Television in Canada is set to get a bit more animated when Cartoon Network and Adult Swim hit the airwaves later this year

Teletoon Canada Inc. and U.S.-based Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. announced on Feb. 2 a partnership to launch a digital network north of the border.

The new channel is set to feature a Cartoon Network block of programming between 6 a.m. and 9 p.m., and an Adult Swim block beginning at 9 p.m.

“We are honored that Cartoon Network has entrusted Teletoon to manage these two great brands in Canada,” Teletoon Canada president Len Cochrane said in a statement.

The deal covers programming and branding, and opens the Canadian market to new Cartoon Network content, as well as material from the Cartoon Network and Adult Swim libraries.

“Cartoon Network and Adult Swim are beloved brands with programs that have a large and loyal global audience,” said Stuart Snyder, president and COO of Turner’s animation, young adults and kids media division. “We are looking forward to extending the reach of both of these brands in the Canadian marketplace with our new partnership with Teletoon.”

The partnership paves the way for Teletoon to launch the channel across a variety of platforms — including standard and high definition TV, video on demand, broadband and mobile — while Télétoon will reach its French-language viewers through online, mobile and video-on-demand content, as well as with a Cartoon Network programming block.

“This marriage between Teletoon and Cartoon Network will grant us the opportunity to offer more cartoons, more stories and more excitement to everyone, everywhere,” Cochrane said.

Today, the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) found that Bell Mobility gave itself a significant competitive advantage by entering into exclusive agreements for the mobile rights to popular National Hockey League (NHL) and National Football League (NFL) content.

“Canadians shouldn’t be forced to subscribe to a wireless service from a specific company to access their favourite content,” said Konrad von Finckenstein, Q.C., Chairman of the CRTC. “Healthy and fair competition between service providers will promote greater choice for Canadians.”

Full press release: crtc.gc.ca/eng/com100/2011/r111212.htm

Grad reflects on winning an Emmy in interactive media

For Emmy-award winning graduate, Adrienne Clapperton, although the fast-paced, ever-changing and forward-thinking digital world of entertainment is a whole new frontier, it is still about storytelling.

“I have always been a storyteller,” says Clapperton, graduate from The School of Communications, Media and Design and now Director of Digital Platforms for GlassBOX TV, which owns and operates BITE TV and AUX TV.

“There is so much opportunity with this platform,” she says. “In the last five years what I have seen on the digital landscape has far exceeded what I thought imaginable five years ago.”

Here’s our Q+A with our Emmy-winning and future-thinking grad.

Q: What has been the biggest highlight of your career so far?

A definite highlight is working for a company who won an Emmy! Personally gratifying has been being a part of this company since the beginning and watching it grow from one channel and a few people to what it is today.

Q: What was it like to win an interactive Emmy?

Exciting! It was really nice to see our hard work acknowledged with such a highly coveted award. It sits in one of our offices in clear view so when needed we are reminded of what we did with far fewer resources and that we were considered on the cutting edge for a television company even then.

Q: What have you learned about yourself in this career path?

I am passionate about what I am doing and I have to learn to give myself a break if a concept fails especially in digital media – the one time the concept or idea takes off could be the ONE time my idea reaches success. We learn valuable lessons from failures, maybe even more than with each win.

Q: What is the most challenging part of your job?

I would have to say the rapidly changing pace of the digital landscape. Technology moves so fast, there is always something new to consider developing as part of our strategy to complete the experience. It is a similar story when it comes to content as well. A media company must be nimble to be successful now.

Q: What are you most proud of, in terms of projects you have developed in your career?

I’m extremely proud of the television stations that I work with. Bite has gone through growing pains and is now positioned for great success. And AUX, is the first Canadian television channel to launch from a website which is a great story too and I played an instrumental role in this. Our television channels are expanding as we have added a travel channel and I look forward with great anticipation, the development and cultivation of the potential of building this new channel’s brand.

Q: Why do you like working at Bite TV and AUX?

It is a great environment, my colleagues are amazing and the partners we have collaborated with too. There is so much opportunity, we are given room to grow and encouraged to learn. Everyone I work with has ideas…great ideas. It is cliché to say but we truly do work together as a team.

Q: What advice would you give to anyone just starting out in this career path?

Take chances and be open to opportunities that may not necessarily seem a perfect fit for your career profile to date. If you have an idea, make sure someone hears it. Your career path may not be straight from point A to B – there maybe many side roads along the way which is okay as long as you keep building new skills, it all adds to you being better at what you do.

Q: How did your time at Centennial help you in your career?

Centennial really prepared me for a career, not just a job. The small class and curriculum that required teamwork is great preparation for the workplace. The internship offered was well thought out and a great fit…in fact a perfect fit as I still work there!

Q: What’s the most important thing people should know about you?

I am passionate. It is important to me that I am passionate about my job and I am surrounded with other passionate people – what a difference in your quality of life this can make.

