Broadcaster October 2008

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October 2008

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C A N A D A ’ S

C O M M U N I C A T I O N S

M A G A Z I N E

Evolving Election Coverage: Viewers choose election, media platform, language

Producers, Distributors Go Cine-Feasting Sports Broadcasting in Canada Digital Asset Management

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Editor Lee Rickwood editor@broadcastermagazine.com Contributing Editors David Bray; Dick Drew; Derrick Scott; Jonathan Hiltz Senior Publisher Advertising Sales James A. Cook (416) 510-6871 jcook@broadcastermagazine.com Art Director Anne Miron Print Production Manager Phyllis Wright (416) 510-5101 Production Manager Gary White (416) 510-6760 Vice-President Alex Papanou President Bruce Creighton Circulation Manager Cindi Holder (416) 442-5600 ext. 3544 Customer Service Malkit Chana (416) 442-5600 ext. 3539 News Service Broadcast News Limited Editorial Deadline:

Broadcaster® October 2008

Volume 67 Number 7

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Feature Reports

4 Cine-Feast Producers, Distributors, Content Creators Gather at Film Fests

8 Future of Content: Digital Asset Management in the Age of TV Broadcasting

15 Special Supplement: Sports Broadcasting in Canada

21 There Goes the Neighbourhood The Score Opens New HD Studio

26 Evolving Election Coverage New Techniques, New Platforms

Departments 14 Industry News: Champions in Motion

22 30

New Products Broadcast Acquisition and Distribution Canadian Achievers 50 Great Years...and Counting

Broadcaster

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Cine-feasting Producers, Distributors, Content Creators Gather at Film Fests

By Jonathan Hiltz

I

nternational film fests are often exotic, enticing events held in fetchingly far-flung locations (think the south of France in the spring).

Such industry events obviously have a valuable business side as well as a pleasurable side, and their attraction to large and small content creators alike cannot be understated.

So it nice to know that some cine-fests are much closer to home, much easier to get to, and often just as valuable to attend as those events much farther afield.

For example, as other large media industry events drew lots of attention, the Cinefest Sudbury International Film Festival has gradually grown over 20 years and expanded to become a premiere destination for both Canadian and international producers and other film and TV professionals.

Strategically taking place directly after the Toronto International Film Festival, Cinefest allows a much more relaxed atmosphere when approaching everyone from filmmakers to network executives. The festival screens more than one hundred and forty films annually and some of the major sponsors include CTV, Bell Canada and Cineplex Entertainment.

“CTV is committed to fostering and encouraging the Canadian film industry,” said Scott Lund of CTV Sudbury, when asked about the network’s sponsoring of the festival. “Bringing a variety of world-class films to the Northern Ontario public enhances our viewers’ quality of life.” Scott has served on the board of the festival in past years.

Production Talk Pre-Election Meanwhile, at the 2008 Montreal World Film Festival, producers, directors, sales agents and

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distributors from all around the globe - and some celebrities as well - helped sustain the local buzz. Attendees of the 32nd annual festival filtered through the bustling downtown Montreal streets for screenings at various theatres and multiplexes around town.

‘The Necessities of Life’, helmed by Canadian filmmaker Benoit Pilon, won the top audience award at the festival, which is voted on by the public and Japanese film ‘Okuribito’ (Departures) won the Jury Prize of the festival. The

event in the end showed over 234 films during the 11-day period.

One of the topics on people lips at the festival this year is the ongoing battle between Canadian producers and the Stephen Harper government. At the gala premiere of Sebastien Rose’s ‘Le Banquet’, Patrick Roy, head of Alliance-Vivafilm the distributor of the picture and Pierre Even, the film’s producer, called for action against the Tories. This was in reference to the recent cuts Harper made by eliminat-

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Early birds wait for Cinema Under The Stars, part of an outdoor screening initiative for members of the public and attendees at the Montreal Film Festival.

benches lining the area for the audience. On any given night there are at least seven hundred to a thousand people sitting out in the summer night watching anything that plays on this broadcasting behemoth.

ing the Canadian Independent Film and Video Fund, The National Training Schools Program, the A-V Preservation Trust as well as other funds designed to foster Canadian talent in the media arts. These cuts have led to the end of approximately $44.8 million dollars in federal arts funding. Festival attendees also discussed Bill C-10, the ongoing legislation debate that would give the federal government power to deny federal funding to a Canadian production if it is found to be offensive.

Amongst the celebrities and veterans this year was producer Alan Ladd Jr., who attended an outdoor screening of his classic film ‘The Right Stuff’. Tony Curtis was also on hand to talk about his new bio-doc ‘The Jill and Tony Curtis Story’ about he and his wife Jill Vanderberg.

A big attraction for the public in Montreal is the amazing Cinema Under The Stars. This is where they block off St. Catherines street right in front of the Hyatt Hotel where the festival is housed, with a large movie screen and park

Broadcaster

Sponsors Support Sudbury While many of the Sudbury screenings took place at the Silver City multiplex, owned by Cineplex Entertainment, there is always an extensive film market available to industry-ites at the host hotel, The Radisson. The market holds many of the films that are being screened at the theatres and also some gems that are not.

The Radisson hotel offers a great atmosphere for Cinefest and is the perfect location to stay when attending the festival. It’s clean, affordable and easier to get around when compared to the absolute chaos at The Sutton Place or Four Seasons in Toronto, during TIFF. Panelists at this years’ industry forum discussed various topics such as film financing on a budget and some of the talk in and out of the hallways circled around the cuts to entertainment industry funding by Stephen Harper’s Conservatives. The festival also fosters a significant amount of shorts and student-made films, many of which play on the big screen at the Silver City location.

This year Paul Gross’s Passchendaele, which was also the opening night film at TIFF, won the ‘Sony Style Audience Choice’ Award and the ‘CTV Best In Shorts’ Awards went to ‘Just Survival’, ‘Red Bull Round-up’ and ‘That Was Easy’, respectively. ‘Best Animation’ went to a film called ‘Paper Crane’. Some of the other screenings included films that appeared at the Montreal World Film Festival such as ‘The Baby Formula’ and the upcoming Bill Maher documentary ‘Religulous’.

Cinefest started as a small event in 1989 and is now getting to be one of Canada’s more popular film festivals. It continues to grow in size and scope and now annually attracts more

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Distribution than 20,000 audience members. It has an estimated $5 million dollar impact on the city of greater Sudbury.

Don’t Offend the Filmmaker!

Along with in-theatre screenings held at the film festivals, a common attraction for distributors, TV executives and the like is the festival market, usually with a large viewing library of hundreds of projects, available on-demand.

One can watch in comfort and privacy, often in cozy cubicles set up with flat-screen TV’s and earphones. This offers the added bonus of being able to leave in the middle of the film if it’s not your taste - without offending the filmmaker, who’s often attending the theatre screenings!

Getting other work done is always a necessity for film fest attendees, and The Delta Montreal

Hotel is a great way to stay near the festival, right around the corner in fact, but still have some important resources at hand (much more economical than the host hotel of the event). It offers a great business center, complete with many computers, free of charge when staying. The neighborhood around the hotel is also excellent and full of attractions, if one wants a break from screenings and the parties.

