Top 20 TV Programs tracks ratings for the top 20 television shows in Canada for the period Oct. 9-15, 2006.

With a major CRTC review on their doorstep and new technologies still on the rise, 2006 is going out as a watershed year for Canada’s private broadcasters, and will see both developments front and center at the Canadian Association of Broadcasters convention in Vancouver, Nov. 5-7.

Veteran broadcaster Lister Sinclair died in Toronto on Oct. 16, leaving behind an unparalleled legacy of radio and TV work at CBC. He was 85.

Emmy-winning director and broadcaster Daryl Duke died in Vancouver on Oct. 21 at age 77, following a struggle with pulmonary fibrosis.

Montreal: Guy A. Lepage and his producers at Montreal’s Avanti Ciné Vidéo have reached an out-of-court deal with JWTwo Entertainment in their dispute over Love Bites, the U.S. adaptation of Avanti’s hit sitcom Un gars, une fille.

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

The issue of carriage fees for over-the-air networks will be a tricky one for the CRTC. In a recent online Playback poll asking readers ‘Should conventional broadcasters be allowed to charge carriage fees to cable companies?’, 53% of respondents voted No and 47% voted Yes.

The annual operating budget of the Toronto International Film Festival is $17 million, and it employs 104 full-time staff. Piers Handling’s correct title in the organization is TIFF Group director and CEO. Incorrect information appeared in the Oct. 16 issue.

It’s no exaggeration that most would-be producers in this country were left out in the cold prior to the emergence of the Canadian Television Fund in 1996.

The post of president of the Canadian Television Fund isn’t easy at the best of times. It’s a never-ending challenge to balance the interests of broadcasters, producers, and the various production centers when overseeing the distribution of crucial TV cash.