Orbyt Media has announced an exclusive agreement to represent APM Music’s production music libraries for radio. The partnership gives Canadian radio broadcasters access to APM’s vast catalog of music under flexible cash or barter terms. Under the agreement, Orbyt Media will manage sales and licensing of APM’s music collections, which span over 100 libraries and represent music from 192 countries. APM Music is known for supplying iconic tracks to major productions, including the legendary Monday Night Football theme.

Curiouscast’s adventure fiction podcast, Escaping Denver, is back with its fifth and final season, with new episodes dropping weekly, starting this week. What began with Noah and Sarah waking up deep beneath Denver International Airport, trapped in a labyrinth, has become a saga of survival – facing monsters, secret armies and killing machines, with the truth behind it all to finally be revealed. The podcast’s success has resulted in the story being adapted into a novel by Blackstone Publishing.

LISTEN: Forty-year radio veteran Dave Sturgeon is on the Sound Off Podcast, sharing his journey from starting on-air in small town Ontario to managing stations across North America and eventually running his own agency. He and Matt Cundill discuss his unique path—transitioning from rock radio to talk, then sales and management, and finally agency ownership. Dave offers candid insights into the challenges and rewards of each role, emphasizing the power of connection that radio brings. He also discusses the myths surrounding radio’s relevance and measurement, as shared in his new book, “The Truth About Radio.” 

SIGN OFFS:

Dennis Lynn Firby, 68, on Aug. 7 at Joseph Brant Memorial Hospital in Burlington. Firby’s broadcasting career began at CKNX Wingham, ON, going on to hold roles with CFTO and YTV in the 1990s, before he moved on to Sun News as Director of Technical Operations, helping launch Toronto 1 in 2003. In 2011, Firby joined Hamilton’s CHCH-TV as Project Manager, Operations, concluding his career with CHCH parent company Channel Zero as Manager, Toronto Operations. He semi-retired in 2018.

Joan Leishman, 67, on Aug. 3. A graduate of Ryerson University’s Journalism program, Leishman was a reporter for CBC for three decades, initially joining CBC Radio in 1986. Starting out as a writer and editor, she co-produced current affairs program, Media File, and was a foreign field producer during the Gulf War. In 1992, Leishman set up CBC Radio’s first bureau in Africa. Based in Johannesburg, she documented South Africa’s transition from apartheid to Nelson Mandela’s election as its first Black president, the Rwandan genocide, and Angolan civil war, among other stories. She was named CBC-TV’s Mexico City bureau chief in 1997, and later joined The National as a documentary reporter, focused on Canadian and foreign affairs. Passionate about human rights, Leishman lent her time to PEN Canada, advocating for persecuted writers and defending their right to freedom of expression, in addition to working with refugee settlement agency, Romero House. In 2023, she was recognized with PEN Canada’s Marie-Ange Garrigue Award in recognition of her human rights advocacy. 

Scott Sutherland, 70, on July 24 at Lady Minto Hospital on Salt Spring Island after a battle with cancer. Born in Montreal, Sutherland moved to Toronto with his family in his teens, starting his broadcasting career in radio in the GTA, including a stint in news and traffic at CFNY-FM in the mid-1980s. He eventually joined The Canadian Press (CP), relocating to Vancouver in 1990 and then Victoria where he helmed Broadcast News coverage of the B.C. Legislature. After 14 years in the role and serving as president of the B.C. Legislative Press Gallery for seven, Sutherland moved into government communications and was appointed Media Relations Manager for the B.C. Ministry of Education in 2009. He retired in 2015.

TV & FILM:

The Canadian Media Producers Association (CMPA) has unveiled the nominees for the 2025 Indiescreen Awards, including those up for the Feature Film Producer Indiescreen Award – a new award being introduced alongside the Feature Film Producer Indiescreen Award and the Kevin Tierney Emerging Producer Indiescreen Award. Presented in partnership with Telefilm Canada, the Feature Film Producer Indiescreen Award celebrates a producer’s filmmaking accomplishments over the course of their career and includes a $20,000 prize. The inaugural cohort of nominees includes Chris Ferguson (Oddfellows / Phobos) – Keeper; Matthew Miller (Zapruder Films) – Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie; Merit Jensen-Carr (Merit Motion Pictures) – Everest Dark; Paula Devonshire (Devonshire Productions) – Blood Lines; and Tim Doiron, James van der Woerd (Wango Films) – Little Lorraine. Read more here.