—View the original

The late Mark Dailey, baritone voice of Citytv and CityNews anchor in Toronto, will receive the 2011 RTNDA Canada Lifetime Achievement Award.

The award will be accepted by Dailey’s wife, Kim, and Citytv news executive Tina Cortese at the RTNDA Central Region Awards Banquet in Waterloo, Ont., on May 7.

“Mark was an exceptional broadcaster and journalist, a real Citytv original,” Cortese said in a March 23 statement. “This posthumous recognition for his admirable body of work is truly an honour and a testament to his impact on the industry.”

Dailey died Dec. 6 from cancer at age 57.

“Mark Dailey was more than ‘The Voice’ of Toronto’s Citytv,” RTNDA Canada said in a statement. “He was the voice of the city itself.

“Over the years he became a local icon delivering the news with dry, witty and offbeat humour.”

Ross Kentner also honoured

Like Dailey, Bayshore Broadcasting Corporation general manager Ross Kentner will also receive the 2011 RTNDA Canada Central Region Lifetime Achievement Award in Waterloo.

“Ross has always made sure his radio stations maintained their connection to community,” RTNDA Canada said. “Under Ross’s direction, Bayshore Broadcasting makes regular appearances at the podium at RTNDA awards. … The one common force has been Ross Kentner.”

(Photo courtesy CNW Group/Rogers Media Inc.)

Toronto, February 2011 – The Centre for Creative Communications, Centennial College, is seeking innovative and forward-thinking proposals from Canadian media, interactive, creative, technology, business and social entrepreneurs for the next wave of children’s media and multi-platform projects to qualify for $50K federal development grants.

The new kidsmediacentre, an industry and creative content think tank at Centennial College, will hold an Information Session to interested developers, on:

• Thursday, Feb 24 at 5:30 p.m., at The Centre for Creative Communications, located at 951 Carlaw Avenue, Toronto, RM 253.

SEATING IS LIMITED. For more information or to register for the information session, please contact:

Debbie Gordon, Director, kidsmediacentre, 416-289-5000 x 8770, dgordon@centennialcollege.ca

Media Contact: Paul Koidis, pkoidis@centennialcollege.ca

FedDev Grants

Centennial College’s Applied Research and Innovation Centre (ARIC) has received ten $50K Federal Development grants, some of which are available to help small and medium enterprises in the kids’ technology industry launch the next big idea in children’s media. The grants are part of a coordinated strategy between the federal government and colleges to accelerate innovation and productivity in southern Ontario asking business partners to collaborate on projects and work “hands-on” with College faculty and students in developing new and innovative technologies and services. Businesses are asked to contribute at least $25K towards a project in cash and/or in-kind.

“Canada has been a leader in the creation and production of internationally successful children’s entertainment properties for many years,” says Nate Horowitz, Dean of The Centre for Creative Communications. “These federal grants represent an important opportunity for entrepreneurs in the kids’ animation, gaming and interactive industries to build competitive products here and on a global scale and we’re committed to helping nurture these businesses.”

Centennial College’s School of Communications, Media and Design is currently the only college in Canada offering a post-grad program in children’s content development and is focused on writing, production and business management in the gaming, interactive, educational, publishing, TV and film industries. A key goal of the kidsmediacentre is to act as an innovation catalyst partnering the talents of the College’s students with children’s industry entrepreneurs.

The kidsmediacentre and Applied Research and Innovation Centre will work with qualified partners to ensure their early- stage businesses have the strategic counsel and creative brand development supports to move their innovation forward.

About the kidsmediacentre

The kidsmediacentre is exploring kids’ media futures by investing in research critical to understanding their 21st century media interactions. Working with Centennial College’s Children’s Entertainment: Writing, Production and Management Program and early childhood development specialists, the kidsmediacentre’s goal is to provide a range of R&D support to cross-platform, media and entertainment content providers to ensure the kids’ media industry in Canada is vibrant, indigenous and committed to the healthy growth of children.

Read the original press release here.

Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg is Time magazine’s 2010 Person of the Year.

Zuckerberg, 26, was chosen “for connecting more than half a billion people, … for creating a new system of exchanging information and for changing how we all live our lives,” the magazine said.

“Being named as Time Person of the Year is a real honour and recognition of how our little team is building something that hundreds of millions of people want to use to make the world more open and connected,” Zuckerberg wrote on his Facebook wall.

Facebook passed 500 million active users in July, six years after Zuckerberg, Dustin Moskovitz, Chris Hughes and Eduardo Saverin launched the social networking site from their dorm at Harvard University in February 2004.

The Social Network, the critically acclaimed drama about the birth of Facebook, has grossed nearly US$190 million worldwide since hitting theatres Oct. 1, according to Box Office Mojo.

