REVOLVING DOOR:
Michael Gruzuk has stepped into a new role as Head of Audience Growth for CBC News. Gruzuk has worked with CBC off and on since 2002, starting as a producer at CBC Vancouver, before joining Marketplace and The National as a senior producer. Since 2022, he’d held the title of National Director, Head of CBC News Studios.
Chris Kurys is CBC’s new reporter covering Châteauguay/Montérégie, while Brianne Fequet will cover Sept-Îles/North and Lower North Shore as part of the public broadcaster’s service expansion in Quebec. Kurys was born in Châteauguay and arrives from CTV Your Morning Ottawa where he’s been a news writer. Fequet joined CBC in 2019 as a researcher and producer for regional morning radio program, Quebec AM.
Kayla Grey is joining Amazon Prime as a WNBA sideline reporter. Coverage starts May 14 on Prime Video. Grey is also continuing to work for TSN.
Trevor Henderson is retiring from Global BC after nearly 40 years. Henderson has been the cameraman behind much of the sports content that’s aired on the station, including Sports Page, multiple Grey Cup and Stanley Cup runs, Canada Games, and more.
Jeff Long is retiring after 41 years in broadcasting. Long started his award-winning career at Scarboro Television Channel 10 in Master Control and then ENG/EFP Coordinator, culminating in a 38-year career at Bell Media. His stops included working as a photographer at CFTO News/CTV Toronto, and serving as CTV News helicopter integration project manager as a certified Wescam airborne camera operator. By 2007, he was Supervising Photojournalist at CTV Toronto, in addition to serving as Supervising ENG/EFP Cameraperson for Canada’s Olympic Broadcast Media Consortium for the Vancouver 2010 and London 2012 games. Long moved over to sports in 2019 as Senior Photojournalist at TSN.
Life update. Thank you all so much for the kind messages and support. It’s meant the world to know my journalism has resonated with so many of you. pic.twitter.com/YxO2OLIedR
— Tina Yazdani (@TinaYazdani) April 29, 2026
Tina Yazdani is officially joining Village Media’s Queen’s Park publication, The Trillium, as a reporter. Yazdani parted ways with CityNews Toronto earlier this month, amid reports some of her reportage on the Doug Ford government had been pulled from the CityNews website. In a post to her socials, Yazdani said while she had hoped to handle her departure from Rogers Sports & Media privately, she’s now taking formal steps to address her “unfair” dismissal from the station.
Allison Smith has joined The Globe and Mail as a Content Editor. The founder and former publisher of Politics Today, Smith had been working with Village Media since the fall of 2024 when it acquired Politics Today, as the founding editor of TorontoToday.
Hanna McLean has joined Postmedia Network as an editor. McLean was formerly with Daily Hive for nearly a decade, finishing her tenure there last fall as Editor-in-Chief of Dished.
Steve Suk is now National Creative Facilitator with Pattison Media. Suk moves into the role after working in the Pattison Red Deer Creative Department for 14 years.
Colin Francis has been appointed Programmatic Sales Specialist at Stingray Advertising with a focus on monetizing Stingray’s multi-platform bundle across North America and growing programmatic revenue. Francis spent nearly a decade in programmatic sales at Google. More recently, he served as Senior Manager of Strategic Partnerships at Loblaw Advance, as a key architect in commercializing their retail media programmatic business.
Marc O’Connor has joined the Power 97 (CJKR-FM) Winnipeg morning show. O’Connor arrives from Rogers Sports & Media’s 106.7 Rock (CJRX) Lethbridge and was a runner-up for the 2024 Canadian Radio Award for Best On-Air Solo Host (Medium Market). He’s also spent time on-air at Harvard Media’s stations in Fort McMurray.
Mike Tagami is leaving Energy 106 (CHWE-FM) Winnipeg to return to B.C. Tagami has been the host of afternoon drive and Assistant Music Director since 2022. Prior to that he spent four years with Vista Radio’s stations in Prince George.
Curtis White has resigned as President of Network Media Group as he moves into an Executive Producer role at Network Entertainment. White was appointed president in May 2023, and prior to that consulted for the company. He previously spent a decade with Thunderbird Entertainment, helming business development, corporate finance and investor relations initiatives.
Sarah Châtelain is taking over the role of president of Montreal’s Echo Media from her father, Luc Châtelain. She joined the prodco in 2016 as Senior Brand Director, moving into the role of Producer and Vice-President, Strategic Partnerships and Corporate Affairs in 2024. Prior to joining Echo, she served as National Marketing Director for TVA Publications.
RADIO & PODCAST:
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Dana Thompson, the host of afternoon drive on Pattison Media’s JR Country (CJJR-FM) Vancouver and CHWK-FM Chilliwack, has been named Country On-Air Personality of the Year at the BCCMA (B.C. Country Music Association) Awards. Thompson has been with the station since 2022, following a run as morning co-host on The Casey Clarke Show on Stingray’s country network, originating from New Country 100.7 FM (CIGV-FM) Kelowna. Prior to that, she was the morning show co-host on Hot Country 103.5 (CKHZ-FM) in her hometown of Halifax.
