be Allowed To Sell Ads? Station Wants Supreme Court To Decide
“While some underwriting announcements come awful close to resembling the commercial networks’ ubiquitous 30-second spots, the FCC does draw the line when it comes to public TV’s flagrant promotion of for-profit products and services, like the sale of insurance, cars and airline tickets, as well as running spots for political campaigns or certain issues.”
The Five Ingredients That Make A Great Movie Showdown
“Yet despite $200 million budgets and A-list actors and auteur-ish directors and world-class composers, editors, set designers, and writers, [the supposedly climactic scenes of big Hollywood films] rarely thrill. In fact, they generally disappoint.” T.R. Witcher looks at what’s missing – and which movies get it right. (includes video clips)
US Supreme Court Did The TV Industry No Favors Squashing Aero
“If Aereo were around to make them move faster, it could be better for them — and their customers — in the long run. But they’ll be sticking with lucrative business as usual for now. Pretty sure we’ve seen this show before.”
U.S. Supreme Court Rules That Aereo Is Illegal
“In a case with far-reaching implications for the entertainment and technology business, the United States Supreme Court ruled on Wednesday that Aereo, a television streaming service, had violated copyright laws by capturing broadcast signals on miniature antennas and delivering them to subscribers for a fee.”
How ‘Frozen’, Of All Movies, Conquered The World
Who’d have predicted that a cartoon about a pair of princesses would become the fifth-highest-grossing film of all time – and win a slew of awards, too? Maria Konnikova and some research psychologists look at what makes Disney’s latest hit so beloved far beyond its expected demographic.
Milestone: More TV Pilots Shot IN New York Than In LA
“Among 203 pilots produced in the 12 months ended in May, only 44% (90 pilots) were filmed in the L.A. region, down from 52% the previous year and 82% from the 2006-2007 pilot season. The rest mainly filmed in New York, Vancouver, Atlanta, and Toronto, concludes a study released Tuesday by FilmL.A. Inc.”
Claim: Canada’s CBC Is Being “Dismantled”
“Sources say a radically downsized CBC means that nothing is off the table, from the cancellation of some local newscasts to the phasing out of live music recordings on CBC radio to gutting the sports department.”
Do Artists Need More Control Of Their Work?
“What’s needed is a rebalancing of resources to give artists more autonomy and control over how they work and what they make. Why? Because it’s under these conditions that some of today’s most interesting artistic experiences are being created and new connections with audiences made.”