2016 Ontario Association of Broadcasters Award Winners

RADIO/AUDIO/PODCAST:

Images from the OAB Conference 2016

2016 Ontario Association of Broadcasters Award Winners

Station Promotion Awards:

Large Market – Corus Entertainment, Jump! 106.9 Ottawa (CKQB-FM), Live Free

Small Market – Bayshore Broadcasting, Mix 106.5 Owen Sound (CIXK-FM), The Mix 6

Community Service Awards – Large Market:

Winner – Newcap Radio, Boom 97.3 Toronto (CHBM-FM), Stu Jeffries’ $1,000 Make-A-Wish Minute

Honourable Mention – Jazz.FM 91 Toronto (CJRT-FM), Holiday Heroes Instrument Drive

Community Service Awards – Small Market:

Winner – Blackburn Radio, K106.3 Sarnia (CHKS-FM), That Night in Sarnia

Honourable Mention – Bayshore Broadcasting, 104.9 the Beach, Goderich (CHWC-FM), Everyone is Welcome Children’s Celebration

Ontario Hall of Fame Awards:

Richard Costley-White (the late)

Chuck McCoy

The CRTC says there is room for at least one additional radio station to serve Grimsby and Beamsville, ON. Consequently, it has issued a call for applications. Dufferin Communications Inc. has already applied for a commercial radio station in the area.

Golden West Radio’s Steinbachonline.com was named Best Community News Website in Canada at the Canadian Online Publishing Awards (COPA) last week in Toronto. Steinbachonline.com serves southeastern Manitoba with news, weather and community blogging.

Extra 90.5 FM (CJMB-FM) Peterborough, ON is offering a free, one-way, first class ticket to U.S. celebrity refugees who want to flee to Canada in the wake of Donald Trump’s presidential win. The station says the offer is open to any A-lister, B-lister or even low-level C-list reality star, regardless of age, race or sexual orientation. They’ll also provide free lodging in Peterborough and free tickets to see the Peterborough Petes.

Mike Bullard is facing criminal harassment charges, accused of stalking ex-girlfriend and CityTV journalist Cynthia Mulligan. Bullard hasn’t been on-air at Toronto’s NewsTalk 1010 (CFRB) since Oct. 5, shortly after the first of a total of five charges were laid. The former standup comedian and talk show personality, 59, had been host of Beyond the Mic With Mike Bullard since 2010. Bullard was formerly the host of Open Mike with Mike Bullard on CTV and The Mike Bullard Show on Global.

The 1980s CBC radio series, Frantic Times, may be reincarnated as a free, best-of podcast series in early 2017. The Frantics comedy troupe is raising the necessary production funds through an Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign. Paul Chato, Rick Green, Dan Redican, and Peter Wildman formed the troupe in Toronto in 1979, touring with a live show and starring in the TV show Four on the Floor, which aired on CBC and Channel 4 in the UK.

Red FM (CKYE-FM) Vancouver’s 10th annual Gurupurab Radiothon raised $715,000 to support expansion of the kidney centre at Surrey Memorial Hospital. Long time radiothon supporters Raghbir and Manjit Atwal, owners of Atwal’s Insurance and Financial Centre, made a special $100,000 donation to mark the event’s milestone, the largest donation in its history.  

VOCM’s Kids Eat Smart radiothon on Tuesday raised a record $116,000 for school breakfast programs across Newfoundland and Labrador. Broadcast from St. John’s Avalon Mall, the radiothon was heard on all VOCM/CFCB Radio Networks and Big Land Labrador’s FM (CFLN-FM).

Whiteoaks Communications Group (formerly CHWO Radio Ltd.) is celebrating its 60th anniversary today (Nov. 17). Howard and Jean Caine’s dream of owning a radio station began while the two worked at CKOC Hamilton, he as a newscaster and she as the women’s editor. CHWO Oakville, 1250 on the dial, went on the air Nov. 17, 1956 at 12:50 p.m. with a middle of the road format and some ethnic programming. Late in 1967, Howard Caine died leaving the station’s management to Jean and, later, to their son, Michael. It was in 1986 that Howard C. Caine was inducted into the CAB Broadcast Hall of Fame. In June of 2000, Whiteoaks won approval for an Adult Standards station at 740 AM, the old CBC Toronto frequency. The new 50,000-watt station, now CHWO, targeted the 50+ demo. As part of the deal, Michael Caine, also the owner of CJMR Mississauga, had to juggle formats so that the new licence picked up the Adult Standards format while the old CHWO Oakville, which became CJYE, moved to contemporary Christian music and CJMR increased ethnic programming. In 2007, Moses Znaimer bought AM 740 (CHWO) Toronto from the Caine family. In 2014, station co-founder Jean Caine, also a CAB Broadcast Hall of Fame recipient, passed away at the age of 90. Whiteoaks is now under the guidance of Michael and Matthew Caine, the third generation of the Caine family.

Lyman Potts celebrated his 100th birthday last week. Potts was the first private broadcaster appointed a Member of the Order of Canada in 1978. Starting in 1932, Potts worked at CKCK Regina, CKOC Hamilton, CKSL London, ON, and CJAD & CJFM-FM Montreal before being appointed assistant to Standard Radio’s president W.C. Thornton Cran and eventually heading up Standard Broadcast Publications, an umbrella for the Canadian Talent Library. Potts is enjoying retirement in Burlington, ON.

The Community Radio Fund of Canada (CRFC) has announced a seventh round of funding under the Radiometres program, with $1.5 million available to campus and community stations to finance improved local programming, volunteer training, or community engagement projects. Stations have until Jan. 13 to submit an application for funding up to a maximum of $50,000.

The Western Association of Broadcast Engineers handed out its WABE 2016 Awards last week. And the recipients are:

Retirement Awards: Wayne Watson, Len Virog, Peter Nobel, Mike Tofflemire, Don Munro, Emmanuel Foster, Gerry MacDonald, Alex Kosman

Ambassador Award: Tyler Everitt, Pippin Technical Services Ltd.

Spirit Award: Brian Mayer, Global Calgary

Excellence in Engineering Award: Jerry Pendree, Rogers Radio Calgary; Larry King, Bell Media Radio

R.W. Lamb Award: Jim Sosick, Broadcast Controls Inc.