Chris Howden has been named the new co-host of CBC Radio’s long-running current affairs evening show As It Happens, alongside Carol Off. Howden, who has been the show’s writer for the last 10 years, is already familiar to listeners as a fill-in host. In addition to As It Happens, he’s been a contributor to Sounds Like Canada, This Morning, and hosted documentary show Living Out Loud. He’ll take up the co-host’s chair Monday, Jan. 6. As It Happen’s most recent co-host, Jeff Douglas, stepped away from the program in May to return to his home province to host CBC Nova Scotia afternoon drive show Mainstreet. Read more here.
Ken Shaw is retiring from the anchor desk at CTV Toronto and is set to move into a new role at CTV News Channel where he’ll provide special reports on issues he’s passionate about like the environment. Shaw’s last broadcast on CTV News at Noon and CTV News at Six will be Jan. 6. Shaw joined CTV Toronto as a reporter in 1979, while also contributing to American network shows Good Morning America, Nightline and The Today Show. He started his broadcasting career in the newsroom at CHFI-FM Toronto. Nathan Downer, who has been an anchor/reporter with CP24 for the last decade, will succeed Shaw. He began co-anchoring noon-hour news Dec. 10, and will assume his full role Jan. 7.
Mark Sutcliffe, host of Ottawa Today with Mark Sutcliffe on Rogers’ 1310 NEWS (CIWW-AM), is taking a step back from doing his daily four-hour mid-morning talk show to host a one-hour noon version, beginning in the New Year. Former CFRA Ottawa midday talk host Rob Snow, who was part of the latest round of layoffs at Bell Media and had been a fixture on 1310’s competitor for two decades, will take over the 9 a.m. – noon show. Sutcliffe will host his last broadcast from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 20 in a special farewell show. He’ll continue to be heard on the station in the noon to 1 p.m. timeslot. In a news release, Sutcliffe said he’s looking forward to spending more time with his family, and focusing more on writing, volunteering, and entrepreneurship. Snow will step in Monday, Jan. 13. Read more here.
Joanne Schnurr has announced she’s leaving CTV Ottawa after 30 years. Schnurr, who originally hails from Regina, started her broadcasting career with CJME and Z99 (CIZL-FM) Regina. She was working for CTV Regina in 1983 as a legislative reporter and assignment editor when she met her future husband, who was a journalist with Radio-Canada, and made the move east. Schnurr has been with CTV Ottawa since 1989.
Daryl Braun, the longtime news director at Golden West Radio in Steinbach, MB, is retiring at the end of the year. Braun’s 46-year broadcast career started at CFAM Altona in 1973 while he was still in high school. In 1977, he moved to Brandon to work in radio and TV news, prior to joining CKRC and 103 FM Winnipeg as a news anchor/reporter. Braun spent 16 years there, the last nine as news director. He joined CHSM Steinbach in 1995 as the morning news editor and anchor. Over the years, Braun also served as a past Prairie Director of the RTDNA and on the board of the Canadian Broadcast Standards Council.
Ian Yanover is retiring Dec. 24 from Durham Radio in Hamilton after a 40-year broadcast and advertising career. Yanover has been with Durham’s Hamilton stations (KX94.7, 92.9 The Grand, and Wave FM) as a senior account manager for the last decade. Over the years he’s also worked in sales and management for WIC, Corus, Standard, Telemedia and Evanov Radio Group, among other companies.
Kevin Gemmell has been named the new general manager of the Jim Pattison Broadcast Group’s Prince George, BC operations, including CKPG-TV, 99.3 The Drive (CKDV-FM), 101.3 The River (CKKN-FM) and CKPGToday.ca. Gemmell will take over his new role effective Jan. 1 from current GM Mike Clotildes who is semi-retiring at the end of December after a long career with both Pattison and Monarch Broadcasting. Clotildes had been GM since 2014. Born and raised in Prince George, he first joined CKPG-TV in 1986 as Master Control Operator after graduating from BCIT and never left. Over the years, he’s served as a cameraman, director of live events, produced features and programs, and served as TV director. His wife Brenda, who serves as production manager and has been with the station since 1987, is also leaving the company. Since 2008, Gemmell has been heading up 89.5 The Drive (CHWK-FM) Chilliwack as station manager and general sales manager. Read more here.
Stéphan Dupont, who left Énergie (CHIK-FM) Quebec City in mid-November, is moving his show over to mornings at FM93 (CJMF-FM), starting Jan. 13. Dupont will replace Sylvain Bouchard, who is moving to afternoons after 15 years in the morning time slot. Éric Duhaime moves from drive into the noon hour daypart. Dupont contributors Raynald Cloutier and Pierre Blais will be joining the host on FM93.
Espe Currie is leaving News 1130 (CKWX-AM) Vancouver to join CTV Vancouver as an associate producer. Currie had been with Rogers Vancouver as a web editor/reporter since January after previously working as an AP for CityNews in Toronto.
Mike Boon, host of the Toronto Mike podcast, has been hired as the producer for Humble & Fred Radio, which airs in the morning timeslot on Funny 820 (CHAM-AM) Hamilton, as a podcast, and streams at HumbleandFredradio.com. Boon becomes the show’s ninth producer in its 30-year history, following Amanda Barker in the role. The show has become a client of Boon’s digital services company TMDS, which also produces Hebsy on Sports, Gallagher and Gross Save the World, and Not that Kind of Rabbi with Ralph Benmergui.
Joanna Smith is the new Ottawa news editor at The Canadian Press. Smith has been a reporter with CP’s Ottawa bureau since 2016. She previously was part of the Toronto Star’s Ottawa bureau for nearly a decade.
Maura Forrest has left National Post to cover energy and environmental policy for POLITICO in Canada. Forrest had been a political reporter with NP since 2017.
Oriena Vuong is the new associate producer on Global News Morning Toronto. Vuong has been working as a chase producer and editorial assistant with Global Toronto since 2017.
Pierre-Mathieu Fortin will step into the role of producer with the National Film Board’s French Program Documentary Studio, starting Jan. 6. Fortin is a former co-director of digital creation company BonGolem and also served as the creative head of digital content at Radio-Canada.
NFB has restructured its Creation and Innovation division, cutting five jobs, including two executive directors, a chief digital officer, an operations director and one administrator. The organization says it’s bringing all 11 of its digital and interactive studios under its English and French program umbrella to strengthen the NFB’s two main production areas,”while “emphasizing the unique character of each studio and establishing a national vision and programming framework.”
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