CCR People

Nadir Mohamed has been named as president and COO of the newly created communications division of Rogers Communications Inc., which combines the wireless assets and the cable TV sections. The restructuring is aimed at driving increased integration of the company’s wireless and cable operations, the company stated. Robert Bruce, currently executive VP and chief marketing officer at Rogers Wireless, will become president of Rogers Wireless. Edward Rogers will continue as president of Rogers Cable. David Lazzarato has been hired as executive VP and CFO of Alliance Atlantis Communications Inc., effective May 20. He replaces W. Judson Martin, who announced earlier this month that he was leaving for health reasons (CCR, May 6/05). Lazzarato was executive VP and CFO for Allstream, previously AT&T Canada. Toronto-based producer and co-founder of Breakthrough Films and Television Ira Levy was elected chair of the Canadian Film and Television Production Association (CFTPA) in May 2005. He has been an active member of the organization’s board of directors since 1995. Sandra MacDonald has decided to step down as president and CEO of the Canadian Television Fund when her contract expires in September. She has been with the fund for three years after being appointed to her position in August 2002. The CTF will begin a recruitment process to fill the vacancy after the Banff World Television Festival in June. Michel Arpin has been named as a full-time vice-chair of the CRTC. He most recently was employed as senior regulatory and governmental affairs advisor for Astral Broadcasting Group. He worked previously at the CRTC from 1971 to 1979, including as director of operations (1977) and director general of programming (1978). Kenneth Locker takes on the new position of senior VP of digital media at Cookie Jar Entertainment. He is responsible for the company’s Internet, wireless and other IT operations. Tracey Wood has been named as the new director of industrial and external relations at the B.C. Producer’s Branch of the Canadian Film and Television Production Association (CFTPA). She was the former legal counsel to the Union of B.C Performers/Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists (ACTRA). Prior to that, Wood was legal counsel at The Toronto Musicians’ Association. She will be involved in negotiating all five B.C. collective agreements with actors, directors, performers and technicians. She begins the position at the end of May. Chris Cuthbert has joined TSN and CTV in a five-year deal that begins June 1. Cuthbert will call CFL, hockey and other sports through to June 2010. He will also work on CTV/TSN’s Olympic broadcast team. As well, football analyst and former CFL quarterback Matt Dunigan is returning to the CFL on TSN studio broadcast team. His first show of the season will be coverage of the Hamilton Tiger Cats game against the Toronto Argonauts in Halifax NS June 11. Dave Forget is now the regional director for Ontario and Nunavut. He has been with Telefilm for four years, most recently as acting regional director for those regions since July 2004. He has worked as a senior investment analyst with the agency’s Western region office, and was director of Telefilm Canada’s Feature Film Unit, Ontario. As well, Gordon Whittaker has been named as director of the Atlantic region and John Galway as head of English Television. Whittaker has been with Telefilm Canada for three years as an investment analyst in feature film and more recently as interim feature film unit director in the Ontario and Nunavut regions. Galway joined Telefilm Canada in 2001 as television unit director in the Toronto office. Susan Reade has been given the job of station manager and general sales manager for Rawlco Radio’s soon-to-launch smooth jazz radio station in Edmonton. Emma Petry will become head of European development and international coproduction at Nelvana after the summer from her current position in international sales. Lynn Chadwick, formerly VP of Salter Street Films International, is set to become VP of European sales and distribution. Pat Palumbo has been appointed as VP of finance at Exponent Inc. He will oversee the financial management of all Exponent member companies. The company’s subsidiaries include La Fabrique d’images (commercial production), Groupe Image BUZZ (postproduction and visual effects) and Groupe Locomotion (production and distribution). He previously was director and later VP of Finance at the Montreal-based production company CinéGroupe. Trevor Pilling becomes the executive producer of CFL on CBC. He has been senior producer of the show since 2003. Don Gaudet has been hired as the new general manager of programming at Toronto One. Previously, he was VP of specialty programming at Global Television. William J. Coyne III has been named as the new CEO and president of Norsat International Inc. He was previously VP and general manager at Sprint Communications northeast division. He will reside in Vancouver BC and Washington DC. Executive changes made at CanWest Media Sales include the hiring of Catherine Bridgman as senior VP of marketing, Gay McDonald as VP of marketing ventures and Trevor Bain as VP and general manager. Ten staff members of the division were promoted while Ken Johnson, senior VP of Global TV and sales; Rosanne Caron, VP of integrated sales; Lynne Munro, VP of promotions; Gerry Tymon, VP of local sales and new media; and Ron Clark, senior VP of newspaper ad sales, have left. Vicki Gabereau has been named the 2005 recipient of the John Drainie Award for distinguished contribution to broadcasting. The award, sponsored by the Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists, will be presented on June 13 during the Banff World Television Festival. In memory Robert (Bob) Hunter passed away this month at the age of 63 after a long fight against prostate cancer. He did the "Paper Cuts" segment of CHUM Ltd.’s "BreakfastTelevision" on Citytv and he was host of "Hunter’s Gatherings" on CityPulse24.

CCR People

Broadcast | May 30, 2005

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