Vancouver: The Canadian Association of Broadcasters Gold Ribbon Awards were handed out Nov. 3 at a gala ceremony capping the cab’s 1998 convention, held Nov. 1-3 in Vancouver.

This year, 226 entries were received in 13 categories, up 44% over 1997.

The television winners were:

* CISA-TV Lethbridge won for best television community service project for its ‘innovative and proactive’ Farm Safety Contest & Promotion

* CFTM-TV Montreal topped the multi-market category program for Le Gala Metrostar, described by judges as ‘the best awards show in Canada.’ cisa also won for best entertainment show, Le Retour, cited as ‘a beautiful example of telling Canadian stories to Canadians.’

* BCTV Vancouver won two television promotion awards, for the ‘cleverly written and produced’ ‘Dinner Combo b’ that promoted hockey telecasts and for ‘If It Matters,’ a series of ‘gripping and relevant’ station image spots that substantially boosted ratings.

* MuchMusic picked up two specialty services promotions awards and a programming award for the 1997 MuchMusic Video Awards, cited as ‘a rocking extravaganza.’

* CKY5-TV Winnipeg won in the best news: special/series category for ‘comprehensive and creative’ coverage of Manitoba’s Flood of the Century.

* Global Television (Winnipeg) took the best documentaries & public affairs category for the 90-minute Red River Raging video of the Manitoba flood, which raised $176,000 for the Red Cross .

* CFCN-TV Calgary captured the best news story category with its live, overnight coverage of a fire at the Women’s Emergency Shelter.

Moses Znaimer, executive producer of Toronto’s Citytv and specialty channels MuchMusic, Bravo! and Space: The Imagination Station received the Broadcast Excellence Award and Rick Arnish, president of CFJC-TV, was cited for outstanding community service.