September 2016
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Editor Lee Rickwood editor@broadcastermagazine.com Senior Publisher Advertising Sales James A. Cook (416) 510-6871 jcook@broadcastermagazine.com
Broadcaster® September 2016
Volume 75 Number 3
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IN THIS ISSUE PRODUCTION 4 IN New Animated Series, Documentaries Get Green Light
DOCS 9 HOT Audience Growth, New Technology, Dealmaking By Jonathan Hiltz
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CBC TV GOES OVER-THE-TOP IBM Video Supports Online Delivery
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IP and 4K Workflows Highlighted
ACHIEVERS 20 CANADIAN Radio is like Fishing
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By Dick Drew
ON THE COVER: SGL is a leading global provider of content archive & storage solutions with over 20 years’ experience in broadcast television and media management. management
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September 2016
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IN
PRODUCTION
Production on Season 5 of WILD KRATTS
P
roduction of season five of the hit animated series Wild Kratts is now underway for PBS KIDS in the U.S. and TVO and Knowledge Network in Canada. Attracting one of the largest kids’ television audiences in the U.S., the fifth season will include another 20 episodes, taking the total episode count to 138. The new season is expected to premiere on PBS KIDS in 2017. 9 Story has secured a number of new sales for the show, including to RTBF (Belgium), VRT (Belgium), E Junior (UAE and Israel), Noga (Israel), RTE (Ireland), SIC (Portugal), and TVC (Spain). The series is also under license to Discovery Kids (Latin America, India and Asia), Pop (U.K.), Super RTL (Germany), Minimax (Eastern Europe), DR (Denmark), TV3 (Spain), Canal Panda (Spain), MediaCorp (Singapore), TVB (Hong Kong), Familia Play (Colombia), Canal Futura (Brazil), Minika (Turkey), Al Jazeera Children’s Channel (Middle East), and Go! (Australia). Wild Kratts has tremendous global reach, airing in over 180 countries across 18 different languages. Wild Kratts premiered on PBS KIDS in the U.S. in 2011 and on TVO, Knowledge Network and Télé-Quebec in Canada. The series was created and developed by real life brothers and zoologists Martin and Chris Kratt, who star in the show as animated versions of themselves. Wild Kratts is a co-production between Kratt Brothers Company and 9 Story Media Group. Kratt Brothers Company distributes the series and manages licensing for the brand within North America, while 9 Story handles all international distribution and licensing rights.
In each episode, Chris and Martin Kratt travel to a different corner of the world to meet new animals.
9 Story is owned by senior management, ZMC (Zelnick Media Capital) and media entrepreneur Neil Court. Kratt Brothers Company, founded in 1993, has created and produced over 250 episodes of television, including awardwinning series: Kratts’ Creatures, Zoboomafoo, Kratt Brothers: Be the Creature, and Wild Kratts.
Beat Bugs Re-Imagine the Beatles More top music artists have signed on to a second season of the Netflix original series for kids that stars the music of The Beatles. Grace: A Storytelling Company (Grace), Thunderbird and Beyond Screen Production are production partners on Beat Bugs. Animation for the series was done by Atomic Cartoons, an animation design and development studio acquired last year by Thunderbird, multi–platform media production, distribution and rights management company based in Vancouver, BC. Created by Writer/Director Josh Wakely and produced by his production company, Grace, Beat Bugs tells the story of five charming, funny, adventurous friends, who – with a little help from their rock legend friends - learn big lessons about the world around them. 4 Broadcaster September 2016
Top music artists contribute their own rendition of an iconic song from the Lennon/McCartney ‘Northern Songs’ catalogue.
Featured songs in Beat Bugs include Help!, All You Need Is Love, Come Together, Penny Lane, Yellow Submarine, Lucy In the Sky with Diamonds, Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, and Magical Mystery Tour. Aloe Blacc, Robbie Williams, Frances and Wesley Schultz (of the Lumineers)
are new additions to the Beat Bugs family; artists like Eddie Vedder, P!nk, James Bay, Sia, The Shins, Of Monsters and Men, Chris Cornell, Regina Spektor, and James Corden are also featured, each recording their own rendition of an iconic song from the Lennon/McCartney ‘Northern Songs’ catalogue. Covers by Rod Stewart, Jennifer Hudson and Tori Kelly will be featured in Season 2. Day and date with the show launch, Republic Records will release the official soundtrack for Season 1 of Beat Bugs exclusively with Apple Music. Other hit songs to be featured in the Netflix original series and the soundtracks will include Beat Bugs renditions of Beatles classics like We Can Work It Out, Strawberry Fields Forever, Hello Goodbye and Across the Universe, among others. www.broadcastermagazine.com
IN
PRODUCTION
Season 5 of Highway Thru Hell Hits the Road After months of remote production work and weeks spent packaging thousands of hours of video footage, producers at Great Pacific Media are back with a fifth season of Highway Thru Hell. Rated as a Top 3 series on Discovery and Top 10 series across all entertainment specialty television channels in Canada last season, the hit original Canadian series hits the road for a milestone fifth edition this September. The 13-episode season follows the men of Jamie Davis Heavy Rescue as they battle to keep some of the most economically important, highly
The popular original Canadian series hits the road for a milestone fifth season.