The Montreal World Film Festival has had its ups and downs over the years, but continues to be an important event to producers and executives at home and very much abroad. As a film festival and market regular attendee, I can easily say this event has some of the most diverse people in attendance. It’s an excellent way to get business done with companies from all over the globe.

Extensive film and TV databases, personal screening facilities and reference documentation are among the tools of the trade made available by most film festivals. Off-site support is also important for many attendees.

TV Producer, Film Fest Fanatic Shares Travel Tips TV producer and Broadcaster Magazine correspondent Jonathan Hiltz, along with the team at Hiltz Squared Productions, attend several national and international industry events each year, and they’ve done so for some time. Landing a production or distribution deal can be a challenge, but surviving the trip itself is often the hardest part — if you are not prepared.

How often do you travel for business? mention all the film/TV promo material we get from the films we’re considering for distribution or companies we’re I’d say at this point, once a month. speaking with for co-productions.

I get the best value by reading all this stuff when I’m sitting What do you most like about travel? What do you most at the airport and losing all the materials I don’t need. dislike?

Q A Q

A I like the face to face meetings with various industry

executives and producers at all the film festivals and markets. The Internet and telephone are wonderful and necessary tools, but nothing beats the personal contact that gets these deals done.

I’m not in love with the actual travel part. Getting there can be a significant amount of work, including the many days preparing all the materials for the event you’re going to, packing and the physicality of traveling such as the plane ride, checking into the hotel, etc. I enjoy being there, once we arrive.

Q What is the one most important business tool you bring

on your trips? What is the most important personal item to bring along?

most important business tool would be our marketing A The material that helps us sell our product. Our film catalogues, synopses and screeners of the movies we represent, business cards to hand out, etc.

The most important personal item would be good walking shoes, as we’re usually standing/walking/running for hours on end at these things. do you get best value out of your ‘travel downtime’ Q How — sitting in airport waiting lounges, taking limo to hotel, etc.

A At any media related event there is a mountain of materials that get handed to you. Magazines such as Variety and Hollywood Reporter are given out at every turn. Not to

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Q A

What is your favourite airport (international or national), and why?

My favorite airport is the Liberia International Airport in Costa Rica. It’s small and less chaotic compared to something like Pearson and because it’s in Costa Rica where it’s tropical and warm, everyone is usually in good spirits. It’s also almost completely outdoors. Plus Costa Rica is awesome and we try to do business there whenever we can.

Q What is your least fave, and why?

A Thus far my least favourite would be JFK in New York, but

not because it’s a bad airport. Most of the time in the last year, we’ve only been there at four in the morning when we’re taking a connecting flight back from somewhere. It’s not fun waiting for another plane at 4 in the morning.

Pearson in Toronto comes a close second, as it has significant issues with lines and they keep telling people to come and catch their flight earlier, when I really think they should just have more staff to handle the incredible amount of passengers that go through there. It looks like a new airport, but from the flyers perspective, it’s just as disorganized as the old one.

Q Other notions?

A When beaming technology from Star Trek is actually invented, this should make things a lot easier.

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The Future of Content: Exploring Digital Asset Management and Web 2.0 in the Age of TV Broadcasting

By Damian Saccocio, Vice President, Marketing and Product Management

W

ithout doubt advances in digital media technology are having a profound effect on all our lives.

Internet based tools for broadcast distribution and media sharing; social networking, communication, and collaboration — collectively captured under the Web 2.0 banner — are dramatically rising in popularity. The same basic technology trend, one focused on interoperability, modularity, speed and flexibility rather than raw capability or performance, is having an equally profound effect on professional digital media content.

Media Companies and Web 2.0 Today, essentially all media production — from motion pictures and TV to newspapers and mag-

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azines and from radio to music -- is completely digital and in keeping with all previous patterns in technology development, the first major effects were not transformative but rather incremental as existing processes were simply automated.

Going forward we are on the cusp of much more dramatic change driven by innovative new use cases themselves enabled by a rapidly maturing digital media ecosystem As part of the maturing process, digital media technology is simultaneously changing how the various pieces interact with one-another. Up until recently, products were designed to solve a particular problem within digital media workflow. Today, raw performance metrics and basic feature capabilities are less important when choosing the right tool than are questions around how well the various tools work together. Ease of integration, convenience, flexibility, and indeed price are increasingly the basis on which digital media tools and services are judged.

With Web 2.0 technologies at the fore, we are entering an era where interoperability, modularity, and collaboration are critical. Systems that facilitate the workflow associated with organizing, editing, collaborating, and distributing media are essential, while alternatives such as ad hoc sharing of files via email and FTP are as inappropriate as a paper card catalog system would be at any modern library today. To complicate matters further, the Internet facilitates two-way communication that must be managed and filtered — from immediate, rich and compelling contributions from communities with affinities for the product or service, to immature, silly, and even nonsensical contributions.

Web 2.0 and the Corporate Need for Programming (aka good stories) Media creation is not limited to firms in the area of entertainment, news, and sports. Today, manufacturers, from kitchen appliances to toys, are finding they can build, empower, and excite their communities of users with high quality rich media content. In doing so, however, grows a need to manage and control the valuable intellectual property encompassed in this digital

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media content.

The rapid maturation of digital technologies is now positioning some forward thinking firms to apply truly transformative process and product to media. Video games, for example, have emerged as a category that outsells movie box office — Nintendo’s Wii with its motion sensing controls and inventory of hits, to take just one example, and now a phenomenon with over $300M in sales in its first year.

Advertising is an even bigger prize in the cross-hairs of digital technology suppliers and has been the foundation for media monetization in North America for the last 80 years. The humble 30 second TV ad, the 15 second radio commercial, and the classified newspaper advert, have been the bedrock on which a robust independent and highly diverse entertainment and news industry has risen. While media production, management, and distribution have already been digitized, the traditional manner in which these assets are monetized is beginning to change.

Online ad networks such as Google, Yahoo, AOL, and Microsoft are moving towards richer media and integrating sophisticated analytical targeting capabilities. These networks dramatically altered the economics of newspapers and magazines and built an entirely new set of economics around interactive media — one based on performance, engagement, and actions taken

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instead of the early models based on simple impressions (CPMs).

Discovery and Interactivity Meet Media, Marketing, and Promotion Developments in digital media technology enable an explosion in programming choice within the typical home. The majority of households in North America have either cable or satellite TV; and approximately 20% of all households have a digital video recorder (DVR) that allows for one-click time-shifting of programs as well as fast-forwarding. As these DVRs start integrating with home networks and the internet via Web 2.0 technologies, personal photos, videos, and music collections are added to the recorded program selections.

The effect of this dramatic increase in program choice upon consumers is that the act of deciding what to watch is itself a problem — specifically a problem of navigation (how to move on the screen), search (finding known programs) and discovery (learning about new programs). Many good and not-so-good solutions are, of course, emerging. The latter are often based on paradigms found in productivity related content activities associated with PCs and the internet. Certainly there is much to draw upon from the powerful search systems we use everyday in browsing the Net. The more successful solutions will, however, be those that best fit the social and behavioral environments of TV where viewers know precisely what they want to watch a priori less than 50% of the time. The other half of the time viewers are more likely to browse horizontally, that is follow a thread from one program to another. Information on stars, story, ratings, reviews — i.e. metadata — will shape and guide this thread.