TIFF is celebrating the 10th anniversary of its Primetime programme, spotlighting exceptional international series and boundary-pushing episodic storytelling. This year’s Primetime lineup welcomes six World Premieres including The Lowdown from creator, executive producer, writer and director Sterlin Harjo (Reservation Dogs) and stars executive producer Ethan Hawke; Netflix’s latest original Canadian series Wayward, created by Mae Martin and Ryan Scott, with Martin, Sarah Gadon and Toni Collette; Zach Baylin and Kate Susman’s Black Rabbit starring Jude Law and Jason Bateman who also directs some of the episodes; Origin: The Story of the Basketball Africa League, the only docuseries in the lineup, created by Richard Brown and Tebogo Malope; Hansal Mehta’s Gandhi; and The Savage, created by Houman Seyyedi. All Primetime screenings include a Q+A with creators and cast. Check out TIFF titles announced thus far here. 

Just For Laughs has announced the winners of the inaugural Just For Laughs Shorts & Pilots Program, recognizing emerging comedic talent and original storytelling across short and pilot formats. Selected creators will receive development opportunities with Just For Laughs, with Grand Jury Prize winners also entering a development partnership with Will Arnett’s Electric Avenue. In the Shorts category, the Grand Jury Prize was awarded to Better People directed by Rory Kramer and written by Jessica Uhler. The Audience Award was presented to This Blows, written by Molly Clark and directed by Talia Smith. In the Pilots category, the Grand Jury Prize went to Bulldozer, written by and starring Joanna Leeds, and directed by Andrew Leeds. The Audience Award was given to The Take, written by Joanna Bradley and Glenn Boozan. Submissions for the 2026 program will open early next year.

Hot Docs has announced the sale of the Hot Docs Cinema building at 506 Bloor St. West. Terms of the sale include a multi-year lease that allows Hot Docs to continue to operate and program the Cinema year-round. “This sale is an important step in the organization’s ongoing journey toward financial stability,” said Executive Director Diana Sanchez, in an announcement. “While we are still recovering and rebuilding, we’re thrilled that Hot Docs Cinema will remain a community hub—bringing audiences outstanding documentaries, familiar favourites, and special events—while continuing to welcome fellow festivals and programming partners.” The buyer, a long-time Annex neighbour with close ties to the community, has chosen to remain anonymous. 

Crave and CANAL+ are partnering to co-produce the second season of award-winning Crave original series, Empathie. The first season of the series debuts under the Création Originale CANAL+ label on CANAL+ and streams on the Canal+ app, Sept. 1. The series launched on Crave in April,  becoming the #1 Crave Original series this year across all languages and securing the Audience Award at Séries Mania in France. Empathie is a drama series that explores the depths of mental illness, telling the story of Suzanne (Florence Longpré), a criminologist-turned-psychiatrist who goes to work at the Institut psychiatrique Mont-Royal. 

Omatidio Media has started production in Vancouver on actor-turned-writer/director Elyse Levesque’s debut short film Hot Chocolate, which she wrote and is co-directing with Michael Driscoll. The film, shooting in Vancouver and Port Coquitlam, features a cast that includes Jann Arden, Clare McConnell (Star Trek: Discovery, Murdoch Mysteries), Paul Campbell (Battlestar Galactica), Kristian Bruun (Orphan Black), Leah Gibson (Jessica Jones), Jana Morrison (Astrid and Lilly Save the World), Alvin Sanders (Riverdale), Jay Brazeau (Day of the Dead), Luisa d’Oliveira (The 100) and Paula Giroday (Family Law). Based on a true story, the film centres around Margot, who is on her way to a wedding with her boyfriend, when she finds herself the plus one to his uncle’s assisted death.

Alex Dorval and Renaud De Repentigny have begun shooting their feature documentary, The Time-Frying Machine. The filmmaking duo from Trois-Riveries are roaming the rural byways of Centre-du-Québec, the region that gave the world poutine, exploring Quebec’s identity through the history of its iconic comfort food. The film is due for release in 2027, produced by Mélanie Brière of the NFB’s French Documentary Unit.

REGULATORY, TELECOM & MEDIA:

The CRTC has issued a follow-up decision, approving a number of Certified Independent Production Funds (CIPFs) to receive contributions from online streaming services. The approvals include applications from the Bell Fund, the Independent Production Fund, and the Telus Fund, with the commission conditionally approving applications from the Quebecor Fund, Telefilm Talent Fund, and Shaw Rocket Fund, subject to fulfilling certain requirements. Read more here.

BCE reported its Q2 2025 financial results Thursday, the fifth consecutive quarter of growth for Bell Media. Bell Media operating revenue increased 3.8% year-over-year to $843 million, driven by higher year-over-year subscriber revenue, partly offset by lower advertising revenue. The growth of Formula 1 Canadian Grand Prix and the acquisitions of Sphere Abacus and OUTEDGE Media Canada also contributed to higher total media revenue in the quarter. Subscriber revenue increased 8.1% in Q2, compared to the same quarter last year, with continued Crave and sports direct-to-consumer streaming subscriber growth. Total Crave subscriptions increased 29% from last year to approximately 4.1 million, driven by a 72% increase in Crave direct-to-consumer streaming subscribers, while sports direct-to-consumer streaming subscribers were up 7%. Read more here. 

