McKenna fills in for Asper

Former New Brunswick premier Frank McKenna has taken over as interim chair of CanWest Global Communications, following the death earlier this month of CWG founder Izzy Asper. McKenna has been a CWG director since 1999 and was a ‘key participant in all the decisions’ that led to the company’s recent growth spurt, according to president and CEO Leonard Asper.

ACTRA salutes Nielsen

Leslie Nielsen will receive the ACTRA Award of Excellence on Oct. 23 during a special reception in Los Angeles.

‘We are delighted to have this opportunity to recognize Mr. Nielsen for both his illustrious career and his distinguished role as an ambassador for Canadian performers,’ says Thor Bishopric, ACTRA’s national president.

Nielsen’s career spans 50 years of dramatic and comedic roles in more than 80 films and 1,500 TV shows. The Regina, SK native has remained true to his Canadian roots, starring in TV series such as Liocracy, as well as the 2002 film Men with Brooms.

He is perhaps best known as Frank Drebin in the Naked Gun films.

Callback of the loon

The polar bear, the sea turtle, the monarch butterfly and the loon got back on TV this month with the relaunch of Hinterland Who’s Who, a series of wildlife PSAs from the Canadian Wildlife Federation. The new 30-second spots, now freely available to broadcasters, feature an updated version of the flute music used in the original series but not the same sleepy and much-parodied voiceovers.

The original series ran through the 1960s, ’70s and ’80s and remain ‘an icon of Canadian culture,’ according to David Anderson, the minister of the environment.

TFC French-track deadline

The TV business unit of Telefilm Canada’s Quebec office has announced the second application period for development financing for French-language projects will run from Nov. 3-28.

Decisions will be announced during the week of Dec. 22.

Telefilm says successful applicants will receive non-interest-bearing advances representing up to 60% of the lesser of the approved budget and final cost per activity, or an amount in line with various caps established for one-off projects, miniseries and series in the documentary and drama genres.

The maximum amount to be allocated per project, all activities combined, is $100,000, except for big-budget series development (more than seven episodes), where the cap is raised to $200,000 in all genres.

Complete development financing guidelines are posted on the Canadian Television Fund website: www.canadiantelevisionfund.ca.

O’Farrell keynote in Quebec

Glenn O’Farrell, president and CEO of the Canadian Association of Broadcasters, is the keynote speaker at the Quebec City Chamber of Commerce’s breakfast series. The presentation takes place Friday, Nov. 7 at Hotel Palace Royal.

O’Farrell will discuss private broadcasters’ successes and the challenges facing the sector, including signal theft, television program financing, copyright and market fragmentation.

The CAB 2003 Annual Convention – Private Broadcasting: The Voice of the Nation, the Choice of the Nation – takes place Nov. 9-11 at the Quebec City Convention Centre.