The Ontario government has announced a plan to hike tax credits for foreign and local producers shooting in the province over the next three years.
A Canadian Television Fund document outlines successes of funded television programs such as Little Mosque on the Prairie, Trailer Park Boys and Rick Mercer Report.
With issues such as a public hearings on the Canadian Television Fund, the takeover bid of Alliance Atlantis and new legislation on the horizon, columnist says 2008 promises to be even more eventful than 2007.
The CEO of Original Pictures Inc. says Jim Shaw's assertion that the Canadian Television Fund is delivering meagre results to Canadians is just plain wrong.
Columnist says that a lack of revenue opportunities in Video-on-demand is making Canadian networks reluctant to air shows.
A Vancouver based movie producer says Canada's film industry is too reliant on government funding.
Submission to the CRTC by Keith Mahar recommends a judicial review of the activities of Canada's broadcast regulator in establishing what became the Canadian Television Fund; restructuring the Canadian Television Fund; changes in subsidies to production companies; and the creation of a Citizen Utility Board to better protect public interests.
Columnist says Heritage Minister Josée Verner spoke frankly about the CRTC, Canadian Television Fund and proposed copyright legislation in a speech to the Canadian Association of Broadcasters.
Columnist says cable companies and conventional broadcasters are headed for another battle over carriage fees.
The CRTC chair says Canada's broadcast regulator is willing to revisit the "fee-for-carriage" issue.
The Honourable Josée Verner talks about the government's policy priorities at a broadcast industry conference.
Figures from 2006 show a drop in a share of the box office for Canadian film, especially for French-language films, yet federal funding for film remains frozen.
The new chair of Telefilm Canada says he wants to help the agency adapt to the digital age and to boost funding for Canadian, and particularly Quebecois, feature films.
Josée Verner, Minister of Canadian Heritage, has appointed Michel Roy as chair of the board of directors of Telefilm Canada.
There is speculation that the U.K. public broadcaster plans to shed 12% of its staff due to anticipated budget cuts.
Article says television show soundtracks important vehicle for promoting new music.
Shaw condemns CRTC decision to exclude the top basic cable programming service in the US from the lists of non-Canadian services it is allowed to carry.
Columnist says Canadian broadcasters must shift from reliance on protective regulations and US content, to an unregulated environment in which they compete by delivering original Canadian content to an international audience.
Columnist comments on appeal of hit Canadian show Corner Gas in the U.S.
French-speaking countries express concern with rumoured French government proposals to streamline funding of international cable channel TV5 Monde.
Columnist lists truisms about new television season, argues program quality better than it has ever been.
Shaw Communications has placed large ads in local newspapers urging readers to write to the CRTC and the Heritage Minister to complain about programming funded by the Canadian Television Fund.
Columnist perplexed by Shaw CEO's criticism of successful Canadian television series Trailer Park Boys.
Chair reveals plan for CRTC hearings on select matters related to the future of the Canadian Television Fund.
Hour-long homegrown dramas are conspicuously absent on Canadian television.
CRTC to postpone decision on future of Canadian Television Fund until December.
Columnist praises CRTC-commissioned report on reforms to Canadian broadcasting regulations.
Shaw website encouraging customers to write to the Minister of Canadian Heritage and the CRTC opposing the Canadian Television Fund.
ACTRA says it welcomes a CRTC-commissioner report on regulatory reforms.
Federal broadcast regulators say Rogers is on the hook for $20-million that CHUM was to have contributed toward various initiatives as a result of its 2004 takeover of Craig Media Inc.
The vice-president of Montreal's film festival has invited Prime Minister Harper to "kick the ass" of the head of Telefilm Canada as a way of getting more money out of the Crown corporation.
A Vancouver-based company has received funding from Telefilm Canada to launch a new user generated content website.
A U.S. study says content has replaced communication as users primary web use.
Untv.ca, an online-only television station based in Halifax, offers content ranging from news and entertainment programming to several dramatic series.
Columnist notes that Bev Oda has managed to quietly deliver more in real dollars to the Canada Council for the Arts than the Liberals.
Some in the arts community are saying that the low-key announcement of a $30-million infusion into the arts council budget shows the government was hoping not to draw attention to the decision.
Quebecor Media says it is "disappointed" the CRTC rejected its proposal to opt out of the Canadian Television Fund and produce its own programs.
