WATERLOO, Ont. (CP) - Jennifer Pritchett, a reporter for the Kingston Whig-Standard, has won this year's Journalist of the Year award at the 52nd annual Ontario Newspaper Awards.

Pritchett was lauded by the judges of the prestigious ONA category for a series of stories on Marcel Tremblay, the terminally ill Ottawa man who killed himself in January, 2005, in a carefully staged bid to draw national attention to the right-to-die cause that he supported.

"Pritchett brought intelligence and sensitivity to an issue with social, legal, medical and political implications," the three-person panel said.

David Bebee of the Waterloo Region Record won the Photojournalist of the Year Award for a diverse portfolio of "exceptional work," judge John Honderich said. It was Bebee's second consecutive year winning the category.

Jordan Press of Ryerson University was awarded the Rob Austin Memorial Award for student journalist of the year.

The awards were handed out at a gala in Waterloo on Saturday night attended by more than 450 people. There were almost 900 entries in 38 categories.

A complete list of 38 winners - Journalist of the Year, Jennifer Pritchett, a reporter for the Kingston Whig-Standard.

1) CANADIAN PRESS AWARD FOR SPOT NEWS REPORTING (under 25,000 circulation): News team, Guelph Mercury

2) CANADIAN PRESS AWARD FOR SPOT NEWS REPORTING (over 25,000 circulation): News team, the London Free Press, for a package of stories on its coverage of the end of a 15-year murder mystery surrounding the death of Lynda Shaw

3) JACK BOWMAN AWARD FOR SPOT NEWS PHOTOGRAPHY (under 25,000 circulation): Greg Furminger, Welland Tribune

4) WINNIFRED STOKES HILL AWARD FOR OPINION AND ANALYSIS (under 25,000 circulation): Phil McNichol, Owen Sound Sun Times

5) OSPREY MEDIA AWARD FOR MUNICIPAL AFFAIRS REPORTING (under 25,000 circulation): Greg Furminger, Welland Tribune

6) LARRY N. SMITH AWARD FOR NOVICE REPORTING (under 25,000 circulation): Brian Whitwham, Guelph Mercury

7) HAMILTON SPECTATOR AWARD FOR PORTRAIT PHOTOGRAPHY: Susan Bradnam, London Free Press

8) ROBERT J. HANLEY AWARD FOR SPORTS WRITING (under 25,000 circulation): Ken Pagan, North Bay Nugget

9) JAMES BRUCE AWARD FOR ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT WRITING: John Law, Niagara Falls Review

10) ROGERS CABLE AWARD FOR MUNICIPAL REPORTING (over 25,000 circulation): Roseann Danese, Windsor Star

11) FORD AWARD FOR SPOT NEWS PHOTOGRAPHY: Michael Lea, Kingston Whig-Standard

12) TORONTO STAR AWARD FOR DESIGN AND GRAPHICS (under 25,000 circulation): Drew Edwards, Guelph Mercury

13) CARL MORGAN AWARD FOR SPECIAL PROJECTS: London Free Press

14) DEL BELL AWARD FOR FEATURE WRITING: Susan Clairmont , Hamilton Spectator

15) LONDON FREE PRESS AWARD FOR NEWS FEATURE WRITING: Jennifer Pritchett, Kingston Whig-Standard

16) TORONTO STAR AWARD FOR EDITORIAL WRITING (under 25,000 circulation): George Mathewson, Sarnia Observer

17) CANWEST AWARD FOR BUSINESS WRITING: News team, Waterloo Region Record

18) GENE FLORCYK AWARD FOR SPORTS WRITING: Scott Radley, Hamilton Spectator

19) JOHN E. MOTZ AWARD FOR LAYOUT (over 25,000 circulation): Hamilton Spectator

20) WAYNE MACDONALD AWARD FOR NARRATIVE WRITING: Jon Wells, Hamilton Spectator

21) K.J. STRACHAN AWARD FOR EDITORIAL WRITING: Don McArthur, Windsor Star

22) JOAN MAY AWARD FOR COLUMN WRITING: Bill Dunphy, Hamilton Spectator

23) A. ROSS WEICHEL AWARD FOR SPECIAL PROJECTS (under 25,000 circulation): Peterborough Examiner

24) WALTER BLACKBURN AWARD FOR OPINION AND ANALYSIS: Christian Aagaard, Waterloo Region Record

25) LONDON FREE PRESS AWARD FOR SPORTS PHOTOGRAPHY (under 25,000 circulation): James Masters, Owen Sound Sun Times

26) SANDY BAIRD AWARD FOR HUMOUR WRITING: Bernie Puchalski, St. Catharines Standard

27) NORMA BIDWELL AWARD FOR FAMILY/LIFESTYLE WRITING (under 25,000 circulation): Dan McCaffrey, Sarnia Observer

28) C.B. SCHMIDT AWARD FOR NOVICE REPORTING: Dalson Chen, Windsor Star

29) FORD AWARD FOR FEATURE PHOTOGRAPHY: Derek Ruttan, London Free Press

30) BILL MCGRATH AWARD FOR DESIGN AND GRAPHICS: Tania Praeg, Waterloo Region Record

31) LONDON FREE PRESS AWARD FOR FEATURE PHOTOGRAPHY (under 25,000
circulation): Luke Hendry, Belleville Intelligencer

32) JOHN E. MOTZ AWARD FOR LAYOUT AND DESIGN (under 25,000 circulation): Brantford Expositor

33) TONY FREDO AWARD FOR FAMILY/LIFESTYLE WRITING: Randy Richmond, London Free Press

34) MURRAY THOMSON AWARD FOR ENVIRONMENTAL REPORTING:
Heather Ibbotson and Michael-Allan Marion, Brantford Expositor

35) PRESS INSTITUTE OF CANADA AWARD FOR ENTERPRISE REPORTING: News team, Hamilton Spectator

36) ROGERS CABLE AWARD FOR SPORTS PHOTOGRAPHY: Nick Brancaccio, Windsor Star

37) EDWARD J. HAYES AWARD FOR BEAT REPORTING: Tamsin McMahon, Kingston Whig-Standard

38) PHOTOJOURNALIST OF THE YEAR: David Bebee, Waterloo Region Record

"After considering several internal and external candidates, it became clear that the best candidate for the role was the Magazine's own Director of Advertising," said Mr. Loewen. "Since she joined Weekly Scoop, Tracy has played an instrumental role in reaching out to the target advertisers and building the advertising pages of the magazine. She has been a highly respected leader and a good business partner for Vivian Vassos, our Editor in Chief at Weekly Scoop."

Ms. Day first joined Weekly Scoop in February 2006 from WeddingChannel.com where she was Publisher of WEDDINGBELLS US Publications Inc. from 2002 - 2004 and Executive Director and Associate Publisher of Regional Sales and National Fashion for WeddingChannel.com - the combined print magazine/online company between 2002 and 2006.

Prior to joining WeddingBells.com, Tracy held a number of increasingly senior sales roles at companies in Leeds, England, her hometown, Boston, Massachusetts and in Toronto.

Tracy holds a BA (Honours) degree in Public Media and Geography from Trinity and All Saints' College at Leeds University in Leeds, England.

Weekly Scoop is the only Canadian, English language weekly magazine that targets women between 18 and 49. This unique publication features celebrity stories with a Canadian twist. Whether stars are in Canada filming, shopping or attending high-powered events, Weekly Scoop has them covered. Weekly Scoop's focus extends beyond borders taking a global view, letting Canadian women enjoy the most exciting celebrity news wherever and whenever it happens. Celebrity style is hot, and only Weekly Scoop goes in-depth to show Canadian women how to create their own A-list looks via Canadian retailers they know and love. Sold on newsstands nationwide and backed by Toronto Star Newspapers Ltd., Weekly Scoop promises to become one of this country's best-read magazines. In fact, when it debuted on Oct. 3, 2005, it was the largest Canadian magazine newsstand launch ever!

There’s no better way to spend a summer than following a dream and showcasing your hometown. At least that’s Thomas Gofton’s view. Beginning May 23, the third-year psychology and theatre studies student begins production on his debut film, Four Aces, which is set in Guelph and features the University of Guelph as one of its main backdrops.

“It’s my way of giving back to my hometown and my school,” said Gofton, who started writing the film’s screenplay during the winter break. “I want to use Guelph and U of G as settings because I take pride in them and I want to give them both recognition and appreciation. That’s the point of doing this film.”

The film will be directed by U of G graduate Michael Chudnovsky, who is co-producing the film with Gofton and James Poirier. Director of photography is Guelph-born Derek Monalbetti, who recently graduated from the New York Film School. Filming is scheduled to last a month.

Filmmaking is something Gofton has been interested in doing since high school, but never had a chance to pursue until now. He enrolled in U of G’s psychology program because he was considering a career in teaching or child psychology. But he also wanted to further his interest in film, so he’s been taking theatre studies courses to learn more about acting and script writing and analysis.

“Thomas is one of a growing number of students in Guelph and area who have an intense passionate determination to make films,” said Prof. Paul Salmon, English and Theatre Studies, who taught Gofton in a Canadian film course this winter.

Four Aces is a romantic comedy about four young men who have been close friends since childhood. They’re all attracted to a young Australian woman named Jessie, who comes to Guelph to work for a year before beginning her studies at U of G. The four men befriend her, and slowly but surely, each of them starts to fall for her.

“Jessie’s parents are Canadian and both graduated from U of G’s marine biology program at a time when Guelph was one of the only schools in the country that offered it,” said Gofton. “She’s been backpacking around the world and has decided to pay tribute to her parents by coming to U of G.”

Cast in the role of Jessie is Casey Dutfield, a fourth-year theatre studies student. The four young men are played by John Battye, who recently completed his second year of theatre studies; theatre studies graduate Andrew Ferguson; Gofton; and Guelph native Ryan Barrett. Biological sciences student Christina Maio has also been cast in a principal role, playing the partner of Gofton’s character.

With a $30,000 budget, Gofton has his cast and crew in place and is making final arrangements to secure shooting locations. Van Gogh’s Ear, Café Chopin, Thomas Video, the Aberfoyle Mill and the grounds at U of G are among the locations that have been confirmed.

Although much of the pre-production legwork has been taken care of, Gofton is still actively seeking film extras of all ages. To assist him in his search, he’s staging a concert at Van Gogh’s Ear May 11 at 8 p.m. The evening will feature a number of musical acts, including The Next Best Thing, The Johnstones and Harpoon Dodger. Everyone attending the concert will have a chance to sign up for the film. Those interested in signing up but unable to attend the May 11 event can contact Gofton at 341-0870 or ceycil@lynnvander.com.

There is a direct link between freedom of the media, and the ability of countries to eradicate poverty, Daniel Kaufmann, Director of Global Programs and Governance for the World Bank Institute, said at a conference in Colombo, Sri Lanka, reports the Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union. Mr Kaufmann was the keynote speaker at a UNESCO conference on “Media, Development and Poverty Eradication” which is being held today and tomorrow as a prelude to the World Press Freedom Day celebrations which will take place in Colombo on Wednesday.

“‘The data shows that increasing press freedom lowers corruption, and in turn, lowering corruption [can] increase per capita income three-fold,’ he said. ‘It is extremely important to approach this critical issue from a hard-nosed evidence basis – and that link is what the data clearly demonstrates.’”

The Daily Star (Lebanon) meanwhile notes that “a report released Wednesday by France's global media freedom group Reporters Sans Frontieres (RSF) said the year 2005 was ‘a bloody one, with at least 63 journalists and five media assistants killed worldwide and over 1,300 media workers attacked or threatened - the highest toll since 1995.’ According to a global survey of media freedom released last week by the Washington-based non-governmental organization Freedom House, 43 percent of the world's population lives in countries that lack a free press. The survey said only 17 percent of the world's population live in countries where the press is free, while the remaining 40 percent reside in a ‘grey zone of partial media freedom.’”

Reuters adds that “a Lebanese broadcaster who lost a hand and a leg in an attempt on her life received an annual press freedom award from the United Nations on Wednesday, with the organization warning journalists were increasingly at risk. Television presenter May Chidiac was proposed for the annual Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize by the Lebanese government. UNESCO, the United Nations cultural body, said she owed her popularity to her professionalism and direct approach in a country at war.”

Earning distinction with the most Award nominations is The Walrus (49 nominations) followed by Toronto Life (24 nominations) and Saturday Night (20 nominations). Other notable nominees include L'actualité (18 nominations), Explore (14 nominations) and Toro (13 nominations).

From an individual's perspective, Don Gillmor and Mark Schatzker are the most recognized finalists with 5 nominations each. However, nine contributors garnered 3 or 4 nominations, and more than 30 are nominated for two awards. For the complete list of finalists and archive of past winners, please visit www.magazine-awards.com.

The Foundation's inaugural Best Student Writer Award goes to Leigh Doyle for her article So Long that appeared in The Ryerson Review of Journalism. Leigh is a recent journalism graduate from Ryerson University and former editor of the Ryerson Review of Journalism.

The winner of this year's Alexander Ross Award for Best New Writer is Larry Frolick, for his articles The Wired Cabin in Outpost and Danger Signs in The Walrus. Larry Frolick is the author of Splitting Up: Divorce, Culture, and the Search for a Real Life, Ten Thousand Scorpions, and Grand Centaur Station. He lives in Toronto.