Stingray has expanded the footprint of The Morning Shift to K97 (CIRK-FM) Edmonton and Z98.9 (CIZZ-FM) Red Deer. Already airing on K96.3FM (CKKO-FM) Kelowna and K97.5 FM (CKRV-FM) Kamloops, with the show’s expansion, Brad Karp and Alysha Williams are now joined by Pete Potipcoe in Edmonton.
Sauga 960 AM (CKNT-AM) Mississauga is introducing new show, The Brushback with Gregg Zaun & Mike Karafilidis. After 16 years in Major League Baseball, Zaun promises to bring an “insider perspective from both inside the lines and the dugout. No topic is off-limits, and nothing goes unsaid.” The new show premiers Thursday, April 30, airing at 4 and 9 p.m. ET.
Stingray has launched Just For Laughs Radio on TuneIn, a new audio channel created in partnership with Just For Laughs, featuring sketches and stand-up. Curated by Stingray from the Just For Laughs vault, the channel will include classic performances from comedy giants like Bill Burr, Nikki Glaser and Nate Bargatze, alongside material from the next generation of comedy stars like Marcello Hernández and Mae Martin.
MTM Junior has released its Futures Report, which indicates nearly one in four Canadian kids are consuming podcast content. While usage increases with age, video podcasts are becoming a notable format, with nearly one in five kids watching podcasts on platforms like YouTube, Netflix, and Spotify. The report also found the use of FAST (Free Ad-supported Streaming TV) channels are on the rise, watched by two in five Canadian kids. Access to free content is the primary driver for seven in 10 viewers, with data showing FAST channels are supplementing existing platforms like Netflix or linear TV rather than replacing them.
LISTEN: Celebrating the 500th episode of the Sound Off Podcast, Matt Cundill turns the spotlight on why so many shows underperform—and what you can do about it. After nearly 10 years and 500 episodes, he breaks down what he sees as the 10 biggest mistakes being made by podcasters, including blaming a vague “discovery problem” instead of doing the work of promotion, skipping a proper trailer, tolerating shit audio and lazy editing, and relying on weak interview structures that don’t respect the listener’s time. He also tackles the myth that you need 10,000 downloads to monetize—reminding listeners that you don’t monetize a podcast, you monetize an audience.
SIGN OFFS:
John “Cheech” Garrett, 74, suddenly on April 27. A colour commentator on Vancouver Canucks regional broadcasts for more than two decades, Garrett started as a player, initially drafted by the St. Louis Blues in 1971. He went on to play for the Hartford Whalers, Quebec Nordiques and Canucks, before retiring at the start of the 1985-86 season. Garrett made his broadcast debut on CTV as an intermission analyst, alongside Pat Burns, during the Stanley Cup Playoffs, while still an active player with Hartford. He joined CBC’s Hockey Night in Canada during the 1986-87 season as a colour commentator, going on to serve as lead colour commentator on Edmonton Oilers broadcasts before leaving in 1998 to join Sportsnet where he was a studio analyst on national broadcasts and handled colour for regional Calgary Flames games. Garrett started as the Canucks colour commentator on Sportsnet Pacific in 2002-03, initially paired with Jim Hughson and later John Shorthouse. He retired from Canucks regional broadcasts at the close of 2022-23 season. Most recently, he’d been serving as an analyst for the Utah Mammoth and Vegas Golden Knights first-round playoff run. Read more here.
Jim McSweeney, 95, on April 25. McSweeney is best known as the voice of Golden West Broadcasting’s Radio Southern Manitoba network morning show for three decades. He arrived at Radio Southern Manitoba – which grew beyond CHSM Steinbach and CFAM Altona to include CJRB Boissevain – in 1967, but began his career hosting evenings at CKDM Dauphin in 1951, in addition to calling play-by-play hockey. He moved to Winnipeg in 1955 and CKRC, until the station moved to a rock format, causing a number of on-air announcers to leave. He joined CFRW in 1965, hosting mornings alongside CJOB founder Jack Blick. He arrived at CFAM Altona in 1967, where he was dubbed the “Morning Minstrel.” He retired from Golden West in 1996 at age 77, with the distinction of having hosted the longest-running morning show in Manitoba history. In retirement, he and his wife Tina moved from Winnipeg to Elliot Lake, ON, and later Kingston.
