Head of Bell Media Proves that She, Like Her Company, is a Dinosaur

Yesterday, Bell Media held its upfronts for all CTV and associated cable channels. For those of you not in the know, the upfronts is a chance for TV networks to show off for advertisers and the audience what new shows they’re bringing to their stations in the upcoming season. Typically, in the case of CTV, it means revealing what American network shows they’re buying and simulcasting here in Canada so they can make millions without investing significantly in homegrown talent.

If that were the extent of CTV and Bell’s crimes against media this week, then it wouldn’t have made much news beyond the obvious, but what really got under people’s skin was win Bell Media head Mary Ann Turcke used the occasion to slap the wrists of Canadian TV viewers who are accessing American streaming sites like the U.S. version of Netflix, and circumventing Canadian copyright laws. Turcke calls it stealing, but fans of streaming content call it out-dated thinking. What Ms. Turcke doesn’t understand is that she’s the one to blame for consumers looking for accessible services elsewhere rather than investing in her own substandard service. Continue reading “Head of Bell Media Proves that She, Like Her Company, is a Dinosaur” →

Canadian Trivia Fail! Video of the Week from Jeopardy

Of course, the most well-known bit of Canadian-related trivia on Jeopardy is that its host, Alex Trebek, is one of us. One wonders then if he was somewhat responsible for the events that transpired on the game show the other night, when Jeopardy decided to test the contestants knowledge of the Great White North. Unsurprisingly, it was an epic fail. After leaving the category “Canadian Cities” to the very end of Double Jeopardy, and with time still left on the clock, the trio of players had to face the inevitable, that they didn’t know Jack about Canada. Of course, I wonder how many of the questions the average Canadian would have gotten (I got three out of five), but still, it was a truly pitiful display for a show aimed towards smart people. Let’s take a look and mock, shall we? Continue reading “Canadian Trivia Fail! Video of the Week from Jeopardy” →

Open Sources Show Notes for Thursday June 4, 2015

It’s a very busy week full of very serious issues here on Open Sources Guelph. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission came back with a scathing report and a to-do list a mile long for the government, but will they listen? Peter MacKay is leaving politics, but is he gone for good? A class action lawsuit’s been brought against the RCMP, is this the new battleground of sex discrimination? And the Patriot Act is gone, but is the Freedom Act better (or less ironic)? And that’s just the tip of the iceberg for this week’s show. Continue reading “Open Sources Show Notes for Thursday June 4, 2015” →

Justin Trudeau? Shia LeBeouf says ‘Just Do It!’

From the guy that brought you wearing a bag over his head to his own movie premiere, and sitting in an art gallery all day to have people come in an yell at him, comes Shia LeBeouf’s latest art project: standing in front of a green screen yelling motivational gibberish at the camera. The point of this has its own weird explanation, but some industrious Canadians saw an opportunity to inject a little “Beef” into our upcoming election. Continue reading “Justin Trudeau? Shia LeBeouf says ‘Just Do It!’” →

MacKay Joins the March out the Conservative Caucus Door

In a shocking news item this morning, Justice Minister Peter MacKay announced that he would not be seeking re-election in this fall’s Federal Election. It’s another sudden loss for the Harper government that is going into this coming election with a further diminished bench that includes the previously announced loss of former Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird and Minister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages Shelly Glover. Continue reading “MacKay Joins the March out the Conservative Caucus Door” →

Open Sources Show Notes for Thursday May 28, 2015

This week, Open Sources Guelph is going to try something different: back-to-back interviews! As luck would have it, the radio gods have gifted us with two insightful and locally-focused interviews on this week’s show, from the relevant and sensitive issues surrounding sexual assault awareness and prevention, to a pair of politicians questing to better understand the demands and limitations of public transportation in the Royal City. Continue reading “Open Sources Show Notes for Thursday May 28, 2015” →

Editorial Cartoonist Wins Journalist of the Year for Cirillo Tribute

The day after the fatal shooting on Parliament Hill, a cartoon by Bruce MacKinnon published in the Halifax Chronicle Herald, offered a small measure of comfort. The image of the bronzed soldiers of World War I, immortalized in the National War Memorial, climbing down off their pedestal and coming to the aid of Corporal Nathan Cirillo, said so much more than words ever could. It’s rare that a political cartoon can be so sentimental in emotion, and in an act rarer still, the National Newspaper Awards named MacKinnon their Journalist of the Year for his creation. Continue reading “Editorial Cartoonist Wins Journalist of the Year for Cirillo Tribute” →