ACCUSED MAN DENIES DOWNLOADING PIRATED MOVIE

When Canadian broadcaster Canwest Global Communications executives arrive at the Hazelton Hotel in Toronto today (Tuesday) to make their pitch to advertisers for their fall schedule, they will likely have to pass near a rally being staged by Canadian actors who are angry at the decision by Global network to buy several American TV shows for next season — some of them sight unseen — while passing over homegrown content. In a statement on Monday, the 21,000-member Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists (ACTRA) said: “Canadian broadcasters are annually spending hundreds of millions of dollars on Hollywood programs that can already be seen on American networks, while squeezing Canadian TV off their schedules.” ACTRA cited figures by the Canadian Radio-TV and Telecommunications Commission showing Canadian network spending on U.S. programming rising to record levels while spending on Canadian productions decreased.