Advertising will continue to underpin the economic model for all this content. But it will not be like advertising of the past — that is interrupt-based advertising, loosely correlated with the type of show and hour at which a viewer may be watching. The average prime-time show today has 17 minutes of commercial advertising time per hour. While, the average advertiser has difficulty measuring the effectiveness of the millions spent during that time. Of course traditional TV advertising does work and will continue for some time, however, an alternative infrastructure emerges today — one that is fully automated, highly targeted, interactive, and immediately measurable.

Eventually TV content choice will resemble

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that of the Internet. The almost zero marginal cost and new advertising infrastructure of digital content will allow the economics of the “long tail” to support many new programming choices.

Web 2.0 products that enable recommendations and social networking will drive much of the long tail viewing just as it does on YouTube — though not in real time.

The economics and technology of digital media will enable a dramatic increase in the quality of average programs and in the range of content. This content is not the outcome of a community of private contributors. Rather it is the result of deliberate, well organized, efficient collaboration of content experts, technicians, editors, and sponsors.

Technologies associated with digital media production, collaboration, and distribution have reached a level of maturity that has shifted the basis of competition away from simply performance (can the tool do the job at all), to one based on flexibility, speed, and convenience (how well does the tool integrate with a customer’s larger ecosystem of digital media systems — from capture and storage to rights management and distribution).

The future of (professional digital media) content is much the same as content today.

Which is to say that high quality professional content, created by a cohesive collection of authors, editors, and distributors, and supported by an advertising infrastructure will continue to dominate overall volume of video watched — especially and in particular on TV. At the same time, digital media technology offerings will dramatically raise both the quantity and quality of content. In lowering the barriers to cost-effective digital workflow and collaboration without regard to geography, this technology enables — as so many Web 2.0-type technologies do — new entrants into content production and horizontal expansion of incumbents across media types.

Emergence of this larger pool of high quality programming will not happen over night, but with the right tools and a proper strategy in place now, organizations will be in a better position to manage the influx of content when it arrives.

Macy’s, Advanced Micro Devices (AMD), Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, and Mexico’s largest broadcasting company Televisa are all very different firms but all preparing for the future world of content via similar and significant investments in Digital Asset Management (DAM).

While retailing, computer chip manufacturing, magazine publishing, and television broadcasting suggest distinctly different core competencies, the Web 2.0 digital media trends are such that these companies share many common and increasingly critical media-related workflows including: • controlling, discovering, and finding media such as images, videos, layouts, PDFs, quickly and intuitively, • understanding legal parameters of re-use and re-distribution clearly, • ensuring content is available in the right format for specific devices and networks, • collaborating with a globally distributed set of users and partners submitting and retrieving content with a wide range of access permissions and roles.

The enabling DAM software is in no case a stand-alone system as may have been the case in years gone by when a virtual filing cabinet was all that was desired. Today, whether Macy’s or AMD, Martha Stewart or Televisa, the DAM software is part of a larger set of workflows and systems where tight coupling for performance, reliability, or even basic functionality is not required . Instead new media functionality and capabilities have been created quickly and conveniently through the loose coupling made possible via public interfaces and other modular components and protocols that so well represent the real importance of Web 2.0 as a development B worth noticing.

Damian Saccocio is Vice President, Marketing and Product Management, at Artesia, the Digital Media Group of Open Text. He also teaches a course on Technology Strategy at Georgetown’s McDonough School of Business and earned his doctorate from Rensselaer’s Lally School of Management in Strategy and Technology. He can be reached at DSaccocio@OpenText.com.

Digital Asset Management in the Real (Web 2.0) World So what are companies doing with DAM and Web 2.0? Here are some examples to give you some ideas as to how you can implement this technology in your organization:

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Canadian Association of Broadcasters

2008 Convention

The CAB Convention features up-to-the-minute information on important industry developments

Learn more about the opportunities and challenges facing private broadcasters

Get the information you need to maintain and improve profitability

Discover what Canadian and international experts think about the latest industry trends

Network with your peers from across the country

Celebrate the important contribution that private broadcasting makes to Canada!

Join Us! At the Westin Ottawa.

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For more information or to register on-line, visit www.cab-convention.ca Convention venue – The Westin Ottawa Book your hotel room now‌ space is selling out fast!

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Industry News

Champions in Motion Sports Fantasy Now Reality

Sports fans can see clearly now more than ever before what makes a champion a champion.

M

oving well beyond traditional ‘slo-mo’ capabilities, producers of the 41st U.S. Open tennis tournament coverage on CBS used Flow Motion, a new virtual motion graphics systems used to track onscreen objects and freeze action.

What’s more, new sports broadcasting technology like the Flow Motion system from Orad can see ‘before and after’ the action in almost any sport, as the system creates on-screen frame overlays to show the players’ positions - or that of any object, like a tennis ball.

At the U.S. Open, CBS used Orad’s MVP (Motion Video Play) graphics system with Flow Motion to show viewers the frame-by-frame kinetics of the match, tracking the actual moves it takes to make a champion.

Flow Motion tracked the distances players ran during volleys, as well as the path of a player or the ball on selected shots such as aces.

CBS Sports then used its MVP graphics platform during the broadcast of an NFL contest between the Cincinnati Bengals and New York Giants in late September.

Because MVP is user-customizable, CBS Sports was able to tailor the system’s functions and features to create its own CBS FloMotion, highlighting play elements while they’re in motion so that viewers can see and understand how players contribute to key plays.

CBS Sports also deployed MVP’s HyperZoom feature to zoom in on key elements of plays and controversial calls. For example, commentators can highlight the image of a receiver’s feet so that viewers can determine for themselves (sorry, ref!) whether he was in bounds on a touchdown catch or not.

Because MVP enables graphics elements to run with the clip, it is an improvecontinued on page 25

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Sport Broadcasting in Canada

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Rogers Sportsnet Has More NHL Coverage With “Hockey That Matters” Sportsnet has 206 NHL regular season games this season Rogers Sportsnet has the Hockey That Matters when it comes to coverage of the 2008-2009 NHL regular season.

With a total of 206 regular-season games, over half of which will be in High Definition, Sportsnet will present the strongest hockey schedule available of any Canadian broadcaster featuring the Toronto Maple Leafs, Ottawa Senators, Calgary Flames, Edmonton Oilers and the Vancouver Canucks.

“Not only does Sportsnet have the most regular-season NHL games — but we have the best games because every one of our games features the home team,” says Sportsnet’s David Ballingall, Vice President, Marketing & GM, Sportsnet.ca. “That means an engaged, passionate viewer who makes Sportsnet games appointment television. That’s why we brand it “The Hockey That Matters”.

