Degrassi teen drama sold into U.S. syndication
CTV’s teen drama Degrassi: The Next Generation has been sold into syndication to the United States, including in five of the top U.S. markets and 18 of the top 25. Vancouver-based Thunderbird Films and its American distribution partner, Program Partners, said yesterday the Degrassi syndication strip has been sold to Tribune Broadcasting group, as well as a consortium of others that includes stations under the Clear Channel banner. The 25-year-old franchise of shows is produced in Toronto by Epitome Pictures and is the brainchild of veteran producer Linda Schuyler.
CBC lobby seizes on idea of ‘pilot city’
There could be a silver lining to the loss of CBC-TV analog service in Kamloops. Local lobbyists have labelled it Pilot City. Save Our CBC Kamloops, which has been leading the charge to have over-the-air CBC restored in the area, believes the idea has merit. Pitched last week to a CRTC hearing on the future of broadcasting in Canada, the idea envisions Kamloops as a pilot city for the delivery of digital/high-definition TV.
WiFi radio stations to join battle for air supremacy
Over the past year or so, however, there has been talk about a new take on another technology — Internet radio — that has the potential to disrupt both the world of satellite radio and good old terrestrial radio. It’s called WiFi radio, or wireless Internet radio, and some say its time could be coming soon, thanks to cheaper radio chips and the increasing penetration of public wireless networks.
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I like to add my 2 cents on the WiFi radio topic. First of all, allow me to define what I meant by a WiFi radio:
- a stand-alone battery powered radio that is for listening to “radio” over internet ONLY. (with this, I block out all pocket PC, blackberry style devices, etc.)
I know five years is a long time to make any predictions but I am willing to bet 75 cents that we won’t have a WiFi radio in the way I defined in the next five years. This is not just a problem with the radio itself, it also needs a sufficient stable and cheap/free wifi network to support mass production of said radio.
So Tod, what is your take on this WiFi radio?
All the cool kids in the US seem to love Degrassi. It was only a matter of time. (Then we take Berlin.)
WRT Pilot City, Canada had to turn the corner between analogue OTA (over the air) and digital services, so better to work out the kinks before every community is offline.
Kamloops has done its homework and wants the CBC back….available for everyone. The idea that CBC is going to remove OTA broadcast from all but 44 communities across canada (and mostly in Ontario, I bet!) is really pretty sad. We might as well check our brains at the border and become the ignorant sheep that we’re destined to be, if that’s the wave of the future. Educational television is obviously just something the rich folks are into.