travelled, and inhospitable trucking routes in North America open for business. Started by TV veterans Blair Reekie and Mark Miller, Great Pacific Media specializes in development, production,
co-production, and financing of factual, documentary, game show and reality television. Its shows are seen in more than 170 countries. Great Pacific Media was recently acquired by the Thunderbird Group of companies.
awareness as possible to the project. Celebrated filmmaker and director Trish Dolman (Eco-Pirate: The Story of Paul Watson; Luna: Spirit of the Whale) will curate the video submissions and then craft a two-hour event broadcast. “I am honoured to be the filmmaker who will be presenting these compelling stories of ordinary and extraordinary moments in the lives of Canadians,” said Trish Dolman, Executive Producer and Director, who described the project as a valuable time capsule for generations to come. Canada In A Day is inspired by the original award-winning Ridley Scott film, Life in a Day.
Canada In A Day is produced by Screen Siren Pictures Inc. in association with CTV, with the financial participation of the Canada Media Fund, Bell Fund, Creative BC, FIBC, and the Government of Canada. Executive producers are Scott Free Films and Christine Haebler with Trish Dolman and Michael Ghent producing for Screen Siren Pictures Inc. Switch United is the web producer and Innovate by Day is the Social Media producer.
A Day for Canada on CTV CTV has ordered the two-hour event broadcast Canada In A Day from Vancouver-based Screen Siren Pictures, and will premiere the special n 2017 in celebration of Canada’s 150th anniversary. Comprised entirely of Incorporating footage shot by Canadians across the nation on a single day this month, September 10, the event special will make its broadcast television debut next year, CTV announced. Canadians can participate in the making of the special by shooting and submitting video in any language that captures a moment in their life, on that day. CTV and Screen Siren Pictures say they will campaign to help bring as much
Corus Partners on Nazi Treasure Hunt Corus Entertainment’s HISTORY and Channel Four Television Corporation’s More4 are co-producing a new original investigative series, Hunting Nazi Treasure. The series chronicles the journey to locate hundreds of thousands of objects and artwork worth billions of dollars, and return the fortunes stolen by the Nazis at the end of World War II to their rightful owners. The series reveals what was stolen, how it was stolen, and leads the hunt for this lost treasure. The new co-production between Corus Entertainment’s HISTORY and More4 (Channel 4), is produced by Saloon Media (Toronto) and BriteSpark (UK), with production set to begin this September. Hunting Nazi Treasure will air on HISTORY in Canada in 2017. 6 Broadcaster September 2016
“We are proud to be working with such a formidable group of production partners to bring this epic expedition to light on HISTORY,” said Daniel Eves, Senior Vice President, Kids and General Entertainment Content, Corus Entertainment. “Through this investigative approach, we pull the curtain back on one of the biggest thefts in history and share the important stories of those who were affected.” Show promoters say the series will feature a team of present-day investigators led by Robert Edsel, author of the New York Times #1 bestselling book-turned-movie The Monuments Men, and Founder and Chairman of the Monuments Men Foundation for the Preservation of Art. To aid in the search
for priceless treasures, Saloon Media and BriteSpark have been granted unprecedented access into his extensive records and those of the foundation, including hundreds of existing leads about missing items. Joining Edsel on the team are investigative journalist, Conor Woodman, and Second World War historian, James Holland. The detective work in Hunting Nazi Treasure will take the team across four continents – from European towns and cities to the desert sands of North Africa, and across the ocean to North and South America. Hunting Nazi Treasure is produced by Saloon Media and BriteSpark Films in association with Corus Entertainment, and More4 (Channel 4). www.broadcastermagazine.com
ACQUISITION
AUDIENCE GROWTH, NEW TECHNOLOGY, DEALMAKING AT
HOT DOCS
BY JONATHAN HILTZ
I
f you’ve worked in the entertainment biz long enough, you know that film and television industry events such as festivals, markets and forums are vital to a healthy worldwide media landscape. These events not only shape how we do business and whom we do business with, they also prognosticate, dictate and in some cases directly influence what we see on TV, the web and in theaters. Hot Docs is not only one of these events, it is a unique example of how to take a chance and do everything right. Hot Docs’ 23rd edition again attracted record-breaking audience numbers reaching an estimated 211,000. The 11-day event featured 462 public screenings of 232 films on 15 screens across Toronto; official film selections were chosen from a total of 2,735 films submitted to the Festival. A full week of industry programming was attended by 8 Broadcaster September 2016
Kevin Shea poses with fans at Hot Doc. PHOTO BY: CHRISTIAN PEÑA
www.broadcastermagazine.com
ACQUISITION 2,678 delegates from around the world. But when Hot Docs first came onto the scene nearly a quarter-century ago, documentaries were not attracting audience members in large numbers and the medium was not considered to be a part of mainstream entertainment. Now, documentaries couldn’t be more important, offering a different voice on important issues and having entire TV networks dedicated to this medium. Documentaries have shaped the way we watch networks like CNN for example and in turn it has molded how they and others do programming.