The NMAF's most coveted prize since its inception in 1990 is The Foundation Award for Outstanding Achievement. The Board of Directors of the National Magazine Awards Foundation is honoured to name John Macfarlane as this year's recipient for his exceptional contributions to the Canadian magazine community.

John Macfarlane has been editor of Toronto Life since 1992 - a position he also held from 1972 to 1974 - and also serves as vice-president of strategic development at St. Joseph Media. Under his editorial direction, Toronto Life has won more than 70 National Magazine Awards. With other stints at the Financial Times of Canada, Saturday Night, Weekend Magazine, and Maclean's, he has been lauded for what writer Robert Fulford calls "his unrelenting pressure for excellence and his shaping vision of what a good magazine can be."

Macfarlane's reputation for excellence extends beyond magazines. Other stops include CTV, The Toronto Star and The Globe and Mail and volunteer positions with the Writers' Trust of Canada, the National Magazine Awards Foundation, the Ontario Arts Council, and the Friends of Canadian Broadcasting, to name but a few.

All National Magazine Awards, including the President's Medal for overall excellence, will be presented June 9th, 2006 at the Carlu in Toronto.

<<

2005 NOMINATION HIGHLIGHTS

Individuals

-----------

1. Don Gillmor (5 nominations)

2. Mark Schatzker (5 nominations)

3. Sylvia Fraser, Duncan Hood, Tabatha Southey (4 nominations each)

4. Larry Frolick, Gerald Hannon, Chris Koentges, J.B. MacKinnon

(3 nominations each)

Magazines

---------

1. The Walrus (49 nominations)

2. Toronto Life (24 nominations)

3. Saturday Night (20 nominations)

4. L'actualité (18 nominations)

5. Explore (14 nominations)

6. Toro (13 nominations)

>>

ABOUT THE NATIONAL MAGAZINE AWARDS FOUNDATION

The National Magazine Awards Foundation (NMAF) is a non-profit, bilingual organization that promotes excellence in Canadian magazine journalism through the judging and awarding of over 2,300 nominee submissions from across the country. The NMAF recognizes the outstanding efforts of more written and visual artists than any comparable organization on the continent, and is supported in part by the Government of Canada (through the Canada Magazine Fund of the Department of Canadian Heritage.)

-- MTV Screen to air special one-hour episode at 7:30 p.m. ET/PT --
-- A Canadian FIRST: MTV Movie Awards Red Carpet Pre-Show at 8:30 p.m. ET/PT –
-- Movie Awards madness capped by MTV Movie Awards Aftershow at 11 p.m. ET/PT -

Toronto – MTV announced that it will broadcast The 2006 MTV Movie Awards in Canada on Thursday, June 8 at 9 p.m. ET/PT, hosted by movie starlet Jessica Alba. MTV in Canada joins 170 other countries around the world broadcasting the two-hour event, which is at the vanguard of pop culture with its irreverent categories such as “Best Kiss,” “Best Villian” and “Breakthrough Performance.” Broadcast in 23 languages, The 2006 MTV Movie Awards will be seen in more than 480 million households.

In addition to on demand coverage on MTV Overdrive at mtv.ca., MTV in Canada will present over four hours of television coverage on the day of the broadcast, leading up to, including, and following the big event, direct from Holllywood and from MTV’s headquarters at Toronto’s Masonic Temple. The night kicks off with a special one-hour episode of MTV Screen at 7:30 p.m. ET/PT, followed by The MTV Movie Awards Pre-Show at 8:30 p.m. ET/PT. Following the awards broadcast (9-11 p.m. ET/PT), MTV Live hosts will re-cap the night’s festivities with the MTV Movie Awards Aftershow at 11 p.m. ET/PT.

MTV also announced today that for the first time ever, Canadians can help choose the winners of The 2006 MTV Movie Awards. Canadians can actually vote for the 2006 MTV Movie Awards nominees on MTV Overdrive, MTV’s broadband channel. Visit www.mtv.ca before May 19 and click on the 2006 MTV Movie Awards tab to vote and watch a sneak peek of each nominated movie. Viewers on MTV Overdrive will also be able receive more information about the show’s host, presenters and performers as they are announced.

Also for the first time ever, Canadians can watch The MTV Movie Awards Pre-Show., MTV presents the movie industry’s biggest celebrities as they arrive to walk the red carpet in front of hundreds of screaming fans. The half-hour special will talk with the biggest celebrities of the night as they arrive at the Sony Pictures Studios in Culver City for The 2006 MTV Movie Awards.

Airing immediately before the Pre-Show at 7:30 p.m. ET/PT is a special one-hour episode of MTV Screen. MTV’s movie entertainment show will focus exclusively on the Movie Awards with interviews with stars, directors and critics while dishing the latest dirt on all The 2006 MTV Movie Award nominees. It’s essential preparation for the water cooler discussion guaranteed to happen the next day.

MTV is Canada’s most interactive broadcast brand and in keeping with that mandate, MTV will give Canadians a chance to weigh-in with comments, opinions and questions during The 2006 MTV Movie Awards broadcast. In every commercial break during The 2006 MTV Movie Awards Pre-Show and the awards broadcast, MTV’s hosts will encourage viewers to interact with each other, live and on-air. Then, immediately following the awards ceremony at 11 p.m. ET/PT, MTV presents The 2006 MTV Movie Awards Aftershow, inviting feedback and interaction from Canadians across the country as they analyze the winners, the losers, the outfits, the antics, the issues and more.

Host Jessica Alba is up for three nominations at this year’s event including Best Hero and Best On-Screen Team for her performance in the Fantastic Four (20th Century Fox), along with Sexiest Performance for her role in Sin City (Dimension Films), a film also up for Best Movie honors.

"The MTV Movie Awards is like a three-ring circus and I'm thrilled they asked me to be this year's ringmaster," said Alba.

“Talented, smart and funny, Jessica is one of Hollywood’s hottest and most sought-after actresses and the perfect leading lady for The Movie Awards,” said Christina Norman, President, MTV. “This year’s show promises to be anything but traditional - and Jessica is just the person to help mix things up.”

The MTV Movie Awards is just the most recent addition to Alba’s growing list of credits. In 2005 alone, Alba stared in three major motion pictures including the critically-acclaimed Sin City, starring alongside Bruce Willis, Josh Hartnett, Elijah Wood and others; the Marvel Comics’ franchise blockbuster Fantastic Four where she played the lead female character Sue Storm; and the underwater action-adventure Into the Blue, starring alongside Paul Walker, Josh Brolin and Scott Caan. With all achieving notable success, the combined worldwide box offices for all three films was over half a billion dollars. Audiences will also recognize Alba from her stand out performance in the hit urban drama Honey, as well as her role as the lead character in James Cameron’s television series, Dark Angel, among her multiple other credits. Upcoming projects in which Alba will star include sequels to the comic book adaptation to Fantastic Four and the acclaimed Sin City, along with the psychological thriller, Awake opposite Canadian Hayden Christiansen, set for release in early 2007.

To vote for The 2006 MTV Movie Awards, watch performances from this year’s nominees, and to learn more about this year’s show, visit www.mtv.ca/movieawards

Tenth Planet Productions will once again join MTV to produce The 2006 MTV Movie Awards. Joel Gallen will executive produce the show for the twelfth consecutive year and also direct the show. Salli Frattini is Executive Producer for MTV. Rick Austin is Producer and Kathy Flynn will serve as Event Producer.

As previously announced, the nominees for The 2006 MTV Movie Awards are:

BEST MOVIE

• The 40-Year Old Virgin (Universal Pictures)

• Batman Begins (Warner Bros. Pictures)

• King Kong (Universal Pictures)

• Sin City (Dimension Films)

• Wedding Crashers (New Line Cinema)

BEST PERFORMANCE

• Joaquin Phoenix - Walk The Line (20th Century Fox)

• Jake Gyllenhaal - Brokeback Mountain (Focus Features)

• Rachel McAdams - Red Eye (DreamWorks SKG)

• Steve Carell - The 40-Year Old Virgin (Universal Pictures)

• Terrence Howard - Hustle & Flow (Paramount Classics)

• Reese Witherspoon - Walk The Line (20th Century Fox)

BEST COMEDIC PERFORMANCE

• Owen Wilson - Wedding Crashers (New Line Cinema)

• Adam Sandler - The Longest Yard (Paramount Pictures)

• Steve Carell - The 40-Year Old Virgin (Universal Pictures)

• Tyler Perry – Tyler Perry’s Madea's Family Reunion (Lions Gate Films)

• Vince Vaughn - Wedding Crashers (New Line Cinema)

BEST ON-SCREEN TEAM

• Steve Carell, Paul Rudd, Seth Rogen & Romany Malco – The 40-Year Old Virgin

(Universal Pictures)

• Johnny Knoxville, Seann William Scott & Jessica Simpson – The Dukes of Hazzard

(Warner Bros. Pictures)

• Jessica Alba, Ioan Gruffudd, Chris Evans & Michael Chiklis – Fantastic Four

(20th Century Fox)

• Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson & Rupert Grint – Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

(Warner Bros. Pictures)

• Vince Vaughn & Owen Wilson – Wedding Crashers

(New Line Cinema)

BEST VILLAIN

• Cillian Murphy – Batman Begins (Warner Bros. Pictures)

• Hayden Christensen – Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith

(20th Century Fox)

• Ralph Fiennes – Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Warner Bros. Pictures)

• Tilda Swinton – The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (Disney Pictures)

• Tobin Bell – Saw II (Lions Gate Films)

BREAKTHROUGH PERFORMANCE

• Andre “3000” Benjamin – Four Brothers (Paramount Pictures)

• Isla Fisher – Wedding Crashers (New Line Cinema)

• Nelly – The Longest Yard (Paramount Pictures)

• Jennifer Carpenter – The Exorcism of Emily Rose (Screen Gems)

• Romany Malco – The 40-Year Old Virgin (Universal Pictures)

• Taraji P. Henson – Hustle & Flow (Paramount Classics)

BEST HERO

• Christian Bale – Batman Begins (Warner Bros. Pictures)

• Jessica Alba – Fantastic Four (20th Century Fox)

• Daniel Radcliffe – Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Warner Bros. Pictures)

• Kate Beckinsale – Underworld: Evolution (Screen Gems)

• Ewan McGregor – Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith (20th Century Fox)

SEXIEST PERFORMANCE

• Beyonce Knowles – The Pink Panther (Sony Pictures)

• Jessica Alba – Sin City (Dimension Films)

• Jessica Simpson – The Dukes of Hazzard (Warner Bros. Pictures)

• Ziyi Zhang – Memoirs of a Geisha (Sony Pictures)

• Rob Schneider – Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo (Sony Pictures)

BEST FIGHT

• Kong vs. The Planes – King Kong (Universal Pictures)

• Stephen Chow vs. Axe Gang – Kung Fu Hustle (Sony Pictures Classics)

• Angelina Jolie vs. Brad Pitt – Mr. & Mrs. Smith (20th Century Fox)

• Ewan McGregor vs. Hayden Christensen – Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith (20th Century Fox)

BEST KISS

• Jake Gyllenhaal & Heath Ledger – Brokeback Mountain (Focus Features)

• Taraji P. Henson & Terrence Howard – Hustle & Flow (Paramount Classics)

• Anna Faris & Chris Marquette – Just Friends (New Line Cinema)

• Angelina Jolie & Brad Pitt – Mr. & Mrs. Smith (20th Century Fox)

• Rosario Dawson & Clive Owen – Sin City (Dimension Films)

BEST FRIGHTENED PERFORMANCE

• Rachel Nichols - The Amityville Horror (MGM)

• Jennifer Carpenter – The Exorcism of Emily Rose (Screen Gems)

• Derek Richardson – Hostel (Lions Gate Films)

• Paris Hilton – House of Wax (Warner Bros. Pictures)

• Dakota Fanning – War of the Worlds (Paramount Pictures)

mtvU STUDENT FILMMAKER AWARD

• Joshua Caldwell (Fordham University) – A Beautiful Lie

• Sean Mullin (Columbia University) – Sadiq

• Stephen Reedy (Diablo Valley College) – Undercut

• Jarrett Slavin (University of Michigan) – The Spiral Project

• Landon Zakheim (Emerson College) – The Fabulous Felix McCabe

2006 MTV Movie Awards

Total Number of Combined Category Nominations

The 40-Year Old Virgin 5

Wedding Crashers 5

Batman Begins 3

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire 3

Hustle & Flow 3

Sin City 3

Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith 3

Brokeback Mountain 2

The Dukes of Hazzard 2

The Exorcism of Emily Rose 2

Fantastic Four 2

King Kong 2

The Longest Yard 2

Mr. & Mrs. Smith 2

Walk The Line 2

The Amityville Horror 1

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe 1

Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo 1

Four Brothers 1

Hostel 1

House of Wax 1

Just Friends 1

Kung Fu Hustle 1

Tyler Perry’s Madea's Family Reunion 1

Memoirs of a Geisha 1

The Pink Panther 1

Red Eye 1

Saw II 1

Underworld: Evolution 1

War of the Worlds 1

* Nominees are chosen through a national poll of MTV and MTV2 viewers.