Zuckerberg is among the youngest members in the Time Person of the Year club. Queen Elizabeth II, like Zuckerberg, was 26 years old when she was chosen in 1952. Aviator Charles Lindbergh was 25 when he became Time’s first Person of the Year in 1927.

(Photo courtesy Facebook.com)

Mark Dailey, the baritone voice of Citytv and CityNews anchor, died yesterday from cancer at Sunnybrook hospital in Toronto. He was 57.

Dailey joined Citytv in 1979 as an assignment editor and producer before becoming the station’s crime specialist and going on to anchor the news.

“Mark was quite literally the voice of Citytv and CityNews,” executive producer and VP of news Tina Cortese said yesterday. “He was smart, funny and a brilliant broadcaster. He touched so many lives.

“It’s a very difficult day for Citytv and a sad day for Torontonians.”

Dailey received several accolades for his reporting, including a national Radio and Television News Directors Association (RTNDA) award and multiple awards from the Toronto police and fire departments for Best Media Coverage of the Year.

“Mark Dailey was a senior member of the news team here at Citytv for 31 years,” CityNews anchor Gord Martineau said yesterday. “During that time, he taught us all the meaning of professionalism and how to develop a love of the task at hand.

“In addition to that, his sense of comedic timing was always offered at just the right time to take the stress away from the job. He was a true original.”

Dailey worked with several charities, including the Sick Children’s Hospital Therapeutic Clown Program, Big Brothers/Big Sisters and the Salvation Army, among others. For his active leadership in community service, he received a Letter of Appreciation from the Governor General. The City of Toronto honoured him with the Civic Award of Merit and he was named Consumers Choice, Man of the Year in 2009.

In September, Dailey revealed he was fighting his second bout with cancer. He had been diagnosed with kidney cancer, he said.

Dailey successfully battled prostate cancer six years ago, which he documented in an award-winning CityNews series. He was also the spokesperson for Prostate Cancer Canada.

“Mark was an outstanding news journalist,” said Jamie Haggarty, executive VP of television operations for Rogers Media Television. “He has left an imprint on our station and community forever and will be deeply missed.”

Dailey is survived by his wife, Kim, and his daughter, Nicole.

(Photo courtesy CNW Group/Rogers Media Inc.)

Quebecor Media has won the regulatory go-ahead to start broadcasting what some have already labelled “Fox News North”.

The CRTC today granted Quebecor subsidiaries TVA Group Inc. and Sun Media Corporation a licence for Sun TV News, a national English-language news channel.

“Today marks the dawn of a new era for Canadian news media,” Quebecor president and CEO Pierre Karl Péladeau said. “(Sun News) will aim to challenge conventional wisdom and offer Canadians a new choice and a new voice on TV.”

Sun TV News has been stuck with the Fox News North nickname because of its expected conservative bent.

The CRTC licence, for a Category 2 digital specialty channel, is good for five years.

Montreal’s Mediabiz International and India’s Toonz have partnered to open a new animation and live-action production unit in Canada with plans to invest in projects worth $200 million US in the next three years.

The decision to establish Toonz Entertainment Global, Canada stems from growing co-operation between North American and Asian production houses, Toonz Group CEO P. Jayakumar said today in a press release.

“The partnership with an established house like Mediabiz makes Toonz one step nearer to being an established global player,” Jayakumar said.

Founded in 1999, Toonz specializes in the production, sales and distribution of animated films, television series and direct-to-video content.

“The association with Toonz aims to offer a combination of top production expertise on all platforms, as well as potential high-capital investments to participate in the co-financing and co-production of world-class brands,” said Karine Martin, president and CEO of Mediabiz.

Projects already in the pipeline include season two of the Speed Racer TV series and HTDT, another TV series, each budgeted at more than $6 million US, Toonz said.

“Mediabiz is committed to partnering in a slate of projects with world-renowned production and distribution partners,” Martin said.

It’s official: Oprah’s OWN channel will flash to life on Canadian TV screens two months after it does on American ones.

“There’s a great deal of excitement about the upcoming March 1 launch of the Oprah Winfrey Network in Canada,” Susan Schaefer, Corus Entertainment’s head of networks and marketing, said in a press release.

OWN will replace Discovery Health Channel in the U.S. when it debuts there on Jan. 1. Here at home, the network will replace VIVA, which is currently in more than six million homes, according to Corus.

Schaefer said 50 per cent of women are already aware of OWN even though the network’s Canadian and U.S. launch dates are still months away.

“Oprah has an extensive, engaged community of Canadian women who really trust and are loyal to her brand,” she said. “We’re in a great position to build this into one of Canada’s premier brands — one that will truly resonate with audiences and be a great complement to our other women’s services.”

To help give OWN a boost ahead of its Canadian launch, Corus channels W Network and VIVA are set to air some of the new network’s programming in January and February.

The announcement was made at Corus Entertainment’s new headquarters at Corus Quay in Toronto on Nov. 9.