“HOT DOCS ANNUALLY BRINGS BROADCASTERS, SALES AGENTS, DISTRIBUTORS, FUNDERS, PLATFORMS, FILM SERVICE PROVIDERS, FILM FUNDS AND OTHER INDUSTRY PROFESSIONALS FROM AROUND THE WORLD.” Elizabeth Radshaw is the Industry Programs Director for Hot Docs; she told Broadcaster Magazine why the TV industry and documentaries are such a perfect fit. “Documentaries traditionally have been funded by public and private broadcasters. The international documentary community that gathers at Hot Docs annually brings broadcasters, sales agents, distributors, funders, platforms, film service providers, film funds and other industry professionals from around the world.” Radshaw went on to say that the documentary landscape has changed over the years with some “new players” and this has been beneficial for projects getting financed.
In regards to the continued growing interest in documentaries, the festival has numbers to back all that up. “We know that documentaries are more popular. Hot Docs conducted research that shows Canadian audiences are watching more docs on more platforms at more times.” If you are a TV buyer, seller or both the way to make the most of your Hot
Docs would be to have a plan of some kind. Who will you talk to and how will you achieve your business goals? “[For sellers you need] great stories. Truly great stories are all you need to capture the attention of buyers.” said Radshaw. She also went on to add that sellers should know their buyers as much as they can. This can be done
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ACQUISITION
Angie Driscoll, Elizabeth Radshaw, and Shane Smith at Hot Docs. PHOTO BY: SOPHIA BURKE
by doing research and looking at what the channel has traditionally bought in the recent past. Study what is on their schedule right now. “[Also] marketing and positioning your documentary should not wait until the last minute. We have an incredible workshop called ‘Doc Ignite’ that focuses directly on marketing and hybrid distribution.” Hot Docs is also aware of the growing demand for docs and the importance of them as well, not just for business but for our human consciousness as well. “Documentaries in all of their forms and expressions are celebrated at Hot Docs and by audiences around the world. As a form of cinema and media, we acknowledge their ability to transform our realities, engage audiences and open up new areas of curiosity. Those 10 Broadcaster September 2016
transformative elements of storytelling, in this case true storytelling, are powerful. When the media content landscape is so much more crowded, it is harder to find these celebrations of documentary, at Hot Docs we hope to make that easier.” The Hot Docs Forum, Hot Docs’ key international co-financing market event, Hot Docs Deal Maker, Hot Docs’ one-onone curated pitch event, and Distribution Rendezvous, Hot Docs’ tailored meeting service for completed films seeking distribution, saw brisk pitching, networking and dealmaking. In total, 20 projects with 12 female directors and 27 female producers attached – representing 17 countries were presented to a panel of over 300 key commissioning editors and funders at the Hot Docs Forum, and a total of 70 projects were pitched at
approximately 625 meetings during Hot Docs Deal Maker. This year also marked a celebration of documentary work that lives outside of traditional formats, including interactive installations, virtual reality and 360-degre video. Hot Docs alumnae filmmakers also created a series of 45-second ‘micro docs’ shot on iPhone, as part of #OnlyAtHotDocs; the super-shorts screened in rotation during preshow presentations and were video streamed online at the Festival’s website. Hot Docs counts Scotiabank as its Presenting Platinum Partner, Bell Media, CBC Docs, and Rogers Group of Funds as its Presenting Partners, and the Government of Ontario and Telefilm Canada as its Major Supporters. www.broadcastermagazine.com
SMPTE Technical Conference Takes on UHD, HDR, VR, Cloud and More The SMPTE 2016 Annual Technical Conference & Exhibition (SMPTE 2016) will take on some of the hottest topics in broadcast delivery and production. Sessions will address ultra-highdefinition (UHD) and 4K/8K resolution, higher frame rates (HFR), high-dynamic-range (HDR), and wider colour gamut (WCG). The “Future of Cinema” sessions will focus on delivering higher-contrast HDR images and increasing pixels per second by delving into the aesthetics of HFR capture, the psychovisual effects of HFR presentation, and the impact achieved by overfilling one’s field of view. Sessions dedicated to colour management focus on HDR while examining the art and science of preserving and enhancing creative intent. Two sessions on new distribution
modalities will discuss challenges in transmitting immersive-quality video for over-the-top (OTT) services and the influence of digital technology on distribution channels. In sessions on video compression, presenters will discuss both ends of the spectrum: low-bandwidth usage for OTT internet delivery to mobile devices and mezzanine encoding for highend, intra-, and inter-studio/facility applications. Sessions held during the October 25-27 conference in California will also explore the nature of continued broadcast signal distribution over coaxial cable and discuss the evolution of serial digital interface (SDI), including its potential to deliver 100 Gbit services and enable a seamless transition to internet protocol (IP). Moving into the cloud, conference sessions will
focus on how broadcast mediaprocessing capabilities can be migrated to an IP architecture and virtualized across a data center and cloud infrastructure for encoding, master control, disaster recovery, and archiving. As the buzz around virtual reality (VR) continues to grow, this immersive format will again be featured at SMPTE’s annual technical conference. Sessions will explore how standards, quality checks, and best practices can be counted on to protect, and even improve, the audience’s experience with VR. Content security is an ongoing concern for the motion-imaging industry, and SMPTE 2016 conference sessions will investigate the security of Interoperable Master Format (IMF), particularly in the cloud, and the challenges of watermarking UHD/HDR content.
