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Toronto Media Landscape and Personalities
- Thread starter Jonny5
- Start date
Northern Light
Superstar
I was not a Rex fan.
He was very articulate and loquacious, traits for which I do have an appreciation, and respect.
I also agreed w/the odd position he took, he didn't get 'em all wrong.
But even when he was young he seemed to have grumpy old man 'Get off my lawn' syndrome.
He was prone to being reactionary, even when his extraordinary vocabulary might make you inclined to think a position was well considered.
He was not my cup of tea, so to speak; still the country will be lesser for his now gone input. Because even when in error, he challenged others to raise the caliber of their arguments, and the thoughtfulness of their choice of words.
My sympathies to those who loved him; and valued his contributions.
He was very articulate and loquacious, traits for which I do have an appreciation, and respect.
I also agreed w/the odd position he took, he didn't get 'em all wrong.
But even when he was young he seemed to have grumpy old man 'Get off my lawn' syndrome.
He was prone to being reactionary, even when his extraordinary vocabulary might make you inclined to think a position was well considered.
He was not my cup of tea, so to speak; still the country will be lesser for his now gone input. Because even when in error, he challenged others to raise the caliber of their arguments, and the thoughtfulness of their choice of words.
My sympathies to those who loved him; and valued his contributions.
Towered
Superstar
Growing up as a kid in the 80's, he'd often appear on the tv to give vitriolic commentary about this and that, but because of his look, I could never take him seriously. The intensely bulging eyes, permanently arched eyebrows, beak-like lips and fluffy, thinning afro made him look like an owl-esque cartoon character, or one of the Muppets.
Admiral Beez
Superstar
Muppets indeed! I always thought he looked like a combo of Bert and Beeker and a little of Sam Eagle from Sesame Street.
Towered
Superstar
You perfectly captured the visuals in my head whenever I saw him on tv nearly 40 years ago...
Jonny5
Senior Member
Darren Dutchyshen: 1966 - 2024 - TSN.ca
We will be honouring Dutch here at TSN over the coming days, as some of his closest friends and co-workers will share their stories about what made him truly one of a kind.
www.tsn.ca
Darren was probably one of the longest tenured of the current TSN on-air staff, starting in 1995.
57 years-old.
He had prostate cancer in 2021, so I assume his death is related to that in some fashion.
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Superstar
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Patricia Jaggernauth’s case against Bell to move forward after Human Rights Commission finds grounds to support claim of discrimination
Former CP24 personality resigned in October 2022 and later filed a complaint with the Canadian Human Rights Commission.
www.thestar.com
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Superstar
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No names (yet) but this is looking grim. https://www.thestar.com/business/gl...cle_c4f4e7d8-2998-11ef-9bb7-e33aa8e6c23c.html
Global News is laying off dozens of the outlet’s employees across the country.
The move comes as Corus Entertainment, the company that owns Global News, 32 other television stations and 39 radio stations, continues to cut expenses — and on the heels of massive media layoffs at Bell and CBC in the last six months.
Corus is eliminating 35 unionized positions, including seven in Toronto and 24 in Alberta, according to an email sent by Unifor Media One, the union representing Global employees, and shared with the Star.
“These changes correlate with the current economic and regulatory reality we, and other media organizations, find ourselves in,” Global News spokesperson Anna Arnone told The Canadian Press in a statement. “We are continuously working to improve the way we gather, produce and deliver award winning content.”
Global News is laying off dozens of the outlet’s employees across the country.
The move comes as Corus Entertainment, the company that owns Global News, 32 other television stations and 39 radio stations, continues to cut expenses — and on the heels of massive media layoffs at Bell and CBC in the last six months.
Corus is eliminating 35 unionized positions, including seven in Toronto and 24 in Alberta, according to an email sent by Unifor Media One, the union representing Global employees, and shared with the Star.
“These changes correlate with the current economic and regulatory reality we, and other media organizations, find ourselves in,” Global News spokesperson Anna Arnone told The Canadian Press in a statement. “We are continuously working to improve the way we gather, produce and deliver award winning content.”
