Spending on Canadian news and information programming was up about 36% between 1998 and 2002, while spending on drama and comedy programming among the English- and French-language private and public broadcasters was up only 11%, according to the fourth annual Broadcasting Policy Monitoring Report from the CRTC.
The 134-page report, designed to measure the effectiveness of CRTC broadcast policy, shows that drama and comedy spending by private English-language television networks dropped 20% between 1998 and 2002 to $58.6 million.

A reduction in the number of active productions underway at Montreal’s CineGroupe means a reduction in the workforce, affecting both contract employees and full-time staff employees.

Telefilm Canada has reorganized its management by language to reflect the fact that in Canada, French-language film and television is far more successful than English.

FilmOntario goes to L.A.

Vancouver: The seven bidders vying to transform B.C.’s Knowledge Network into a self-sustaining public-private partnership will know later this month if they’ve made the short list.

On Dec. 22, the Canadian Television Fund released its new guidelines, offering producers a detailed treatment of the new ways in which the CTF will help fund domestic television production, and how it will dole out over $200 million in 2004/05.

M. Michelle Nadon is managing director, MediaIntelligence and director of the media and entertainment practice at Toronto-based IQ Partners. Nadon specializes in helping the industry streamline its HR strategies and processes and provides strategic solutions for talent sourcing, development and retention.

As you read this, a new year has dawned, as has a new reality in the world of Canadian production. Or, so says Alliance Atlantis Communications. The day after we went to press – a month ago, now (one of the pitfalls of our publishing schedule during the holiday season) – AAC announced that it was eliminating up to 70 jobs due to a ‘permanent downturn’ in worldwide demand for drama.

‘I want to be directed like an actor when I’m lensing,’ says Montreal-based director of photography Andre Turpin, prior to one of the final days of shooting on the comedy feature Childstar in Toronto.

CBC has high hopes for Poko, its new flagship kids series, although with the news of Salter Street Films closing its doors, a second season is in doubt. Playback recently visited the show’s Halifax studio, where the Salter team was hard at work on season one.

If you thought 2D animation was dying out, think again. The distinct style of Sylvain Chomet’s animated feature The Triplets of Bellville stands in stark contrast to contemporary trends in animation, where a traditional hand-drawn look is being jettisoned in favor of the more polished style of CGI.

The National Film Board ushered in the recent holidays with Noel Noel, which it’s calling one of its biggest productions ever. The 2D-animated half-hour aired four times on Teletoon last month, in both English and French, including spots on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.