Lucille Roch became Ontario’s new deputy minister of culture in a recent mini-Cabinet shakeup. Roch was formerly the assistant deputy minister (ADM) of strategic planning and policy with the ministry of Children and Youth Services. She has also served as the ADM of culture, sport and recreation in the ministry of Culture and Recreation, and as ADM of strategic planning in the ministries of Community and Social Services and Youth Services. She appears to be best known for spearheading a major report on early childhood education while at the ministry of children.

Unlock all the Canadian telecom, broadcasting and digital media news you need.

Take a free trial or subscribe to The Wire Report now.

ExpressVu/Bell Fund submissions roll in
Letters both for and against have been flowing into the CRTC regarding a proposal by Bell ExpressVu to change its Canadian production contributions in such a way as to potentially put hundreds of thousands of extra dollars a year into Bell Broadcast and New Media Fund coffers (CNM, June 24/05). The proposed change would be for ExpressVu’s pay-per-view services. Currently, Bell ExpressVu’s PPV operations contribute 5% of revenues to the creation of Canadian programming, with 80% of that tagged for the Canadian Television Fund (CTF) and 20% for the Bell Fund. The same change, however, would mean an end to Canadian Television Fund contributions by the DTH company for its PPV operations. ExpressVu is asking the regulator to change that to allow ExpressVu to put its entire contribution into the Bell Fund. But, it is also asking for regulatory symmetry with cable companies in changing how it calculates its contribution such that the gross annual broadcasting revenues would be deemed to be 50% of the total retail revenues received from customers. At press time only a handful of letters had found their way to temporary publication on the CRTC’s site, including by ABA Consulting, LVL*Studio, the Canadian Film and Television Production Association (CFTPA), Tele Inter-Rives Ltée, the Nova Scotia Film Development Corp., and the Bell Fund itself.

Unlock all the Canadian telecom, broadcasting and digital media news you need.

Take a free trial or subscribe to The Wire Report now.

A new association being formed by some of Canada’s most active digital signage players could help advertisers buy into the nascent medium by providing educational outreach and standards. This summer, a half dozen players from the sector met in the wake of the Digital Signage Inaugural Summit conference (CNM, Feb. 17/05) and agreed to work cooperatively to create the new group, the Canadian Digital Signage Association (CDSA). Already, the CDSA has a first newsletter to publish, and it’s expected that it will be able to establish a public presence and campaign by this fall to recruit more members.

Unlock all the Canadian telecom, broadcasting and digital media news you need.

Take a free trial or subscribe to The Wire Report now.

The Canadian Internet Policy and Public Interest Clinic (CIPPIC) and its international partners in the Anti-Spyware Coalition (ASC) have issued new definitions for the scourge of spyware as a first step to building a legal framework to fight it.

Unlock all the Canadian telecom, broadcasting and digital media news you need.

Take a free trial or subscribe to The Wire Report now.

Toronto-based digital distribution company Musicrypt Inc. has added another Canadian music supplier to its list of clients as it appears poised to wrap up the sector in this country. With the addition of Koch Entertainment to its roster of clients using the company’s Digital Media Distribution System (DMDS), Musicrypt now counts almost every record label, independent and major, and broadcaster as a customer. In a recent news release, the company notes that it is now being used by 100% of all chart monitored radio stations including those owned by Corus Radio, Rogers Media Broadcasting, and Standard Radio, as well as by labels including Sony BMG Music, EMI Music, Universal Music Group and Warner Music. In recent weeks, the company has also announced a deal with Nielsen Broadcast Data Systems and endorsements by XM Satellite and Clear Channel Radio.

Unlock all the Canadian telecom, broadcasting and digital media news you need.

Take a free trial or subscribe to The Wire Report now.

Uncertainty surrounding the Ontario Media Development Corp.’s (OMDC) budget has led to a program freeze at the agency that has put several important industry initiatives on hold, says one provincial industry leader.

Unlock all the Canadian telecom, broadcasting and digital media news you need.

Take a free trial or subscribe to The Wire Report now.