Jonny5
Senior Member
I see that this is on the back of Rogers winning from Corus the rights to some popular US lifestyle cable channel brands like HGTV and The Food Network which I believe are probably money prints for Corus as the content is very inexpensive to produce and they have a core group of followers that sit right in the "we still have cable" demographic. I think of my mother in her 70's who watches The Food Network all the time, even though she is never going to actually make any of the stuff, and some of these shows are literally just nothing more than people going around and eating stuff.
I don't get it, but I see there's lots of ads for prescription drugs, luxury car brands, health and lifestyle products and generally everything appears to be an advertisement for people over 65.
Rogers inks blockbuster deals with NBCUniversal and Warner Bros. Discovery - About Rogers
Will make content available to all Canadians through streaming and distribution partners Will increase investment in Canadian content and independent productions over the next decade Solidifies Rogers as the home of sports and entertainment in Canada TORONTO, ON, June 10, 2024 — Rogers...
about.rogers.com
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Northern Light
Superstar
I agree with the linkage here.
But its worth saying Corus was having issues going back months, at least, they petitioned the CRTC to lessen their cancon requirements not that long ago (and got that approval).
I have to wonder (but don't know) if those financial challenges impeded renewing their content licenses here.
They still retain ownership of those 'channels' and spots on the dial; but will now have to rename them and find new imported programming. There will also likely be some awkward stuff to work out w/some of their
stars whose content also appears on HGTV in the U.S. (less of an issue for FOOD)
Frankly, this really leaves Corus very reliant on Global which not been that great a performer through the years. Moreso than Bell for whom this is also an issue, they lack original content they can sell/license around the world.
They are basically just an American content rebroadcaster w/local commercials with an under-invested in news division and a couple of CRTC-mandated Cancon efforts of varying quality.
HGTV was their one bright spot, diminished somewhat after Bell poached Mike Holmes.
christiesplits
Senior Member
Steve Russell, a staple of Canadian Olympic broadcasts, is retiring.
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Scott Russell
christiesplits
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Jonny5
Senior Member
And now the Star is reporting Corus may seek out bankruptcy.
They are reportedly somehow $1 billion in debt.
Some analysts are now saying Global’s owner is headed for bankruptcy — can Corus be saved?
Corus could avoid creditor protection and there are opportunities for recovery. But it owes more than $1 billion and may have to restructure to survive, experts say.
www.thestar.com
At a minimum this would end the Global TV network unless they could sell that off.
Northern Light
Superstar
Corus has already had its Can-Con obligations reduced to 5% of top line revenue.
For comparison.........when the license was issued for what was then Life Network (now slice), the obligation was 70%..
That, in fairness was extreme, but 30% would be more historically normative.
I always felt this was inadequate.
The nominal requirement for broadcasters historically was 60% Can-Con over the broadcast day, and 50% in primetime. If you wanted to deliver that, it made no real sense to me that you invest less than 50% of topline revenue.
That isn't as onerous as one might think, in the past, both news and sports were highly profitable offerings that filled a lot of that quota.
Additionally, no one should expect a scripted 60 minute Canadian drama to recover its costs domestically, that should be done the same way others do, by licensing the content around the world.
Canadian broadcasters have always been immensely lazy in this regard; though the CRTC didn't entirely help matters with a big push for independent production which would have found that more challenging and limited returns for the likes of Bell/Corus.
*****
Tacking differently here...........I don't expect the feds to do this............but it would seem an ideal moment to give CBC one-time funds to pick Corus bones clean. Pick up the desirable IP (Bryan Bauemler for example) and maybe use one cable spot that's well positioned to offer CBC lifestyle programs (cooking, home improvement etc.) as well as get the best radio assets to add additional markets CBC Radio 1/2 and launch CBC Radio 3 terrestrially in Toronto.
Radio, being commercial free would require some new operating funds, but the rest should be accretive.
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