Quebecor has released its consolidated financial results for Q2 2025, reporting revenues of $1.38 billion, down by $6.5 million (‑0.5%), and adjusted EBITDA of $605.1 million, down $19.8 million (‑3.2%), due to a $24.2 million increase in the stock‑based compensation charge. Excluding the accounting charge, adjusted EBITDA was up $4.4 million (0.7%). TVA Group adjusted EBITDA was $1.8 million in Q2, down $11.4 million from the same period of 2024, mainly as a result of a favourable non‑recurring retroactive adjustment of $10.2 million recorded in Q2 2024 in connection with carriage rates for the LCN specialty channel, and the absence of major foreign production shoots at MELS studios. That was offset by reorganization measures. Despite those efforts, Quebecor says TVA Group continues “to incur significant financial losses due to the continuing challenges facing the television industry,” revealing that total viewership of Québec’s three French‑language over‑the‑air channels throughout the day fell by 13% during the period from March 31 to June 1, compared with the same period last year.

Public Policy Forum, in partnership with the Rideau Hall Foundation and Michener Awards Foundation, has released a report warning that the collapse of local news is imperiling the underpinnings of Canadian democracy. Uncovered: How to build back election coverage for a better democracy reveals how millions of voters went to the polls this spring with little or no information about their local candidates. Ipsos polling commissioned for the report reveals that 70% of Canadians said more local news would have made them better informed about the election; 63% of those in local news-deprived communities were unfamiliar with local candidates’ views (vs. 35% in areas with local news); while 57% said they didn’t have enough information from media, or could have used more, to make an informed choice.

The Forum for Research and Policy in Communications (FRPC) has published a report examining the CRTC’s performance from 1969 to present, describing the regulatory body’s decision-making processes as “secretive and slow.” Among its recommendations to the CRTC are to improve the timeliness of its decision-making by publishing decisions concerning broadcasting, telecom and online news applications within four months of receiving applications, and policies within six months of initiating proceedings. Read more here and read an OP-ED from FRPC Executive Director Monica Auer on CARTT.ca, our sister publication, here.

The Fraser Institute has released a new study that says opening up the Canadian telecom and broadcasting industry to increased and less regulated competition, including from foreign investors, would promote more consumer-focused content, more choice and lower costs for Canadians over time. Authored by the Vancouver think tank’s Senior Fellow and Addington Chair in Measurement, Steven Globerman, Promoting Efficient Competition in Canadian Telecommunications and Broadcasting maintains that particularly in the telecom space, competition has been too tightly managed by successive governments. Read more here.

APTN is seeking candidates to serve on its Board of Directors and help shape the future of Indigenous media in Canada. The board is looking for individuals with diverse professional backgrounds who are ready to contribute their expertise to the organization across finance, governance, law, community leadership, or media and are passionate about Indigenous media, community engagement, and advancing reconciliation. The deadline for applications is Oct. 17.

BROADCAST TECH & ENGINEERING:

Bell has announced a new partnership with Perplexity, an AI-powered answer engine, becoming the company’s exclusive telecommunications partner in Canada. Through the partnership, eligible Bell customers will receive 12 months of complimentary access to AI research and productivity tool, Perplexity Pro, which offers a conversational, AI-powered search experience that delivers fast answers with source citations. Customers can also access AI models like GPT-5, Claude 4.0, and Gemini 2.5 Pro to support tasks ranging from research and writing, to content planning and data analysis.

CBC/Radio-Canada can now accommodate up to 80 streaming events simultaneously using Lawo’s HOME mc² DSP app. It allows the public broadcaster to instantiate processing channels for sporting and entertainment events, press conferences, and simulcasts, correcting non-standardized audio sources received from venues to prepare them for airing on digital outlets, such as CBC Gem, CBC.ca, and third-party services like YouTube and FAST channel programming. The solution relies on scripts for XCS mixing cores and mapping files for the VSM control system, which is used to map, adjust and balance the relevant audio feeds for each streaming event individually. Two VSM panels have been created, each displaying up to 40 mixes.

Cinegy, the software-defined television technology provider, has announced a strategic partnership with ROCKET, a Toronto-based integrated solutions provider specializing in media and entertainment technology. Cinegy says the collaboration will strengthen its presence across the Canadian market, leveraging ROCKET’s industry expertise and established customer relationships, making it ideally positioned to introduce Cinegy’s portfolio – including Cinegy Air for playout, Cinegy Capture PRO for ingest, Cinegy Multiviewer for signal monitoring, and AI-powered subtitling tools.

Gamut Podcast Network, Hubbard Broadcasting’s dedicated podcast division, has partnered with Hamilton-headquartered Flightpath, the predictive analytics platform for on-demand media, to bring real-time inventory forecasting and campaign-performance insights to its more than 250 shows. Flightpath counts YMH Studios, Adlarge, Glassbox, and Podglomerate, among its clients.