Calgary: In two weeks, the crtc is to announce the winners of new digital specialty tv licences, and for the first time in recent years they will only have one industry association to join. The two current advocacy groups for the tv sector, the Canadian Association of Broadcasters and the Specialty and Premium Television Association, have announced they will merge by year end.

sptv president Jane Logan broke the news here Nov. 12 at the party launching Broadcasting 2000, the cab’s annual convention. The powers that be, trying to be heard above the din of the crowd and the mechanical bull at Cowboys nightspot, say the merger will create one strong voice for Canadian casters.

Logan says because the cab has a specialty and pay board, because so many companies have interests in both broadcasting and specialtycasting, and because virtually all sptv members also belong to cab, the two had to merge.

While Logan is on the committee guiding the merger, she says she has no fixed plans for her future except getting some r&r on the beach, some place hot.

During the convention, the cab elected its 2000/01 board. Daniel Lamarre, president and ceo of Groupe tva, was re-elected as overall cab chair. Senior cast on the television board features: Kevin Shea, president and coo of Global Television Network and eastern operations, re-elected as television chair, and Robin Fillingham, exec vp and cfo of ctv, in for a second term as tv board vice-chair.

The newest board members include: Elaine Ali, vp and gm of cky-tv; Rick Arnish, president of Jim Pattison Broadcast Group; Bryan Ellis, group vp at Corus Entertainment; Gerry Noble, president and ceo of Global Television Network; and Jay Switzer, president, Chum Television.

On the pay/specialty board, Paul Robertson, president, television at Corus, is back for a second run as chair. Serge Bellerose, gm for Le Canal Nouvelles and TVA National Network, is vice-chair.

New members are: Kathleen McNair, vp, regulatory affairs at Corus; James B. Macdonald, senior vp and chief media services officer, BCE Media; Nikki Moffat, vp, finance, specialty operations at ctv; and Glen O’Farrell, senior vp, specialty services at Global. *