Corus-owned iNews 880 (CHQT-AM) Edmonton rebranded this week to Global News Radio 880. An internal memo indicates the rebrand comes with further integration of the newsroom with Global Edmonton and that some positions have been eliminated as a result.
The Indigenous Music Awards were handed out in Winnipeg on May 18 with Native Communications’ Indigenous Music Countdown awarded Best Radio Station Program Promoting Indigenous Music. Also nominated in the category were CBC Radio: Unreserved; Deya Miller – Indigenous Hour, Jukasa Radio 93.5 FM (CJKS-FM) Caledonia, ON; Indigenous in Music with Larry K on web station Native Voice One and Reclaimed on CBC Music.
Golden West Broadcasting’s Manitoba stations raised $105,203 during the Critical Care On the Air Radiothon in support of Stars Air Ambulance. Broadcast over 24 hours on May 16-17, the radiothon was heard live on AM 1250 (CHSM-AM), Mix 96.7 (CILT-FM) and Country 107.1 (CJXR-FM) in Steinbach; 950 AM (CFAM-AM) Altona; The Eagle 93.5 (CJEL-FM) and Country 88.9 (CKMW-FM) in Winkler; and 920AM (CFRY-AM), Mix 96.5 (CJPG-FM) and Country 93.1 FM (CHPO-FM) Portage la Prairie.
SiriusXM Canada has opened nationwide voting for the first SiriusXM Top of the Country contest in partnership with the Canadian Country Music Association (CCMA). Nine semi-finalists from coast-to-coast now face off as Canada picks the top three to move on to the finals for their chance at $25,000 and more.
SiriusXM Canada will launch limited-run channel The U2 Experience on channel 30, from June 1-30. The U2 Experience will showcase music from the band’s latest album Songs of Experience, historic performances, rarities, as well as stories from the band and its long-time sound engineer Joe O’Herlihy. On June 11, U2 will take a one night detour from the eXPERIENCE + iNNOCENCE Tour 2018 to perform at Harlem’s Apollo Theater for a special invitation-only concert for SiriusXM subscribers. The concert will also air simultaneously on Howard Stern’s Howard 101 channel.
Centennial College and non-profit Many Hands, Doing Good have partnered to establish an annual radio scholarship honouring King City, ON resident Gary Neville. The $1,000 scholarship will be awarded to a qualified student interested in studying radio broadcasting. Many Hands, Doing Good was started in response to the outpouring of community support after a Sept. 2015 crash that took the lives of Neville and his three grandchildren. Neville studied accounting at Centennial College, starting in 1968, and went on to work in the accounting department at CFRB-AM Toronto from 1979-89.
K97 (CIRK-FM) Edmonton alumni Mark Summers, Anna Posteraro & Kathy Salloum have organized the inaugural Edmonton Radio Reunion on June 23. Past and present radio employees are invited to gather at the Local Public Eatery from 3 – 6 p.m. RSVP to mark@sharkbytes-studios.com.
Jenn Grant, Saskatchewan folk duo Kacy & Clayton and South African-Canadian singer-songwriter Zaki Ibrahim are the latest acts to join the CBC Music Festival’s all-Canadian lineup at RBC Echo Beach on May 26. New this year, CBC Music will present a fifth stage showcasing emerging acts from around the Greater Toronto Area, including R&B artist TOBi; pop singer JXCK KXLLY; soul/R&B singer-songwriter Alcordo; and indie-folk duo Moscow Apartment. For the first time, the festival will also feature a CBC Comedy Stage. All performances on the Main Stage and q Stage will be streamed at cbcmusic.ca/festival and CBC Music’s Facebook and YouTube pages. A one-hour special featuring festival highlights and backstage interviews will air on CBC TV on July 1 at 8 p.m. (8:30 NT).