The Canadian Television Fund says it has no power to implement any of the reforms recommended by a CRTC task force unless a number of federal departments give approval.
Stephen Waddell, executive director of ACTRA, says proposals to relax Canadian content requirements for the Canadian Television Fund will force domestic actors, writers and directors to make way for Americans.
CBC/Radio-Canada submission to the CRTC says the public broadcaster strongly opposes the proposal to split the Canadian Television Fund into two separate funding streams.
Industry and cable providers criticize proposed CRTC reforms for the Canadian Television Fund.
Jim Shaw Jr. claims the proposed revamping of the Canadian Television Fund doesn't go far enough.
FRIENDS comments on proposals from a CRTC Task Force on the governance and operation of the Canadian Television Fund.
Heritage Minister Bev Oda has announced that Canada's National Ballet School will receive $800,000 in additional funding.
Columnist says that possible labor strife in the U.S. is causing TV and movie studios to increase production in Canada.
The CRTC is set to start the process of deregulating home phone rates.
Columnist says the CRTC's recommendation that the Canadian Television Fund lower its Cancon requirement for primetime projects won't result in a dramatic spike in audiences for Canadian shows.
Columnist says the CRTC's recommendation that the Canadian Television Fund lower its Cancon requirement for primetime projects won't result in a dramatic spike in audiences for Canadian shows.
Industry stakeholder comment on proposed rule changes for the Canadian Television Fund.
VisionTV has banned a controversial Islamic preacher who reportedly called on viewers to wage jihad, and is promising a full review of its standards and practices.
The Liberals and NDP say $30 million in funding for Canada's arts council is more a political ploy than a genuine commitment to the arts community.
Heritage Minister Bev Oda has promised more money for Canada's arts council, bringing the agency's total funding to $180 million each year.
Stéphane Dion says a Liberal government would reverse the Conservative government's $11.8-million cut to cultural diplomacy, and add another $11-million to promote and tour Canadian artists abroad.
Article says that proposed rule changes for the Canadian Television Fund would permit funded productions to be made without a Canadian in the key roles of a director, writer, or lead performer.
FRIENDS says the biggest issue with the proposed CanWest bid for Alliance Atlantis is CanWest's claim that it is keeping effective ownership and control in Canadian hands when 85 percent of the equity is coming from a New York merchant bank.
The Writers Guild of Canada says the CRTC's recommendations for the Canadian Television Fund sell out Canadian talent to "placate Shaw and Videotron."
Actors' union warns that the proposed changes to the Canadian Television Fund could lead to fewer key jobs for Canadians.
A CRTC task force has recommended an increase in the minimum fee that broadcasters pay to producers of any programming supported by the Canadian Television Fund.
A CRTC task force recommends that the CTF be separated into two streams – one supported by Ottawa that would go into "culturally significant" programming, and one supported by the cable and satellite companies that would produce more commercial fare.
Jim Shaw Jr. is again threatening to pull his company's support of the $265-million Canadian Television Fund.
The CRTC has made recommendations to improve funding of Canadian programs, increase the effectiveness and efficiency of the CTF, and enhance the participation of funders such as cable companies.
Canadian Heritage Minister Bev Oda has signed an agreement with the Canadian Museums Association for a $5-million program to help small museums hire summer interns.
Critics say U.S. investment bank Goldman Sachs is set to reap the benefits of a content library in which Canadians have invested $2.5-billion.
Festival organizers say they are suffering because the government hasn't outlined rules to apply for new funding announced in the last budget.
A coalition of U.S. recording artists, music companies and recording industry groups are attempting to persuade Congress to grant performers compensation when their music is broadcast by radio stations.
Article provides highlights of the Canadian Television Fund Stakeholders Report 2007.
The Canadian Television Fund releases a report stating that in 2006/07 revenues totaled $273.5 million and 509 projects received funding.
The federal government has announced it will spend $29-million over the next two years to renew a program aimed at helping the development of Canadian new media products.
The chairman of the Canadian Television Fund suggests Jim Shaw Jr. is misinformed in his harsh criticism of the operation, which provides money to make domestic TV shows.
Jim Shaw says the Canadian Television Fund board is seeking to consolidate power and shut out cable and satellite carriers.
Shaw Communications alleges Canadian Television Fund executives are pursuing "an aggressive and purposeful agenda" to tighten their grip on money used to fund domestic TV shows.
