This year’s Canadian Association of Broadcasters convention is titled Broadcasting, Redefined, reflecting a conference theme dating back to 2000, when media expert Ken Goldstein and former CAB president Michael McCabe unveiled the association’s Future Plan, and warned of the impact of unregulated media on Canada’s broadcasting environment.

This year’s conference, running Nov. 4-6 in Ottawa, will continue the debate of the effect of new technologies and platforms, new business models and partnerships, and new regulatory policies on Canadian broadcasters.

Despite the recent major media takeovers, the issue of consolidation won’t top the agenda, the industry having debated the matter extensively at the recent CRTC Diversity of Voices hearing. Instead, the ‘redefining’ falls into four main categories: public policy, copyright, regulation and new media.

Along with keynote addresses, there are more than 18 information sessions over two days, along with the annual Gold Ribbon Awards ceremony the night of Nov. 5, and a special luncheon the following day celebrating the induction of nine new members into the CAB Broadcast Hall of Fame, including outgoing Alliance Atlantis Communications CEO Phyllis Yaffe.

Below are five of the most compelling sessions at this year’s event, some of which overlap:

TV.2011
Monday, Nov. 5
10:45 a.m. to 11:45 a.m.

Torstar managing director of corporate development Lorenzo DeMarchi moderates a debate of the short- and long-term implications of the 2007 TV Policy and what it means for the future of local broadcasting, Canadian content, HDTV, broadcasters’ relationship with the distributors, and Canadian audiences.

Panelists include: Jim Pattison Broadcast Group president Rick Arnish, CanWest MediaWorks VP of TV and radio regulatory affairs (and CAB chair) Charlotte Bell, CTVglobemedia SVP of regulatory affairs David Goldstein, TQS president and CEO René Guimond, and Rogers Broadcasting president and CEO Rael Merson.

Content and Carriage: The New Balancing Act
Monday, Nov. 5
10:45 a.m. to 11:45 a.m.

Canadian distributors are asking for fewer carriage rules as they compete with non-regulated distributors, including Internet rebroadcasters such as JumpTV. But if Canadian broadcasters cannot be guaranteed wide carriage rights, they say they may no longer be able to afford their mandated Canadian-content levels.

This panel will consider whether content and carriage can be rebalanced in an open distribution environment, and if market forces can adequately fulfill the objectives of the Broadcasting Act.

Moderated by Stikeman Elliott managing partner Greg Kane, the panel features: Corus Entertainment VP of government relations Sylvie Courtemanche, communications lawyer Peter Miller, Ontario Media Development Corporation chair Kevin Shea, Telus assistant VP of broadband policy Jay Thomson, and Canadian Cable Systems Alliance president and CEO Alyson Townsend.

Minister’s address at Gold Ribbon Awards breakfast
Tuesday, Nov. 6
7:30 a.m. to 9 a.m.

Canadian Heritage Minister Josée Verner will publicly address the broadcast industry for the first time since her appointment in August. The big question, though, is will she say much, as her boss, Prime Minister Stephen Harper, is reputed to muzzle many of his ministers. Also, will Harper’s minority government, which showed little interest in the culture, arts and broadcasting fields under previous heritage minister Bev Oda, be able to cull together a coherent agenda for change.

There are big issues ahead, such as proposed changes to the Canadian Television Fund, and the replacement of six of seven CRTC commissioners over the next eight months. Who gets chosen could have a significant impact on federal broadcast and telecom policy at this critical time.

New Media, New Programming Strategies
Tuesday, Nov. 6
10:45 a.m. to 11:45 a.m.

New media, through its open platforms, user-generated content and niche content communities, is affecting the way broadcasters finance their programming. Broadcasters are complaining that they spent $1.8 billion on Canadian content last year and covered 22% of total TV production budgets, while independent producers covered just 2% but got an equal share of the downstream profits.

QuickPlay Media cofounder Raja Khanna moderates this panel, consisting of Armstrong Consulting president Stephen Armstrong, outgoing AAC EVP of content Norm Bolen, Stitch Media creative director and producer Evan Jones, and Stage 3 Media CEO Damian Kindler.

The Ratings Revolution: A Survival Guide
Tuesday, Nov. 6
10:45 a.m. to 11:45 a.m.

With both CanWest Global and CTV regularly claiming to win in this or that demo – only to be rebutted shortly afterwards by the other – this session should prove interesting. Panelists will debate how audience ratings retain their value at a time of unprecedented change in the audience tracking game. What is the value of a TV audience versus an online one? The session will also look at the rollout of personal people meters and other developments in audience calculation.

Association of Canadian Advertisers VP of policy and research Bob Reaume moderates this panel consisting of: Radio Marketing Bureau president Gary Belgrave, TNS Media Research SVP of sales and affiliate relations Bud Breheney, APTN director of marketing Sky Bridges, CanWest MediaWorks VP of local sales Brad Kubota, BBM Nielsen Media Research CEO Jim MacLeod and Television Bureau of Canada president and CEO Theresa Treutler.
The convention’s complete schedule is available at www.cab-acr.ca.