This year Sportsnet will broadcast 28 Maple Leafs games, more than any other any Canadian broadcaster. Sportsnet is also the home of the Senators (40 games), Flames (46 games), Oilers (47 games) and the Canucks (45 games). For each of these teams, Sportsnet is the No. 1 broadcaster of their games.

Says Ballingall, “All of this provides the strongest hockey package in Canada.”

Sportsnet Ontario broadcasts Hockeycentral at Noon weekdays at 12 p.m. (ET) Monday to Friday with host Darren Millard. Hockeycentral Tonight airs weeknights Monday to Friday at 11 p.m. (ET)/9 p.m. (MT) on Sportsnet East, Ontario and West. It features R.J. Broadhead as host and includes analysts Doug Maclean, Nick Kypreos, Mike Brophy, Bill Watters, Gord Stellick and Mark Spector.

Sportsnet also airs Hockeycentral on Saturdays at 6 p.m.

(ET)/3 p.m. (PT) on all Sportsnet channels. In addition, Sportsnet Connnected provides pre-game and post-game coverage on game nights for the Maple Leafs, Flames, Oilers and Canucks.

For all the scores, highlights, breaking news and inside stories from the NHL, tune in to Hockeycentral Tonight, Sportsnet Connected and log on to sportsnet.ca.

“Your home team. First.”

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Setanta Sports - Join the Clubs!

Setanta Sports, the highly successful Irish-based broadcaster, launched its Canadian channel in the summer of 2007. Within a very short timeframe, it has battled to the top of the heap in the international sports broadcasting market. Setanta served up over 1500 live or same-day matches in 2007 from the top international soccer leagues and competitions to rugby union. This season, the addition of matches from The FA Cup and 2010 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers (featuring top European nations) means that the 2008 number will grow significantly.

“Setanta is not just any sports channel, but the best international sports channel anywhere in the world with massive leagues like the Barclays Premier League to the best rugby union available.” said Shane O’Rourke, Setanta’s president of North American and Australian Operations. “There is simply no other channel in the world that carries this much live and same-day action from all over the world.”

Although Setanta Sports is best known for its selection of soccer, rugby union, and rugby league, the channel also offers a variety of sports including Australian rules football, Gaelic football and hurling.

Setanta’s coverage does not end on the pitch. The channel also broadcasts top sports news, information and highlight shows including Setanta Sports News, ChelseaTV, MUTV (a show for Manchester United fanatics), The Friday Football Show and Football Matters.

Live coverage of the matches that matter most is what resonates with sports fans. Here is just a sampling of the top international leagues and competitions which have found a home on Setanta Sports:

competition to determine Europe’s top club, is as easy as S-E-T-AN-T-A. The channel is scheduled to broadcast a total of 55 matches from the UEFA Champions League featuring top European clubs including Chelsea (England), AS Roma (Italy) and FC Porto (Portugal) just to name a few. The long road to the crowning of UEFA Champions League winner begins in midSeptember on Setanta.

Barclays Premier League

The Home of International Sport

Simply stated, this is the top soccer league on the planet and Setanta Sports broadcasts more matches (the majority of which are live and exclusive) than any other channel in Canada. The top teams, including last season’s Barclays Premier League and UEFA Champions League victors Manchester United, are featured prominently throughout the season schedule on Setanta. On any given weekend, fans of the premiership are treated to as many as nine live and same-day matches! The coverage on Setanta begins midAugust and runs until the end of May. When the cleats have been hung up for the season, Setanta will have broadcast close to 300 Barclays Premier League matches, with almost 150 of those live and exclusive! It’s footie heaven!!

The above noted leagues and competitions are just a tantalizing taste of what international sports fans will be treated to on Setanta Sports.

Some of the other top soccer leagues and competitions available on Setanta include: the Scottish Premier League, The Scottish FA Cup, Carling Cup, UEFA Cup and Coca-Cola Championship.

Rugby fans should not feel left out in the cold — Setanta Sports is the only real choice in Canada for top-flight match coverage including: the Heineken European Rugby Cup, Guinness Premiership, Magners League, Currie Cup, Air New Zealand Cup, EDF Energy Cup, Super 14, the National Rugby League and Barclays Churchill Cup. The fun for the Setanta Sports viewer does not end on the soccer and rugby pitches. Extensive live coverage of the Australian Football League includes the Grand Final in September. Also, the Gaelic Athletic Association featuring hurling and Gaelic football, help add to a diverse and high-quality broadcast lineup on Setanta Sports in Canada.

The breadth and depth of coverage on Setanta Sports in Canada is fit for a sports warrior. The warrior Setanta of Celtic lore would be proud indeed!

UEFA Champions League Following the UEFA Champions League, an annual

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RBS 6 Nations The top rugby nations in the northern hemisphere do battle on the pitch for national pride. England, Ireland, Scotland, France, Italy and defending champion Wales make up the 6 Nations combatants. The annual competition hits the airwaves on Setanta in January. This season will mark the 115th northern hemisphere rugby union championship formerly known as the Home Nations and the Five Nations.

Tri Nations Rugby South of the equator, rugby viewers crave nothing more than coverage of the annual Tri-Nations. The competition features 2008 Tri Nations champion New Zealand, defending Rugby World Cup champion South Africa and always strong Australia.

Setanta has coverage of all nine matches from the Tri Nations which begins in early July and ends in mid-September.

Photos courtesy of Getty Images

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There Goes the Neighbourhood Fans get involved as The Score HD hits the street

T

raffic was blocked. Bystanders kept at a safe distance. King St. was shut down and the crowds spread up and down neighbourhood side streets.

The beer garden opened, the Inner City Surfers hit the stage, and the festivities to launch The Score’s new HD, street front studio in downtown Toronto were underway The Score invited fans, musicians, TV celebrities and top athletes to its free party, which was of course broadcast live so fans across the country could party, too.

Viewers, partiers, guests and staff alike were celebrating the new facilities, designed to give ringside seats to hardcore sports fans and access to athletes, Score personalities and the broadcast studio itself like never before.

The HD studio was first unveiled on-air, during the flagship show, Score Tonight. It’s apparent grunginess — there is a real garage door, after all, and a graffiti wall visible to all — belies a highly-capable hybrid facility, with SD for today and full HD capabilities for tomorrow (of course, in the sports broadcasting, that tomorrow has already arrived!)

HD is crucial to the television sports experience — supplemented, as The Score wells knows, with online, mobile and other media platforms in the production and distribution mix.

“The sports industry has never experienced anything of this magnitude,” said John Levy, Score Media Chairman

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and CEO, of the studio’s real purpose. “Our new, interactive HD studio was designed with our hardcore sports fans in mind and we are convinced it will transform the audience experience as we invite fans to get involved in everything we do. And as we now move to broadcasting approximately 90 percent of our hardcore programming in HD, we know our fans will be even more excited about everything we have to offer.

“The launch of our studio is just one way of catering to our hardcore fans,” says Levy. “We know that they crave the opportunity to get involved. We also know that they want to consume information on a variety of platforms. Through our new studio and our focus on giving fans the latest in sports whether it be online, mobile or radio, we know we are giving fans what they want, how they want it.”

