Originally published in the Feb. 15, 2024 edition of The Weekly Briefing
Bell Media layoffs have largely come at the expense of those working at its television properties, as BCE proceeds with a workforce reduction of 4,800 employees, fewer than 10% of those from within the media division as most noon and weekend CTV newscasts are cancelled, among other programming. Those impacted in Bell’s Toronto newsroom include Ramneek Gill, General Manager, CP24 & CTV News Toronto, CTV News Channel anchors Lois Lee and Angie Seth, CTV National News assignment editor Candy Chan, senior producer Allan Black and producers Johanna James and Tim Reed, as well as national editor Joseph Amato. Jill Macyshon, Winnipeg Bureau Chief for CTV National News is also a casualty, as are Montreal-based CTV National News reporter Vanessa Lee and Edmonton-based CTV National News journalist Bill Fortier, Alberta ENG technician Jay Rosove, and Edmonton production assistant Gary Mochoruk. In the Parliament Hill bureau, reporter Kevin Gallagher and producer Pam MacKenzie. At BNN Bloomberg, Western Bureau Chief Tara Weber, News Director Alicia Harvey, Managing Digital Producer Holly McKenzie-Sutter, The Close host Jacqueline Hanson, and financial markets reporter Kumutha Ramanathan. At TSN, Sportscentre host Cory Woron. Read more here.
CHUM Toronto morning show producer Caitlin Green and on-air personality Richie Favalaro, are among the radio casualties departing Bell Media, in addition to The Toby & Warren Show with Toby Johnston and Warren Barris on Edmonton’s 100.3 The Bear (CFBR-FM), and Move 100 (CJMJ-FM) Ottawa’s Move Mornings with Stuntman Stu, Angie & Janel. Read more here.
Ben Shulman and Chris Leroux will make up the Toronto Blue Jays radio crew this season on the Sportsnet Radio Network. Shulman follows in the footsteps of his father Dan Shulman (who delivers the play-by-play call on Sportsnet TV and Sportsnet+, with Buck Martinez and Joe Siddall splitting analyst duties), becoming the full-time radio voice team, after calling 31 Jays games last season and previously serving as the play-by-play voice of the San Diego Padres High-A affiliate team. He’s joined in the booth by analyst and former MLB pitcher Leroux. Shulman will also call select Spring Training games on TV.
Jori Negin-Shecter has re-joined Sportsnet as an associate producer. Negin-Schecter, who also co-hosts baseball podcast Bird’s Eye View, was most recently an editor at Yahoo Canada.
Nicole Di Donato, is joining Global Edmonton as the weeknight anchor for Global News at 11, beginning Feb.19. Di Donato was most recently a multimedia journalist and anchor at CTV Calgary. Starting Feb. 20, Global news anchor Quinn Ohler makes the move to co-anchor Global News at Noon and act as the Health Matters reporter. Quinn has been with Global News since 2008, including anchoring Global News at 11 for the past five years. February also sees the return of sports as a regular feature on Global News Hour at 6 with Slav Kornik introduced as the new sports anchor on Feb. 5.
Jessica Durling has been laid off by Global News Regina. The digital broadcast journalist is among a handful of layoffs made by Corus Entertainment. Durling had been with the station since last June.
Bethany Lindsay has left CBC Vancouver to join the Investigative Journalism Foundation (IJF) as a reporter focused on covering white collar crime in B.C. Lindsay had been with CBC since 2017 and was previously a reporter with the Vancouver Sun and CTV Vancouver.
Zak Vescera has joined the Investigative Journalism Foundation (IJF) as a Vancouver-based investigative reporter. Vescera arrives from The Tyee where he’s been covering labour for the past year and a half. Prior to that, he was a health reporter with Saskatoon daily The StarPhoenix.
Maria Vinca is the new afternoon drive co-anchor on CityNews 1130 (CKWX-AM) Vancouver, alongside John Ackermann. Vinca has been with the station for the last year and a half.
Steve MacArthur has been upped at Acadia Broadcasting from Nova Scotia News Director to Regional News Director for Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Ontario, overseeing a team of 12 reporters. MacArthur has been with the company since 2021, based in Halifax.
Regan Tate, who has led the CHAT-TV Medicine Hat news department since 2011, has left Pattison Media. Prior to joining Pattison in 2011, Tate was an assignment editor, reporter and anchor at Global Regina.
Jeremy Hall has joined My Broadcasting Corporation as afternoon reporter/anchor in Norfolk, ON. The 2023 Conestoga College grad has been working with the Evanov Communications’ street team in Brantford for the last year.
Matty Latour has joined My Broadcasting Corporations’s Classic Rock 91.7 Giant FM (CIXL-FM) and Country 89 (CKYY-FM) Welland as morning news anchor. Latour previously anchored for MBC’s stations in Peterborough, before an 18-month detour working with BroadView Software.
Dan Davidson joins Stella Stevens as the new co-host on the 840 CFCW Camrose/Edmonton morning show, starting Feb. 26. The Edmonton-based country artist is known for his work with the band Tupelo Honey, in addition to producing other artists. His 2016 single “Found,” co-written with Clayton Bellamy, hit number 16 on the Billboard Canada Country chart.
Marie-Michele Lapointe has joined the Cogeco Media sales team as Director of Media Creative. Lapointe arrives from Cossette where she was Director of Business Development. Prior to that, she was a marketing strategist with Quebecor for a decade.
Laetitia Dogbe has joined Lead Podcasting to take over the production, client outreach, and marketing for the Toronto-based branded content studio’s francophone clients. Originally from France with Togolese roots, Dogbe studied International Politics in the UK before pursuing a radio and media production certificate from Humber College.
Stephen Smysnuik has parted ways with Overstory Media Group as he steps down as publisher of Vancouver alt weekly The Georgia Straight and regional publisher for B.C.’s Lower Mainland. Smysnuik had held the role since Sept. 2022. Prior to joining Overstory, he had worked as a digital editor with Glacier Media and served as arts and entertainment editor at Whistler’s Pique Magazine.
Ryan Hook is now writing for Daily Hive as the online publication expands to Vancouver Island with a new Victoria website. Hook has most recently been working as a producer and host with TELUS Storyhive and before that was Managing Editor of Overstory Media Group’s Tasting Victoria and a reporter for Capital Daily.
Simon Bodymore is the new Chief Financial Officer (CFO) at Thunderbird Entertainment Group, effective March 4. He succeeds longtime CFO Barb Harwood, who after 19 years with Thunderbird, is transitioning out of the role. Bodymore most recently served as CFO of Vancouver-based software company Tasktop Technologies.
René Légère and Jennifer Moore Rattray have been reappointed to CBC’s Board of Directors, on the recommendation of Canadian Heritage Min. Pascale St-Onge. In addition, Marie-Anne Tawil has been appointed a director. All three will serve five-year terms. Based in Moncton, Légère, a former Radio-Canada Acadie host and reporter, has served on CBC’s board since 2017. Based in Winnipeg, Moore Rattray, also a former anchor and reporter and currently Chief Operating Officer of the Southern Chiefs’ Organization, has been on the board since 2018. Tawil is based in Quebec and currently president and CEO of Iron Hill Investments.
