Canadian Television Fund Announces By-law Amendments and Appoints New Chair, Board Members

The Canadian Television Fund (CTF) announced today that amendments have been approved by its Members to By-law No. 8 to admit the Canadian Coalition for Cultural Expression (CCCE) as a member of the CTF. The CCCE replaces the Canadian Cable Television Association (CCTA) and the direct-to-home (DTH) Member. It has the right to nominate three cable and two DTH representatives as Directors to the Board.

Also, the CTF is pleased to announce that Paul Gratton has been elected as the Chair of the Board of Directors. Mr. Gratton comes to the CTF with a strong and varied background in the broadcasting industry. Since 1984, Mr. Gratton has served in senior roles with a number of organizations within the film and television industry, most recently as Vice President of Specialty Channels for CHUM Entertainment. From 1999 to 2006, he represented the Canadian Association of Broadcasters on the CTF Board a number of times. Mr. Gratton has been a member on a number of industry boards during his career, including serving as Chair of the Board of the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television from 2004-2007.

"The CTF is a vital component of the television industry in Canada, and I am honoured to be a part of this organization at this exciting time in its evolution," said Mr. Gratton. "As the industry adapts to the changing television landscape, so too will Canada's largest direct funder of television production. We will continue to meet the needs of the industry and continue to support shows that Canadians love to watch."

Finally, two new Directors were elected to the 2008-2009 Board: Marie-Andrée Poliquin, nominated by CBC/Radio-Canada, and Chris Frank, nominated by the CCCE. In addition, twelve standing Directors were renewed to the twenty-one member Board.

"We are pleased to welcome the new Chair and other Directors to the CTF Board," said Valerie Creighton, President of the CTF. "Their extensive knowledge of television funding and expertise within the industry will be true assets as we continue to support the advancement of Canadian television production. I would also like to thank our outgoing Chair and Directors for the dedication, insight, and proficiency they brought to the CTF Board."

The Canadian Television Fund's Board of Directors is made up of nominees from the federal government and organizations representing the Canadian production and distribution community, Canadian cable and direct-to-home satellite companies, and Canadian broadcasters.

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    The 2008-2009 CTF Board of Directors includes:

    Association des producteurs de films et de télévision du Québec (APFTQ)
    (1 member):
        1.  Claire Samson, President and CEO, APFTQ

    Association for Tele-Education of Canada (ATEC) (1 member):
        2.  Michèle Fortin, President and CEO, Télé-Québec

    Canadian Association of Film Distributors and Exporters (CAFDE)
    (1 member):
        3.  Vacant*

    Department of Canadian Heritage (5 members):
        4.  Anne-Marie Jean, Executive Director for Culture Montréal*
        5.  Eileen Sarkar, Research Fellow at the Centre on Governance at the
            University of Ottawa*
        6.  Vacant
        7.  Vacant
        8.  Vacant

    CCCE (5 members):
        9.  Alison Clayton, Independent Consultant
        10. Chris Frank, Vice President Programming, Bell ExpressVu
        11. Robin Mirsky, Executive Director, Rogers Communications Inc.
        12. Vacant
        13. Vacant

    The Canadian Film and Television Production Association (CFTPA)
    (2 members):
        14. Scott Garvie, Senior Vice-President, Business and Legal Affairs,
            Shaftesbury Films Inc.
        15. Paul Pope, Senior Producer, Pope Productions

    Canadian Association of Broadcasters (CAB) (4 members):
        16. Serge Bellerose, Vice President, New Media and Business Affairs,
            TQS Inc.
        17. Judith Brosseau, Senior Vice-President, Programming and
            Communications (Canal D, Historia, Séries+), Astral Media Inc.
        18. Corrie Coe, Director, Programming Administration, CTV
            Television Inc.
        19. Andrew Eddy, Vice-President, Program Strategy and Investment,
            Corus Specialty Television

    CBC/Radio-Canada (1 member):
        20. Marie-Andrée Poliquin, Director of Operations, Financing &
            Business Affairs, General Television

    Chair of the Board:
        21. Paul Gratton*

    * denotes independent members
    >>

About the Canadian Television Fund

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Fostering the growth of television production in Canada through financial investment and industry research, the Canadian Television Fund (CTF) supports the development of Canadian talent, programs and audiences. Since 1995, the CTF has contributed to the creation of over 27,000 hours of Canadian television and has provided over $2.7 billion of financial investment triggering the production of over $8 billion of Canadian television. CTF-supported productions have cultivated thousands of jobs in the Canadian television sector. Further details about the CTF are available on the organization's website at www.ctf-fct.ca.

SOURCE: Canadian Television Fund

Media Inquiries: Betsy Chaly, Director of Communications, Canadian Television Fund,
bchaly@ctf-fct.ca, (416) 554-2768