With producers anxious over CTF instability and the big question mark that is new media, expect extra attention to be paid at this year’s Prime Time sessions, which will be structured much as they have been in the past.

‘We haven’t changed the conference format because it has proved successful in the past,’ says CFTPA president and CEO Guy Mayson. ‘We’ve really just revamped some of the session topics to ensure they are lively.’

The powwow kicks off Feb. 21 with the opening evening reception, at which time Heritage Minister Bev Oda is expected to address the current CTF situation. Friday’s breakfast opener will feature newly installed CRTC chair Konrad von Finckenstein discussing the rapidly changing broadcast world. Both Oda and von Finckenstein recently told dissenting cablecos Shaw Communications and Videotron to resume their monthly payments to the CTF.

Telefilm Canada executive director Wayne Clarkson will begin Thursday’s business by spelling out his organization’s strategic priorities.

The following are more Prime Time events set to tackle the impact of interactivity and new financing models.

Conventional & Specialty TV Broadcasting: Still Viable in an On-Demand World?
Thursday, Feb. 22, 11 a.m.

Canadian broadcasters complained about unregulated competition from webcasters and other new platforms at the Cab convention last November. This panel follows up on that theme, examining the place of ‘appointment’ viewing on specialty and conventional TV in an era of video-on-demand, personal video recorders and instantly downloadable content.

Panelists include: Corus Television president Paul Robertson; Astral Television senior VP of sales and marketing Domenic Vivolo; CanWest MediaWorks senior VP of programming and production Barbara Williams; Alliance Atlantis executive VP of content Norm Bolen; and CBC network programming exec director Kirstine Layfield.

Ira Levy, Breakthrough Films & Television exec producer and CFTPA chair, moderates.

Production Financing: Domestic and International Trends
Thursday, Feb. 22, 3:45 p.m.

Although no session on the agenda is devoted specifically to the struggling CTF, Mayson anticipates that topic will be addressed in this session and, no doubt, over the pastry trays outside the conference rooms.

The scheduled lineup on this panel includes: Stéphane Cardin, CTF VP of strategic policy planning and stakeholder relations; Prospero Pictures’ Marty Katz; Shaftesbury Films’ Scott Garvie; Charlene Paling of the National Bank of Canada’s TV and motion picture group; and CAVCO’s Robert Soucy. Mark Musselman, Serendipity Point Films’ head of business and legal affairs, will moderate the discussion, which will also address international production financing models and challenges.

User Generated Content: Do Producers Really Matter in the Future?
Friday, Feb. 23, 11:30 a.m.

Producers and operators of user-generated websites will examine the Internet’s capacity to build audiences and generate revenues. They will look at how web content has changed and the resulting copyright implications, along with the new business opportunities and challenges the Internet presents.

Panel participants are to include: EyeSteelFilm producer Brett Gaylor; The Nimble Company CEO McLean Mashingaidze-Greaves; Alliance Atlantis senior VP of digital media Claude Galipeau; and New Media Business Alliance president Ian Kelso. Media strategist Alan Sawyer will moderate.

Information on Prime Time’s other panels and scheduling can be found at www.cftpa.ca.