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September 2016
Broadcaster 11
TELEVISION
CBC TV Goes Over-the-Top with IBM Video Services
C
BC-TV is using IBM’s cloud-based video platform to deliver OTT (over-the-top) streaming video services to Canadians. The ad-supported video service rolls out with over 600 featured CBC prime time titles including Dragons’ Den, Heartland, and Murdoch Mysteries, along with news, digital originals, documentaries and kids’ programming. The new video player uses adaptive streaming and bandwidth assessment tools to deliver HD video at what the public broadcaster is calling its highest quality ever. The technology integrated in the IBM Cloud Video platform is also supporting the service’s geo-fencing, closed captioning and described video, search and discover functions, and cross-screen viewing. As Richard Kanee, head of digital for CBC English Services, explained, the new service and IBM partnership “is in place to distribute all our long form TV content” and the relationship is really about OTT, going over the top and reaching cord cutters with CBC content, no matter where they are or what device they use. “IBM is not delivering our short-form or social,” Kanee added, and the CBC still has relationships with other digital media and information technology companies, such as third party mobile app developers and service integrators. The new player is part of the overall migration plan to greater digital content creation and distribution capabilities at the CBC, both for pre-recorded content and eventually, even live programming. That migration plan itself is contained in the CBC’s five-year strategic plan, A Space For Us All. The plan seems to be working: CBC is becoming one of Canada’s largest
12 Broadcaster September 2016
Richard Kanee, head of digital for CBC English Services. Photo by Kevin Van Paassen for The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
online media destination for news and information – attracting nearly 15 million Canadians to its digital sites (that’s a reported three million increase in the past year alone). “We recognize our audience is congregating on other platforms, in other spaces, and in large populations,” Kanee said of
the video streaming offerings from YouTube, Facebook or Netflix. “We need to be present in those spaces, and we need to invest in our own operated ecosystem. It’s a dance, a balancing act, and what you will see in two years will be completely different!” As such, the CBC is taking “an iterative www.broadcastermagazine.com
TELEVISION approach” its own new platform. Kanee said that the CBC is “listening to and watching the audience engagement and consumption levels. When they are at parity, we will transition over to the new player and the old environment will fade away, fade to black.” Even so, he knows that audience habits can die hard, and that the digital team needs to respect that fact that a lot of people are very comfortable with the current platform, even when the new player delivers what he says is “so much more.” During the player migration and transition to the new video streaming platform, popular shows will still be available online through the current cbc.ca/player, and on individual show websites. Plans call for that content to be streaming until the end of the 2015/16 season, at which time programs will then be available exclusively at watch.cbc.ca, the new player space, with its collected and curated library of full-length TV programming, and exclusive digital content. So much content, so many platforms; how can one possibly anticipate what the audience will latch onto next? “Well, that’s the hyperbole of it,” Kanee cautions, “but it is becoming a craft”, and he says it’s no coincidence that a recent CBC Arts program reached 14 million people on Facebook! “That’s not by accident,” Kanee says. “It’s a piece of quality content from the CBC Arts unit. It’s curated, packaged, cross-promoted and leveraged against other properties, titles and content offerings.”
Programmers may not be able to predict precisely what works and what doesn’t, but experienced online content creators are learning and doing certain things right. Consistency and reliability are important levers.
“CANADIAN CREATORS WHO ARE PART OF THE NETWORK WILL BE PROVIDED THE TOOLS AND SUPPORT THEY NEED TO AMPLIFY THEIR CONTENT” But the mystery is not a digital one: “That’s TV! It’s the same as at the upfront,” Kanee says. “Here are 50 new shows; which will survive? But in terms of TV and digital, it’s thousands versus millions of dollars per title. The risk profile is significantly lower, yet in terms of reach, the reward can be significantly higher.” For example, CBC and global media
company Fullscreen have a multi-year digital media partnership, the CBC|Fullscreen Creator Network. Canadian creators who are part of the network will be provided the tools and support they need to amplify their content and reach new audiences across the country through CBC, You Tube, and other distribution platforms. So new product offerings. New business models. Risk and reward profiles. Digital partnerships. Does it all make CBC one of the country’s biggest start-up companies? “There is an entrepreneurial bent,” Kanee agrees. “The CBC is creating conditions for us to thrive, and yet there is a sense that the permission to fail we have is a gift. It’s an appetite for controlled risk, really a commitment to take advantage of all that is to come. That is fundamental, that’s at the core of our future.” Kanee has extensive digital experience, having previously worked as manager of new media business development for the former CHUM Television between 2004 and 2006, and later as supervising producer, interactive – music and youth for CTV Inc.’s MuchMusic (now just Much) brand. He was most recently president and CEO of a Toronto start-up called Creative D, which developed a digital trading card platform; he said his experience there, working hands-on with everything from product development to deep audience analysis was a great foundation for his work at the CBC, and whatever the future will bring to it.
