Over 2,000 participants from all aspects of broadcast and the television production industries are converging on the Metro Toronto Convention Centre Oct. 19-21 for the Canadian Association of Broadcasters’ largest convention ever, Broadcasting ’97.

Once again this year’s event offers convention-goers the opportunity to attend three concurrent conventions: cab, Radio and Television News Directors Association and Central Canada Broadcast Engineers – along with the National Broadcasting and Media Expo.

The digital future of the television industry will be a hot topic this year, and with the 1998 digital rollout theoretically approaching for Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver, Michel Tremblay, executive vp of the cab, says some ‘serious announcements’ should be forthcoming at the Toronto confab.

A record 200 participants, including Avid Technology, JVC Canada, Quantel and Omnitronix will be taking part in Media Expo, a trade show profiling the latest in broadcast equipment and services.

A large display area will be devoted to more than half a dozen consumer digital audio broadcasting receivers from Panasonic, Kenwood, Pioneer and a number of European manufacturers, all of which are premiering their consumer models in North America for the first time.

According to Tremblay, an immediate issue facing television is the renewal of the Canadian Television Cable Production Fund. ‘It is fundamental that this highly productive instrument which allows us to put together the necessary budget and create competitive Canadian programming is renewed,’ says Tremblay. ‘Beyond that, industry leaders must look at how they shape the television industry in Canada and how they can afford to do more.

‘Even if the funds involved are huge there is more involved, which is why we are strongly advocating to allow further consolidation within the television industry to create entities that have the necessary financial backbone to create that programming.’

‘Every Minute Counts’

Revolving around the theme ‘Every Minute Counts!’ this year’s convention features a full slate of high-powered speakers and panel leaders.

The opening Sunday morning sessions focus on issues affecting specialty services, cable and digital rollout in the marketplace.

Among the panelists for the ‘Will Digital Ever Happen?’ session are Jerry Bennington, senior vp Internet technology, CableLabs, and Wayne Rabey, director of Canadian operations, Next Level Systems (formerly General Instruments).

The ‘Beyond Cable: New Ways to Reach Canadian Viewers’ panel includes Michael Neuman, president and ceo of ExpressVu; Boyd Craig, vp, SkyCable, Suzanne Scheuneman, vp corporate, WIC Connexus; and from Bell Canada business development, Glenn Ward and Terry Jarman.

Sunday afternoon, William C. Taylor, cofounder of one of America’s newest business magazines, Fast Company, will reveal some innovative strategies and tools used by those companies leading the global business revolution.

An event not to be missed, according to Tremblay, is the Tuesday afternoon ‘Countdown to Convergence’ ceo panel moderated by Pamela Wallin. Panelists Tony Viner, president of Rogers Broadcasting; Phyllis Yaffe president of Showcase and History Television; John Lacey, wic president; Daniel Lamarre from Tele-Metropole; Louis Audet, president of Cogeco; and Gerry Pond of NB Tel will discuss the present and future of the communications and entertainment business.

Diane Francis, editor of The Financial Post, is first up on Monday as moderator of the political panel ‘Making Canada Work,’ where public opinion leaders such as Reform Party advisor Rich Anderson, Marcel Beaudry of the ncc, Jean Lapierre from ckac Montreal, ctv Ottawa bureau chief Craig Oliver, and Michael Robinson of Earnscliffe will look at Canada’s unity dilemma and the role the country’s broadcasters can play.

The morning continues with Dr. Peter Sealey, professor of marketing at the Haas School of Business, University of California at Berkeley, senior consultant to several large technology firms including Sony, and creator of the Coca-Cola Polar Bears, discussing ‘The Power of Branding in a Digital World.’

On Tuesday, Francoise Bertrand, chairperson of the crtc, is the keynote breakfast speaker, followed by cnn’s principal Washington anchor Bernard Shaw, who will discuss how technology can be used for the betterment of mankind and other issues facing broadcasters today.

Heritage Minister Sheila Copps will be on hand for Tuesday’s ‘Celebrating Our Stars’ luncheon, featuring such Canadian entertainers as singer Holly Cole and the presentation of industry scholarships.

Gold Ribbon Awards

Capping off the three days of festivities are the Gold Ribbon Awards.

Canada’s Anne Murray headlines the entertainment lineup, which also includes country singer Charlie Major. Following her performance, Murray will be inducted into the Broadcast Hall of Fame in a new category honoring Canadian music stars who have made an outstanding contribution to Canadian culture.

This year, 166 television and radio entries were received from across Canada, and for the second year running bctv Vancouver is the leading tv contender with six entries among the 47 finalists, followed by cftm-tv Montreal with five.

Finalists in the television news category include ckvu-tv Vancouver for ‘School Colors,’ cftm for ‘TVA 18h,’ and bctv for ‘Blizzard 96.’

In the entertainment category, cftm is nominated for three shows, Le Pouvoir d’un reve, Cha Ba Da – Roch Voisine and Le Retour, while atv Halifax is up for Symphony Explosion.

Nominees in the information category are ckco-tv Kitchener for Get Out Alive, ONtv Hamilton for Forgotten Faces and bctv for Safe at Home: How to Lock Out Crime.

In the new multimarket programming category, nominees include ciii-tv Don Mills for Traders and the CTV Television Network for Due South.

In the community service category, nominees include ckvu for the ‘U.TV Children’s Miracle Telethon,’ bctv Vancouver for ‘Follow a Leader,’ ckco-tv Kitchener for ‘Food Bank,’ and civt-tv Calgary for the ‘Pan Canadian Students Choice Awards.’

In the promotion (tv) category bctv is in the running for two awards for ‘BCTV’s Oscar Party’ and ‘Hit the Road’ and rdtv Red Deer has a shot at one for ‘Artistic Licence Station Image.’ In promotion (news and information programming), Citytv Toronto is nominated for ‘CityPulse Multicultural Spot,’ bctv for ‘News – Campaign’ and cftm for ‘Information tva, 18 Heurs.’