Richard Stursberg’s move from executive director at Telefilm to executive VP of English Television at CBC has created a welcome buzz in the Canadian film and TV industry this summer.

But while the approval/disapproval ratings of Stursberg’s appointment continue to roll in, a potentially more compelling dialogue has also been set into motion. That is, speculation on who will step up to replace Stursberg.

We won’t bother giving odds on each pick since similar lists handicapping the next executive VP at CBC failed to even note Stursberg as a potential candidate. But, here’s a list we’ve compiled so far: filmmaker Norman Jewison; producers Robert Lantos, Lazlo Barna, Ira Levy, Jim Byrd and Julia Keatley; CTF president and CEO Sandra Macdonald; former minister of Canadian heritage Sheila Copps; former CFTPA prez and CEO Elizabeth McDonald; present CFTPA prez and CEO Guy Mayson; National Film Board chair and government film commissioner Jacques Bensimon; NFB French Program director-general Andre Picard; former Ontario Media Development Corporation president Adam Ostry; National Arts Centre president and CEO Peter Herrndorf.

That done, let me float one more name and argue why he is the natural choice to succeed Stursberg as Telefilm’s topper: Slawko Klymkiw, CBC’s executive director of network programming.

First off, it is widely acknowledged that Klymkiw is more than a little disappointed at being passed over for the job to which Stursberg was appointed. It’s safe to say, he’s currently weighing his options.

Now, I’ll admit that there are those of us at Playback who relish the prospect of Klymkiw taking over Stursberg’s job – even as Stursberg takes the position Klymkiw has long coveted – because it has the makings of one of the best stories of the year. It would be the industry equivalent of Sundin for Sakic – two bona fide franchise players in a one-for-one swap.

But I also maintain that Klymkiw’s selection is logical.

In terms of credentials, Klymkiw, in his years as one of Canada’s top network programmers, has come to know Canadian producers and the issues they face probably as well as anyone in the business. He also knows a thing or two about reliance on government largesse and the ins and outs of manipulating the levers to assure continued funding. This should be a prerequisite for anyone heading up Telefilm, which draws $200 million annually from Canadian Heritage and parliamentary appropriations.

Moreover, many would argue Telefilm’s best years in terms of broadcast funding were between 1988 and 1994, when another former CBC executive, Pierre DesRoches, occupied Telefilm’s executive director’s office. So there is certainly a precedent. Stursberg has set the wheels in motion to move the film industry to five percent of the domestic box office, and under his watch, French-Canadian cinema has enjoyed stellar times. It follows then that a strong champion of TV production, particularly in the face of the declining fortunes of English-language drama, could complement these successes.

Finally, it should be noted that the newly appointed minister of Canadian heritage, Liza Frulla, is herself a former broadcast executive and CBCer, having hosted her own popular Radio-Canada TV show. Telefilm’s next executive director is her pick. And, as everyone knows, those CBCers like to travel in packs.