Canadians who make this year's list include: Steve Nash,
Stewart Butterfield and Caterina Fake, and Jeffrey Skoll

TORONTO - In its May 8, 2006, edition (on newsstands
Monday, May 1), TIME Magazine unveils its annual list of the most influential
people in the world over the past year - the TIME 100. The list profiles the
lives and ideas of the world's most influential people and is split into
five categories: Leaders & Revolutionaries, Builders & Titans, Artists &
Entertainers, Heroes & Icons, and Scientists & Thinkers. "The TIME 100 list is
about people like Steve Nash," says TIME Canada editor Adi Ignatius, who
top-edited the special package. "He is not only the best player in basketball-
recent reports suggest he's about to win his second consecutive NBA MVP award-
but his selfless style of play is inspiring kids that you don't have to be a
selfish scorer to win, and to be appreciated."

Editors of TIME invited well-known individuals to write many of the
100 profiles, here are a few:

CHARLES BARKLEY on Steve nash
STEPHEN GAGHAN on Jeffrey Skoll
TOM CRUISE on J.J. Abrams
HEIDI KLUM on Tyra Banks
CONDOLEEZA RICE on Oprah Winfrey
MALCOLM GLADWELL on Steven Levitt
GLORIA STEINEM on Muktharan Bibi
LAURA BUSH on Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf

Excerpts of Canadian Profiles

STEVE NASH - by Charles Barkley (Former NBA great)
"I'm glad the world has got a chance to learn from a guy like Steve
Nash," writes former NBA-great Charles Barkley, who was invited by TIME
editors to write the Nash profile. "What has he taught us? It pays to be
selfless. You can be content just to make the players around you better."
Barkley adds, "I'm a lucky guy to be living in Phoenix. The sun. The golf. And
I get to watch Nash act like a magician on the court. Can't top that. And who
knows? Maybe he'll inspire a whole new generation of kids to pass out of
double teams the way he does. Like Nash, maybe they'll be selfless off the
court too. That would be even better."

STEWART BUTTERFIELD/CATERINA FAKE - by Josh Quittner (Editor of Business
2.0)
"The secret of today's successful Web 2.0 companies: build a place that
attracts people by encouraging them to create the content-thereby drawing even
more people in to create even more stuff. The poster child of this (Tom)
Sawyeresque business model is the photo-sharing site called Flickr.
Caterina Fake, 37, an art director turned marketing whiz, and her Web designer
husband Stewart Butterfield, 33, hatched the idea after an engineer at their
fledgling online-gaming company devised a cool hack that let anyone share a
photo on the Web fast and effortlessly. They set to work giving users other
tools, including the ability to tag photos with keywords (the better to sort
and find things) and write notes on them (the better to leave wry remarks for
your pals)."

JEFF SKOLL - by Stephen Gaghan (Writer of Oscar-winning films like
Syriana and Traffic)
"Two things about Jeff Skoll: he wants to make the world a better place,
and he didn't found eBay (But was eBay's first president). I first met Skoll,
40, at an abandoned mental hospital in the Maryland countryside. He tells me
film can change the world. He tells me you can build companies based on trust.
He speaks softly. His company, Participant Productions, has just relieved
Warner Brothers of half the budget of my film Syriana. That seems sort of
risky, and I'm very curious about Jeff."


Canadians who made the list this year:

Heroes & Icons Builders & Titans Artists & Entertainers
-Steve Nash -Stewart Butterfield -Jeffrey Skoll
and Caterina Fake

In addition to winning the RTNDA Awards for journalist excellence, CTV's Evening News is the No. 1 rated newscast in Winnipeg, Calgary and Regina in total audience and in all key demographics.

Also in the May issue:

Canada's 10 best golf regions - With an introduction by Lorne Rubenstein, the special pullout guide explores Canada's best golf regions coast to coast, including where to stay, from Prince Edward Island to British Columbia, where to learn how to swing like a pro, and whether it's possible to land tickets to the Ryder Cup.

A lost cause - Columnist Eric Reguly argues that Canada's environmental groups have become ineffective and preoccupied by competition among each other, delivering mixed messages and muddled scientific evidence, while offering few alternatives to the confused and disengaged Canadian public.

TORONTO - Cosmetics Magazine presented the first annual Canadian Fragrance Awards tonight, celebrating the best 2005 fragrance launches in Canada. The gala event, hosted at Toronto's York Event Theatre, featured 350 fragrance industry executives from across the country. Italian designer Giorgio Armani took home two of the ten awards winning for his men's Code and Prive scents, while Alfred Sung accepted the Lifetime Achievement Award on his 20th anniversary in the fragrance industry.

The awards are issued following a comprehensive judging process by Canadian beauty editors and international fragrance authorities with the goal of promoting fragrance in this country. Here are the winners:

1. Best Full-Market Launch - Women's
Lovely - Sarah Jessica Parker - Coty Prestige

2. Best Full-Market Launch - Men's
Armani Code - Giorgio Armani - L'Oreal Canada

3. Best Luxe Launch - Women's
Flowerbomb - Viktor & Rolf - L'Oreal Canada

4. Best Luxe Launch - Men's
Armani Prive - Giorgio Armani - L'Oreal Canada

5. Best Limited Launch - Women's
Euphoria - Calvin Klein - Coty Prestige

6. Best Limited Launch - Men's
Z Zegna - YSL Beaute Canada

7. Hall of Fame Award
Chanel No.5 - Chanel

8. Lifetime Achievement Award
Alfred Sung - Alfred Sung

9. Best Fragrance Editorial
Elle Canada - Fragrance Special
By Rita Silvan & Stephanie Polsinelli

10. Scent of the Year: Judges' Choice
Prada - Puig Prestige Beauty

The Canadian Fragrance Awards celebrate the best fragrance launches of the year. The goal of the program is to generate excitement for fragrance in Canada and to salute excellence in the industry.

WATERLOO, Ont. - Respected journalists will discuss the theme of "Catholic Voices in the Media and the Public Square" at the third biannual Catholics in Public Life conference hosted by St. Jerome's University and the Waterloo Catholic District School Board from May 12 to 13.

The conference, held at St. Jerome's on the University of Waterloo campus, kicks off May 12 at 7:30 p.m. with a distinguished panel of Catholic journalists discussing the transformation of the public square and the role of the media in shaping public debate.

Panellists represent the religious and secular media: Paul Baumann (editor, Commonweal), Robert Mickens (Vatican correspondent, The Tablet), Marina Jimenez (senior writer, The Globe and Mail) and Peter Kavanagh (producer, CBC Radio). Michael Higgins, president of St. Jerome's University and author of the best-selling Stalking the Holy: The Pursuit of Saint-making (2006), will be the moderator.

"This is an opportunity to hear first-hand how the media do their job and how, as Catholics, these journalists struggle to present these stories impartially, even when they raise difficult issues for the church," said Scott Kline, one of the conference's co-directors and a professor of religious studies.

The Saturday morning schedule involves panellists and participants in group discussions around issues facing Catholics in public life. Discussion leaders include journalists Joe Sinasac of The Catholic Register and Diane Bisson of Catholic New Times along with civic leaders Dianne Moser, chair of the Waterloo Catholic District School Board and Deborah Pecoskie, chair of St. Jerome's Board of Governors. One of the goals in these discussions is to help Catholic laity develop greater media literacy.

Kline said the conference offers an opportunity for Catholics to come together to have open and frank discussions about public and political issues currently making headlines.

"The wonderful aspect of this conference is that it brings together local political and civic leaders with international Catholic leaders," he said. "This year's focus on the media is especially timely given the recent coverage of John Paul II, Benedict XVI, same-sex marriage and the war on terror."

The Friday evening event is free and open to the public. The Saturday panel discussions and luncheon require registration. The registration fee for the conference is $60 for the general public, $50 for students. Registration and conference details are available at www.sju.ca/CIPL.html.

TSN's signature Wednesday Night Hockey broadcasts averaged 539,000 viewers for 32 games this season, 52 per cent higher than 2003/04. TSN televised an NHL game every Wednesday night throughout the regular season, making it appointment television for hockey fans across the country.

TSN's regional coverage of Toronto Maple Leafs broadcasts were up five per cent this year over 2003/04, with an average of 501,000 viewers for 15 games.

Six of the Top 10 most watched NHL games of all time on TSN were broadcast this season. TSN's first game of an opening night doubleheader (October 5, Ottawa @ Toronto) attracted a record audience of 2.1 million viewers, making it the most watched NHL telecast ever on TSN, and the fourth most watched program of all time on TSN. Game 2 on opening night (Phoenix @

Vancouver) attracted 1.3 million viewers, while the Toronto @ Buffalo game on November 11 also cracked the one million-viewer mark with an audience of 1.01 million. (See chart below.)

TSN has coverage of the first three rounds of the NHL Playoffs, beginning Friday, April 21 with the Conference Quarter-finals, Game 1: San Jose @ Nashville at 8 p.m. ET.

The following is a list of TSN's Top 10 NHL games of all time:

1. Ottawa @ Toronto - October 5, 2005 - regular season/opening night -

2,105,000

2. Tampa Bay @ Philadelphia - May 20, 2004 - playoffs, Game 6

Conference Final - 1,391,000

3. Phoenix @ Vancouver - October 5, 2005 - regular season/opening

night - 1,309,000

4. Toronto @ Buffalo - November 11, 2005 - regular season - 1,008,000

5. Toronto @ Chicago - November 28, 1993 - regular season - 980,000

6. Montreal @ Toronto - March 7, 2006 - regular season - 891,000

7. Toronto @ Winnipeg - April 8, 1993 - regular season - 884,000

8. Toronto @ Montreal - March 23, 2006 - regular season - 870,000

9. Vancouver @ Toronto - November 24, 2003 - regular season - 851,000

10. Toronto @ Tampa Bay - November 30, 2005 - regular season - 848,000

TSN is Canada's Sports Leader. Setting the Canadian sports broadcasting standard, TSN's flagship news program, SportsCentre, was voted the number-one source for sports news by sports fans from across the country.(xx) TSN's comprehensive broadcast schedule also features the NHL and first three rounds of the Stanley Cup Playoffs; Toronto Maple Leafs hockey; International Hockey including the IIHF World Junior Championship; the Olympic Games through 2012; CFL including Friday Night Football; NFL including Sunday and Monday Night Football; PGA TOUR and all four golf Majors; Championship Curling; NASCAR including the Daytona 500; Formula One including the Canadian Grand Prix; IRL including the Indy 500; Blue Jays baseball; Raptors basketball and the NBA Finals; Tennis and all four Grand Slam events; 2006 FIFA World Cup; UEFA Champions League Soccer; HBO World Championship boxing; and Figure Skating including the national championships. TSN HD offers more sports coverage, more hours and more events in High Definition than any other network in Canada, reinforcing TSN's position as Canada's Sports Leader in High Definition. TSN is available in eight million households. TSN's programming and news content is also available online at TSN.ca.

The list can be found on The Globe's small business hub at globeandmail.com/smallbusiness and will be published in the next issue of Report on Small Business, which comes out on Tuesday, April 25th. Report on Small Business is the Globe's specialty magazine targeted at the entrepreneurial market, which is distributed to members of the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB).

Seventy-nine companies registered for the study and 20 were selected as top performers. The wide scope and diversity of the finalists proves there's no single magic formula for success. The top five are:

1. SportsDirect, an on-line media company for sports statistics and news

based in Halifax;

2. High Road Communications, a tech-specific PR agency in Toronto;

3. Sapient Canada, a global business and technology consulting firm from

Toronto;

4. CNC Global, an IT placement, administration and payroll services firm

in Toronto;

5. Cariboo Friendship Society, a not-for-profit social services agency

in Williams Lake, B.C.

"The list of companies is diverse but they have one thing in common: they thrive on the excitement, challenges and camaraderie involved in building and growing a small enterprise," said Report on Small Business Editor Noel Hulsman.

Rankings were based on the results of detailed questionnaires and employee feedback on issues such as alignment to goals, workplace practices, and vision.

The Globe and Mail's small business web site and Report on Small Business serve the fastest growing segment of the economy: entrepreneurs. In the next five years, more than 100,000 new businesses will launch in Canada. The Globe and Mail serves the unique needs of these businesses with dedicated coverage of small business issues and stories.

MONTREAL - Transcontinental acquired a majority interest in Montreal-based Enixa Media on April 12. The company manages a network of 400 in-store digital advertising displays, currently located in a total of 45 Metro and other grocery stores in Greater Montreal and reaching close to one million consumers weekly. The investment will enable Enixa's network to be extended to close to 2000 flat screens in some 200 grocery and other retail locations across the province over the next two years, with an estimated weekly reach of more than three million consumers. Enixa already counts many well-known brand names as advertisers on its network, whose flexible technology means campaigns can be targeted locally or more broadly and changed frequently and remotely via Internet. More information about Enixa Media can be found at enixamedia.com.

"This partnership is a great fit for Transcontinental," said Transcontinental's President and CEO, Luc Desjardins. "Working with Enixa, we are offering our advertisers yet another complementary medium to our newspapers, magazines, flyers and websites by which they can reach consumers. This extension of our presence on multi-channel platforms is in line with our Evolution 2010 business plan. I have every confidence in the rapid growth prospects of this innovative business model, especially given the quality of Enixa's product and its solid management team."

For his part, Pierre Bélanger, President of Enixa Media, commented: "Signing this agreement with a media company with both the marketing reach and expertise of Transcontinental will allow us to realize the vision we have had for Enixa from its start three years ago. Enixa will benefit from its ability to leverage the relationships Transcontinental has already established with both potential advertisers on our digital platform and major retailers to house our displays. We look forward to a very promising partnership."

