Producers at Prime Time hear cautious words from the chair of the Canadian Television Fund, and mixed money news from last year as the CFTPA conference gets underway in Ottawa

When you first picked up the latest issue of Playback, no doubt you noticed something new.

The moves by Shaw and Videotron to abandon their obligations to the Canadian Television Fund may be motivated by some legitimate beefs with the system, but ultimately show that the dissenting cablers have forgotten what the CTF is all about.

One hopes that by the time you read this – or very soon thereafter – the ACTRA strike will be over. If the dispute between the actors and the CFTPA and APFTQ is not dealt with shortly, insiders feel that it could go on for a long time, and it all comes at a particularly bad time for Canadian production.

The year just passed burst at the seams with significant industry stories. One major broadcaster bought another; much debate surrounded the direction of our national pubcaster; a Canadian feature film smashed box-office records; more production found its way onto new media platforms; the CRTC heard arguments aimed at influencing its TV Policy review; and union conflicts across the country threatened production stability.

The year winds down following plenty of heated talk from broadcasters, cablers and the production community, each pleading its case at the over-the-air TV hearing in Gatineau. The CRTC, meanwhile, is left to mull over a number of decisions of great consequence to the industry in 2007 and for years to come.

You may recall a piece a couple of issues ago in which I addressed the across-the-board low ratings for the CBC’s new fall programs.
Well, the network wasn’t too happy about it.

Vancouver: The opening of the Canadian Association of Broadcasters’ 80th anniversary convention set the stage for the coming CRTC review of over-the-air television, with the conflicting interests of private broadcasters and the production community immediately coming to the fore.

The Gemini Awards’ first foray outside of Toronto proved to be a good move on the part of the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television and the B.C. industry that contributed so much to make it happen. The excitement of finally hosting the nation’s TV awards in a different Canadian production center was palpable on the West Coast – it certainly provided a breath of fresh air when you consider the jaded attitude the mainstream Toronto press has brought to the festivities in recent years.

The numbers are in on CBC’s new fall shows, and, despite some typically high-quality programs, the ratings are disastrous.

It seems that, lately, most talk surrounding the Gemini Awards is dominated by debate over voting systems, the politics behind the scenes, and how the show could be made more effective. And before I jump back into the fray myself, let’s not lose sight of the point of the whole thing – to salute excellent work in Canadian TV.

For many who attend the Toronto International Film Festival, there is a single event or film that seems to crystallize the experience for them or best illustrate where the film biz is at.