REVOLVING DOOR:
Sid Seixeiro and Meredith Shaw have been released as the hosts of Citytv’s Breakfast Television (BT), with Rogers Sports & Media promising more details to come about the show’s “evolution.” Seixeiro joined BT in early 2021, arriving from Sportsnet radio and TV simulcast, Tim & Sid, which he’d hosted alongside Tim Micallef since 2011. Initially paired with Dina Pugliese, Shaw took over as Seixeiro’s co-host in September 2023, following Pugliese’s departure from the show. Read more here.
Julie Adam has been upped at Universal Music Group to President and CEO of Universal Music Canada (UMC). The former President of News & Entertainment at Rogers Sports & Media will lead strategy and overall management for UMC. Jeffrey Remedios, who led UMC as Chair and CEO for the last 10 years, has been appointed President, Strategic Development for UMG’s Republic Collective, encompassing Island Records, Def Jam Recordings, Mercury Records and Republic Records.
Emma Loop has joined CBC Windsor as a reporter and editor. Loop was most recently a news editor at Axios, based in Washington, up until last August. Prior to that, she was a political reporter for BuzzFeed in both Washington and Ottawa.
Brishti Basu, Dustin Godfrey and David Ball have launched Debrief Communications. With a combined three decades of journalism experience, the Vancouver-based trio have now joined forces to offer a range of communication services.
Shauna Jamison has joined Shaftesbury as Vice-President, Production. Jamison – whose production career spans two decades – is a seasoned producer with a career encompassing both Canadian and American productions, including being part of the original production team behind the launch of Murdoch Mysteries and more recently original crime drama series Underbelly for Crave.
Muriel Rosilio has been appointed to the newly-created role of Director of Sales for Canada at Fifth Season, responsible for monetizing content rights across all media and languages throughout Canada. She’ll report to Travis Webb, SVP Sales, Americas. Rosillo was formerly Vice-President of Global Business Development at Wattpad WEBTOON Studios. She previously founded Farrago Media, where she helped YouTube creators establish sustainable revenue streams and held Canadian distribution rights to series including Goosebumps and The Saddle Club. Fifth Season, meanwhile, has secured new multi-title deals with Corus Entertainment, which includes Morimoto’s Sushi Master with Iron Chef legend Masaharu Morimoto, and a further multi-title deal with Paramount+ (Canada) including Lightbox’s new docuseries Marilyn Manson: Unmasked.
Evoke Entertainment (formerly Cartel Entertainment) has strengthened its leadership team with the appointment of Breanne Laplante as Head of Business Affairs and Lisa Alford as Vice-President of Development. Laplante, previously EVP of Business and Legal Affairs and Chief Operations Officer at Reel One Entertainment, will oversee business affairs for Evoke’s U.S. and Canadian offices. Alford, who joins Evoke with a focus on streaming, independent films and television movies, has held executive producer roles at Johnson Production Group and development jobs at TriStar Television and Sony Pictures Television. The company has also secured overhead deals with Anthony Fankhauser of Ames Media Inc. and Lexi Lewis of Magic String Productions.
Jordan Bartow has been appointed General Manager, North America at Toronto-headquartered OTT solutions provider, Quickplay. Prior to joining Quickplay, Bartow worked at Google Cloud where he was a key account director and led strategic initiatives, including driving AI adoption for global media, entertainment, and sports leaders.
Oliver Parker has been promoted at Lawo to Head of Global Sales. In his new role, Parker will be responsible for meeting global revenue targets and overseeing the sales management team. The appointment follows Jamie Dunn’s transition to his expanded responsibilities as Vorstand and Deputy CEO last June. Parker joined Lawo in 2023 as Head of Sales, Enterprise and SaaS. Prior to that, he held key leadership positions at Blackbird plc, ChyronHego, BSkyB, and Mama Productions.