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September 2016
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TELEVISION
New Board in Action at WIFT-T
WIFT-T has elected new members to its Board for 2016-17; outgoing members (such as Joanna Webb, pictured) were thanked for their significant contributions to the organization.
T
he 2016-2017 Board of Directors at Women in Film & Television – Toronto (WIFT-T) and the Foundation for WIFT-T includes returning members and newly elected directors, taking over from outgoing Board members. Newly elected directors for WIFT-T are Sonia Brar, Vice-President, Information Technology, Bell Media and Marilyn Orecchio, Vice President, National Sales, Corus Entertainment. The newly elected directors for the Foundation for WIFT-T are 14 Broadcaster September 2016
Dianna Klisanin, Development Consultant and Linda Stregger, BA, CPA CMA, Media Industry Tax Specialist, Pricewaterhouse Coopers LLC. “We are pleased to welcome Sonia Brar and Marilyn Orecchio to the WIFT-T Board, and Dianna Klisanin and Linda Stregger to the Foundation for WIFT-T Board,” said Heather Webb, WIFT-T Executive Director. “In the face of our changing industry and an uncertain economy, the expertise and commitment of our Board Members
ensures that WIFT-T will continue the important work of empowering women to succeed by providing a strong and supportive network, key business and leadership skills, and opportunities for personal and professional growth.” WIFT-T also noted the significant contributions to the Board by outgoing directors Joanna Webb, Chair, Principal, Mojojo Inc., and Pat DiVittorio, Vice-Chair, Vice President, Program Planning, Bell Media. www.broadcastermagazine.com
IMAGE: ART & SOUL DESIGN INC.
TELEVISION
The 2016-2017 WIFT-T Board of Directors are: • Jocelyn Hamilton, Chair, President, Canada, eOne Television • Rekha Shah, Vice-Chair, Director of Sales, CBS International • Fiona Lee, CPA, CA, Treasurer, Director of Special Projects, Finance and Accounting, Corus Entertainment • Christina Buchli, Secretary, Partner, Buchli Goldstein LLP • Sasha Boersma, Partner/Executive Producer, Sticky Brain Studios Inc.
• Sonia Brar, Vice-President, Information Technology, Bell Media • Michelle Daly, Senior Director, CBC Comedy • Alex Lalonde, COO, Digital Howard • Anne Loi, Senior Vice President, Finance and Operations, DHX Media Ltd. • Kristine Murphy, Director, Industry Development, OMDC • Marilyn Orecchio, Vice President, National Sales, Corus Entertainment
• Natalie Osborne, Chief Strategy Officer, 9 Story Media Group • Tamara Shannon, Vice President, Media, NBCUniversal Canada • Andra Sheffer, CEO, Independent Production Fund & Cogeco Program Develpoment Fund • Bianca Williamson, Director, People, Corus Entertainment
WIFT-T also announced the 2016-2017 Foundation for WIFT-T Board of Directors: • Natalie Osborne, Chair, Chief Strategy Officer, 9 Story Media Group • Linda Stregger, BA, CPA CMA, Treasurer/Secretary, Media Industry Tax Specialist, Pricewaterhouse Coopers LLC www.broadcastermagazine.com
• Dianna Klisanin, Development Consultant • Alex Lalonde, COO, Digital Howard • Tamara Shannon, Vice President, Media, NBCUniversal Canada September 2016
Broadcaster 15
NEW 4K Delivery in an All-IP Environment Video Clarity is offering a 4K-over-IP contribution-level delivery solution with a full video and audio testing system in conjunction with Macnica Technology and PacketStorm Communications. Its 10 Gbit IP transport solution can be deployed today to transmit highquality video and audio — both uncompressed and 4K compressed — that needs to be tested for quality under potentially impaired network conditions. IP transmission comes courtesy of Macnica Technology, showing how it can replace today’s SDI-based architectures
for delivering multiple types of highquality, contribution-level content. The 4K portion of the platform relies on TICO compression. Meanwhile PacketStorm Communications will provide the IP network emulation for both WAN and PTP to simulate actual network conditions and standards-based stress conditions. Video Clarity’s ClearView 4K Player provides the video source feed, and Video Clarity’s RTM 4K real-time monitor tests the source against the network output. The RTM system measures audio and video quality continuously
and applies a user-set threshold for error events that are captured automatically for playback in a side-by-side comparison of the source and downstream network output.
Video Clarity’s 4K-over-IP delivery solution
MassTech and LiveU Integrate Newsroom Workflows Media asset management solution provider MassTech and video acquisition and distribution company LiveU have forged a partnership to streamline the path between remote contribution and nonlinear workflows used in TV newsrooms. A new coupling between LiveU’s Bonded Video Transceiver and MassTech media management solutions automatically makes recordings of all LiveU-delivered live streams visible and accessible to everyone in the newsroom via their familiar NRCS and editing systems. Content streamed from LiveU IPbonded field transmission units appear in the NRCS as wire stories with linked video files and embedded previews, with no manual recording, transfer or transcoding steps required. When using MassTech newsroom technology, journalists can use simple drag-and-drop actions within the NRCS to
preview the video, transfer all or part of the full-resolution clip into their production systems, archive the video for long-term preservation, and share it among users and stations in their ownership group.