"We are calling on the government to implement - not study, but implement

- the Information Commissioner's recommendations for reform of the Access to Information Act, exactly as promised in the Conservatives' election platform," John Williamson, Federal Director of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation said at a news conference on Parliament Hill today.

"Prime Minister Harper is wrong if he believes this is politics as usual," he said. "Advocates seeking reform are not looking to pocket half a loaf here."

"By introducing the Federal Accountability Act without promised reforms to improve transparency, the government has played a game of bait and switch with Canadian voters," Anne Kothawala, President and CEO of the Canadian Newspaper Association said.

"Prime Minister Harper made a bold promise to restore the public's trust in government," she said. "But, strangely, he left meaningful reforms to Access to Information out. It's as if an auto manufacturer promised to make its cars safer, added airbags and left out the seatbelts."

The two groups said they have come together to make common cause in a matter of vital public interest. Access to Information is essential for the press to do its job of informing the public on what government is doing and why, and it is vital for taxpayers to learn how their dollars are used.

The Conservative election platform pledged to enact the Open Government Act, a bill drafted by Information Commissioner John Reid at the request of Parliament last year. Instead of introducing this bill in the House as his party's platform promised, Treasury Board President John Baird sent the draft bill and a discussion paper to a Parliamentary committee for further study.

"The government is in serious danger of running out of time to honour its promise to improve transparency," Ms. Kothawala said. "Transparency is so critical, not just because it shines a light on wrongdoing, but because it is a powerful deterrent of wrongdoing," she said.

The two groups also called on opposition parties to work collaboratively to speed the introduction and passage of a bill to reform the Access to Information Act.

"If Opposition members stand shoulder to shoulder they can prevail on this important issue," Mr. Williamson said.

Toronto, - CTV News announced April 12 that it is launching a National Aboriginal Internship Program. Eleven regional stations across the country will each offer a twelve-week paid internship (summer 2006) as part of an ongoing commitment to Aboriginal reflection through participation and partnership.

"With the introduction of this National Aboriginal Internship Program, CTV News is committed to creating a greater Aboriginal presence in our newsrooms on a local and national basis," said Robert Hurst, President, CTV News. "This will help to increase Aboriginal reflection and participation in the broadcasting industry, one of the key issues raised in the Canadian Association of Broadcasters' Task Force on Cultural Diversity. The National Aboriginal Internship Program is in addition to other Aboriginal initiatives that CTV actively supports."

The available internships will be in Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Regina, Winnipeg, Sudbury, Kitchener, Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal and Halifax. Applicants are required to be of Aboriginal ancestry and registered in a broadcast educational program or related discipline, with an interest in a career in broadcasting, or have equivalent work experience. Successful candidates will have the opportunity to gain 12 weeks of valuable experience, as well as training and development in many aspects of news journalism and production.

For information on applying for these positions, please visit www.ctv.ca and follow the link to Careers at the bottom of the home page.

The Canadian Newspaper Association (CNA) is the voice of Canada's daily newspaper industry, dedicated to promoting the positive reputation of newspapers as an essential medium that benefits all Canadians. The CNA is a vigorous champion of journalistic freedom and democratic reform and is a valued source of industry information, trends and best practices.

The Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF) is Canada's largest taxpayer research and advocacy organization with over 72,000 supporters. Established in 1990, it is a federally incorporated not-for-profit, non-partisan, organization. The CTF is dedicated to lower taxes, less waste, and more accountable government.

"We welcome the broadening of the Access to Information Act to cover Crown Corporations and federal agencies beyond its reach," CNA President and CEO Anne Kothawala said today in a statement.

"But these token measures will not roll back the culture of secrecy in Ottawa. The Conservatives are enacting the easy, obvious, but least radical of changes to the Access to Information Act that were promised in their election platform. We worry that reforms that will bring about meaningful change, including some that were recommended by Parliament two decades ago, have been postponed, perhaps indefinitely," Ms. Kothawala said, referring to the government's plan to send only a discussion paper and a draft bill to a parliamentary committee for review.

"Accountability and transparency are two sides of the same coin," she said. "In the sponsorship scandal we saw that loopholes in Access to Information were big enough to drive a truck through. After five years of headlines and two elections, Canadians have passed the tipping point in their expectations for meaningful change. Mr. Harper made a strong commitment. We expect him to honour it, not in part, but fully. A partially kept promise will not re-glue the pieces of the shattered public trust."

Toronto- CTV gives viewers an exclusive glimpse into the reality facing Canadian soldiers in Afghanistan with unprecedented access into Operation Peacemaker, the largest combat mission for Canadian infantry since the Korean War.

In a special W-FIVE documentary airing Saturday, April 15 at 7 pm on CTV (in all markets), correspondent Lisa LaFlamme joins Canadian Forces on a grueling 12-day mission to track the Taliban.

"As politicians debate Canada's role in Afghanistan, our viewers will get a first-hand look at the psychological and physical challenges these young men and women face as they risk their lives on a daily basis," said LaFlamme.

LaFlamme follows the infantry every step of the way as they begin their hunt for Taliban leader, Mullah Tahir, one of Osama Bin Laden's senior commanders. On this mission, the first since Canada assumed military responsibility for Southern Afghanistan, the soldiers prepare to battle an unpredictable enemy in an unforgiving terrain. During the 12 days, the soldiers provide honest and candid commentary on their emotional and physical well being as they encounter roadside bombs, impoverished Afghanistan villagers and embark on foot patrol up a 7,000-foot mountain.

This W-FIVE documentary is in keeping with CTV's on-going, comprehensive coverage of Canadian efforts in Afghanistan. As the only Canadian news provider to have a permanent bureau in Kandahar, CTV News has reported extensively on our troops since arriving in Afghanistan in 2002. LaFlamme has just returned from seven weeks in Kandahar province, where she provided the only first-hand television coverage of the axe attack on Captain Trevor Greene. Through her coverage of a six-year-old Afghan boy suffering terminal cancer, almost $20,000 was raised in Canada for his palliative care.

With an ongoing commitment to covering tough, relevant stories in all their shades of gray, W-FIVE continues its 40th season of investigative journalism. Hosted by CTV National News' Lloyd Robertson and Sandie Rinaldo, the Gemini award-winning series is the most-watched current affairs program in Canada. Malcolm Fox is Executive Producer and Anton Koschany is Senior Producer of W-FIVE, a presentation of CTV News. Robert Hurst is President of CTV News.

OTTAWA - Canada's largest union of media and telecommunications workers says the Canadian Radio/Television and Telecommunications Commission needs a wider scope and greater resources in order to properly protect the public interest in the rapidly changing world of media and information technology.

The 150,000 member Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union of Canada proposed the new CRTC mandate at the same time as it filed its opposition to the proposed sale of Bell Globemedia (BGM) by Bell Canada Enterprises to Torstar and two other partners.

Peter Murdoch, CEP Media Vice-President and Secretary-Treasurer, commented that the Commission does not have the required mandate or resources to adequately deal with the serious implications of the proposed sale.

"Telecommunications, broadcasting and media are so intertwined that the current regulator is no longer equipped to deal with it. The BGM ownership restructuring presents fundamental and serious implications for preservation of a democratic media," Mr. Murdoch said in a statement following the union's filing its submission to the CRTC.

"This has become a marketplace without regulation. We are heading into an age of one owner with many stalls, vendors selling the same products with the same patter at the same price. Goodbye diversity and goodbye public interest," Mr. Murdoch added.

In its submission, CEP contends that a partnership between CTV, the Globe and Mail and Torstar will further erode diversity and an open flow of opinion and information in Canada.

"The mandate of the boardroom will supercede the requirements for a vibrant and democratic media," Mr. Murdoch said. "We need more time, more input and more resources to deal with this proposal under the larger umbrella it requires."

MONTREAL - Transcontinental, the largest independent printer of newspapers in Canada, is proud to announce that The Globe and Mail, printed by Transcontinental, has been named the top large- circulation daily in North America for print quality by the International Newspaper Color Quality Club (INCQC). The INCQC is the world's most prestigious quality newspaper production association, biannually recognizing the top 50 newspapers in the world for their printing quality. This is the fourth time The Globe and Mail has been named a member of this elite club since Transcontinental took over printing for major markets in 1998.

"The international recognition The Globe and Mail has received in recent years from the International Newspaper Color Quality Club for its excellent print quality is proof that outsourcing the printing function is a winning alternative for newspaper publishers", said François Olivier, President of Transcontinental's Printing Products and Services sector. "Our unique production model, combining the latest technology with highly skilled, autonomous work teams, has led such major dailies as The Globe and Mail, The New York Times and La Presse to outsource their printing to an expert and concentrate their resources on their core business - producing top-quality content, leveraging it and developing their brand."

For his part, Phillip Crawley, Publisher of The Globe and Mail, commented: "We have long had reason to be proud of our product's superior content and design, and with Transcontinental we are always confident we will be equally pleased with its final appearance. We congratulate our staff and our print partner on this prestigious tribute to their relentless focus on innovation and best-practice standards to ensure The Globe and Mail continues to deliver one of the finest newspapers in the world."

Canadians spent 6.5% of their television viewing time tuned into sports in the fall of 2004, down from 8.2% in 2003. People were also spending less time watching programs with Canadian content, with viewer time falling to 37.2% in 2004 from 40.2% a year earlier.

Among all the age/gender groups, men aged 18 and older account for the majority of viewers of sports programs. In the fall of 2004, they spent 11.3% of their time watching sports broadcasts, down from 14.3% in 2003.

Both anglophone and francophone television viewers watched less sports. The proportions of total viewing time spent on sports programs was down to 3.2% in 2004 from 5.5% in 2003 among francophones, and down to 7.7% from 9.3% among anglophones.

Significant decrease in Canadian content

The cancellation of the 2004/05 National Hockey League season also significantly reduced Canadian content viewing. In the fall of 2004, it represented 45% of sports programming, a significant drop from 62% in 2003. In previous years, Canadian sports programming viewing had been relatively stable.

This, in turn, affected the overall proportion of television viewing of programs with Canadian content. On conventional Canadian television stations, Canadian content dropped to 54.1% in 2004 from 56.5% in 2003. On Canadian pay and specialty channels, Canadian programs accounted for only 36.8% of viewing, down from 44% in 2003.

Note to readers

The Culture Statistics Program's Television project is a joint undertaking of the Canadian Radio Television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC), The Department of Canadian Heritage and Statistics Canada.

Statistics Canada's databank on television viewing consists of files from a number of sources. Basic viewing data are acquired from BBM Canada. They include the demographics of survey respondents and the schedules of most television stations whose signal is picked up in Canada.

The final databank, which is retained by Statistics Canada, also indicates the network affiliation and geographic location of each television station, and the characteristics of each program: content (news, public affaires, drama, religious programming, etc.), country of origin, and percentage of Canadian content.

Basic survey data have been collected by BBM from a sample of Canadians ages two and over. Data were collected using a diary type questionnaire over four weeks during October and November 2004.

Another organization, Nielson Media Research, also produces data on television viewing. This firm uses electronic meters to collect data on a year-round basis. The results of this alternate methodology may produce averages that vary from the basic results produced by BBM.

Variety and game shows contributed to viewer stability

Nevertheless, Canadians continued to watch almost the same number of hours of television per week in the fall of 2004 as they did in 2003. Hockey fans may have turned to variety and game shows (including reality TV), which gained in popularity. These programs took 15.2% of total viewing time in 2004 compared to 12.9% in 2003, with all of the increase going to foreign shows. This was true for both anglophone and francophone viewers as well as for viewers of all age/gender groups.

Drama and comedy continued to take up the lion's share of Canadian viewers' time (37.3%). Close to 82% of this viewing time was spent on foreign programs.

News and public affairs shows were the second most popular at 24.4%. Unlike the drama and comedy category, Canadian news and public affairs shows attracted the most viewers (75%).

Teens continue to watch less television

In the fall of 2004, teens aged 12 to 17 spent 12.9 hours a week in front of the TV, two hours less than in 2003 and almost three hours less than five years ago.

This drop can partly be attributed to the Internet. According to the survey data on household spending, Internet use in households with children under 18 has risen substantially, from 50% in 1999 to 82% in 2004.

News and public affairs programs experienced the sharpest decline with teen viewers. In 2004, teens spent only 9.4% of their total viewing time on this type of show, down from 17.4% in 2003. The full brunt of this loss came from Canadian programs.

The most noticeable decreases in television viewing among teen viewers was seen in Ontario and New Brunswick (almost four hours less than the previous year), followed by Prince Edward Island (three hours less) and Newfoundland and Labrador (close to two hours less).

Men aged 18 to 24 watched the least amount of television (12.3 hours a week), whereas women 60 and over watched the most (35.6 hours a week).

Provincially, New Brunswick viewers spent the most amount of time in front of the TV, an average of 23.7 hours a week, followed closely by Quebec at 23.3 hours a week. In sharp contrast, Alberta viewers continued to watch the least amount of television in Canada (19.4 hours a week).

Tables - click and scroll down

The sold-out, standing room only crowd was treated to performances by Bedouin Soundclash, Broken Social Scene, 2006 Canadian Music Hall of Fame inductee Bryan Adams, Michael Bublé, and Nickelback who received two awards last evening for Group of the Year and Rock Album of the Year as did the Black Eyed Peas and Coldplay who tied for the JUNO Award for International Album of the Year.