RADIO & PODCAST:
World Radio Day 2025 is dedicated to the theme of “Radio and Climate Change” as broadcasters grapple with the need for increased coverage of wildfires and other environmental disasters. Celebrated on Feb. 13 every year since a United Nations (UN) proclamation in 2012, UNESCO says this year’s World Radio Day is intended to highlight radio broadcasters’ efforts to equip listeners with the information they need to better understand and tackle the climate crisis. Read more here.
99.3 County FM (CJPE-FM) has created a new honorary board position as JJ Johnston steps down as Chair of the Prince Edward County community station after 12 years. In recognition of his volunteer leadership, the board has created the position of Director Emeritus. Johnston will also continue to host the station’s morning show for the forseeable future. Incoming Board Chair Mike Harper says “no single person is more responsible for the success of County FM, from its inception in 2013, going on-air in 2014, and becoming – in the 11 years since – an essential community service.” Read more here.
MétaMusique has launched, a central hub for managing music metadata with an eye to boosting streaming numbers for Quebec artists. Supported by a consortium of professional associations, collectives and unions, including the Association québécoise de l’industrie du disque, du spectacle et de la vidéo (ADISQ); Professional Music Publishers’ Association (APEM); ARTISTI; Conseil québécois de la musique (CQM); Guilde des musiciens et musiciennes du Québec (GMMQ); SOCAN; Société de gestion collective des droits des producteurs de phonogrammes et vidéogrammes du Québec (SOPROQ); Société professionnelle des auteurs et des compositeurs du Québec et des artistes entrepreneurs (SPACQ-AE); and Union des artistes (UDA), MétaMusique responds to data indicating just 6.8% of tracks listened to by Quebecers on music platforms like Spotify, Apple Music and YouTube Music are songs from homegrown artists.
The International Women’s Podcast Awards are now open to submissions, celebrating the work and creative excellence of women podcasters across 10 categories. Now in its fifth year, the IWPAs will take place in June with a live event in London and accompanying global livestream, bringing together podcasters, audio professionals, and podcast enthusiasts to celebrate the achievements of women in podcasting worldwide.
LISTEN: Bob Kronbauer – the former publisher of Vancouver is Awesome, who struck out on his own as an independent content creator last year – is now the host of the newest addition to CHEK-TV’s local programming lineup, Now You Know BC. Kronbauer, known to his followers as “BC Bob,” joins Broadcast Dialogue – The Podcast to talk about transitioning his signature storytelling style from social media to television, his advice to other content creators in a time of platform volatility, and his renewed passion for affordable internet.
LISTEN: Creative director Larry MacInnis has had an incredible career in radio, working largely for the legendary CHUM Radio in Toronto. He joins the Sound Off Podcast to share his incredible journey – from growing up listening to CJCB in Cape Breton, to getting his start in radio at CKEC in New Glasgow, to landing his dream job at CHUM in the most unpredictable of ways. Beyond his work at CHUM, MacInnis also discusses his involvement with the Pro Bono Group, a collective of creatives who produce free public service announcements for worthy causes, as well as his perspective on the role of AI in the future of radio and advertising.
SIGN OFFS:
Ron Taylor, 63, on Jan. 31, after a long illness. Taylor’s career started as a teen at Moffat Communications’ Winnipeg stations 58 CKY and 92 CITI FM in the late 1970s. He would go on to a four-decade career in broadcast tech that included 14 years as a Senior Field Engineer at Oakwood Media Touch (OMT). He concurrently founded TaylorMade Radio, helping build stations including CFNR Terrace, BC and several stations in the Arctic. More recently, he had done work for Xperi.