“It’s a guy’s dream basement,” enthuses Matthew Payne, director, Broadcast Operations at The Score, giving a quick tour of the new digs a day or two before the street party. “There’s plasmas everywhere! It’s like hanging at a high-tech water cooler — we talk sports here! We’ve got bleachers where fans sit, desks where the anchors stand, and real court surfing! There are as many camera angles as possible.”

And, even after lots of planning and preparation, plenty of rehearsals, the live launch and more than a few shows now under their belt, the studio crew are still find-

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An HDTV studio as welcome mat?

Accessibility and interactivity are the buzzwords at The Score Sports Network, where the open concept studio, supported by online and mobile content delivery, keeps the fan engaged.

ing camera angles.

Central to the studio’s shooting capabilities are the big jib arm and full-time steadi-cam, injecting lots of movement, high energy levels and a free-form feel to the specialty channel’s studio programming.

The sporting buzz extends to the street outside, where a 9x14’ outdoor screen and up to the minute ticker screens can connect fans and passers-by to their daily sports fix.

Along with the new studio comes new programming at The Score, including the October

launch of a new show called Score in the Morning with host Nikki Reyes; the return of Score Tonight now broadcast live from the new HD studio; the return of Cabbie Unlimited in his third season, and with a new name, there’s Hardcore Hockey Talk (formerly The Spin) .

Big time games, like those from CIS and NCAA football, and NBA hoops double headers, are always featured in the programming line-up.

And, when not in the neighbourhood or in front of a TV, The Score can still get its fans fixed up.

There’s TheScore.com, Hardcore Sports Radio, Score Poker and Score Mobile, which just launched the new interactive service called Score Predictor, a sports fantasy league on steroids.

The new app lets viewers to interact with their TV using their phone, wherever they may be.

Through a partnership with MyThum Interactive, Score Predictor lets fans text in winning picks on

three games per day per league.

“We piloted this application earlier this summer and received a great deal of positive feedback from our fans making our decision to take this application to the next level an easy one,” said Score Mobile Director Dale Fallon. “The convenience of SMS messaging combined with the broad reach of television is something that our fans crave and that’s why we’ve created this unique offering.”

Hardcore iPhone fans can get sports fixes with The Score’s Mobile iPhone Edition, a free Web app for iPhone or iPod touch. The application lets fans get up-to-the-minute scores, odds, standings, game previews and real-time box scores through the touch screen interface.

ScoreMobile iPhone Edition is called the first iPhone-optimized Web app to be launched by a mainstream North American sports media company - mainstream, or main street.

B

September 23 - 27, 2009

CCBE 2009 FOR THE 2009 CONFERENCE ROOMS WILL BE GOING FAST.

Broadcaster

October 2008

21

New Products

Canon Builds on Robotic Pan-Tilts for HD

Canon BU-50H

The BU-50H remote-control robotic indoor pan-tilt HD camera system is engineered for production activities in such locations as houses of worship, legislative chambers, studio POV camera positions, indoor security areas, and many other environments.

The BU-50H is an extremely quiet P/T system and features a maximum noise level of NC30. It is well suited for operation in very quiet environments, including studios, conferences, lectures, and classical music concerts.

The BU-50H remote-control robotic indoor pan-tilt HD camera system incorporates a Canon HD camera equipped with three 1/3-inch (1.67 million-pixel) CCD sensors (1440 H x 1080 V), a Canon HD zoom lens with 20X optical zoom ratio (4.5 - 90mm), an advanced Canon Auto Focus function, and Canon’s sophisticated Image Stabilizer technology.

Outputs include uncompressed HD-SDI and SD-SDI with embedded audio, or standard-definition (SD) composite NTSC video. The HD-SDI can be used for HD recording and the HD-SDI or NTSC will support simultaneous SD monitoring. The BU-50H pan-tilt HD camera is capable of extremely smooth 300-degree pans and 40-degree tilts.

An optional third-party E/O (electrical-to-optical) converter is available to enable worldwide connectivity via fiber optics or a connection to the Canon Canobeam DT-150 HD wireless video transceiver for transmission at distances of up to one kilometer.

The total weight of the pan-tilt system, camera and housing is 11 kg. (approx. 24 lbs.).

Fibre Connectivity from Base Station to HD Camera Polatis is showing new ‘base station to HD camera connectivity’ - critical for outside broadcast applications, using its Trinity family of optical video routing switches with bi-directional control and HD traffic over fibre.

Trinity can connect with SMPTE bi-directional hybrid cable to a CCU/Base Station and Sony HD Camera, the company demonstrated.

Polaris’ patented DirectLight optical beam steering technology is powering the creation of highly reliable and compact photonic switching solutions. Polatis delivers a broad range of optical switching products with class-leading performance to customers in the communications, video, defense and instrumentation sectors.

Digital Rapids Ups Streaming Tools for IPTV and HD Distribution Digital Rapids has introduced new tools for broadcast, IPTV and live audio and video streaming applications, including TouchStream, a self-contained streaming appliance.

Software controls are accessed through a touch-screen interface with integrated live video monitoring and VU meters for audio validation, eliminating the need for laptops, keyboards, mice and separate monitors.

TouchStream appliances can be used for on-location live streaming of events such as sports events and concert performances; remote news coverage; courtroom proceedings; PEG (public, education and government) applications; corporate communications and more. A choice of formats — including AVC/ H.264 (including Adobe Flash Player 9), VC-1 (Windows Media), On2 VP6 (Adobe Flash 8), 3GPP and MPEG-2 — lets users target audiences and platforms from Internet TV to

mobile phones.

Digital Rapids has also enhanced its H.264 encoding quality to live web audiences, with support for H.264 (also known as AVC, or MPEG-4 Part 10) streaming through for the StreamZ Live family of live streaming encoders, and for Digital Rapids’ StreamZ and StreamZHD media encoding servers as an add-on option.

Media can be encoded, streamed and archived in the H.264 format in parallel with a variety of other delivery formats (including VP6, VC-1 and MPEG-2), enabling the broadest possible audience reach to multiple platforms and devices.

New real-time, high definition encoding capabilities for the Digital Rapids Studio AVC Encoder software includes H.264 ingest, encoding, transcoding and streaming in high definition formats including

720p, 1080p and 1080i. The enhanced HD H.264 capabilities will also be available in upcoming models of the StreamZ Live family of live streaming encoders.

The new version of Digital Rapids Broadcast Manager provides robust management, monitoring and fault tolerance for multiple live

Digital Rapids TouchStream

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October 2008

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Crystal Vision Releases 3G Products Crystal Vision has unveiled its range of 3G HD products, starting with 3GHz distribution amplifiers, with the 3GDA105N and 3GDA111N available now for distribution of 3G HD, HD or SDI signals The 3GDA105N provides five non-reclocked outputs and uses the RM41 frame rear module which has been specially developed to get 3G HD signals in and out of the Crystal Crystal Vision 3G DA 111N Vision frames. For applications requiring more outputs, the ‘double decker’ 3GDA111N provides eleven non-reclocked outputs.