A major highlight of the evening was Chris Martin's (Coldplay) tribute to music icon, Bryan Adams who was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame.

Delivering a show stopping performance, Vancouver native, Michael Bublé leapt to the stage on three occasions to accept his Awards. Since his February 2005 release of It's Time, Bublé has been on a whirlwind ride that has taken him on sold-out headlining tours to four different continents. His self-penned single "Home" has the distinction of being the most-heard song on Canadian radio in 2005, reaching an estimated audience in excess of 382 million.

Arcade Fire's win for Songwriter of the Year (sponsored by SOCAN), tops off a surreal year for the Montreal indie rock ensemble. Their unique debut album, Funeral, was met with critical acclaim and the group has been hailed as one of the coolest bands to come out of Canada. Arcade Fire received one nomination in 2005.

With a certified gold record and sold-out shows across Canada, the power trio known as Bedouin Soundclash has forged their own musical path by creating an innovative fusion of reggae, rock, punk and soul that embodies each member's diverse musical preferences.

Winning the category for a second time, Broken Social Scene is an artist collective, comprised of members of the Canadian indie rock community, and has developed from a two-person project into a musical drop-in centre that includes members of Metric, Stars and others. On this their third full-length album, k-os and The Dears' Murray Lightburn have joined the festivities.

Preceding the broadcast, CTV produced and broadcast eTalk at the Junos, a Red Carpet special that featured interviews with the biggest celebrities of the night. Produced by CTV's Entertainment Unit, the special was hosted by Ben Mulroney and Tanya Kim and featured a virtual "who's who" of Canadian music. This is the fifth year The JUNO Awards have been broadcast on CTV.

Sponsors for the 2006 JUNO Awards include FACTOR, Canada's Private Radio Broadcasters and the Government of Canada through the Department of Canadian Heritage's "Canada Music Fund", Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, the Province of Nova Scotia, the Halifax Regional Municipality, Events Halifax and Radio Starmaker Fund. Broadcast sponsors include General Motors, Pantene Pro-V, Doritos, and Nice 'n Easy.

TORONTO, April 1 - Canadians have a pretty good memory especially when it comes to political blunders, according to The Comedy Network's First Annual "Pity The Fool" Poll, released today in honour of April Fool's Day. A Strategic Counsel survey conducted between March 9-12 for The Comedy Network indicates over one-third (34 per cent) of Canadians feel that the Federal Liberal party are the top "Fools of the Year," labeling them most "foolish" for their involvement in the sponsorship scandal and ultimate election defeat. Adding insult to injury, the Liberals are joined at the top of the Fool's List by Britney Spears, who was named the Number One International Fool in the same survey. Also making the list of Canadian Fools: Celine Dion (No.2), CBC (No.3), The Canadian Electorate (No.4) and Team Canada (No.5). The remaining International Fools are Dick Cheney (No.2), Tom Cruise (No.3), Terrell Owens

(No.4) and Dave Chapelle (No.5). In a separate, unscientific online poll, George Bush and Paul Martin took top honours for Fools of the Year.

"When it comes to pitying fools we are clearly at a watershed time in history," said Brent Haynes, Director of Programming for The Comedy Network. "With the help of this poll, April Fool's Day is the perfect time for Canadians to stand up and take ownership of what has, in all truthiness, become the most important day of the year."

The Comedy Network's First Annual "Pity The Fool" Poll was conducted to celebrate the only day on the calendar year devoted exclusively to all things foolish. To kick-off the celebration, The Comedy Network fashioned a short list of the Top Five Canadian and Top Five International "Fools of the Year" from the world of sports, pop culture, news and current affairs (calendar year April Fool's Day 2005 to March 1, 2006). Then, through market-research specialists The Strategic Counsel, the network asked Canadians to select their top "fools" from both lists in The Comedy Network's First Annual "Pity The Fool" Poll.

"It's a fun indication of how Canadians rank foolishness," says Tim Woolstencroft, Managing Partner, The Strategic Counsel. "Clearly, Canadians are pretty good at separating fools from the pretenders."

Below are the findings of The Strategic Counsel/Comedy Network poll conducted between March 9 and March 12, 2006. Respondents were asked to select who they thought was the most "foolish" from each list. One thousand interviews were conducted. Results were based on nightly tracking among a proportionate national sample of Canadians 18 years of age or older. The margin of error is +/- 3.1 percentage points, 19 times out of 20. Note: Proportions may not sum to 100% due to rounding.

<<

TOP 5 CANADIAN "FOOLS"

----------------------

1. The Federal Liberal Party (34%): for its involvement in the

sponsorship scandal and ultimate election defeat.

2. Celine Dion (27%): for pleading that officials send kayaks to rescue

New Orleanians after Hurricane Katrina.

3. CBC (13%): for locking out its employees and thus giving away viewers

to other channels for reasons nobody really cared about.

4. The Canadian Electorate (12%): for electing a Stephen Harper

government.

5. Team Canada (11%): for one of its worst performances ever at the 2006

Olympic Winter Games despite a star-studded line-up and a

$100-million US NHL payroll.

TOP 5 INTERNATIONAL "FOOLS"

---------------------------

1. Britney Spears (35%): for putting up with her husband's antics and

driving with her baby on her lap and no seatbelt!

2. Vice President Dick Cheney (32%): for shooting buck shot into his

friend's face and not reporting it until days later.

3. Tom Cruise (9%): for managing to give the Church of Scientology an

even worse reputation.

4. NFL star wide receiver Terrell Owens (tied at 7%): for bad mouthing

his way off a team that could have won the Superbowl.

4. Comedian Dave Chappelle (tied at 7%): for backing out of a

$50-million dollar deal with American cable network Comedy Central.

Additionally, in a separate online poll, Comedy Network fans have been weighing in on who they feel are the top "fools" of the year by entering "The Comedy Network Pity The Fool Contest" on www.thecomedynetwork.ca. Twenty per cent of all online submissions felt former Prime Minister Paul Martin is the Top Canadian "Fool of the Year." Meanwhile, over one third (35 per cent) chose President George W. Bush as the Top International "Fool of the Year". All submissions will be entered into a random draw for a chance to win an Xbox 360 and five games or one of 10 limited edition Puppets Who Kill miniature sets.

Yesterday's release of the 2005 Print Measurement Bureau (PMB) readership report shows that Report on Business continues to be Canada's No. 1 most read business magazine, and is the first choice of all PMB publications for readers with personal incomes of $100,000 or more.

Also in the April issue:

More than hot air - Hydrogenics Inc. is bringing hydrogen energy back in vogue, producing hydrogen fuel cells for backup generators and such industrial vehicles as forklifts. Meet the hydrogen-powered delivery fleets of the future.

Your tax dollars at work - Columnist Eric Reguly explores how corporate welfare will not be eliminated by the new federal government. Despite the fact the Tories were opposed to the corporate loan program while in Opposition, they have no intention of scrapping it now that they're in power.

The April issue of Report on Business magazine is available in today's Globe and Mail.

The Globe and Mail, Canada's national newspaper, is a division of Bell Globemedia, a dynamic multi-media company, which also owns CTV Inc., Canada's number-one private broadcaster.

The announcement was made today by Susanne Boyce, CTV President of Programming and Chair of the CTV Media Group, as CTV, The Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (CARAS) and Insight Productions make final arrangements for this weekend's 2006 JUNO Awards broadcast on

Sunday April 2, 2006, from Halifax, Nova Scotia. Armed with a world-class lineup of performers, today's news means that for the first time, Canadian artists and The 2006 JUNO Awards will enjoy a worldwide spotlight. It's the first Canadian original production to be seen on MTV sister networks around the world.

Here in Canada, The 2006 Juno Awards will be seen exclusively on CTV. Viewers around the world will see a packaged version of The 2006 JUNO Awards broadcast following its domestic broadcast this Sunday.

"Canadian artists have long been leaders on the world stage, and so its only fitting that The JUNO Awards can be delivered to the world," said CTV's Boyce. "It's a blockbuster line-up worthy of an international audience. Now, through the medium of television, we can invite the world to Halifax to witness firsthand, Canada's Music Awards."

It's the next step in the evolution of The JUNO Awards since CTV acquired broadcast rights for the awards show in August, 2001 and began broadcasting the annual celebration from cities across Canada.

"We are thrilled that CTV has negotiated this opportunity," said Melanie Berry, President of CARAS and Executive Producer of The 2006 JUNO Awards. "The JUNO Awards will have a worldwide audience for the first time which confirms its popularity as Canada's pre-eminent awards broadcast."

Today's news follows CTV's alliance with MTV Networks International that saw CTV launch MTV in Canada across multiple platforms just last week.

"We're excited to build on our new partnership with CTV to enable audiences around the world to see The 2006 Juno Awards on MTV and VH1 channels," commented Bill Roedy, Vice Chairman MTV Networks and President MTV Networks International. "We will continue to use our global network to showcase new and established acts, as well as offer a platform for local artists to receive exposure outside their domestic markets."

Wong writes both about the work of being a house maid - the physical challenges, the treatment from clients -- and the practical and emotional struggles of being a minimum wage worker.

"Jan Wong has aired a lot of dirty laundry over the years. With this series, she actually does the laundry and, in so doing, sheds light on the radically differing lifestyles of those doing the cleaning and those hiring the cleaners," said Ed Greenspon, Editor-in-Chief, The Globe and Mail. "She lives the life of a minimum wage worker, sharing this illuminating experience with her two boys. In plain words, this often hard-hitting, frequently humorous series reveals a great deal about the strangers in our homes and what they really think of us."

The Globe and Mail, Canada's national newspaper, is a division of Bell Globemedia, a dynamic multi-media company, which also owns CTV Inc., Canada's number-one private broadcaster.

OTTAWA - Canada's largest media union is calling on all members of Parliament to hold Prime Minister Harper accountable for his "undemocratic" and "frightening" attempts at gagging the news media by denying them access to Cabinet Ministers.

"Stephen Harper is threatening the critical democratic flow of information by closing doors to Canada's news outlets," said Peter Murdoch, secretary-treasurer and media vice-president of the 150,000 member Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union of Canada in a statement today.

"Mr. Harper has decided to gag our national media. As representatives of Canadian journalists, we are alarmed at this tactic. It smacks of totalitarianism, not the democratic process we are used to in this country," Mr. Murdoch said. "We think all MPs should be equally upset and arrange for the appropriate Committee of the House of Commons to call the Prime Minister to task.

"Mr. Harper clearly is concerned with the quality of his Cabinet, but the quality of the democratic flow of give-and-take between journalists and Parliamentarians should not be a victim of that lack of confidence."

Mr. Murdoch said that while there is little in a formal way the media can do, CEP is considering its options in a more public forum and decided to launch a challenge to all Parliamentarians to take a leadership role.

"Access to elected officials is essential to accountability. The media is accustomed to news management and spin, but hiding ministers from reporters is bizarre as practice and frightening as policy," Mr. Murdoch said.

This year, the original TSN Events production has expanded to seven one-hour broadcasts - up from six in 2005. Participants take part in a qualifying competition for a limited number of seats in the tournament's televised playoff and championship rounds. Each of the six playoff broadcasts features a table of six players, with the winner of each table moving on to the final championship round. The new broadcast format provides for more player development, stronger storylines and poker play, as well as giving viewers at home the opportunity to maintain a stronger connection with the players involved.

Along with the lump sum payout of $100,000, the grand prize winner will also compete for a chance to win up to $1 million in a dramatic final-hand Texas Hold 'Em promotional showdown (also awarded as a lump sum payout). Additionally, all final table contestants will be awarded cash prizes.

The Degree Poker Championship features an aggressive playdown structure designed for everyday Canadians, as well as professional players, who like to take risks. Registration is free and open to Canadians over the age of 21 (excluding residents of Quebec) through on-line entry at www.degreepoker.com. The dedicated website also features strategy tips, poker trivia and a general overview of the tournament.

"Last year's event proved an exciting venture for all involved, from the behind-the-scenes team to the competitors to the armchair poker stars watching from home," said Adam Ashton, Vice-President of Marketing, TSN and TSN Events. "We are committed to the success of this original Canadian programming property and look forward to once again working with a dedicated group of partners that are truly best in class in their respective fields."

TSN's Michael Landsberg will host TSN's coverage of the Degree Poker Championship for the second consecutive year alongside returning card-by-card commentator, Alistair Cameron, the Salon Privé Manager at the Niagara Fallsview Casino Resort.

"The decision for Degree to enter the high-stakes world of Texas Hold 'Em was an easy one," said Peter Pinfold, brand manager for Degree for Men. "The Degree for Men brand is a natural fit for the guy who isn't afraid to take a calculated risk - and going 'all-in' on a national stage against the Canada's best poker players - what could be more exciting? We're proud to partner with TSN Events once again for this tournament."

The Degree Poker Championship will once again be officially hosted and operated by the elegant Niagara Fallsview Casino Resort in Niagara Falls, Ont., a world-class gaming facility perfectly suited to accommodate a tournament of this magnitude.

"Niagara Fallsview Casino Resort and the Degree Poker Championship were made for each other," said Steve Wolstenholme, General Manager, Niagara Fallsview Casino Resort. "Canada's premier poker event should be held at Canada's premier gaming facility. Thanks to this partnership, Niagara Falls is fast becoming the Canadian poker capital."