Live U and MassTech Partner on Newsroom Workflow
Automated Post Production Workflows from Elements Media management and post solutions provider Elements has a new enhanced version of Media Library, its MAM and workflow management tool. Designed specifically for the media and broadcast industry, the latest edition of Media Library incorporates the new Workflow Manager, a graphic interface toolset to set-up workflow automation tasks with drag and drop functionality. Another editing tool in the Media Library is the Rough Cut Editor, with familiar editing tools and the ability to add frame-accurate comments and 16 Broadcaster September 2016
even drawings on the source material. The Media Library is fully compatible with virtually every professional editing application available today, such as Avid Media Composer, Adobe Premiere, Apple Final Cut Pro and others, enabling operators to transfer entire projects seamlessly from the Media Library to any other editing application. The Media Library also fully supports Avid bin-locking and project sharing. The company also reports it has improved its embedded media player, and that the newly released version
New Features in MAM Provides Automated PostProduction Workflows
can play back up to four videos simultaneously, selectively synchronous and asynchronous, to compare multiple editing versions concurrently. www.broadcastermagazine.com
NEW Five-inch Touch LCD COFDM Diversity Receiver New RF Central Mini DirectVu Handheld Video Assist COFDM Diversity Receiver (MDVU) are available from Integrated Microwave Technologies (IMT). The Mini DirectVu is a COFDM (DVB-T compliant) dualinput maximal ratio combining diversity handheld receiver with an integrated five-inch high brightness touchscreen LCD display. It delivers video using MPEG-4 (H.264) and MPEG-2 high profile auto detect decoding. The receiver can also be configured with additional features that take it far beyond standard COFDM handheld receivers. Optional add-ons include DVR record and playback functionality, using standard playback controls, and a built-in Real Time Streaming Protocol (RTSP) server that enables video streaming over Ethernet for remote software or hardware decoders. This allows multiple remote viewers to monitor the same video simultaneously. Its scan function allows the Mini DirectVu to quickly find and lock automatically to the incoming transmission. An HDMI output enables the user to view the incoming video on a larger external monitor. When paired with the RF Central microLite wireless camera transmitter, the Mini DirectVu offers a comprehensive, rapidly-deployable video and audio solution that can be used to deliver real-time live video from both ground and
Real-time video from ground and aerial platforms
airborne mobile platforms. A 1/4-20 screw mount allows the receiver to be easily mounted onto tripods or clamped onto rigid structures. It uses an internal integrated battery that supplies two hours of runtime. Optional externally hot-swappable Sony battery packs extend operating time to four hours. The unit features an ergonomic rubber hand grip and a desktop stand.
IBM in the Clouds with CBC –TV Delivery IBM Cloud Video merges robust multiscreen video logistics management with live streaming capabilities to help broadcasters and content providers meet consumer demand for OTT streaming and on-demand content across devices, at scale. Working with Aspera on the FASPstream software line, IBM’s service offers an open video transport solution for highquality, live streaming over commodity Internet WANs. Built from the ground up by Aspera, the software utilizes the FASP bulk data protocol to transport live video source and provides timely arrival of the live video independent of the network roundtrip delay and packet loss. IBM provides the service to a number of international broadcasters, including the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC), which uses IBM Cloud Video’s platform deliver its adsupported streaming video service to Canadians nationwide. The collaboration helps deliver CBC programming www.broadcastermagazine.com
including CBC-TV and digital originals, documentaries and Kids’ CBC across Web, iOS and Android devices. “We knew we needed a video platform to support our strategy of building an audience in an aggressively competitive environment. We worked with IBM Cloud Video because they know what it means
for a broadcaster to be digital,” Lauris Apse, Director of Digital Products, CBC, said when the service was announced. “IBM’s flexible video technology, its depth of experience in digital workflow, and its understanding of our existing infrastructure made them the perfect fit to give our audience a great experience.”