With 3G HD cable equalization of up to 80m using Belden 1694A, the 3GDA105N and 3GDA111N can handle all data rates up to 3GHz and easily meet the -10dB input return loss that must be achieved for 3GHz, along with the -15dB input return loss required for 1.5GHz. There is LED indication of input and power supplies present, while the board edge controls include a manual HD/SD switch to change the slew rate on the output.

Harris Enhances HD Radio, Studio Systems and Transmitter Portfolio Harris has introduced enhancements to its studio systems and consoles range for radio broadcasters, including improved source selection and routing compatibility for its RMXdigital on-air consoles, as well as new console display techniques.

The 16x2 MicroRouter is a compact, 1RU routing system that adds remote source selection capability to RMXdigital consoles. It provides up to 16 remote sources to any dual-fader module, allowing individual selection for each fader. Sixteen inputs connect any mix of digital and analog input signals to the console for immediate use on the air, and digital signals at the output remain native throughout the air chain with no format conversions required.

The RMXdigital Dual Selector interface also allows easy programming and storage of source names of up to 10 characters in length; the source names are presented to the user in

alphabetical order for more efficient operation on the fly.

Harris is also demonstrating software enhancements to its VistaMax audio management system, first introduced at NAB2008.

VistaTouch is a Windows PC client application that provides secure system-wide control functionality to operators. VistaTouch software features user-activated “Image Panels� to initiate frequent, show-specific and day-part requirements.

As many as 20 Image Panels can be assigned to each application to address multiple-user or requirement-specific presentations at every VistaMax-connected studio within the facility.

The Live Webcam streams are ideal for visual cueing of live sources — especially useful for news and talk stations, and live multi-talent morning shows.

Harris has also introduced the HPX Series of high-power tube transmitters for HD Radio broadcasting. HPX transmitters are also available in analog FM-only or common amplifica-

Harris RMX Digital Straight, Harris HPX ShowPilot

tion HD Radio versions, and incorporate the most advanced transmitter control Its common architecture at all power levels simplifies the upgrade path for radio broadcasters migrating from analog-only to an HD Radio common-amplification system, or increase HD Radio broadcasting power to the proposed -10dB when needed.

Transmitter control options include an advanced control system that supports TCP/IP connectivity for WEB access, SNMP communications and IP-based control and monitoring.

A single controller is capable of operating two HPX transmitters and the combiner in dual combined or redundant backup modes.

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October 2008

23

New Products

Sanyo Canada Delivers Displays for Outdoor, Indoor Use SANYO Canada is shipping products from its new LCD monitor line-up, including weatherproof LCDs for a variety of outdoor applications to robust models designed for oily and dusty environments.

The 42-inch SANYO CE42LM5WP is a lightweight Sanyo Monitors (35.5 kilograms/78 pounds) weatherproof LCD monitor with an IP66 weather-resistant rating. Sporting WXGA resolution and a 16:9 aspect ratio, this unit is suited for use in outdoor pub patios or for other public outdoor display applications.

The SANYO CE52LH1WP is a 52-inch weatherproof LCD monitor also ideal for outdoor signage sporting HD (1920 X1080) resolution with 16:9 aspect ratio and 1500:1 contrast ratio. All SANYO weatherproof monitors are equipped with Winter Mode, which allow the units to operate outdoors in temperatures ranging from Minus 20 to Minus 45 degrees Celsius.

SANYO Canada has also launched three new Robust LCD monitors, ideal for use in dusty and oily environments such as quick service restaurants or industrial operations because of easy-toclean, non-glare acrylic panels.

All of these Robust LCD monitors are compatible with the optional PJ Network organizer, for monitoring of the LCD’s functions and operation from a remote location via Web browser.

Bridge Technologies Launches Full Service Monitoring of IPTV Middleware Bridge Technologies has launched FSM (Full Service Monitoring), an extension of the company’s VB20/220 IP probes that allows operators to monitor the functionality of the middleware controlling viewers’ IPTV experiences.

With Bridge Technologies’ FSM-enabled probes, IPTV operators can monitor not only the transport of the media, but also the functioning of all the elements contributing to the user’s interaction with the service: subscription validation, program listing displays, conditional access, VOD controls, and more.

With the addition of FSM, Bridge Technologies provides the means for operators to ensure full “confidence monitoring” of every aspect of their services.

FSM is integrated into the functionality of the IP20 and IP220 probes, without requiring any additional hardware. FSM provides user-definable probing of servers and software devices, ranging from simple ICMP Echo requests to detailed monitoring with http get requests, delivering an emulation of the set-top box operation for diagnostic purposes.

FSM is available now for Bridge Technologies’ IP20 and IP220 probes running software version 3.1 or later.

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October 2008

Unisex XLR

Neutrik Introduces Unisex XLR Neutrik, designer and manufacturer of the XX series XLR cable connector, has introduced what it calls the world’s first unisex XLR connector, convertCON. convertCON (NC3FM-C) is a new 3-pin male and female cable connector in a single rugged zinc die cast shell. It’s also available with black chrome housing and gold contacts (NC3FM-C-B).

It’s transformed from a male to female connector by sliding the housing back and forth. This new male/ female cable end XLR allows for use of one connector, as it can mate with either a male or female 3-pin XLR. convertCON also features an improved chuck type strain relief that provides higher pull-out force for faster, easier assembly and disconnects.

Web Browser Playout Control with Pharos Mediator The Mediator 4 Playtime option introduces a web browser user interface. Playout can now be managed from multiple remote locations whilst sharing the central Mediator infrastructure for ingest, browse, transcode, storage and playout.

By flexibly locating playout management away from central infrastructure, Playtime allows operations to be distributed to the most convenient location. This enables flexible staffing to better

manage busy peak periods.

Integral to the reputation of a successful service-provider is the confidence of its clients; the right content must go out at the right time, across all channels and regions. This new option allows international clients to view and if necessary interact with their schedule and playlist.

Distributing playout control has many key benefits. For example, content can be checked locally with knowledge of the schedule, break pattern and playlists. Local channel managers can access exactly the right version using Mediator browse and can approve items such as multi-language voiceovers, subtitles and promotions.

Pharos Mediator 4 Playtime

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Industry News TV coverage of the 41st U.S. Open tennis tournament on CBS featured state-of-the-art special effects and graphics created using Orad’s MVP and Flow Motion production tools. The system’s simple GUI facilitates the fast reaction required for live sports. On-screen players or objects are moved by jogging the video server, creating animation key frames that the system transforms into real-time animation for smooth playback.

continues from page 14 ment on previous graphics applications that only display illustrations frozen on fixed frames.

SD and HD compatible, supporting up to 16 cameras, MVP is use for live productions and highlight shows.

MVP’s Flow Motion feature allows chronoscopic display of selected objects during replay.

That means the viewer sees a shadowed display of the object, enabling a vivid view of its path.

Flow Motion can be used on any type of object - Roger Federer’s feet, the baseball leaving Carlos Zambrano’s glove, or USC running back Stafon Johnson’s progress downfield.

