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Writers likely back to work this week

US television and film writers who have been on strike for three months could return to work as early as Wednesday as the Writers Guild of America has confirmed a vote on the issue will be held Tuesday. The WGA has recommended acceptance of a three-year contract, which includes clauses guaranteeing compensation to writers for film and television shows broadcast over the Internet. A vote on the contract itself will be held within 10-14 days. The writers strike, and subsequent shutdown of production on US television series, has presented opportunities for Canadian producers here and abroad. Toronto-based Shaftesbury Films, for instance, recently signed a US distribution deal with NBC for its new show The Listener. To read Shaftesbury chairman and co-CEO Christina Jennings’ take on the impacts of the strike, click here.

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Iamota begins operation ‘Brain Reclaim’

Vancouver-based mobile application service provider iamota has named Mary Lou Hardy executive VP, marketing and business development as part of its effort to reclaim Canadian talent from the US. Hardy returns to Vancouver after nine years of working in the US, most recently as director of global marketing with AOL Mobile’s B2B division in Seattle. "Mary Lou brings more than 20 years of wireless and marketing experience along with invaluable insights and relationships in the global mobile industry," said Pete Smyth, president, CEO and founder of iamota in a news release. "Attracting a high caliber executive like Mary Lou to our leadership team validates iamota’s market timing and opportunities for success within the mobile marketing, messaging and payment segments."

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CAB adds new VP

The Canadian Association of Broadcasters has named Tara Rajan VP, research and policy, effective February 25. Rajan will over see research and intelligence gathering to provide economic analysis in support of regulatory and policy proposals. She will also work with the CAB board and committees on developing policy and positioning. Rajan brings a wealth of experience to the association. She was the first executive director of the Canadian Broadcast Standards Council, vice-chair and public adjudicator on the CBSC’s Quebec and National Specialty Services panels, and has held research and policy positions with Telefilm Canada, Canadian Heritage and the Canadian Television Fund.

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New media funding from CTF looks doubtful; Bell Fund changes position

The Canadian Television Fund Task Force Report’s recommendation to direct $25 million of CTF money to new media initiatives was given scarce attention at last week’s CRTC hearings in Gatineau QC. While the majority of the broadcasting industry agrees more new media funding is needed, the CTF seems an unlikely source.

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Texas town shares secrets for a successful municipal wireless network

Applications that make city operations cheaper to run and more efficient are critical factors in making municipal wireless networks sustainable, assuming you can come up with the cash to build and sustain the network, a municipal manager from Corpus Christi TX told delegates attending the Strategy Institute‘s 2nd Annual Municipal Wireless Summit in Toronto this month.

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Audiences for foreign programming should help trigger more CTF funding: Canwest

‘Total hours tuned’ to a network’s overall programming – not just Canadian content – is the most appropriate audience success metric for determining Canadian Television Fund allocations, Canwest MediaWorks Inc. told the CRTC on day four of the CTF hearings. It was a day ruled by bold recommendations and contrasting viewpoints, and highlighted by a spirited explanation of the unstable reality of picking hit programming from Canwest’s Barb Williams.

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Sutus undercuts Nortel and Microsoft in battle for small office IP

Vancouver-based Sutus Inc. is challenging the big equipment makers for a larger share of the small office IP communications market with a new unified communications product that is competing on both price and ease-of-installation.

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High-profile muni wireless failures hamper future projects

A lack of vision, detailed plans and effective management is crippling efforts to rollout municipal wireless networks in many North American cities.

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Newspaper telemarketers slam CRTC for overriding Parliament

A CRTC decision requiring all organizations engaged in telemarketing activities, including those exempted under legislation, to fund the telemarketing complaints investigation process has ruffled the feathers of at least one of those exempted groups.

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Digifonica teams with Intertainment for Internet telephony

Digifonica International Inc. and Intertainment Media Inc. have inked a non-binding letter of intent (LOI) that will see the two company's work together to offer Internet telephony to social networking sites. The combination of the two company's products will provide an integrated Internet telephony, IMS, SMS, managed content delivery, multimedia and other next generation telecommunications white-label solution for subscriber-based social networking and commercial and community-based affinity partners worldwide.

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