Category Archives: Uncategorized

CBC says CMF cuts will affect prime-time programming

Posted on by

Taken verbatim from a CBC news release

CBC/Radio-Canada has been informed by the Canada Media Fund (CMF) that its envelope for the upcoming broadcast year will total $96.5 million.

That represents a $12.6 million drop from the amount we received last year for television and digital production despite the fact that the total amount of money available has grown from $300 million to $350 million. CBC’s funding will decrease $8.9 million and Radio-Canada’s $3.7 million.

Given that most of these funds flow through independent producers, the impact will likely be seen on our prime-time program offering, rather than felt by the operation.

To put the loss into perspective, this drop in funding means for CBC the loss of either three half-hour comedy series, 1.5 one-hour drama series, or 36 one-hour documentaries. For Radio-Canada, it translates into the loss of one drama series, 20 hours of children programming, and 15 hours of documentary programming.

We reached out to Hubert for comment: “We’re disappointed the new rules weren’t fully implemented this year. The CMF has committed to including audiences to original Canadian programs in prime time as a key factor in calculating broadcasters’ envelopes for next year. When that happens, the CMF will be better positioned to focus on the Heritage Minister’s objective of bringing more audiences to original, distinct Canadian programming and ensuring a healthy diversity of voices and of genres.”

Are you a CBC fan? Spread the word with this Facebook widget!

Posted on by

Are you a CBC fan? Do you have a blog or web site? Help spread the word of the CBC fan club on Facebook by adding this code to your site!

<script type="text/javascript" src="http://static.ak.connect.facebook.com/connect.php/en_US"></script><script type="text/javascript">FB.init("1812d9f74d85ce7c5c45e6c8df42bc1c");</script><fb:fan profile_id="6290748841" stream="1" connections="10" logobar="0" width="300"></fb:fan><div style="font-size:8px; padding-left:10px"><a href="http://www.facebook.com/thecbc">CBC</a> on Facebook</div>

CBC anchor Maragos marks 20-year milestone

Posted on by

maragosCosta Maragos, a co-anchor of CBC television’s Saskatchewan newscasts, has reached a broadcast milestone: marking his twentieth year reading the news in the province.

Maragos, 51, joined the newscast on Feb. 26, 1990. “I was nervous,” he recalled in an interview. “There was a thin film of perspiration all over my body.”

“But once I got through the first minute or so, everything seemed to go OK,” he said. It was his television debut.

Maragos had previously worked for CBC radio as a news reader in Toronto. He also hosted CBC Windsor’s local morning radio program.

In Saskatchewan, Maragos started as co-anchor with Holly Preston. “What’s so great about Holly was she made me feel so welcome,” Maragos said. “She was just great to work with. And so was Howard Thornton, the weather guy.”

Maragos has forgotten what the top stories of that day were but has kept the original line-up sheet as a keepsake, somewhere at home. Maragos was born in B.C. and grew up in Regina where his father owned a couple of pool halls “when it was politically incorrect to own one,” he added.

One was called Regina Billiards, the other was Top Hat Billiards. “A great place to learn about journalism was a pool hall,” Maragos said. “Because of all the crazy characters that went to the place.” ‘Every day I still enjoy being on the air.’—CBC news anchor Costa Maragos In a broadcast world where the lifespan of programs and hosts is increasingly brief, Maragos said the anniversary felt noteworthy.

“Simply surviving 20 years in this job is a highlight,” Maragos said. “Part of it is adapting to change. That’s key,” Maragos said. “There was a time when hosts weren’t even allowed to do any writing.”
Now on-air people are deeply involved in preparing newscasts. “Every day I still enjoy being on the air,” he said. He said he is also pleased with some of the news items he has prepared. “I’m proud of the Gemini nominations for work in the field,” he said.

Currently Maragos is one of three anchors for CBC television in Saskatchewan. The 5 pm to 6:30 pm duties are shared with Kaveri Bittera in Saskatoon. Sandra Batson presents a late evening newscast.

Maragos is married to Kathy. They have two boys and a dog. During his off hours Maragos enjoys “just hanging out with the kids.” He also wants to run a marathon. “One of these days, I’m going to start jogging.”

Did the CBC forget to pay the phone bill? ;-)

Posted on by

InsideTheCBC.com is reporting that the phone lines at CBC Toronto are down.

Writes Paul McGrath, the blog’s editor:

“This just came into my inbox, “The telephone situation has degraded to a system-wide outage. However, cell phones are working as are power fail lines that have been installed in critical areas. Please be patient as the telecommunications and Telus people try to resolve this issue.” This explains the busy signal if you’ve been trying to call CBC Toronto.

If you’re trying to reach someone at CBC, you might try emailing them at firstname.lastname@cbc.ca.