Changing Channels: Confessions of a Canadian Communications Lawyer

Peter Grant's memoir, Changing Channels, recounts a life dedicated to guiding Canada in its journey towards a distinctive place in the world of popular culture. In documenting his wide range of experiences, from stints at UNESCO and the CRTC, to advocating for the underdog in regard to communications and cultural policy, Grant establishes himself as Canada's authority on communications law.

Table of Contents:
INTRODUCTION: A SHOWDOWN IN PARIS1. KAPUSKASING About My Father About My Mother Early Years High School Summer Jobs Religion My Return to Kap Years Later2. UNIVERSITY First Year at Victoria College My Musical Life Radisson and Groseilliers Life at Victoria College Horizon Holidays Law School or Music? First Year Law and "The Spider"3. BECOMING A COMMUNICATIONS LAWYER How It All Started Articling at McCarthy & McCarthy Researching and Teaching Communications Law Gloria Me and Uri Geller Bob Richmond and MusicFest Canada How My Communications Law Career Began UNESCO The Border Broadcasting War4. WORKING FOR THE CRTC Being Seconded to the CRTC Regulating the Telephone Companies Support Structures Telesat Canada Challenge Communications Decision 79-11: The First Interconnection Case Acting for the Cultural Industries Freedom of Information5. RETURN TO MCCARTHYS Return to McCarthy & McCarthy Fighting Bell Canada for Fun and Profit Acting for People with Disabilities Some Early Broadcast Cases First Choice The Leaders Debates6. FAMILY MATTERS Grace Family Matters The Garage7. COMMUNICATIONS LAW IN ACTION Pursuing a New FM Station in Toronto The Armstrong Case Family Channel Expanding into Entertainment Law The Bell Dispute Standard Radio The Canadian Retransmission Collective Showcase Television in the Alternative History Television How the Business News Network Succeeded Work for Alliance Atlantis Should Cable Systems Support Canadian Broadcasters? Television Drama Acting as the Broadcasting Arbitrator The Ontario ACCISS Study Law Society Conferences and the Broadcast Handbooks The Craig Broadcast Story How MTV Came to Canada8. BRANCHING OUT Trade Law and Cultural Policy The Split-Run Case The Country Music Case The UNESCO Cultural Diversity Convention Direct-to-Home Satellite Services Cable Television in the Bahamas Sri Lanka Grant Buchanan RAI Blockbusters and Trade Wars Chapters/Indigo My Changing Relationship with Bell Canada Should Internet Service Providers Contribute to Canadian Content?CHANGING CHANNELS The Evolution of Communications and Cultural Policy Consolidation Copyright and Convergence A concluding chapter with up-to-date rulings and summaries is to come.

About the Author :
Peter S. Grant was born on November 26, 1941, and grew up in Kapuskasing, Ontario. He enrolled in Victoria College at the University of Toronto, and in addition to studying political science and economics -- and later law -- he spent two summers in the 'Arrangers Workshop' at the prestigious Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York. After being called to the bar in 1969, Grant joined McCarthy & McCarthy, currently McCarthy Tetrault, one of Canada's largest law firms. Grant has since been instrumental in establishing the field of communications law in Canada, working as and Special Counsel to the CRTC, consulting for UNESCO, and acting as the Broadcasting Arbitrator for Canada. He is the author of numerous articles and publications, including the Canadian Broadcasting Regulatory Handbook as well as Blockbusters and Trade Wars: Popular Culture in a Globalized World, co-authored with Chris Wood. He currently sits as Counsel at McCarthy Tetrault, and as Adjunct Professor at the University of Toronto and York University. He lives in Toronto.

Review :
'The dust jacket of Peter Grant's autobiography Changing Channels: Confessions of a Canadian Communications Lawyer accurately describes it as a "sweeping memoir" about a person "who pioneered the field of communications law in Canada". It is a treasure trove of anecdotes which, when woven together as skilfully as Grant has done, provides a rich history of significant events in the development of communications law and policy in the four decades during which Grant practiced law in this field. As such, it is a must read for law students, lawyers (of all seniority) as well as students and practitioners of public policy.' -- Gregory Kane Journal of Parliamentary and Political Law