- Sean Ross on extreme power play rotations
- Nova Scotia radio station traps listeners with lobster bait
- Appointments & Changes
- Copyright bill lost in Ottawa’s morass
- Distributors falling like flies
- Canadians like their knock-offs, study finds
- More jobs shed by US media outlets
- Metalworks offers new show production program
- Forrester predicts 41% increase in downloads over five years
As always, Sean Ross provides some credible insight into radio programming. In his most recent posting, the Edison Media Research columnist writes an informative piece on how extreme song power plays stress audience allegiance. You can read his article No Longer Spinning Out Of Control by linking to Edison’s website.
Lawdy Miss Clawdy: South Shore, NS Radio station CKBW in Liverpool is doing what it can to help lobster fishermen concerned over low market prices this season. As part of a pre-Christmas promotion, CKBW has replaced Santa Claus in some of the seasonal songs with “lobster claws.” There’s also a weekly contest offering listeners the chance to get their claws on 20 pounds of the pink crustaceans.
Kudos to CTVgm CEO Ivan Fecan for the classy act in taking out a full page ad in the Globe & Mail to commemorate Ted Rogers the day follow the communications’ titan’s passing.
APPOINTMENTS & CHANGES
Pierre Karl Peladeau, President and CEO of Quebecor Inc., has announced the appointment of Isabelle Dessureault to the position of Vice President, Public Affairs, Quebecor Media Inc. Dessureault will be responsible for internal and external communications, institutional and regulatory affairs, and Quebecor Media’s brand image. She will also act as spokesperson for the media firm.
Carolyn Richardson has been appointed as the new FACTOR GM, reporting to CEO/president Heather Ostertag.
Former Corus Account exec Ann Hickey Wright is suing the company for wrongful dismissal, the Vancouver Sun reports. Wright claims that she was assured that her base income would remain above $160,000 and that she would be paid at least $191,000 through Nov. 30, 08 but changes to her pay structure would have reduced her income to $116,000.
Stewart Meyers, OM of Astral Media/Calgary and PD of CJAY, is off to Edmonton to replace the retiring Marty Forbes as GM of the company’s cluster there.
In Calgary, Chad Martin, PD/morning host on top 40 CIBK (Vibe 98-5), replaces Meyer as OM. The shift has created a vacancy on the station’s morning show.
Jessica Gray has left Grande Praire Free FM to join CHED in Edmonton
Also leaving Grande Prairie is Stephanie Brennan who joins the CITY-TV team in Edmonton
Recent Atlantic Media Institute graduate Amy Arts lands her first media job with the Free FM News Team on Jan. 12th.
Former Rawlco Radio VP Ted Farr has announced his latest venture-the formation of media consultancy firm Ted Farr Media. With 30 years of professional News/Talk experience behind him, Farr’s managerial experience has been employed by Rogers, Rawlco, Corus, WIC and Moffat.
The Chatham Daily News reports Five Amigos Broadcasting (FAB) Inc. — which includes CKSY 94.3 FM morning show host Greg Hetherington, former radio sportscaster Gary Patterson and three AltaGas executives, Greg Aarssen, Max Fantuz and Mike Kilby — have an application before the CRTC to obtain a broadcasting licence to operate a commercial radio station that would serve the Wallaceburg, Dresden,
Mitchell’s Bay, North Kent and South Lambton areas in Ontario.
TRADE
The constitutional crisis in Ottawa more or less guarantees the on-again, off-again copyright bill is heading for the crapper. With Harper staring down a confidence vote, and the country teetering on the verge of another election, the Conservatives have a hit parade of priorities that greatly diminish the chances of proposed legistlation making the order docket anytime soon. Should the coalition grab power, copyright doesn’t have a prayer of surfacing on the fractious trinity’s agenda.
It’s not been a good week for distributors. We’ve already reported that Pinnacle in the UK has now gone into administration.leaving hundreds of indie labels in the lurch. Now we hear German-based Neuton has suspended services. The company handled a large number of indie dance labels. Here in Canada there is also a lot of scuffling going on as a growing number of multi-album catalogue artists find it near to impossible to find a distributor. More worrisome, a growing number of labels with distribution are voicing increasing frustration over flattening sales. One catalogue rich former distributor that recently folded its business into a market leader has been shedding staff at a furious rate to compensate for the firm’s nose-diving sales.
Two-thirds of Canadians believe it’s unacceptable to buy counterfeit goods given the state of the current economy, according to an Environics Research study. The firm surveyed Canadian attitudes toward knock-off merchandise and found 63% of people polled want tougher regulation on black-market industries if organized crime is involved. However, more than 25% of respondents admitted to purchasing knock-off, 19% admitted to knowingly having done so and 9% said they discovered so after the fact. The most common knock-offs purchased in the study were clothing, sunglasses, handbags, movies, watches and music. The survey, conducted via telephone last month, sampled 2,014 Canadians ages 18 and over. The Canadian Intellectual Property Council paid for the survey.
Metalworks Institute has launched a Show Production and Event Management Program. This diploma program provides students an with opportunity to learn the fundamental skills and perspectives required to plan, manage and produce shows for a broad range of live entertainment industry applications. Metalworks Institute of Sound & Music Production (MWI) is an independent institution dedicated to providing education in the areas of audio recording, live production and the business of entertainment. MWI is an off-shoot of Triumph drummer Gil Moore’s Missisauga, ON-based MetalWorks Studio.
The Tennessean has eliminated 92 jobs over the last few days, as part of more than 1,400 job cuts taking place nationwide through Tennessean owner Gannett Co.; Viacom is letting 700 workers, or 7% of its workforce, go; NBC Universal said it plans to cut 500 workers, or 3% of its staff; and ABC is expected to eliminate positions. CBS and Time Warner Inc. have been laying off staff for months, with Time Warner laying off about 1,000 workers this year, 600 of which were from its magazine properties. Also letting staffers go is News Corp., and Sirius XM Satellite Radio, following its merger.
Parody songsmith Greg “Eggman” Moore has another holiday-themed offering. This time he’s pitching “I’m A Believer,” a cover of Smash Mouth’ss version of the tune, with a ho-ho-ho twist. For a free mp3, Email Eggman961@aol.com.
Harvard Law School professor Charles Nesson, who leads the defense team representing alleged file-sharer Joel Tenenbaum, isn’t just taking on the record industry in court. He’s also tapping into Web 2.0 with the new Facebook group “Joel Fights Back Against RIAA.” Tenenbaum allegedly shared seven songs on Kazaa in 04, when he was a teenager. Similar to around 30,000 other people targeted by record companies, he faces the prospect of being ordered to pay as much as $150,000 per track — which in his case could amount to more than $1 million — if found liable after trial. Many who have been accused of piracy by the RIAA have chosen to settle, paying anywhere between $3,000-$5,000 to avoid the possibility of losing at trial. Others, such as Tenenbaum, are fighting the charges.
Digital music sales account for 18% of the U.S. music market and that figure will grow to 41% in five years, Forrester Research said in a report released on Monday. The study, titled U.S. Music Forecast, 2008 to 2013, also forecast that 55% of U.S. online consumers will pay to download digital music in 2013.