Pierre DesRoches, former executive director of Telefilm Canada, has passed away.
Hundreds of summer festivals say they are being shut out of a new $30-million federal sponsorship program that was suspended by Heritage Minister Bev Oda following accusations that it was a slush fund for Conservative MPs.
FRIENDS' steering committee chair says the Canadian Heritage Committee should make it clear to CBC that regional programming is a priority and ensure that the public broadcaster is funded accordingly.
The executive vice-president of CBC Television says a controversial TV pilot was aired because of Canadian Television Fund regulations.
Canada Council for the Arts is soliciting feedback from everyone interested in the arts as part of a strategic planning process.
The Standing Senate Committee on Transport and Communications says the CRTC should regulate monthly contributions to the Canadian Television Fund and establish a dispute resolution mechanism to deal with stakeholder concerns.
A report on the Canadian television industry shows production and development spending rose 21% in 2006 to $1.52 billion, the first significant increase since 2000.
Columnist says Booker Prize-winning author Yann Martel has started a guerrilla campaign to affirm the importance of the arts and literature in the national discourse.
Columnist says that Stephen Harper's centralized decision-making style means that when the Prime Minister likes a cultural project, such as the Canadian Museum for Human Rights, funds become available.
Editorial says that the Heritage Minister's poor handling of a proposed $30-million plan to sponsor arts and culture festivals now gives a potentially worthy program the perception of a patronage 'slush fund'.
Editorial says Heritage Minister Bev Oda should release details of a new cultural sponsorship program to all interested groups, not just MPs.
Canadian author Margaret Atwood is deeply critical of the Harper government's arts policies.
The federal heritage minister says the government is willing to give CBC long-term funding, but first wants to ensure the national broadcaster is in tune with Canadians.
Heritage Minister Bev Oda says the government will implement most of the recommendations in a Senate report on news media, but that CBC must introduce programming that is relevant to Canadians before funding levels are determined.
The director of the Winnipeg Art Gallery says Canada's arts and cultural institutions are already heavily dependent on private sector support, and the government should provide matching programs to galleries and museums.
Heritage Minister Bev Oda defends her performance during the CTF crisis, and talks of changes needed at the CBC and CRTC in a one-on-one interview.
Report of the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage on the funding crisis of the Canadian Television Fund.
CBC has announced it will get an extra $60 million in funding from the federal government in each of the next two years to support local programming.
Toronto Mayor David Miller has sent a letter to the CBC's board of directors arguing against the broadcaster's decision to shut its in-house design department.
Domestic content creators want the Canadian Television Fun to allow them to retain copyright of their intellectual property, including the right to exploit digital and on-line areas.
The Conservative chair of the House of Commons heritage committee says the Canadian Television Fund needs to change, and is defending the withdrawal of payments by Shaw Communications and Videotron.
The House of Commons Standing Committee on Heritage votes to keep the existing structure of the Canadian Television Fund, with all funds going to independent producers and 37% destined for the CBC/SRC.
NDP Heritage Critic Charlie Angus says his recommendations to the House of Commons Heritage Committee will lead to greater stability for the Canadian Television Fund.
Columnist raises concerns about the lack of transparency for the newly established CRTC task force set up to study the Canadian Television Fund.
Timmins James Bay MP says proposed new recommendations to the Heritage Committee's draft report on the Canadian Television Fund will lead to greater stability for the fund.
New CRTC Chair Konrad von Finckenstein says he plans to resolve the crisis with Canadian Television Fund through co-operation, not confrontation.
The Chair of the Canadian Television Fund says the agency will only make changes that it believes make sense.
Some media watchers are saying that the CRTC is conducting a review of the Canadian Television Fund because the Harper government is trying to distance itself from a controversial subject.
Columnist says that an investment in Quebec's arts community would pay big dividends in jobs and taxes.
Jim Shaw Jr. - en route to his home in Palm Desert - was unrepentant about his actions toward the Canadian Television Fund while appearing before a parliamentary committee.
Le Devoir report suggests that the crisis in the funding of the Canadian Television fund is not over.
The CRTC has announced that a task force will review how the $250-million Canadian Television Fund operates.
Unedited Hansard transcript of the hearings of the House of Commons Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage with testimony from Shaw Communications, Vidéotron and the Canadian Association of Broadcasters regarding the Canadian Television Fund.
