Two men are in hospital after a TVA News helicopter crashed Wednesday morning in Montreal, narrowly missing a highway crowded with rush hour traffic. The chopper came down near the Bonaventure Expressway shortly before 8 a.m., some 600 metres short of a helipad located at Mel’s Cité du Cinema, according to reports. The pilot, Antoine Leger, escaped the wreckage while TVA journalist Rejean Leveille remained trapped until freed by emergency crews. Both were taken to hospital. The cause of the crash remains unknown. Mel’s co-owner Michel Trudel, told National Post that the helicopter had occasionally used studio’s helipad in the past, and added that the pilot may have been trying to reach the landing site.

It is the second news chopper to crash in Quebec this year, following a fatal accident in August which claimed the lives of CTV cameraman Hugh Haugland and his pilot.

• The Raccoons have resurfaced on iTunes, following a deal between Skywriter Media and Entertainment Group and E1 Entertainment. Season one of the animated series — seen on CBC in the 1980s — went up on the online retailer earlier this week. Individual episodes go for $1.99. Additional seasons are said to be coming in 2010. The Raccoons aired in early prime on the Ceeb from 1985 to 1992 and was preceded by three specials, starting with 1980’s Christmas Raccoons. It is distributed by Skywriter and currently airs on Teletoon Retro and Boomerang U.K. among others.

• Paul Gross is reportedly giving away the $25,000 he got earlier this year upon winning his Governor General’s Performing Arts Award. The prize money will go to the Remix Project, a youth arts group in Toronto, according to the CBC.

• Former CHUM exec Paul Gratton is the new chairman of the First Weekend Club, replacing Robin Smith of Kinosmith. The non-profit group works to promote new Canadian films.

• CBC and National Post are teaming up on Winter Olympics coverage, and will soon launch a website featuring Games-related content from both media outlets — building on their agreement to share news and sports coverage.

• E1 has closed a series of deals for Finn on the Fly, selling the family film by Amaze Film + Television to Disney Channels in territories including the U.S., the U.K., Portugal and Japan.