CCR People

Brian Gromoff has been elected president of the Calgary branch of the Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists (ACTRA). He replaces Randy Birch, who chose not to stand for re-election. ACTRA Calgary’s new branch council is comprised of Gromoff, VP Mary McGuire, secretary Fif Fernandez, treasurer James Dugan, national councillor Linda Kupecek, past president Birch, and four members at large, T. J. Bews, David Lereaney, John Scott, and Joe-Norman Shaw. Roma Khanna has been named as VP interactive at CHUM Television, effective August 11. She will be responsible for the network’s strategic development and day-to-day operation of new media initiatives. Previously, she was executive VP of Snap Media Corp. and prior to that manager of legal and business affairs at Sony Music Canada. She takes over the position from Maria Hale, who was promoted to VP at Citytv (CCR, May 23/03). Johanne Gagnon has been appointed manager of analysis for the French market at the Canadian Television Fund. She replaces Stéphane Gabriele, who left earlier this year. Gagnon was previously manager of business affairs at the Société de développement des entreprises culturelles (SODEC), where she managed its production funding program for five years. Ed Hannah, executive VP of corporate development and general counsel at Magna Entertainment, and Peter Beresford, executive VP of marketing and strategic planning, have resigned. Hannah’s resignation takes effect August 29. He is leaving Magna Entertainment to join Magna International Inc. Beresford is pursuing other business opportunities. Magna operates HorseRacing TV, a 24-hour horse racing channel, and owns and operates horse racetracks. Dave Stephens, host of CBC Radio’s province-wide noon newsmagazine and phone-in show Ontario Today, is joining CHUM Ltd.’s NewRO TV station in Ottawa as co-host of its lunchtime news program. He will also be a contributor to the station’s 6 p.m. newscast. He replaces former Ottawa mayor Jim Watson, who left to become a candidate in the upcoming provincial election (CCR, Dec. 5/02). Susan Kerschbaumer has been promoted to manager of community and public relations at CHUM Ltd.’s Victoria TV station The New VI from her position of senior publicist. As well, Doug Slack has been appointed manager of the newly formed Pandora’s Box Productions, a new commercial production unit. Claude Galipeau has been promoted to executive director of CBC New Media, English from managing director of CBC.ca. A nine-member advisory council to the National Film Board has been named to give advice as it "implements its strategic plan to return to its roots as a public producer and distributor of socially responsible filmmaking and to rekindle its connections with Canadians." The members are Christiane Charette, TV host and producer of Radio-Canada’s Christiane Charette en direct; Richard Laferrière, FRV Media Inc. chair and CEO; Victor Loewy, CEO of Alliance Atlantis Motion Picture Distribution Group; Rosemarie Landry, associate professor at the University of Montreal’s music faculty; Louise Maffet, executive director of the Royal Canadian Geographical Society; broadcasting consultant Trina McQueen; Fo Niemi, executive director of the Centre for Research-Action on Race Relations; Alliance Atlantis Broadcast Group CEO Phyllis Yaffe, and David Zussman, president of the Public Policy Forum. John Galway has been appointed director of the Ontario/Nunavut regional office and national sector head of television operations at Telefilm Canada. He has been in the position on an interim basis since June 2002. Michael Allen, VP of programming at Rogers Cable, has been shuffled out of the company. In an overhaul of its sales and marketing group, Michael Lee, VP of product development, was given an expanded role as VP of product development and management. Now, he is also responsible for the programming and marketing sides. John Munro has been hired as VP of marketing. The company had been without a marketing head since Alex Krstajic resigned earlier this year (CCR, Jan. 30/03). Munro, who has had senior positions at Canadian Pacific, Greyhound, Tourism Vancouver and Palmer Jarvis Communications, comes to Rogers Cable from Rogers Video. Also, Karen Harbin becomes senior director of marketing and communications. She was formerly director of communications on the Internet side of Rogers Cable. Jaque Rochon has been appointed general manager of news, sports and public affairs at Television Quatre Saisons. He worked seven years as head of news at Radio-Canada in the Outaouais region as part of a long career with the public broadcaster.

CCR People

Broadcast | July 31, 2003

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