Fraser McAlpine, 87, on Dec. 29 in Penticton. McAlpine’s broadcast career started at CJAT Trail in 1956. He landed a job as an announcer with CJVI Victoria two years later, crossing the street in 1960 to CKDA where he covered sports and news, as well as serving as an on-air personality, eventually hosting the morning show. After a decade, he returned to CJVI where he was heard in mornings until 1973 when the station changed formats from soft rock/middle of the road to country music. The move saw McAlpine move to mid-mornings as the host of the popular phone-in request line. He left the airwaves in 1976 and joined the CJVI sales department, officially leaving radio in 1986 to travel and pursue other opportunities. He was inducted into the Victoria Music Hall Of Fame as the Most Influential Broadcaster of 1950-69.
Derek Shanks, 84, on Nov. 17. An alum of Halifax’s St. Patrick’s High School, Shanks’ broadcast career started at CKBW Bridgewater, NS after studying journalism at St. Mary’s University. He and his family eventually relocated to Toronto where he joined Broadcast News (BN) and The Canadian Press (CP). Shanks worked with the wire service for 35 years as a Senior News Editor, before taking early retirement.
TV & FILM:
CBC News has announced that veteran anchor Ian Hanomansing will host a new daily primetime program from Vancouver. Hanomansing Tonight will air live from CBC Vancouver, beginning Tuesday, Feb. 18. Featuring breaking and live news coverage, it’s set for the weeknight 7 – 9 p.m. ET (4 – 6 p.m. PT) time slot on CBC News Network, and will also be available to stream on CBC Gem, with on-demand segments on YouTube. Read more here.
Bell Media says Sunday night’s Philadelphia Eagles victory over the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LIX attracted an average audience of 8.5 million viewers across TSN, CTV and RDS, falling short of last year’s record audience numbers. The broadcast was Sunday’s most-watched program of the day, with audiences peaking at 9.6 million viewers at 8:15 p.m. ET, leading into Kendrick Lamar’s halftime performance. Overall, 16.6 million viewers watched some or all of the game. The network says TSN’s live streaming audience increased 95% compared to last year, making it the most-streamed broadcast on record for the sports network. Read more here.
Miryam Charles is the inaugural recipient of the Charles Officer Legacy Award, presented by TIFF and CBC. The award recognizes a Canadian Black director and/or writer whose body of work exemplifies the award-winning filmmaker’s creative excellence, strong point of view, and community-mindedness. Based in Montreal, Charles’ first feature film, Cette maison, was a Canada’s Top Ten selection in 2022, premiered at the Berlinale, and was named one of the best films of that year by Sight and Sound. Charles will receive $25,000 CAD, a TIFF Industry Membership for one year, and an industry pass to the 2025 festival.
The Canada Media Fund (CMF) and the Société de développement des entreprises culturelles (SODEC) have announced a $3M investment in nine Quebec-made animation series for Children and Youth audiences. The selected projects will be produced in 2D animation, 3D animation, and stop motion.
CBC, CTV, Global, TVO, CHCH, CPAC, CityNews and CP24 have partnered to televise the Feb. 17 Ontario Leaders’ Debate, ahead of the provincial election Feb. 27. The broadcasters will host the live debate from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. ET across all partner television platforms. It will also be simulcast on various radio stations across the province and streamed online. The debate will be moderated by CBC host David Common. CTV News Queen’s Park Bureau Chief Siobhan Morris and Global Bureau Chief and President of the Queen’s Park Press Gallery Colin D’Mello will join Common in asking questions of the candidates.
Rugby Canada has announced TSN as its Canadian broadcast partner through 2029. This year’s rugby coverage started in January on TSN+ with HSBC SVNS Perth. The action now ramps up on Canada’s west coast for HSBC SVNS Vancouver, which celebrates its 10th year at BC Place, Feb. 21-23. There will be complete tournament coverage on TSN+ and more than 13 hours of live, linear television coverage. Canada’s Men’s Rugby Team will also return to TSN in July, with summer test matches to be announced.
CTV and New Metric Media have announced that Children Ruin Everything is coming to an end after four seasons. Currently airing as part of CTV’s mid-season schedule, the comedy will continue in its new Thursday timeslot on CTV, CTV.ca, the CTV app, streaming next day on Crave. Set and filmed in Toronto and Hamilton, the series finale airs Feb. 27.
