News about news

• The MRC de Témiscamingue has become the latest local government to outlaw recording of its council meetings by journalists, and to be criticized for it by the  Fédération professionnelle des journalistes du Québec. The MRC will record the meetings itself (audio only) and provide copies to journalists, but the FPJQ says that’s not good enough.

At the CRTC

• The commission’s hearing into telecom sales practices began on Monday (you can listen to an audio stream here or CPAC’s video coverage here). The five-day hearing notably includes the entire commission, not just three or five commissioners. The CRTC must give the government a report by Feb. 28. The chair’s opening remarks are posted here.

Ethical reviews

• Toronto Star Public Editor Kathy English brings up an interesting question: With marijuana use legalized, what should the Star do with old stories about people charged with or convicted of marijuana possession? The result of an internal review is that the Star should not be unpublishing reports, that despite subsequent changes in legislation, the official record should stand.
• A Canadian Broadcast Standards Council review of a CP24 broadcast on April 20 (4/20) noted the foul language that was inadvertently broadcast in two instances — one in which some idiot shouted an infamous vulgar catchphrase at a female reporter, and another in which a panelist described Doug Ford as “a bit of a dick.” The panel found no breach of broadcast codes, because neither utterance could have reasonably been predicted. Two members of the panel dissented over use of the word “dick”, which they found to be unfair comment insulting an individual.
• Someone complained to CBC’s ombudsman that Johanna Wagstaffe was incorrect in describing the link between climate change and hurricanes, suggesting CBC “simply ask your meteorologist” (as if Wagstaffe wasn’t already its most prominent one). As the ombudsman notes, Wagstaffe chose her words carefully and was correct that climate change does not cause more hurricanes, but does increase their intensity.
• Another complaint questioned the decision to report on the Toronto Danfort shooter’s parents stating that the man had a mental illness. As the ombudsman noted, the statement from the parents is relevant and important, and the information was presented in context.
• Another complaint about a Neil Macdonald column in which “privileged old men” resisting change in the Catholic Church were compared to gun control opponents. The ombudsman said the comparison was not correctly described by the complainant, and did not violate journalistic policy as a clearly-labelled opinion piece.

TV

• Télé-Québec has joined a group of broadcasters making content available on Radio-Canada’s Tou.tv Extra premium subscription platform. V, Bell, TV5 and the NFB are also on the platform, which represents a large part of the French-language TV market. (Major holdouts are Corus, Serdy, and of course TVA.)
• The Bell Fund has announced its latest round of funding for TV projects under its “TV Pilot Program” (despite the name, many of the projects are new seasons of existing shows like Corner Gas Animated or Holmes on Homes). Among the English-language recipients are new to-be-announced drama series from Bell and Corus. The Bell one is a Quebec series by Datsit Sphère, which has adapted Rumeurs, 19-2 and Nouvelle adresse into English (to varying success). If this is another adaptation of a popular Quebec series it has produced, its options include Hubert et Fanny (which lasted only one season) and L’Imposteur (which lasted two).
• Hamilton’s CHCH has found a new property to build a home on in the city. The station expects to be operating from its new home in 2021, which is a pretty long-term plan considering the state of local television these days.
• Anne-France Goldwater has won a lawsuit against V over the unauthorized rebroadcast and early cancellation of her reality TV show L’Arbitre. Goldwater, who is also facing a disciplinary hearing over statements she made about a client, has since taken her talents to Bell Media for a show on Canal Vie.
• Sportsnet has announced its CHL broadcast schedule. It includes four QMJHL games — two in Quebec and two in Halifax — plus the Canada-Russia Series and Top Prospects Game.
• Corus’s CEO says Canada’s TV industry needs to do a better job serving on-demand audiences to battle competition from Netflix, YouTube and others.
• Fox is developing a comedy series based on the Property Brothers‘ life story.

Radio

• Three Radio-Canada retransmitters in Atikamekw communities have switched the source of their programming from Chisasibi (which carries some CBC North programming) to Trois-Rivières (which is geographically closer) following consultation with those communities and approval by the CRTC. To mark the change, afternoon drive show 360 PM will broadcast a special show from La Tuque focused on the communities.

Print

Cartoonists sometime inadvertently draw the same thing. Yesterday, I had drawn this below for Saturday's Gazette. Then Garnotte drew the same idea that appeared in today's Le Devoir. Thanks to Gazette editor Edie Austin for spotting this! I'm drawing something else for Saturday. pic.twitter.com/bcdTDzMPKx

— Terry Mosher (@TerryMosher1) October 19, 2018

• Vividata has released its fall survey of newspaper and magazine audience. Montreal numbers show the Journal de Montréal is still the most read in print and overall, and La Presse remains #1 in digital. The Montreal Gazette had a slight drop overall but a significant drop in digital readership, from 254,000 to 204 000.
• Postmedia’s Kingston Whig-Standard and North Bay Nugget have won arbitration cases over their new labour contracts. Both papers’ unions signed new contracts that stated that their benefits plan would match that of another union that negotiated a better one. When the Windsor Star did exactly that, Postmedia argued that Windsor’s very generous benefits plan did not count. An arbitrator rejected Postmedia’s argument and so those papers will get the same plan as Windsor. (My union at the Montreal Gazette is also in contract negotiations with Postmedia, and the benefits plan is a sticking point.)

Other

• Quebecor has signed a deal with Laval’s transit agency to take over ads on its buses.

News about people

Best part of my 30 year anniversary was my daughter Michelle showing up at the request of ?@sarahdeshaies? thank you ?@CJAD800? listeners for giving me the privilege of waking up with you every morning. I am blessed. pic.twitter.com/DzNTAL9qMW

— Andrew Carter (@andrewcarter800) October 17, 2018

• Manon Brouillette is leaving her post as CEO of Videotron. Analysts note that no immediate successor was announced, but are comforted by the fact that she will be given a seat on Quebecor’s board.
• Outgoing Sportsnet boss Scott Moore appeared on an episode of the podcast Toronto Mike. Moore was surprisingly candid about staffing issues, responding to questions about George Stroumboulopoulos, Ron MacLean, Bob Cole, Paul Romanuk, Bob McCown and others.
• Changes at La Presse: Alexandre Pratt leaves his job as news director to become a sports columnist, Jean-François Bégin takes over as news director, and Philippe Cantin is retiring, but will maintain a weekly sports column as of January.
• Gazette Alouettes beat writer Herb Zurkowsky is back on the job covering the team’s disaster of a season after surgery to treat bladder cancer. He spoke to TSN 690’s Mitch Melnick about his health.
• Mike Boone is back to liveblogging Canadiens games for the Gazette after his own health issues.
• Steph Wechsler is the new interim managing editor at J-Source, replacing H.G. Watson who is leaving for TVO.
• Martine St-Victor writes an appreciation for Raymond Laurent, host of CKUT’s Samedi midi Inter and an important voice for the Haitian diaspora.

Obituaries

• Charles (Charlie) McQuade, CTV Montreal cameraman
• Marcel Adam, La Presse journalist, columnist and editorialist
• More obituaries of Concordia professor Linda Kay in the Globe and Mail and Chicago Tribune.

Jobs

• Producer, weekend assignment, CBC Edmonton (deadline: Oct. 25)
• Summer interns, Globe and Mail (deadline: Oct. 26)
• Summer interns, Montreal Gazette (deadline: Nov. 2)
• Online reporter/editor, CBC Winnipeg (deadline: Nov. 9)
• Assistant Professor in Solutions Journalism for Health Improvement at Concordia University in Montreal (deadline: Nov. 15)
• News director, 660 News in Calgary