Jim Shaw Jr. says his concerns about the Canadian Television Fund have now received enough attention and his company will resume making monthly payments.
Columnist notes that Canadian television contributes billions of dollars to the domestic economy.
Stéphane Baillargeon reports that if the Quebec Liberals retain power, Cultural Heritage minister Line Beauchamp promises to make permanent a legal framework for funding cultural heritage.
Shaw Communications says it is now willing to work with Ottawa to change the way the Canadian Television Fund operates.
Jim Shaw Jr., CEO of Shaw Communications, responds to statement by Beverley Oda, Minister of Canadian Heritage.
Le Devoir reports that Québecor is having difficulty persuading the Quebec public of its point of view on financing television production.
Columnist says that everyone must obey the rules and pay their taxes - including protected monopolies like Shaw Communications.
A television industry observer calculates that cable companies have made hundreds of millions of dollars in extra revenue since the CRTC allowed them to increase their fees and pay a percentage into the Canadian Television Fund.
Text of presentation by the President and CEO of CBC/Radio-Canada to the House of Commons Heritage Committee on the relationship between the CBC and the Canadian Television Fund.
A television producer calls the Canadian Television Fund the lifeblood of the domestic TV industry.
Columnist asks who is ready, willing and able to articulate why this country needs Canadian-made television?
Officials with Shaw Communications are not commenting as to whether they will follow Quebecor’s lead and resume making monthly payments to the Canadian Television Fund.
An editorial by Jean-Robert Sansfaçon calls on Pierre-Karl Péladeau, CEO of Québecor to understand the purpose and value of the Canadian Television Fund.
Vidéotron Ltée owner Quebecor Media says it is prepared to resume payments to the Canadian Television Fund after the CRTC's new chief threatened to rewrite the licences of the country's cable companies.
Heritage Minister Bev Oda says she sent has letters to Shaw Communications and Quebecor's Vidéotron Ltée urging them to resume payments to the Canadian Television Fund.
Heritage Minister Bev Oda says she will write to Shaw Communications and Vidéotron and ask them to resume their payments to the Canadian Television Fund.
The head of the CRTC says the broadcast regulator will play a role in finding a resolution to the dispute between Shaw/Vidéotron and the Canadian Television Fund.
Richard Stursberg, CBC's executive vice-president of English Television tells CBC employees he will encourage the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage to defend the role of the Canadian Television Fund.
Columnist speculates that Jim Shaw Jr.'s pullout from the Canadian Television Fund may mean the company is losing interest in Canadian TV and will look to sell its interest in Corus Entertainment.
Quebecor's chief executive Pierre Karl Peladeau is calling on Ottawa to end mandatory payments to the Canadian Television Fund for private-sector broadcasting firms.
Quebecor wants to move away from the Canadian Television Fund and pump more than $35 million per year into a new private fund to finance its own television programming.
A grassroots petition has started in response to budgetary cuts to a fund that supports the creation, dissemination and promotion of Canadian arts, Canadian cultural initiatives, and business opportunities for Canadian artists internationally.
Former Heritage Minister says it was a mistake by the Conservatives not to allow the Canadian Television Fund board to handle the dispute between the Fund and the cable companies.
Two of Canada's cable giants flatly rejected an olive branch offered by the Canadian Television Fund in a House of Commons Heritage Committee meeting.
Industry observers say the controversy with the Canadian Television Fund has come to a head because technological change has made the media industry far more competitive than ever before.
Jim Shaw Jr. rejects the suggestion that withholding payments to the Canadian Television Fund will unravel the Canadian broadcasting system.
Columnist says the Canadian Television Fund plans to ask the CRTC to play a stronger role in urging Shaw and Vidéotron to honour their commitments to Canadian programming.
Columnist sites FRIENDS research stating that between September 2003 and February 2006, foreign programs shown on CBC-TV increased by almost 50 per cent.
Heritage Minister Bev Oda calls on the CRTC to deal with Shaw and Vidéotron's withdrawal from funding of the Canadian Television Fund.
Actors and television producers in Quebec call on Ottawa to loan money to the Canadian Television Fund to replace money being withheld by Vidéotron and Shaw Communications.
The president of the Quebec film and TV producers association says Videotron and Shaw's decision to withdraw their financial support from the Canadian Television Fund could have a disastrous impact on Canada's TV production industry.