The inaugural Degree Poker Championship attracted a national average audience of 318,000 viewers*. The event culminated with Liam Greig, a Vancouver online game designer, taking home a grand prize of $105,000. Prior to beating out the tournament's field of 2,000 competitors, Greig's biggest poker victory resulted in a $580 pot.

This year's tournament marks the second of a three-year deal between TSN Events and Unilever's Degree antiperspirant brand, the event's title sponsor. The Degree Poker Championship has been developed in coordination with TSN Events, Segal Communications and Casino Amusements Canada.

TSN has been televising poker since 1998. This year, viewers can look forward to 170 hours of poker coverage on TSN, up from 150 hours in 2005. In addition to the Degree Poker Championship, TSN's poker coverage features such high-profile tournaments as the World Series of Poker, Poker Million, European Open Poker Championships, U.S. Poker Championship, as well as the newly acquired World Cup of Poker and European Poker Tour.

Degree is a brand of Unilever, one of the world's largest consumer products companies with annual sales of approximately U.S. $48 billion in 2003. Unilever operates in 100 countries around the globe and employs approximately 250,000 people.

The elegant Niagara Fallsview Casino Resort is the premier casino and resort facility in Canada, with over 3,000 slot machines, 140 gaming tables, a dedicated poker room, a 368-room luxury hotel, a full-service spa and fitness facility, a 1,500-seat showroom, 30,000 square feet of convention, conference and meeting space, a wide selection of restaurants and boutiques, a wedding chapel and one of the most famous and spectacular views in the entire world. It opened to the public on June 10, 2004.

Casino Amusements Canada, Strategists in International Tourism, Entertainment and Gaming for over 30 years, is registered with the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario.

Toronto, ON (March 27, 2006) - CTV announced today that CTV News has secured an exclusive sit-down, televised interview with United States President, George W. Bush. This is the first time President Bush has granted such an interview to a Canadian broadcaster. The interview will air Tuesday, March 28 on CTV National News with Lloyd Robertson at 11 p.m.

In anticipation of the Tri-Lateral summit meeting between the leaders of the three NAFTA partners, CTV News’ Washington Correspondent Tom Clark will sit down with the President for a candid discussion about Canadian-U.S. relations and the major issues confronting the leaders. Senior News Editor, Lloyd Robertson will join Clark in Washington where he will helm the special edition of CTV National News.

“Securing such a major interview is a credit to the reputation that CTV News’ Washington Bureau has with the White House and throughout the United States,” said Robert Hurst, President, CTV News. “Bringing President Bush into the living rooms of Canadians is another example of how CTV News goes above-and-beyond in our efforts to provide viewers with the country’s most extensive news coverage.”

Complete footage from the CTV News interview with President Bush will air on Canada AM and CTV Newsnet on Wednesday March 29. Footage and transcripts from the interview will also be available on www.CTV.ca.

CTV News is Canada’s most-watched news organization both locally and nationally and has a network of national, international and local news operations including nine foreign and seven domestic network news bureaus. CTV News operations include CTV Newsnet, Report on Business Television and information programming, including CTV National News with Lloyd Robertson, CTV National News with Sandie Rinaldo, Canada AM, W-FIVE and Question Period. With a perspective that is distinctly Canadian, CTV News brings Canadians the international and domestic news stories of the day and is the number-one news organization in Canada. Robert Hurst is President, CTV News.

CTV, Canada’s largest private broadcaster, offers a wide range of quality news, sports, information, and entertainment programming. It has the number-one national newscast, CTV National News With Lloyd Robertson, and is the number-one choice for prime-time viewing. CTV owns 21 conventional television stations across Canada and has interests in 14 specialty channels, including the number-one Canadian specialty channel, TSN. CTV is owned by Bell Globemedia, Canada’s premier multi-media company. More information about CTV may be found on the company Web site at www.ctv.ca .

TORONTO - CCNMatthews, Canada's leading distributor of news releases for public companies and KnowledgeView Ltd., the UK-based developer of powerful news management and editorial systems, with clients in the UK, North America and the Middle East, have announced an agreement that will allow KnowledgeView's clients to receive and package CCNMatthews' news.

Several major news sources - for example the Dow Jones newswire - are now provided to KnowledgeView's clients. CCNMatthews' news - currently over 750 news releases per week from sources in Canada and the UK - will now be added to the total news content provided by KnowledgeView. All of this news content provided to KnowledgeView's clients can be sorted and managed through the use of RAPID Browser, KnowledgeView's proprietary editing system that assists publishers in readying news content for publication.

KnowledgeView's client base is particularly strong in the Middle East, where they work with a number of leading newspapers, including Al-Hayat, Annahar, Jordanian Al-Ghad, Al-Riyadh, Ittihad and L'Orient Le Jour. As CCNMatthews carries the news for many of Canada's leading energy companies based in Alberta, the news provided to KnowledgeView by CCNMatthews will be of considerable relevance. "Our clients will benefit greatly from having this additional distribution through KnowledgeView," said Bernadette Lee, VP Corporate Development of CCNMatthews. "Not only will our energy-industry clients appreciate this extra exposure, but any Canadian company with global aspirations will benefit as KnowledgeView also has strong ties with trade publications and weekly newspaper groups in the UK", said Ms. Lee.

Dr. Ali Al-Assam, Managing Director of KnowledgeView said: "We are delighted to have the premium CCNMatthews news content, with its excellent classification, available to our publishing clients in the UK and the Middle East, especially with the type of business coverage, particularly energy news, that is available from CCNMatthews, much sought after by the market. The CCNMatthews news content will be available through our RAPIDPublish.info service in Europe, to be launched on the 29th March, and the Fareeda.info service in the Middle East."

In Toronto, the readership results showed that more people are reading the Post exclusively and are spending more time reading the Post on a daily basis. The Post had major gains in upper household income groups for

Monday-Friday readers, with an increase of over 21% in the coveted $100,000+ group. Of significant interest is a 65% increase in Monday-Friday readership of the highly desirable 25-34 year-old readers and a 14% increase among the 50-64 year old demographic. Among these older readers, the Globe and Mail saw a dramatic decline of over 27%.

These figures clearly demonstrate that the Post has implemented the right strategy for continued growth.

"These numbers are a dramatic increase from last year showing that the momentum continues to build," said Douglas Kelly, Editor in Chief, National Post. "It's a testament to the efforts we made to fine-tune our sections and attract writers that speak to our demographic," said Kelly.

"The National Post continues to attract a growing proportion of high quality readers," said Kirk Allen, VP of Advertising. "The increases we experienced in important categories such as personal income, household income and managers and professionals shows that our strategy of focusing on a more targeted circulation is working. I'm delighted with the progress and look forward to future growth and continued success."

In the Toronto market, the NADbank results indicated that the Toronto Star strengthened its lead over the number two newspaper, the Toronto Sun, on the key weekday readership measures. The Toronto Star reaches a total of 984,700 readers every day, compared to 453,300 for the Toronto Sun. In addition, the results show that the Toronto Star is the number one newspaper website destination in the Toronto market with 481,700 visitors to the site each week.

"We are pleased to have sustained our leadership position in the Toronto market. We are proud to have more exclusive readers than all other paid daily newspapers in Toronto combined," said Michael Goldbloom, Publisher, Toronto Star. "These NADbank results demonstrate that an advertiser reaches more readers with one ad in the Toronto Star than with an ad in each of the three other paid dailies combined."

Through both its print and on-line properties, the Toronto Star reaches over 52% of Toronto adults each week.

"In 2005, the Toronto Star continued to make it easier for our readers to access news on thestar.com by removing all registration requirements," continued Mr. Goldbloom. "We are committed to making thestar.com a powerful complement to our newspaper and these results show that this strategy is proving to be a successful way to reach out to readers."

The Globe continues to control the national newspaper market well outpacing the Post, with 60 per cent more weekday readers and virtually double the Saturday readership in the 49 markets where both papers are measured. In Toronto The Globe has an 84 per cent readership advantage weekdays and a 147 per cent lead on Saturdays, and in Vancouver The Globe enjoys a 22 per cent weekday advantage and 45 per cent Saturday advantage.

The Globe enhanced its B.C. edition with a daily B.C. section, a weekly feature on B.C. Real Estate, and a Vancouver edition of the popular 7 entertainment section every Friday, and the result has been 29 per cent year- over-year weekday readership growth in Vancouver.

"The Globe continues to buck the national trend by holding steady on readership," said Phillip Crawley, Publisher and CEO, The Globe and Mail. "And we continue to dominate the national landscape while our investments in key markets like Vancouver have paid off with good readership gains."

The Globe is also unsurpassed in reach to the most desirable national readership - high income, high education, and managers, owners and professionals. Across Canada, The Globe reaches more Senior Managers/Professionals and persons earning $75,000 or more annually than any other paper.

Entertaining, edgy, but most importantly, packed with great content that delivers viewers something new each and every week, Torrent's music, graphics, set, and shooting style reflects all things cutting-edge technology. Segments are pulled from popular podcasts that are already produced online whether it's Darren (Hak5*) from Virginia showing viewers how to turn a cell phone into a megaphone or Jeff from Halifax (cN*) interviewing hip-hop band Universal Soul about how to make digital music.

As host and co-producer of Torrent, Amber MacArthur draws on her experience as both host and producer of podcasts video/commandN.tv and audio/Inside the Net - twit.tv and as co host and co producer of G4techTV Canada's Call for Help and Gadgets & Gizmos.

The first episode features Amber on the grounds of the Austin, Texas South by Southwest music festival which attracts heavyweight artists like Neil Young, The Beastie Boys and Morrissey. Amber will introduce the best video podcasters from around the globe while she's in the centre of the interactive portion of the festival which features cutting-edge technologies from the world's hottest bloggers, podcasters, new media entrepreneurs and designers. Other features of the episode include a geek tour of Electric Town in Tokyo and a live podcast from a plane en route to Hawaii.

Future episodes include tips on how to produce audio and video effectively, a tour of the CommandN editing suite, a tour of a computer motherboard courtesy of G4techTV's Call for Help contributor Sean Carruthers and alumni Andy Walker and a demo of ways to hack RSS into your morning routine with a custom alarm clock and newspaper. The show wraps up with tips from Amber on downloading podcasts from the Net via iTunes.

Viewers can take part in the show by sending in their own podcasts to info@torrentontv.com.

"We are excited to offer new and cutting edge programming for our viewers and to have Amber expand her role with G4techTV Canada," said Tom Ayley, General Manager, G4techTV Canada. "Amber's vast experience in technology and internet and her great rapport with her audience really make Torrent entertaining and informative. G4techTV Canada is the home of technology television and we are committed to providing our viewers with outstanding programming and the industry's leading technology experts."

The Globe and Mail's circulation has increased with total average weekday circulation up 3.3 per cent to 327,000 and total average Saturday circulation up 3.8 per cent to 409,000. Notably, these gains are attributable to increases in paid circulation (paid 50 per cent or more.)

At the same time, other newspapers are reporting circulation drops despite massive increases in their discounted circulation (paid at 50 per cent or less.) National Post total average weekday circulation is down more than 3 per cent, totaling a 25 per cent circulation drop over the last 4 years. Saturday circulation is down more than 2 per cent, totaling a 33 per cent drop over the past four years. Yet at the same time, the Post's discounted circulation has almost doubled in a single year; up 92.7 per cent on weekdays and 97.7 per cent on Saturdays.

"You have to wonder about your business model if year in and year out you're discounting more and yet selling less," said Phillip Crawley, Publisher, The Globe and Mail. "These reports are definitive proof that trying to fatten up your numbers with discounting simply degrades your circulation."

Since 2001, The Globe has increased its portion of paid circulation by 15 per cent despite being the most expensive newspaper (subscription and cover

price) in Canada. "We believe that readers will pay a premium price if we keep on investing in the quality of our content, as we have done in recent years."

The Globe and Mail, Canada's national newspaper, is a division of Bell Globemedia, a dynamic multi-media company, which also owns CTV Inc., Canada's number-one private broadcaster.

MONTREAL - The war in Iraq has proved to be the deadliest for journalists since World War II. A total of 86 journalists and media assistants have been killed in Iraq since the war began on 20 March 2003. This is more than the number killed during 20 years of war in Vietnam or the civil war in Algeria.

Iraq is also one of the world's biggest marketplaces for hostages, with 38 journalists kidnapped in three years. Five of them were executed. Three - Jill Carroll, Reem Zeid and Marwan Khazaal - are still being held by their abductors.

Around 63 journalists were killed in Vietnam during the 20 years from 1955 to 1975. A total of 49 media professionals were killed in the course of their work during the war in ex-Yugoslavia, from 1991 to 1995. During the civil war in Algeria from 1993 to 1996, 77 journalists and media assistants were killed.

Paul Moran, an Australian cameraman working for ABC television, was the first of the long series of journalists to die in Iraq. He was killed by a car bomb right at the start of the war, on 22 March 2003. Eleven journalists and media assistants were killed during March and April 2003. Then the number of victims let up until the start of 2004 and a new wave of bombings and attacks by armed groups. There have been no more let-ups since then. Hardly a month has gone by without at least one journalist being killed. Twenty-eight media professionals were killed in Iraq in 2005 and eight have been killed so far this year.

The aim of this survey is to provide information about all the cases of journalists killed in Iraq just for trying to do their job, about the media they were working for and about the circumstances in which they died.

