The digital executive and entrepreneur brings over four decades of experience in digital media and journalism innovation to the Sault Ste. Marie-headquarted digital news publisher, including serving as CEO of Salon Media Group, Worldwide Services at Apple, and Vice President of Content at early consumer broadband provider, @Home Network.

Village Media currently owns and operates 26 local news sites in Ontario, five other news-related sites, and licenses its publishing platform, Villager, to another 120 publications across Canada and the U.S. It’s expanded over the past year into social networking, with the launch of SPACES in several communities it serves.

“Richard’s extensive experience in digital media and his commitment to journalistic integrity align perfectly with our mission to innovate and strengthen local news,” said Village Media CEO Jeff Elgie, in a company announcement. “I have worked with Richard for many years and he has become both a mentor of mine and a passionate supporter of the work we do. His leadership will be invaluable as we continue to grow and serve our communities.”

Gingras also helped found global think tank, the Center for News, Technology & Innovation, and the Trust Project, a global initiative to promote transparency and trust in journalism. He currently serves on the boards of the First Amendment Coalition, the International Center for Journalists, the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, the UC Berkeley School of Journalism, and PRX, the public media podcast network.

“I am honoured to join Village Media as Chair of the Board,” said Gingras. “Village Media’s dedication to local journalism and strengthening local communities is of critical value and  importance. I look forward to working with Jeff and the talented Village team to further their mission and explore new avenues for innovation in local news delivery.”

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FEATURE: As WABE, the Association for Media and Entertainment Broadcast Professionals, gears up for its 75th anniversary convention this year, Sept. 29 – Oct. 1 at the Telus Convention Centre in Calgary, the organization will host a free meet-up on Jan. 27 from 6:30 – 9 p.m. at Canada Brewhouse in Calgary for an informative evening on IT security, hosted by Blue Warden. This event is open to anyone in the media and entertainment technology industry. Check out WABE President Tessa Potter’s January column here.

Samsung Electronics has announced the integration of Eclipsa Audio — a groundbreaking 3D audio technology developed in partnership with Google — into its 2025 TV and soundbar lineup. Eclipsa Audio allows creators to adjust audio data such as the location and intensity of sounds, along with spatial reflections, to create an immersive three-dimensional sound experience. As the first in the industry to adopt Eclipsa Audio, Samsung is integrating the tech across its 2025 TV lineup — from the Crystal UHD series to the flagship Neo QLED 8K models. Starting in 2025, creators will be able to upload videos with Eclipsa Audio tracks to YouTube. Viewers with 2025 Samsung devices will be able to watch YouTube videos with premium spatial audio when available. To ensure consistent audio quality, Samsung and Google are working with the Telecommunications Technology Association (TTA) to create a certification program for devices using Eclipsa Audio.

Quickplay, the Toronto-headquartered provider of OTT solutions, has launched Quickplay Shorts, a new product that both creates and syndicates vertical short-form content from LIVE and VOD long form video, and a social infinite vertical scroll front-end experience. Quickplay Shorts enables OTT providers, through the use of generative AI, to identify, create and distribute bite-sized, vertical format content derived from traditional format live streams and VOD content. Integrating into existing OTT ecosystems and apps, it’s aimed at empowering streamers to reach and engage younger audiences and unlock new monetization opportunities as platforms like TikTok and YouTube capture an increasing share across audiences. Data provided by Quickplay says Gen Zs are leading the way, spending over three hours daily on short-form platforms, compared to just one hour on traditional streaming and broadcast, combined.

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The Competition Bureau is taking legal action against Google, following an investigation into anti-competitive conduct in the online advertising technology space in Canada. Google owns four of the largest online ad tech services used in Canada: DoubleClick for Publishers, AdX, Display & Video 360 and Google Ads. It holds an estimated market share of 90% in publisher ad servers, 70% in advertiser networks, 60% in demand-side platforms and 50% in ad exchanges. The Bureau’s position is that Google unlawfully tied its various ad tech tools together to maintain its market dominance, distorted auction dynamics by giving its own tools preferential access to ad inventory, took negative margins in certain circumstances to disadvantage rivals, and dictated the terms on which its own publisher customers could transact with rival ad tech tools. The Bureau’s application to the Competition Tribunal seeks an order that would require Google to sell two of its ad tech tools (its publisher ad server, DFP, and its ad exchange, AdX); direct Google to pay a penalty in compliance with the Competition Act; and prohibit the digital giant from continuing to engage in anticompetitive practices. Read more here.

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