Humber College has told faculty and students that 2026 will mark the final graduating class from its Broadcasting – Radio program as it suspends the program after more than 50 years.

There will be no fall 2025 intake of new students for the diploma program, with current first year students to be the last offered a second year.

Founded in 1972 by CHUM broadcaster Phil Stone, the program boasts well over 3,000 graduates with the Radio Humber Hall of Fame including inductees like Apple Music Hits host George Stroumboulopoulos, former Breakfast Television and Sportsnet host Sid Seixeiro, KiSS 92.5 (CKIS-FM) morning co-host Roz Weston, retired Rogers Media VP John Hinnen, and former Rogers and Bell Media exec Rob Farina.

Other notable graduates include Jon Pole, President and Co-founder of My Broadcasting Corporation (MBC); Paul Evanov, President & CEO of Evanov Communications; Pure Country (CKKL-FM) Ottawa morning co-host Ashley Greco; NASCAR commentator Adam Ross; and voiceover pro Amanda Madi.

Radio veteran Paul Cross, who has taught in the Humber Radio and Media Production programs for the last two decades and served as Program Coordinator for the last three years, wrote in a post to X that the looming suspension of the program “is a shame.”

“I can’t turn on the radio – or TV – without hearing an #RBD or #RAMP alum within minutes; they also have a huge influence in podcasting,” Cross wrote. “The students we are working with now are producing some remarkable content. They’ll be the final alumni; class of 2026.”

Humber previously cancelled the post-graduate Radio and Media Production certificate program in October of 2023, with the 2024 class the last to graduate.

Cross, speaking as a prof and program lead and not on behalf of the college, told Broadcast Dialogue that faculty were told about the program suspension via email on Monday, with two other programs, including the Film and Multiplatform Storytelling post-grad certificate program, also coming to an end.

He acknowledged that enrolment in the Broadcasting – Radio program had reached an all-time low in recent years.

“Between first and second year, we had about 42 students. When I started teaching the course, we would typically have a first-year intake of about 70 and typically about 50-some would carry on through second year. So, in any given year we’d have 120 students in the diploma program and maybe 20-30 in the post-grad certificate progam,” he said.

There are about 30 students currently in their final semester about to graduate.

“They’re doing great work, great stuff,” Cross said. “They sound great on-air, they’re creating great content, and they mostly have great work placements underway. I think they all have pretty solid prospects and doing well. They know the climate, they know what’s going on the industry…we’re very realistic about that.”

For the industry, Cross said the program is a huge loss.

“It means a great source of talent is disappearing. Humber has been a great source of talent for radio at every level – private, commercial, public, all across Canada for a long time. I can’t turn on the radio without hearing a Humber grad almost everywhere I go and I think that’s sad,” said Cross.

“As I put it to the first-year students, ‘your names will be the final names on a very long list of Humber Radio broadcasting alumni.”

Humber College media relations had not returned a request for comment as of publication.