It also provides information about all the hostage-takings, which have been more numerous than in any other war and have involved citizens of many different countries, both those that are participants in the war and those that are not.

This is the second time that Reporters Without Borders has produced such a survey. The first one was published on 3 May 2005, on World Press Freedom Day.

"We were blown away by the quality and originality of the submissions," said Roger Dunbar, Vice President, Advertising Sales and Marketing, The Globe and Mail. "Each team really took the task to heart and demonstrated how newspaper can be used dynamically and with big impact to communicate the brand. We had entries from across the country, from large agencies and boutiques, and for clients in a wide range of sectors. It was a real cross- section of Canadian creative power and a true demonstration of the versatility of newspaper."

In the winning campaign, Cossette used iconic imagery of McDonald's products and the column format of the newspaper to represent a hamburger and fries over what appears to be a regular newspaper page. The judges selected the campaign because of its creativity, innovation, emotional appeal, delivery of the brand and smart use of the ad space.

The competition was judged by a panel of Cannes Lions Print winners from around the world: Carlos Anuncibay of Saatchi & Saatchi, Spain; Alexandre Soares of JWT Brazil; Steve Straw of Leo Burnett Asia Pacific; Graham Warsop of The Jupiter Drawing Room, South Africa; and Bill Wright of Crispin Porter + Bogusky, Miami.

- Almost nine out of 10 executives (86%) expect the new government to be a positive change from the previous government
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TORONTO, March 20 - A recent survey of Canada's Top 1,000 corporations' C-Suite executives (CEOs, CFOs, and COOs) reveals that executives support the new federal government's economic direction and have high expectations in terms of policy, ethics and accountability. The survey, conducted by the Gandalf Group for The Globe and Mail Report on Business and Report on Business Television, is the first of a series of quarterly surveys. Report on Business Television will broadcast a special presentation of the survey findings on Monday, March 20, 2006 at 8:30 pm ET.

The Report on Business C-Suite Survey asked executives about their expectations for the Canadian economy and the new federal government's policy priorities. The vast majority of executives (86%) expect the new government to be a positive change from the previous government and 85% expect the new government to be better for business than the previous Liberal government. More than seven out of 10 executives (72%) have confidence in Finance Minister Flaherty's management of the economy.

The survey also reveals that four out of 10 (40%) executives believe that the areas of ethics, transparency and accountability are the most important way in which the new government should be different from the previous government.

"C-suite executives judge government neither solely through the prism of their own personal beliefs, nor solely on what would be in their company's best interest," says David Herle, Principal and Partner of the Ottawa-based Gandalf Group. "In placing as high a priority as they do on initiatives like the Accountability Act or addressing the fiscal imbalance, they are clearly applying a broader test to public policy."

Other Survey Highlights include:

- There is virtual unanimity among executives that the Canadian economy will continue to grow over the next 12 months - with one in five (20%) executives expecting strong growth.

- Executives are even more bullish about their own companies' prospects with most (51%) expecting strong growth for their companies. On this topic, however, CEOs tend to have a slightly different view from CFOs. CEOs are much more likely (59%) than CFOs (43%) to predict strong growth.

- The most common challenge for their company cited by executives is finding and keeping talented people.

- When asked what the single biggest priority should be for the federal government, C-suite executives commonly cited three areas: Economic development and workforce training (22%), reducing taxes (20%, of which 5% specified corporate taxes) and honesty and accountability (18%).

- Executives were also asked how much of a priority Ottawa should place on certain policies. By far the area of strongest consensus was the need to keep the federal budget balanced. Virtually every executive (98%) thinks that this should be a high priority for the new government more so than any other policy area

- Other priorities that registered high with executives include addressing the fiscal imbalance between federal and provincial governments, paying down the debt, introducing a federal Accountability Act, eliminating the capital gains tax and addressing the fiscal imbalance.

- Executives place a low priority on introducing legislation to ban same-sex marriages, canceling the Goodale personal tax cuts, withdrawing from the Kyoto Accord, canceling the existing child care agreements with the provinces.

- Executive opinion is divided about whether or not there should be a priority placed on increasing military spending, reducing the GST, allowing bank mergers, introducing an annual child care allowance, or negotiating free trade agreement with countries in the Asia-pacific region.

The Toronto Star, with nine nominations, was next, followed by La Presse of Montreal with five nominations and The Canadian Press with four.

The Ottawa Citizen and National Post had three nominations as did The Province from Vancouver which shares one of its three nominations with the Calgary Herald which also had one other nomination. Others with two nominations were The Hamilton Spectator, The Gazette of Montreal, The Vancouver Sun, Victoria Times Colonist, and Winnipeg Free Press.

The Cornwall Standard-Freeholder, Edmonton Journal, Halifax Chronicle- Herald, Lethbridge Herald, London Free Press, Moose Jaw Times-Herald, New Brunswick Telegraph-Journal, The Ottawa Sun, Owen Sound Sun-Times, Prince George Citizen, and St. Catharines Standard had one each.

The 60 finalists in the 20 categories were announced on March 17, 2006, from the National Newspaper Awards office in Toronto. There were more than 1,470 entries in this year's competition for works that appeared in the year 2005, the highest in NNA history.

In all, 24 news organizations have been nominated.

The winners will be announced at a gala awards ceremony in Halifax on Friday, May 26. This marks the first time the awards have ever been presented in Atlantic Canada. Winners will receive cheques for $1,500 and a certificate of award. Runners-up receive citations of merit and cash awards of $250 each.

This is the 17th year for the NNAs under a Board of Governors which includes editors, publishers and the public from across Canada as well as representatives from the Toronto Press Club. Previous to 1989, the NNAs had been sponsored by the Toronto Press Club. The awards are administered by the National Newspaper Awards office at the Canadian Newspaper Association.

The National Newspaper Awards were founded by The Toronto Press Club in 1949.

Highlights:

- Ryan Remiorz of The Canadian Press has been nominated in two
categories: sports photo and news photo.
- Ian Brown of The Globe and Mail has two nominations in this year's
competition-in Long Features and in Explanatory.
- La Presse in Montreal has been nominated for a fourth straight year
in Presentation. Designers from the newspaper have won this award
three years in a row.
- Stephanie Nolen of The Globe and Mail has been nominated in
International Reporting for the third straight year.
- Serge Chapleau of La Presse in Montreal has been nominated for the
ninth time in Editorial Cartooning. He has won the award five times.
- Brian Gable of The Globe and Mail has been nominated for the seventh
time in Editorial Cartooning. He has won the award three times.
- The Owen Sound Sun Times, Moose Jaw Times-Herald and Cornwall
Standard-Freeholder have received their first nominations in the
history of the awards.
- Iain Hunter of the Victoria Times Colonist has been nominated for a
third straight year in editorials.
- The Globe and Mail's Doug Saunders, a three-time winner of a National
Newspaper Award for arts and entertainment reporting from 1998-2000,
is a finalist again in Columns.
- Larry MacDougal, now a freelance photographer, has been nominated for
a seventh time in photography. He won NNAs three times with the
Calgary Herald.
- The Ottawa Citizen has been nominated for a seventh time in Special
Project.

The nominees:

- Beat Reporting: Stewart Bell, National Post, for coverage of national
security issues; Gordon Hamilton, The Vancouver Sun, for reporting on
the B.C. forestry industry; Michelle Shephard, Toronto Star, for
national security beat reporting.
- Politics: Colette Derworiz and Suzanne Wilton, Calgary Herald, for
stories that exposed voting irregularities in a Calgary municipal
election; Jeff Sallot and Simon Tuck, The Globe and Mail, for
stories about former industry minister David Dingwall's controversial
lobbying efforts; Lindsay Kines and Jeff Rud, Victoria Times-
Colonist, for stories of tragic child deaths and abuse after a
special B.C. children's commission was disbanded.
- News Photography: Adam Dombowsky of the Moose Jaw Times-Herald for a
photo of an airshow collision; Larry MacDougal of The Canadian Press
for a photo from the funeral service of the four slain Mayerthorpe
RCMP officers; Ryan Remiorz of The Canadian Press for a picture of a
joyous World War II veteran in the Netherlands.
- Editorial Cartooning: Serge Chapleau, La Presse, Montreal; Brian
Gable, The Globe and Mail; Bruce MacKinnon, Halifax Chronicle-Herald.
- Feature Photography: Mike Carroccetto, Ottawa Citizen, for a photo of
the terrified looks of youngsters on an amusement park ride; Nick
Procaylo, The Province, Vancouver, for a photo of a silhouetted
swimmer taken from below in a glass-bottomed pool; Derek Ruttan, The
London Free Press, for the contrast of a bald man against the
backdrop of a painting of a red rose.
- International: Pascale Breton of La Presse in Montreal for coverage
of the horror of Niger's famine; Rosie DiManno of the Toronto Star
for stories of the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina; Stephanie Nolen of
The Globe and Mail for stories from her vast Africa beat.
- Editorial Writing: Sean Fine, The Globe and Mail; Iain Hunter,
Victoria Times Colonist; Dawn Sugimoto, Lethbridge Herald.
- Arts and Entertainment: Geoff Pevere, Toronto Star, for a series on a
movie review, cultural trends, and Hunter S. Thompson; Kevin Prokosh
of the Winnipeg Free Press for a chronicle of a musical; Lisa Rochon,
The Globe and Mail, for stories on architecture.
- Breaking News: Edmonton Journal team for coverage of the murders of
four Alberta Mayerthorpe RCMP officers; Tu Thanh Ha and Ingrid Peritz
of The Globe and Mail for the killing of a Laval policewoman; Leah
Janzen of the Winnipeg Free Press for her stories of a pilot's heroic
efforts in the crash of a cargo plane.
- Local Reporting: The Cornwall Standard-Freeholder staff for their
stories on the impact of the closing of the small city's paper mill;
Scott Dunn of the Owen Sound Sun Times, for stories on a family's
struggle to care for their hostile mentally ill son; Gordon Hoekstra
of the Prince George Citizen for an investigation into the deaths of
22 logging truck drivers over the past 10 years.
- Long Features: Ian Brown, The Globe and Mail, for a feature on
religion and its impact on people and politics; Louise Leduc of La
Presse in Montreal for a story on immigrant minimum wage workers;
Sarah McGinnis of the New Brunswick Telegraph-Journal in Saint John
for a story on her struggle with Marfan Syndrome, a rare disease
which took her father's life when she was an infant.
- Short Features: Marlene Bergsma, St. Catharines Standard, for a story
about her rescue by her family after the ice gave way during a family
skate; Allan Maki, The Globe and Mail, for a personal story about
friends who drifted apart until it was too late to connect again;
Laura-Julie Perreault of La Presse in Montreal for a story on
Afghanistan women who have turned to opium and other drugs to help
them forget their troubles.
- Special Project: The Hamilton Spectator for a report on the lives of
Somali refugees who have made Hamilton their new home; the Ottawa
Citizen for a special report on the issues that confront the
terminally ill, their families and their caregivers; The Province in
Vancouver for an indepth look at the dangerous world of auto crime.
- Sports: Geoff Baker, Toronto Star, for an investigative series on the
widespread use of performance enhancing drugs among teenage baseball
players in the Dominican Republic; William Marsden, The Gazette in
Montreal, for reporting on the hazing scandal involving the McGill
University Redmen football team; Earl McRae of The Ottawa Sun for a
story of an afternoon of watching the movie "Cinderella Man" with
legendary boxer George Chuvalo.
- Investigations: Steve Buist, Joan Walters and Luma Muhtadie, The
Hamilton Spectator, for a series of stories on the safety of
prescription drugs and the ties between university researchers and
pharmaceutical companies; Harold Levy, Toronto Star, for a story on
the wrongdoing of a controversial forensic pathologist; Fabian
Dawson, Valerie Fortney, Mike Roberts and Ted Rhodes, Calgary Herald
and The Province of Vancouver (joint entry), for stories of abandoned
Indian-born brides duped of their dowries in widespread marital
fraud.
- Columns: Andrew Cohen, Ottawa Citizen; Doug Saunders, The Globe and
Mail; Margaret Wente, The Globe and Mail.
- Explanatory Work: Ian Brown, The Globe and Mail, for his offbeat
explanation of a hangover; Catherine Porter of the Toronto Star for a
primer on how a litre of water makes it from the source to usage;
Oakland Ross of the Toronto Star for a story on the cause, course and
devastating results of a tsunami, shortly after the Asian disaster.
- Presentation: Catherine Bernard, La Presse, Montreal; Catherine
Farley and Greg Smith, Toronto Star; Gayle Grin, National Post.
- Business: David Baines, The Vancouver Sun, for stories on a scandal
enveloping the Eron Mortgage Corporation; Theresa Tedesco, National
Post, for a story of turmoil surrounding the Alberta Securities
Commission; Jennifer Wells, Toronto Star, for a minute-by-minute
account of a real estate transaction in a heated up housing market.
- Sports Photography: Frank Gunn, The Canadian Press, for a photo of
Olympic champion swimmer Michael Phelps nearing the finish line; John
Mahoney, The Gazette, Montreal, for a photo of a wide-eyed water polo
netminder awaiting a throw from an opponent; Ryan Remiorz, The
Canadian Press, for a photo of a diver's head hitting the diving
board.

