CCR People

Richard Matthews joins the Canadian Association of Broadcasters as VP of copyright and legal affairs. He has worked in the federal public service, including as director of copyright and director of broadcasting policy at Canadian Heritage. He will report directly to Erica Redler, CAB general counsel and senior VP of policy and legal affairs. His focus will be on copyright. After four years with the Canadian Association of Broadcasters (CAB), Sylvie Courtemanche has left the organization. Most recently, she was executive VP of policy and regulatory affairs. The CAB says she left "to seek new opportunities and challenges." No replacement has been announced. In the interim, Glenn O’Farrell, Wayne Charman, and Richard Cavanagh will manage several priority files. The CAB continues to search for a replacement for David Goldstein, formerly VP of government relations (CCR, Jan. 30/03). Brian Kelly, a consultant with the Public Affairs Strategy Group, has registered as a lobbyist for Cogeco Inc. He will be lobbying on behalf of the cableco with regard to broadcasting ownership regulations, local multipoint communications systems policy, and the future of CBC TV regional operations. Wayne Culkin has been hired as senior account executive for Astral Media Outdoor’s new sales office in Ottawa. Veteran CanWest Global Communications Corp. executive Gerry Noble has been appointed CEO of the broadcaster’s wholly-owned production and distribution subsidiary, Fireworks Entertainment Inc. Noble was previously president and CEO of Global Television Network (CCR, Jan. 30/03). His mandate is to refocus the strategic direction of CanWest’s entertainment division to ensure that programming developed for Global’s channels will also have appeal to the broader North American market. Jay Firestone departs the position. His five-year employment agreement, which started when CanWest acquired Fireworks in 1998, expired on May 4, 2003. Firestone has indicated that he is not interested in renewing the agreement and wants to pursue other business ventures. He will still act in an advisory capacity to Fireworks. CanWest Global Communications Corp. has reorganized top management at the National Post, naming Bob McKenzie as general manager. The former publisher of The St. Catharines Standard replaces Peter Viner, who becomes a member of the company’s executive management and will be responsible for leading its expansion into radio. As well, David Asper was named as chair of the Post, and columnist Matthew Fraser as the new editor-in-chief. Fraser replaces Ken Whyte (CCR, Feb. 13/03). Chicago Sun Times editor-in-chief Michael Cooke will act as senior editorial advisor during the transition. CRTC commissioner Ronald Williams has had his term extended until May 9, 2008. The Yellowknife native was appointed as regional commissioner for the Alberta/Northwest Territories regions in May 1999. Alan Goluboff has been re-elected as president of the Directors Guild of Canada. He joins George Mihalka as the new VP and Manny Danelon as the new secretary-treasurer on the organization’s new national executive board. Several department representatives and district council chairs were also elected at the Guild’s April 26-27 annual general meeting in Toronto. Line Beauchamp is the Quebec minister of culture and communications under the new Jean Charest Liberal government. Nicole Côté has been named an additional director of the board of directors of Cossette Communications Group. Alliance Atlantis Entertainment Group has made Ariel Veneziano director of motion picture sales and international home video distribution. Based in London, he will oversee European film sales activities and worldwide home video distribution, excluding North America. He most recently worked for Alliance Atlantis in the worldwide distribution department. Independent film and documentary producer Jamie Brown, who is CEO and executive producer at Frantic Films, has been named the recipient of the 2003 Lions Gate Innovative Producer Award for the 24th Banff Television Festival. The award, accompanied by $5,000, celebrates innovation and entrepreneurial excellence in the Canadian television industry. In memory Conrad Lavigne died April 16 in Timmins ON after a battle with emphysema. Born in 1916 in Cheneville PQ, he founded CFCL radio, the first French-language radio station in Ontario. He was also the founder of Mid-Canada Television System. He spent about 40 years working in the broadcast field, and served on numerous industry boards, including the Bureau of Broadcast Measurement, the Television Sales Bureau of Canada, the Canadian Association of Broadcasters, and the Radio Sales Bureau of Canada.

CCR People

Broadcast | May 8, 2003

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