W ESTERN A SSOCIATION B ROADCAST E NGINEERS
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Please visit our website for details on our 2016 convention, WABE's Educational Initiatives and to download copies of our 2015 papers: www.wabe.ca Mark your calendar for Calgary, Alberta for our 66th Annual Convention at the Hyatt Regency
November 6th -- 8th, 2016 For information please contact: Kathy Watson, WABE Office Manager, info@wabe.ca. Or call 403-630-4907
September 2016
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NEW NAGRA Releases North America Pay TV Report Media technology solutions company NAGRA, in partnership with the research and strategy firm MTM, released The Pay-TV Innovation Landscape in North America research report. The paper provides in depth analysis of the product and service portfolios of 20 leading pay TV providers in the USA and Canada, accounting for around 115 million pay TV households. North American service providers are leading the way in introducing next-generation features, it says, including 4K (offered by 25 per cent), content recommendations (35 per cent), and voice control (10 per cent). Diversification into adjacent business areas is another big factor emphasizing the region’s global leadership, with 50 per cent of service providers offering home security and automation bundles to customers, mainly lever-
aging their own broadband infrastructure. The region is also one of the most advanced with all major service providers offering IP-connected set-topboxes and 70 percent enabling access to third-party OTT services. But this advanced market maturity comes with new challenges that require a redoubled emphasis on innovation to adapt to intensifying competition for content and evolving consumer preferences and behaviours. Service providers are adapting to a new on-demand and multi-screen environment, where the line between the core pay TV offer and paid OTT TV proposition is blurring, while the need to generate new forms of revenues increases. In this context, app-based OTT pay TV services and Smart Home solutions were stated as the top-two opportunities to drive growth over the next five years. Providers also taking
steps to expand their content offerings, including through adding standalone OTT service and new forms of content, and further monetize their services through advanced advertising and data services – an area that has already seen strong growth with 35 percent of providers in the marketplace offering these solutions. The report also delivers executive insights on the critical factors that will drive future success and the key hurdles that pay TV providers must navigate in order to retain a future-proof trajectory, including balancing investment in innovation and their core business; shifting business models away from one-size-fits all pay TV subscriptions to more nimble offerings while maintaining revenues; and clearing the path to pay TV and OTT co-existence to provide a personalized, high quality and seamless user experience across multiple content services and screens.
IVAN Offers Analytics from Multiple Screen Sources tv2u is unveiling its new real-time analytics service and content aggregation engine, and showcasing its full-service white label Intelligent Video Accessible Network (IVAN) OTT platform. IVAN offers a way to tap into powerful real-time analytics gathered from multiple sources including the delivery platform, player applications, and social media. The analytics generate detailed insights about users such as their demographics, location (with the ability to pinpoint their postal code) and viewing habits including their content consumption patterns, details on which devices they use, and their likes and dislikes. Unique to IVAN is its real-time analytics engine, which lets content owners and advertisers know to what extent customers are engaging with their material. This means that content providers and operators can make better business decisions and in turn, drive up their profits.
Real-time analytics from tv2u 18 Broadcaster September 2016
www.broadcastermagazine.com
NEW New Camera Support from Sachtler Sachtler is introducing a new entrylevel 100 mm fluid head. The FSB 10 targets camera operators working in news, documentaries, wildlife, and more, and is designed for digital cinema-style cameras like the Sony FS7 and Canon C300. The FSB 10 has a higher payload than the 75 mm FSB 8, supporting up to 12 kg (26.5 lbs). The head comes in two versions with different camera platforms: the FSB 10 with its sideload
mechanism with long sliding range for front/back adjustment of the camera, or the FSB 10 T with Touch & Go plate for fast camera attachment. The FSB 10 has five positions + 0 for pan and tilt drag, and it also offers ten steps of counterbalance. The FSB 10 has an integrated flat base (e.g. for use on a slider), and of course features Sachtler’s award-winning Speedbalance technology. Sachtler’s new 100 mm fluid head, the FSB 10.
Bannister Lake Integrates NewTek NDI Technology for Live IP Production Workflows Broadcast data and graphics solutions provider Bannister Lake has adoption of NewTek’s Network Device Interface (NDI) technology for live IP production workflows over Ethernet networks. Bannister Lake’s software offerings will be recognized as video sources by other NDI-enabled devices and applications on the same network. Bannister Lake’s initial use of NDI technology will be in the Super Ticker Chameleon data presentation, management and playout system for broadcast and information displays. Announced earlier this month, Super Ticker Chameleon extends Bannister Lake’s proven data aggregation platform with new graphics creation tools and hybrid playout capabilities, forming a tightly-integrated graphics and data engine for distribution targets ranging from television news channels to digital signage and websites. Chameleon’s NDI support enables real-time graphic and alpha channel playout to other NDIenabled production solutions over an IP network. NewTek’s NDI technology enables multiple video systems and applications to identify and communicate bi-directionally with one another over IP, and to encode, transmit and receive many streams of high quality, low latency, frame-accurate video and audio in real time. This benefits any network-connected video device, including video mixers, graphics systems, www.broadcastermagazine.com
NewTek NDI technology is integrated into Bannister Lake’s Super Ticker Chameleon graphics and data presentation system.
The Association of Central Canada Broadcast Engineers, Technologists and Technicians Inc. Professional Development Conference
September 15 - 18, 2016
Kingbridge Conference Centre King City, Ontario
Book Now!
CCBE 2016
ROOMS WILL BE GOING FAST FOR THE 2016 CONFERENCE!
Contact: Joanne Firminger, 1-800-481-4649, information@ccbe.ca, www.ccbe.ca September 2016
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NEW Anton Digital Adds USB Mixer Aaton Digital’s complete CantarX3 digital 24 track sound recorder includes the new Cantarem2. Among its features, the CantarX3 can generate PDF and CSV Sound Reports, with ALE files embedded within deliverable media. The Cantarem2 is a USB quick addon extension mixer panel to extend the control capabilities of the CantarX3. With 12 full travel 100 mm linear faders, 12 solo buttons, two shift buttons and four assignable buttons it offers the production sound mixer many options. New CantarX3 accessories continue to appear to enhance operation for users. New Low and High Pot Knobs are now available in 13 colours. Also, the new generation of sliders pad with a soft top, compatible with CantarX3 and Cantarem2.