NATIONAL NEWSPAPER AWARDS
CONCOURS CANADIEN DE JOURNALISME

FINALISTS/FINALISTES - 2005

Beats/Journalisme specialisé

- Stewart Bell, National Post
- Gordon Hamilton, The Vancouver Sun
- Michelle Shephard, Toronto Star

Explanatory work/Texte explicatif

- Ian Brown, The Globe and Mail
- Catherine Porter, Toronto Star
- Oakland Ross, Toronto Star

Politics/Politique

- Colette Derworiz, Suzanne Wilton, Calgary Herald
- Jeff Sallot, Simon Tuck, The Globe and Mail
- Lindsay Kines, Jeff Rud, Victoria Times Colonist

Short Features/Reportage bref

- Marlene Bergsma, St. Catharines Standard
- Allan Maki, The Globe and Mail
- Laura-Julie Perreault, La Presse, Montréal

Local Reporting/Reportage à caractère local

- Team, Cornwall Standard-Freeholder
- Scott Dunn, Owen Sound Sun-Times
- Gordon Hoekstra, Prince George Citizen

Presentation/Présentation

- Catherine Bernard, La Presse, Montréal
- Gayle Grin, National Post
- Catherine Farley, Greg Smith, Toronto Star

Special Project/Projet spécial

- The Hamilton Spectator
- Ottawa Citizen
- The Province, Vancouver

Sports Photography/Photographie de sport

- Frank Gunn, The Canadian Press
- John Mahoney, The Gazette, Montreal
- Ryan Remiorz, The Canadian Press

Business/Economie

- David Baines, The Vancouver Sun
- Theresa Tedesco, National Post
- Jennifer Wells, Toronto Star

Columns/Chronique

- Andrew Cohen, Ottawa Citizen
- Doug Saunders, The Globe and Mail
- Margaret Wente, The Globe and Mail

Investigations/Grande enquête

- Steve Buist, Joan Walters, Luma Muhtadie, The Hamilton Spectator
- Harold Levy, Toronto Star
- Team, Vancouver Province/Calgary Herald

Arts and Entertainment/Culture

- Geoff Pevere, Toronto Star
- Kevin Prokosh, Winnipeg Free Press
- Lisa Rochon, The Globe and Mail

Sports/Sport

- Geoff Baker, Toronto Star
- William Marsden, The Gazette, Montreal
- Earl McRae, The Ottawa Sun

Feature Photography/Photographie de reportage

- Mike Carroccetto, Ottawa Citizen
- Nick Procaylo, The Province, Vancouver
- Derek Ruttan, The London Free Press

International /Reportage à caractère international

- Pascale Breton, La Presse, Montréal
- Rosie DiManno, Toronto Star
- Stephanie Nolen, The Globe and Mail

Editorials/Editorial

- Sean Fine, The Globe and Mail
- Iain Hunter, Victoria Times Colonist
- Dawn Sugimoto, Lethbridge Herald

Editorial Cartooning/Caricature

- Serge Chapleau, La Presse, Montréal
- Brian Gable, The Globe and Mail
- Bruce MacKinnon, Halifax Chronicle-Herald

Long Features/Reportage élaboré

- Ian Brown, The Globe and Mail
- Louise Leduc, La Presse, Montréal
- Sarah McGinnis, New Brunswick Telegraph-Journal

News Photography/Photographie d'actualité

- Adam Dombowsky, Moose Jaw Times Herald
- Larry MacDougal, The Canadian Press
- Ryan Remiorz, The Canadian Press

Breaking News/Nouvelle de dernière heure

- Team, Edmonton Journal
- Tu Thanh Ha, Ingrid Peritz, The Globe and Mail
- Leah Janzen, Winnipeg Free Press

MONTREAL - For the fiscal quarter ended January 31, 2006, Transcontinental's revenues reached $547.4 million, up 6% over $515.3 million in the first quarter of 2005. The increase stems mainly from the acquisition of U.S.-based direct marketer JDM in February, 2005, as well as from organic revenue growth of 2%, but was mitigated by the negative impact of the Canadian dollar's appreciation and competitive market conditions in commercial printing. These latter factors particularly affected net income, which stood at $27.9 million, or $0.31 per share, in the first quarter of 2006, down 4% from $29.1 million, or $0.33 per share, in the year-earlier quarter.

Highlights:

- 6% growth in revenues.
- Net income of $27.9 million, or $0.31 per share in the first quarter of 2006, down 4% over $29.1 million, or $0.33 per share, in the first quarter of 2005, due to the negative foreign exchange impact combined with slight increases in amortization and financial expenses.
- Excluding the negative foreign-exchange impact and unusual items, earnings per share would have been $0.36, an increase of 9% over the first quarter of 2005.
- Dividends to shareholders will increase by 18% to $0.065 per share starting in the second quarter.
- Purchased for cancellation 2,354,200 shares under normal course issuer bid launched last November, for a total consideration of $44.8 million as of March 14, 2006.
- A solid financial position to pursue growth, with a net indebtedness to total capitalization ratio of 28% as at January 31, 2006.
- Transcontinental's management maintains its previously stated earnings- per-share objective before unusual items of $1.50 to $1.60 for fiscal 2006.

First Quarter

"Our first-quarter results are in line with our expectations, with revenue growth coming both from acquisitions and sales development initiatives while the exchange rate continued to have an impact on our bottom line," said Luc Desjardins, president and chief executive officer of Transcontinental. "Our response to the stronger Canadian dollar has been the implementation of our revised manufacturing strategy, a $53-million investment to replace seven older presses with three state-of-the-art machines and the reorganization of certain operations. This important program is now almost finished and should see its final stages wrap up in the third quarter of this year in our book printing operations.

"The combination of a solid balance sheet and strong cash flows puts us in a favourable position to continue to invest in our development," continued Mr. Desjardins. "We will step up our strategic investments relating to our five-year plan, Evolution 2010, in the coming quarters, particularly in the areas of digital media and product and service development in our Media sector. We are also looking at various acquisition opportunities in our target niches and continue to make progress with potential customers for our newspaper outsourcing model."

Benoît Huard, vice president and chief financial officer, added: "Taking into consideration a constant exchange rate of 1.15 CAD/USD for the remainder of the year, current energy prices and the positive effect from the share buy- back program, Transcontinental's management maintains its previously stated earnings-per-share objective before unusual items of $1.50 to $1.60 for fiscal 2006".

Financial Highlights

In the first quarter ended January 31, 2006, Transcontinental reported consolidated revenues of $547.4 million versus $515.3 million in the same quarter of 2005, a 6% increase, while adjusted operating income before amortization(1) decreased by less than 1% to $79.2 million from $79.9 million in 2005. The increases of 2%, or $12.2 million, in organic growth in revenues and 1%, or $1.0 million, in organic growth in adjusted operating income before amortization stem primarily from newspaper printing, catalogue and magazine printing and the publishing of weekly newspapers in Quebec. These activities more than offset competitive market conditions in the commercial printing market and lower book printing sales volumes due to the reorganization and consolidation of the Louiseville plant. The acquisition completed in fiscal 2005 of U.S. direct marketer JDM added $23.1 million to revenues and $3.2 million to adjusted operating income before amortization. The paper effect had a $3.8-million positive impact on revenues but a slightly negative $0.3-million effect on adjusted operating income before amortization. Finally, fluctuations in the exchange rate between the Canadian dollar and its U.S. and Mexican counterparts had a negative effect of $7.0 million on revenues and $4.6 million on adjusted operating income before amortization.

Net income decreased by 4%, from $29.1 million in the first quarter of 2005 to $27.9 million in 2006, mainly due to a negative exchange-rate effect combined with slight increases in amortization and financial expenses. On a per-common-share basis, net income decreased from $0.33 to $0.31. Excluding the negative foreign-exchange impact and unusual items, earnings per share would have been $0.36, representing an increase of 9% over the first quarter of 2005.

Highlights of Operations

The following are the main operating highlights by sector for the first quarter of 2006:

- Revenues in the Printing Products and Services sector rose slightly to $171.1 million in the first quarter of 2006 from $170.6 million in the year-earlier quarter, an increase of 0.3%, while adjusted operating income before amortization declined by 11.9%, from $29.0 million to $25.5 million. Organic growth in revenues was generated primarily in the Newspaper Group, stemming from an increase in page counts, increased volume from the federal election and the new contract to print The New York Times for the Ontario and Upstate New York markets at Transcontinental Interweb Toronto, the first time the venerable daily has ever been printed outside the U.S. For the balance of the fiscal year, this Group will continue to benefit from the New York Times contract, plus the Olympic Games coverage in February should also have a positive impact. While Mexican operations continue to face a challenging environment, they did continue to benefit from new sales initiatives. The Book Group is expected to complete the reorganization and consolidation of the Louiseville plant by May, while the installation of the new Goss press in the Beauceville plant is expected to be completed in June. The adjusted operating income margin before amortization decreased from 17.0% in the first quarter of 2005 to 14.9% in the first quarter of 2006. This decrease can mostly be attributed to competitive market conditions in commercial printing and the negative exchange-rate effect.

- Revenues in the Marketing Products and Services sector rose from $242 million in the first quarter of 2005 to $267.2 million in 2006, an increase of $25.2 million, or 10.4%, while adjusted operating income before amortization rose 10.9%, from $33.9 million in the first quarter of 2005 to $37.6 million in 2006. The driver of growth was the acquisition of JDM, completed in February 2005. In addition, the new Premedia Group, created following the launch of our Evolution 2010 business plan, was quite successful in the quarter. Furthermore, the Direct Marketing Group in the U.S. completed its reorganization and plant consolidation. The adjusted operating income margin before amortization remained stable at 14.1% in the first quarter of 2006 as organic growth in retail printing operations was offset by the negative foreign-exchange impact.

- Revenues in the Media sector rose from $129.1 million in the first quarter of 2005 to $133.8 million in 2006, an increase of $4.7 million, or 3.6%, while adjusted operating income before amortization remained relatively stable at $19.7 million, down 1.4% from $20.0 million. Organic growth was generated in the publishing of daily and weekly newspapers in Quebec and the Atlantic Provinces as well as in the distribution of advertising material. On the other hand, magazine publishing was negatively affected by lower advertising in certain categories, higher postal costs and higher circulation and promotion expenses to increase the subscription base of The Hockey News, which is now approaching its pre-NHL lockout numbers. Promising partnerships with the strong brands AskMen.com and Yellow Pages Group were also signed during the quarter. The adjusted operating income margin before amortization decreased slightly from 15.5% to 14.7%. Investments in the development of new products and services and in the digital strategy should increase over the next three quarters.

Strategic Orientation Update: Evolution 2010

Evolution 2010, our new business project launched on November 16, 2005, builds on the achievements of Horizon 2005 but will go one step further. Transcontinental needs to adapt and change to the new realities of increased competition and globalization, a stronger Canadian dollar, technological advances and the emergence of new media channels. We will thus need to invest more than ever in our long-term development.

Growth will be challenging in the coming years due to intense competition in some printing segments and increased strategic expenses needed to further differentiate ourselves. Evolution 2010 will put more emphasis on our role as a marketing advisor to our customers, by developing an even greater knowledge of their markets and integrating us into their value chain. We will also aim at improving our content, product and service offering, and technology platform so that we can serve our advertisers, readers and website visitors even better. Furthermore, we will be stressing organic growth, based on innovative and creative initiatives by our people, while continuing to target strategic acquisitions. We will also be investing more heavily in our long- term development.

Management believes that the goals of this business project can be achieved in five ways: by introducing new products and services on a multi- channel platform; by offering integrated marketing services with a focus on value-added services; by reducing cycle times in both production and administrative functions; by growing sales organically; and, lastly, by developing our talent.

In the first quarter of 2006, on the media side we became the co- publisher of the newly launched Canadian version of the world's number-one online men's lifestyle magazine, AskMen.com, which boasted approximately 10 million unique visitors worldwide in January 2006. We also forged ahead with our partnership with Yellow Pages Group for the publishing of new and innovative guides. The first two issues of these guides will target home improvement consumers, combining Transcontinental's Décormag and Style at Home brands with the Yellow Pages(TM) brand, and will be published in the spring of this year. We also elaborated the profile and started the search to fill the position of Vice President, Digital Media.

On the print side, we completed the reorganization and consolidation of our Eastern U.S. direct marketing operations, we installed and ramped up the new Goss press in our Boucherville plant, we continued to work on the reorganization and consolidation of our Louiseville plant, we continued to implement our integrated manufacturing software in our printing plants and, finally, we pursued our discussions with potential customers for our newspaper outsourcing model.

Furthermore, we launched our Finance Evolution program, which aims to reengineer our financial processes over the next three years. We also pursued numerous efforts for cross-selling initiatives, our market team approach and the development of our premedia offering.

Reconciliation of Non-GAAP Financial Measures

Financial data have been prepared in conformity with Canadian Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP). However, certain financial measures used in this press release do not have any standardized meaning under GAAP and could be calculated differently by other companies. The Corporation believes that certain non-GAAP financial measures, when presented in conjunction with comparable GAAP financial measures, are useful to investors and other readers because that information is an appropriate measure for evaluating the Corporation's operating performance. Internally, the Corporation uses this non- GAAP financial information as an indicator of business performance, and evaluates management's effectiveness with specific reference to these indicators. These measures should be considered in addition to, not a substitute for or superior to, measures of financial performance prepared in accordance with GAAP. Below is a table reconciling GAAP financial measures to non-GAAP financial measures.