Besides Flow Motion, MVP features include magnifying glass, effectively a super-tight zoom into selected areas of a freeze frame or motion sequence; and tracked telestrator, letting commentators illustrate with freehand drawing how a play progressed over time. MVP also incorporates full design capabilities for 2-D/3-D graphic elements, as well as the ability to import objects from 3-D Max and Maya. Its built-in element library includes animated players and ball-highlight elements, 3-D animated arrows, trajectories, and various magnifiers. Elements also can be customized by individual broadcasters.

During the Giants-Bengals game, CBS Sports’ tech crew worked closely with the analyst in the booth to select which plays should be enhanced with MVP and replayed for viewers. Once the decision was made, a CBS Sports operator played out the appropriate clip to the Orad team, which overlaid animation and rolled it back to air within seconds. MVP features an embedded chromakey so that graphic elements either can be keyed over the playing field or drawn in the

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October 2008

foreground.

Enhanced clips can be produced in only a few seconds, while more elaborate clips can be used coming in and out of commercial breaks, for game breaks, TV time-outs, half-time reports, and analysis shows. Because it is based on patented image analysis technology, MVP flexibly and cost-effectively generates tracking information without any need for camera modifications.

The automatic playout control holds up to 255 live clips that can be recalled and play in real B time by tracking video time code.

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25

Television Broadcasting

&WPMWJOH

Election Coverage: Viewers choose which election to follow, and on which media platform

By Lee Rickwood

As

Canadians prepared to head to the polls for the October 14 election, many viewers could be forgiven if they felt they had as equally difficult a choice with their ballot as they did with their TV remote.

Election coverage on public and private broadcast outlets, specialty channels, Internet websites and online streams provided many voices and perspectives during the election campaign.

Make that the ‘election campaigns’ — broadcasters and news programmers had twice the choice of political content as usual, what with the U.S. Presidential campaign overlapping with the Canadian Federal Election.

Canadians apparently chose the ‘homegrown’ version, at least as far as their viewing habits when major events from both campaigns found themselves scheduled on the same night: we chose to watch the Canadian party lead-

ers’ debate over the Vice-Presidential one, for example, by a 3-1 margin in Toronto, 4-1 in Vancouver and 3.5-1 in Calgary.

Politicians Get Replayed With the overlap of election coverage, in particular that early October Thursday with both debates on-air, political junkies and media watchers faced a real viewing dilemma.

But the smartest among them (or not, depending on your point of view) found the best of both worlds by mixing and matching available media platforms, not just programs.

CPAC, for example, the independent specialty service and Canadian public affairs broadcaster, got around the conflict by carrying the U.S. VicePresidential Debate live on its website, even as the Canadian debate aired on TV. Repeats were aired on TV the following Friday and Saturday.

Access 7, the Saskatchewan-owned co-

operative providing local communications and entertainment services for the community, had a similar arrangement for repeat political programming.

The broadcaster had extended an opportunity to all candidates in its service area (some 33 separate communities) to address the voters by recording election messages and by participating in election discussions. Live broadcasts allowed for phone-in or e-mail questions and comments.

With sponsorship and support from the Regina Chamber of Commerce, the Regina and Region Home Builder’s Association and the Association of Regina Realtors, a comprehensive

(above) CTV’s 2008 Election Team back up Lloyd Robertson. (l to r, back row) Seamus O’Regan, Robert Fife, Mike Duffy, Sandie Rinaldo, Craig Oliver, Lisa LaFlamme, Tom Clark, Beverly Thomson.

COURTESY CTV

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October 2008

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(above) Global National anchor and executive editor with the “People’s Express” election jet.

PHOTOGRAPHER DOMINIC SCHAEFER.

(left) Election Anchor Peter Mansbridge seen during rehearsal on a speciallybuilt set in the Barbara Frum Atrium at CBC headquarters.

PHOTO LEE RICKWOOD

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27

Television Broadcasting agenda of live forums, pre-recorded messages and subsequent repeat airings gave residents more than one kick at the political can.

Coverage a Combination of Firsts APTN kicked off its broadcast season with special editions of Contact, its news and current affairs show, focused entirely on Aboriginal rights issues and the related obligations of governments and industry.

Contact host Cheryl McKenzie anchored a two-hour special program, broadcast live from Akwesasne Mohawk Territory, the ancient Mohawk territories which span the borders of

two Canadian provinces and that of the U.S. Contact took an in-depth look at the issues, noting that a long line of court decisions have recognized that Aboriginal land rights exist, and that government and industry have to consult with Aboriginal peoples about development and other actions dealing with traditional lands.

APTN also aired a special 90-minute election edition of Contact, featuring a debate between Aboriginal candidates for Canada’s major political parties and the First Peoples National Party of Canada.

That show was broadcast live from APTN’s Winnipeg studio on the weekend before the vote.

APTN’s Contact host Cheryl McKenzie is seen during special programming leading up to the election. A live two-hour program originated from the Akwesasne Mohawk Territory.

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The two-hour APTN Contact season premiere utilized a Dome Productions Mobile truck for the remote production. Set up and delivery took about a day and a half, the production crew described. Lighting and sound went in on the Tuesday morning, with the full mobile arriving on site Wednesday for park and power. The call for a crew of 35 was at 9 am that day.

The show was produced live to tape delay in front of the Akwesasne community from 6 pm to 8 pm. The feed went directly to APTN master control in Winnipeg via a satellite up-link truck.

The program then aired on the network from 9 pm -11 pm.

Although Contact is usually broadcast live across Canada, a delay was deemed necessary for this special show, partly due to time zone/scheduling limitations and the unrealistic requirement of keeping the studio audience in place for some five hours, up until 11 pm eastern, producers describe.

The show was streamed live on the website, and the program staff had solicited emails prior to the show, so interaction with the audience was limited to email, not phones, due to the time

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delay used during the show.

Global TV also introduced some firsts in its election coverage.

Anchor and executive editor Kevin Newman, along with reporter Mike Armstrong, rode The People’s Express, the broadcaster’s election news jet, as part of a cross-country dialog with Canadian voters.

Billed as a carbon neutral cross-country tour, Global’s election team visited several local communities coast-to-coast, from Tofino, BC to Yarmouth Nova Scotia.

Conversations that began on the tour continued online, as Global also launched a dedicated, multi-level website to provide the latest election news from across the country 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Exclusive videos and photos from the campaign trail, as well as behind-the-scenes action from daily reporter blogs, information on each of the party leaders, a daily poll on hot-button issues and an online quiz about the history of Canadian politics were all used to engage and inform site visitors.

On Election night, Global combined its

National News teams and local and regional reporters with a panel of noted analysts and pollsters to provide coverage.

Multiple Platforms, Multiple Languages Used CTV made good use of its many broadcast resources for its comprehensive election coverage. Whether it was Bravo’s Arts & Minds program, asking the question Does Art Matter? or science show Daily Planet’s analysis of the party leaders’ body language, to the etalk News Special: Politics and Fame on Star!, new ways to look at election-related decisions were presented in different contexts.

Specialty services MuchMusic and MTV and their on-air veejays took a look at the election goings-on from their unique, youth and music oriented perspective.