Crave’s The Trades returns for an eight-episode second season, on Friday, March 14, with new episodes streaming on subsequent Fridays. Produced by Trailer Park Boys Inc. and Kontent House Inc., The Trades continues to follow the blue-collar workers of Conch Industries refinery, including veteran pipefitter Todd (Robb Wells, Trailer Park Boys), his sister Audrey (Anastasia Phillips, Moonshine), and site manager Chelsea (Jennifer Spence, You Hear Me). Bell Media says The Trades was the #1 Canadian show on Crave in 2024, boasting the biggest first-week streaming numbers for any scripted Canadian series in Crave history.
Blue Ant Studios has announced that production has begun on original animated preschool series, Tralala (working title, 52×7’), with delivery slated for 2026. The Canada/New Zealand co-production will feature shared animation between Blue Ant Studios and Stretchy for CBC and Sky NZ. Created, written and directed by Harry Sinclair, best known for BAFTA-nominated stop-motion preschool series Kiri and Lou, Tralala revolves around an inventive seven-year-old frog, who lives with her dad in a cozy country cottage.
Mittens & Pants from Toronto-based Windy Isle Entertainment, has been greenlit for a third 45-episode season by commissioning broadcaster CBC, with Sky Kids U.K. and Ireland on-board as a broadcast partner, for a total of 126 episodes. The third season will air on CBC and CBC Gem later this year. Season 3 is currently in production in Hamilton as Thunderbird Distribution secures more international sales for Seasons 1 and 2 of the live-action preschool series. In the U.S., streamers Peacock, HappyKids and Kidoodle.TV have taken Season 2 (42 x 7 minutes), and Canadian French-language broadcasters TFO and Radio-Canada have picked up Season 1. On the digital side, Mittens & Pants has landed on the Roblox platform with the My Carrots Simulator game, featuring the series’ breakout carrot-farming bunny Monsieur LaFleur.
Aircraft Pictures, in association with Dolphin Entertainment, and Canadian theatrical distributor Photon Films have announced the start of principal photography for their feature film adaptation of 1986 sports drama, Youngblood, with rising filmmaker Hubert Davis (The Well, Black Ice) on board to direct. Principal photography will take place in Hamilton and Barrie. The original 1986 film starred Rob Lowe, Patrick Swayze and Keanu Reeves in his feature film debut, and has since become a cult classic. The adaptation is based on a script by Josh Epstein & Kyle Rideout, Seneca Aaron and the late Charles Officer. The cast will include Ashton James (Boxcutter, Revenge of the Black Best Friend) in the title role of Dean Youngblood, Blair Underwood (Longlegs, Deep Impact, LA Law) as his father, Shawn Doyle (The Expanse, Fargo, Big Love) as Coach Chadwick, and Alexandra McDonald (Night Blooms, Testament) as Jessie Chadwick.
Quebecor Content has announced that sci-fi drama series Distinct Society has been acquired by TVCine Channels to air and stream across Portugal. Produced by Blachfilms and distributed by TVA Distribution and Incendo, the 10-episode series will make its debut this spring in its original French language with Portugese subtitles.
ONLINE & DIGITAL MEDIA:
News Media Canada has released survey data suggesting 65% of Canadians want the federal government to commit a percentage of its advertising budget to Canadian news media. Conducted by Totum Research, News Media Canada released the survey data in response to the Government of Canada’s decision to resume advertising with Meta – a move Chair Dave Adsett calls “a real kick in the shins to independent publishers.” Totum’s online survey indicates 63% of Canadians trust advertising in newspapers/news sites, while just 28% trust ads they see on Facebook/Instagram.