Aaton-Digital’s full CantarX3 package
DoPchoice Offers First Self-tightening Softbox DoPchoice is offering its new Snapbag as a quick-deploy softbox solution for LED lights. Softboxes have become popular with LED lights to soften the light emitted and give DPs and gaffers more control. But the classic softbox often becomes a project of its own each time it has to be set-up and torn down due to a complicated assembly. The patented DoPchoice Snapbag snaps into place when it comes out of its flat storage, the manufacturer describes, and it can be fit in place over a lighting fixture in 30 seconds. Tear down takes just 10 seconds: it intuitively folds into its protective carrier. The Snapbag shortens the traditional softbox’s complicated routine of inserting multiple rods into a speedring. DoPchoice’s self-tightening solution is simpler and quicker, with 20 Broadcaster September 2016
no small parts that can get lost or broken—thus, less can go wrong. Custom designed for each fixture type, in most cases it attaches to the light fixture via built-in elastic loops that securely self-stretch the Snapbag to the light. The Snapbag comes in different configurations. Rectangular models fit most popular LED soft lights. Octagonal models, 5’ and 3’ in diameter, fit most 1x1’ panel soft lights. And the Flyball, also known as a China ball or Pancake, provides evenly spread soft lighting.
The new quick-deploy softbox from DoPchoice. www.broadcastermagazine.com
Radio’s Like Fishin’:
The more hands-on experience, the better BY DICK DREW
term aspirations in the radi o industry or any business for that matter, the more hands-on experience the better.” So the advice to those starting out: “Be observant and read everything. The broader your knowledge-base the better. Have an awareness of what’s going on in your community, your province, the country and the world. Be informed
January 1979 - CFQM-FM morning host Jim MacMullin (far left), and a bearded Program Manager Sandy Gillis aka Jimmy the Janitor with a beard on board.
W
hen Jim MacMullin retired, he was President of Acadia Broadcasting responsible for 13 radio stations in the Maritimes and Ontario. He’s come along way: he started with Eastern/Maritime Broadcasting in Moncton in 1973 as a writer, then became producer, then announcer, news director, music and program director, sales rep, sales manager, and station manager. The trajectory continues: Jim next took his talents to New Brunswick Broadcasting (now Acadia Broadcasting), as Vice www.broadcastermagazine.com
President. The chain had four radio stations when he started; now there are 13. Forty-plus years in the business, and almost the same number of career positions! For someone who has seen it all and done it all, the reply when asked what he looks for in another employee was insightful: “Dick” he replied, “typically someone who has done many functions in the business. We are seeing less of that these days for a whole host of reasons. But I still believe if someone has longSeptember 2016
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Jim MacMullin
Gaining hands-on experience with a 4 lb. Grilse on the Upsalquitch River. 22 Broadcaster September 2016
enough to have a conversation with anyone. Broadcasters are communicators; it just makes everything you do easier and everyone around you better. Be a good person.” That’s Jim. I’ve known him since 1984, when his Moncton station CKCW-AM [now CFQM-FM] began broadcasting my Canadian Achievers daily syndicated series. Working with Jim at the station was Sandy Gillis, who left radio and is enjoying a brilliant career in comedy as Jimmy the Janitor, a hilarious act he has taken to all corners of Canada and beyond, Sandy is the guy with the beard next to Jim in the group picture. Jim’s goodness is reflected in his solid background and family life. Born in Hamilton, raised and educated in Moncton. Married 40 years to Lorna. They have two children and three grandchildren. He’s made giving back to the community an integral part of his work and life. His stations have always been known as community minded radio stations assisting with fund and awareness-raising for local charities and non-profits like Rotary, Lions and many others. Industry trade organizations like the AAB, CAB and Numeris [formerly BBM] have benefited from his membership, experience and active participation. But life has not been all work and no play. He told me he is rarely more relaxed than when he is casting flies for Atlantic salmon on a northern New Brunswick river. Fishing is high on his list of things to do more of now that he is retired “I have never had time to read the books I want to read, spending days exploring new places through the lens of my camera, polishing up on my guitar playing. “And of course, planning to winter in Florida while improving my golf game. If that and spending a lot of time with Lorna, the kids and grandkids and other family members doesn’t keep me busy enough, I guess I will just have to go back to work.” That is why Jim MacMullin is another Canadian Achiever.
“HE IS RARELY MORE RELAXED THAN WHEN HE IS CASTING FLIES FOR ATLANTIC SALMON ON A NORTHERN NEW BRUNSWICK RIVER“
For over 30 years Dick Drew has been reporting Canadian Achiever stories on radio, best selling book, syndicated newspaper columns, and in regular feature stories for Broadcaster Magazine. www.broadcastermagazine.com