But, on Election Day, CTV News and one of the country’s most-watched broadcasters — Lloyd Robertson — took a more traditional view. Robertson anchored the night’s coverage, with Craig Oliver providing in-depth analysis, along with former and current political leaders and representatives.

Online coverage of the election was provided through a special microsite, called election. ctv.ca. Again, news and coverage was supplemented with interactive tools including a Pick Your Party quiz and a Follow the Leader online map, detailing what parts of the country the candidates had visited.

The site also helped CTV deliver the election news to mobile phone users.

Websites are also import for delivering up-

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October 2008

to-the-minute national and regional tallies, along with detailed riding-by-riding vote counts.

CBC, for example, at its canadavotes site, not only live-streamed its mainstream TV and Radio One broadcasts through special direct feeds on the site, but it added its own interactive map, with instant access to up-to-the-minute national and individual riding results.

As well, 308 Riding Talk online chat groups provided users ample opportunity to comment and debate the results as they became known, both in national and local constituencies.

Meanwhile, CBC’s television coverage went HD for the first time this year, providing main net and Newsworld viewers with high definition election coverage and new graphic displays to present visual voting results and trends.

News anchor and program host Peter Mansbridge anchored the coverage, joined by a familiar and credible array of established political observers, analysts and commentators.

But non-traditional election reporters, such as cast members from shows like This Hour has 22 Minutes, The Royal Canadian Air Farce, and Little Mosque on the Prairie, brought their unique and oft-times hilarious perspectives, as well.

With no humourous intentions, but plenty of non-traditional perspective, Rogers OMNI News tackled the needs of multicultural and multilingual election reportage with an hour-long special, entitled Election 2008: Diversity Vote, featuring ethnocultural Canadian perspectives on the country’s political process.

It aired on all OMNI stations, in Ontario, Alberta and B.C. Angie Seth, anchor of OMNI News: South Asian Edition, hosted the ethno-cultural Canadian outlook on the Federal Election, which included reports from Edmonton, Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver - all major centres with diverse populations.

In addition to providing the opportunity for the leaders of the major parties (Dion, Harper and Layton) to comment on diversity, multiculturalism and immigration, OMNI’s Election 2008: Diversity Vote served to engage the so-called “ethnic vote” including academics, experts and members of many diverse communities.

So no matter the language, the medium or the political persuasion, Canadian broadcasters made use of all the tools at hand in providing a uniquely multi-mediated perspective of the country’s political process and election B results.

29

Canadian Achievers

50 Great Years with Many Great People

by Dick Drew

E

arlier this year, the Grammy Awards and I celebrated 50 years. They celebrated with a multi-gazillion dollar entertainment TV extravaganza — and they won three Emmy Awards for doing so!

I was quietly inducted into the C.A.B. Half Century Club.

That’s a great award in its own right, but to misquote former U.S. President Franklin Roosevelt: “June 8, 1958 is a day that will go down in broadcasting infamy.”

That was the day a microphone opened at CJQC, Quebec City and a young; nervous 22 year old spoke the immortal words, “Hello! I’m Dick Drew.”

The Plains of Abraham shook - following the cue of my shaking knees. Water levels in the nearby St Lawrence River rose to dangerous levels because of my own over-flowing kidneys.

It was the realization of several years of mailing audition tapes, and reading rejection letters. I still have the letters and enjoy reading how so many program directors graciously suggested I seek another career.

Looking back on 50 years: [1] It’s been a hoot!

[2] Where did the time go?

The broadcast industry has been very good to me and my family. I hope the feeling is mutual.

Born in Edmonton. Raised in Vancouver. In 1958, I was happily married to my wonderful wife Aline. We lived in Montreal where I was a jewellery salesman at Mappins’s Ltd. But I wanted to break into radio.

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I met Dick Lewis, founder of this magazine at the CAB Convention in Montreal May ‘58. (The first issue of Canadian Broadcaster, all eight pages of it, appeared on January 8th, 1942 - it only took me 50 years to get here!)

But Dick suggested I phone Hal Burnside, Manager of CJQC in Quebec City, saying, “Hal is always looking for people.”

That was the understatement of the century!

CJQC went through announcers faster than a speeding bullet. The station still holds the world record for the briefest broadcast career!

That occurred when a retired army officer was hired: He strode into the studio, I opened his microphone, he announced his name with great flair, introduced a recording by the Four Aces, immediately fainted, then came to and staggered out the door. Never to seen or heard from again.

(Aline says I should write a book about radio characters such as this. I would - except the title “Believe It or Not” is owned by BC broadcast and media owner Jimmy Pattison.)

But CJQC was a great place to learn at because you did everything.

Today it’s called multitasking...

My shift was on air mornings and drive Monday-Saturday, selling advertising between shifts.

Being bilingual, I freelanced for English and French CBC radio and television, and did freelance phone reports to radio stations across Canada, including sports reports for Jim Cox at CKNW, New Westminster.

He helped convinced me that broadcasting truly was the place to be - and an exciting 50 years flew by, all the while I was meeting and working with the most interesting people God ever placed on this planet.

Show me another industry that allows a person of my limited talent to explore all of these exciting aspects, while loving every moment of it: Announcer, Salesman, General Sales Manager, Station Manager, Toronto Rep Shop Manager, owner/operator of Radio Station CKAY, Duncan 1979-2005. From 1985-99, I created, wrote, hosted, produced and syndicated over 3000 episodes of the daily radio feature The Canadian

Achievers heard on an average 150 stations. For several years I also produced the series in French syndication as Les Success Canadiens.

Over the years I wrote, produced and syndicated many features in both official languages; some are still available at www.dickdrew.com. I’ve written three books. Two became best sellers.

I was asked once to describe the broadcast industry in three words. I quickly replied “People, people, people!”

Only in a generous industry like broadcasting in a great country like Canada can a guy like me end up owning a radio station and a production company, eh! And to top it all off, my wife Aline, our kids, Louise, Mitch, Cam and former daughter-inlaw Shelly all worked together at CKAY. A national magazine once called CKAY ‘the Wong Family station.’ Comparing us to a Chinese grocery store which typically has the entire family working hard for its success was a nice compliment.

Of all the areas of this industry that I have stuck my nose into, sales promotion has provided the most satisfaction. I’m proud to call myself a peddler. Nothing happens until something is sold.

There is no greater high than filling out a broadcast order because you know things will happen.

Ideally, people will go to the sponsor’s location because they heard about it on-air. They buy the advertised product and begin a chain reaction that reaches all the way back to the factory or field where the product first began its travels to the market place. WOW! While I was producing syndicated shows, I would get “buzzed”, or high as they say now, thinking about thousands of listeners being touched by the content, and responding to the advertising.

It still does. So, to borrow a line from Dick B Lewis, “Buzz me if you hear anything.”

Now semi-retired, Dick Drew and his wife Aline live in Maple Ridge BC, near their five grandchildren. After 50 years, Dick is still involved in the industry he loves, writing this regular column for Broadcaster Magazine and operating Drew Marketing Ltd.

www.broadcastermagazine.com

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Studio photo is courtesy of WTVR-TV (Raycom Media) in Richmond, VA. ©2008 JVC Professional Products Company.