Media Technology Monitor (MTM) has released its newest report series focusing on media and technology adoption across generations, including Gen Z (18-26), Gen Y (27-43), Gen X (44 to 58), Boomers (59-78) and Seniors (79+). It finds Gen Zs (87%) and Gen Ys (84%) lead social media usage, however Baby Boomers are still engaging, with 65% of younger and 52% of older Boomers using at least one platform every month. Facebook and Instagram remain top platforms across all groups. Gen Zs and Gen Ys have similar device ownership, but Gen Ys lead in connected TV sets (78% vs. 71% for Gen Zs), while Gen X surpasses younger and older groups in tablets (73%), smart speakers (49%), and connected TVs (83%). Gen X also subscribes to paid TV more than younger anglophones (64% vs. 42%), but less than older ones (82%).
REGULATORY, TELECOM & MEDIA:
BCE has released Q4 and full-year 2024 financial results, reporting operating revenues of $6,422 million in Q4, down 0.8% compared to Q4 2023. For full-year 2024, operating revenue was down 1.1% to $24,409 million, reflecting year-over-year decreases of 0.4% in service revenue and 5.2% in product revenue. Bell Media operating revenue increased 1.2% in Q4 to $832 million, driven by both higher year-over-year advertising and subscriber revenues. For the full-year, media operating revenue grew 1.1% to $3,151 million, reflecting higher ad revenue, partly offset by lower subscriber revenue. Ad revenue was up 0.4% in Q4, reflecting higher digital ad revenue, the acquisition of OUTEDGE Media Canada, and stronger year-over-year TV sports specialty performance, despite continued soft traditional TV advertiser demand. For full-year 2024, ad revenue grew 2.8%. Subscriber revenue increased 2.0% in Q4 on continued Crave and sports direct-to-consumer streaming subscriber growth, however subscriber revenue decreased 1.1% for the year. Total digital revenues grew 6% in Q4 and 19% in 2024, representing 42% of total Bell Media revenue last year, up from 35% in 2023.
Unifor is condemning workforce reduction plans by Bell that the union says will potentially cost another 1,200 workers their jobs. Bell announced its $7 billion acquisition of Ziply Fiber in November, and according to the union has indicated it intends to meet with representatives to discuss voluntary separation packages and retirement incentive offers. Unifor says the move follows the loss of 120 jobs at Expertech in October, a 50-person job cut at Bell Media in June, a February 2024 4,800 person job-cut, and a 1,300-person cut in June 2023.
CBC and Radio-Canada have published their 2023–24 reports on the carbon footprints of in-house and independent television productions. CBC’s report covers data from 50 productions and Radio-Canada’s from 46 productions. The CBC report indicates travel fuels the majority of emissions (63.2%), with comedy and drama the highest-emitting genres (61.3%). Read the CBC report here and the Radio-Canada report here.
BROADCAST TECH & ENGINEERING:
NAB Show is expanding its focus on Artificial Intelligence (AI) and its impact on the future of content creation, distribution, monetization and audience engagement, April 5-9 in Las Vegas, with a new dedicated startup hub showcasing the next generation of AI-powered technology redefining storytelling and production. PropelME, being launched in partnership with L.A.-headquartered AI media and entertainment venture studio, FBRC.ai, will feature companies leveraging AI to transform the broadcast, media and entertainment industry, including Advanced Image Robotics, Anantadi, AudioShake, BeeYou.tv, bit part, EON Media Corp, Fastah Inc, Flomenco, Frammer AI, Lightcraft Technology, Logituit, MID49 and Voyage Audio. The show floor will also feature the new Startup Stage. Read more here.
WABE, the Association for Media and Entertainment Broadcast Professionals, held its first meetup in Calgary on Jan. 27 ahead of its 75th Anniversary Media & Entertainment Technology Conference, Sept 29. – Oct. 1 at the Calgary Telus Convention Center. The organization also recently announced several new executive appointments: Cam Thomson, who moves into the role of Vice-President; Rob Brown, who assumes the newly-created role of Secretary; and Daniel Oong, who joins as Treasurer. Tessa Potter retains the role of President.