Columnist says that without the Canadian Television Fund, Canadian TV will appear to be supported only by public funds and regulation, and, therefore subject to the political whims of governments.
CBC executive vice-president for English TV Richard Stursberg says the actions of Shaw Communications and Vidéotron Ltée could unravel the Canadian broadcasting system.
Canadian Television Fund guideline changes - which arrive just weeks after Shaw Communications and Vidéotron pulled their support - are described as mostly cosmetic.
Prolific Canadian author says the creative community may need to engage in some rabble-rousing to counter the Stephen Harper government's lack of support for the arts.
Talking about the Canadian Television Fund, Shaw Communications executive vice-president Ken Stein told Cartt.ca: "It's dead. Done. Gone."
The House of Commons Heritage Committee plans to make recommendations to Parliament about how Ottawa can help bolster Canada's television production industry.
Columnist suggests Heritage Minister Bev Oda is poised to make fundamental changes to the Canadian Television Fund that may include a reduction in the CBC's portion of the $250 million annual budget.
The NDP has passed a motion in the Heritage Committee to investigate how the possible elimination of the Canadian Television Fund would affect Canada's domestic television production industry.
Radio-Canada Vice President Sylvain Lafrance criticizes Quebecor’s decision to withdraw its support for the Canadian Television Fund.
Columnist says that cable companies in Canada are so unpopular that the Conservatives would be hurt politically if they were seen to be siding with them in the Canadian Television Fund funding debate.
The NDP has released a report co-authored by the Conservative government’s Heritage Minister Bev Oda in 1993 where she opposed the creation of the Canadian Television Fund.
Heritage Minister Bev Oda has announced she will meet with Shaw Communications, Videotron and other stakeholders to address the current fracas at the Canadian Television Fund.
A Vancouver producer says the current crisis with the Canadian Television Fund could have grave repercussions for the fragile industry in B.C.
Heritage Minister Bev Oda has announced the federal government will contribute $200-million over two years to the Canadian Television Fund.
The federal government has summoned two cable television companies to Parliament Hill because of their decision to stop payments required for Canadian programming.
The Canadian Television Fund says that Shaw Communications and Quebecor's obligation to support Canadian television production is not discretionary and the fund has the fiduciary responsibility to act.
NDP Heritage Critic Charlie Angus calls on Heritage Minister Bev Oda to explain what steps will be taken to enforce the obligations of Videotron and Shaw to pay into the Canadian Television Fund.
Canadian Television Fund chairman Douglas Barrett says the Canadian television production industry will become "chaotic" as the fund struggles with an impending $63-million budget shortfall.
The Canadian Television Fund has retained legal counsel and is concerned several projects could be shelved if the CRTC doesn't step in to enforce the payments from Shaw Communications and Vidéotron Ltée.
The performers' union tells the Canadian Film and Television Production Association that, instead of fighting each other in court, they should be working together on issues such as media concentration and Shaw Communications' pullout from the Canadian Television Fund.
Vidéotron Ltée has pulled its support of the Canadian Television Fund, demanding a federal review into how contributions are being spent by the production community.
Columnist says if Shaw Communications pulls its contributions from the Canadian Television Fund, Canadian productions such as Degrassi: The Next Generation, Trailer Park Boys, Little Mosque on the Prairie and most documentaries won't have the financing they need.
Former British secretary of state for culture says the BBC is Britain's most important cultural organization and deserves more public support than is being given by the current government.
BBC director general Mark Thomson says the public broadcaster faces a £2 billion funding gap over the next six years under a new licence fee settlement with the British government.
Lower than expected licence fees will likely lead to several thousand job cuts at Britain's public broadcaster.
The sale of ThinkFilm to American interests has put the funding of roughly 50 Canadian movies in jeopardy.
The vice-president of communications for CBC/Radio-Canada responds to Jim Shaw's rationale for pulling his company's contributions from the Canadian Television Fund.
The head of Japan's national broadcaster is questioning a government plan that would reduce the annual television licence fee by 20%.
The CEO of Shaw Communications says he's prepared to breach CRTC regulations and stop contributing five per cent of his company's revenues to the Canadian Television Fund.
Article says lower license fees from the government will increase the British public broadcaster's reliance on commercial revenues.
Individual pacts between producers and actors result in little production disruption.
Canadian actors have begun a complicated strike action with no pickets and no work disruptions on film and television production sets.