Dan McLean, 78, on April 24. Originally from Orillia, McLean began his broadcasting career at a radio station in Welland at age 15. After stints at stations in Kitchener-Waterloo, Regina and Saskatoon, he made his foray into television at Hamilton’s CHCH-TV in 1971 as a commercial announcer and later host of “Mid-day.” He went on to work at the station for 37 years, establishing himself as main anchor for 25. After getting caught up in layoffs in late 2008, he joined Bayshore Broadcasting’s Mix 106.5 (CIXK-FM) Owen Sound from 2010-13, serving as morning news co-host. Among the accolades he earned over the course of his career was an RTDNA Lifetime Achievement Award and a Broadcaster of the Year honour from the Ontario Association of Broadcasters (OAB), in addition to an OAB Howard Caine Community Service Award. He was named Hamilton’s Citizen of the Year in 2001 and inducted into Hamilton’s Gallery of Distinction in 2010. McLean was also known for his charity work for the Hamilton and Burlington United Way, McMaster Children’s Hospital, and Hamilton Regional Cancer Centre.
John Murtha, 64, on April 18, following a year and a half long battle with cancer. Murtha’s 35-year radio career began in his hometown of Lindsay, ON. He moved north to Elliot Lake, before settling in Sault Ste. Marie where he had a lengthy career at Rogers Sports & Media stations CJQM-FM (formerly Country 104.3) and KiSS 100.5 (CHAS-FM) as both a news announcer and reporter.
Pat Hewitt, 62, on April 17, following a Stage 4 cancer diagnosis. A graduate of the Ryerson University Journalism program, Hewitt started her career in 1983 as a publicist and later news writer at Citytv. She moved over to Standard Broadcast News in 1987, serving as a reporter/editor and Entertainment-Lifestyles Editor. She transitioned into a similar role with the Canadian Press in 1994, as a general assignment reporter, editor, videographer, and photographer for the wire service, covering everything from politics to courts and breaking news. Hewitt left CP in late 2011 to join CTV News Channel as a Senior News Writer and Supervising Weekend Writer. She was part of the team that won the RTDNA Charlie Edwards Award for Spot News in 2017.
TV & FILM:
Media Pulse and Paramount have announced a partnership expansion that will see the Blue Ant Media-owned Connected TV marketplace become the exclusive direct sales and programmatic partner for Paramount ad inventory in Canada. Media Pulse will represent both the Paramount+ SVOD platform, which is home to titles like Landman, The Madison and Canada Shore, as well as free-streaming service, Pluto TV, which features over 200 curated channels. Read more here.
Bell Media is sunsetting the CTV and Noovo apps as of May 1, establishing Crave as its central destination for streaming. Bell says with CTV and Noovo on-demand content already available on Crave, the move creates “a more seamless, high-quality streaming experience in one destination,” as well as improved advertiser engagement and campaign performance.
Crave’s Heated Rivalry has added a Peabody Award to the series growing list of accolades. Heated Rivalry was recognized in the Entertainment category alongside Netflix’s Adolescence, ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel Live!, and HBO Max medical drama The Pitt, among other programs, with winners representing the most captivating and inspiring stories released in broadcasting and streaming media in the last year.
Sophie Nélisse will receive the Radius Award, presented by MADE | NOUS at the 2026 Canadian Screen Awards, celebrating individuals expanding the reach of Canadian talent and creativity on the world stage, contributing to Canada’s global reputation in the media and entertainment industry. Nélisse, who currently stars in Showtime’s Yellowjackets, gained international attention in Philippe Falardeau’s Monsieur Lazhar, and went on to star in The Book Thief, and notable Quebec films such as Endorphine and 1:54. The award will be presented during the Canadian Screen Awards broadcast on Sunday, May 31 on CBC, CBC Gem, Crave, CTV, Global, and STACKTV.
Hot Docs is honouring producer/director Jennifer Holness with the Hot Docs Don Haig Award, presented to an outstanding Canadian independent producer with a feature-length film at the festival. In addition to serving as executive producer for Black Zombie, Holness is also co-director of Hot Docs 2026 official selection #WhileBlack, which she co-wrote and co-directed. It had its world premiere at SXSW and received its Canadian premiere at Hot Docs.
BANFF World Media Festival, June 14–17, has announced its first keynote speaker: Jinny Howe, Netflix’s Head of U.S. and Canada Scripted Series. Since joining Netflix in 2018, Howe has overseen a slate of major series including Bridgerton, BEEF, The Night Agent, The Diplomat, and Inventing Anna, among others. She’ll join BANFF 2026 to share insights on the evolving global television landscape.
CBC and BBC Northern Ireland have announced the greenlight of new original comedy series Committed (10×30), starring Dustin Milligan (Schitt’s Creek, Hot Frosty) and Diona Doherty (Derry Girls, Blue Lights). The series follows Canadian Peter Hooley (Milligan), a recently divorced accountant, who falls head over heels for Northern Ireland woman Julie Johnston (Doherty) after a whirlwind weekend in Toronto, and crosses the Atlantic to declare his love—only to discover he’s landed in an old-fashioned and eccentric rural Northern Ireland village that’s nothing like he imagined. Produced by Cameron Pictures and Fabel Productions, filming is currently underway in County Down, Northern Ireland, with additional scenes shooting in Hamilton. The series is slated to premiere on CBC and CBC Gem in winter 2027 and expected to air on BBC Northern Ireland around the same time.
Corus Entertainment’s Flavour Network has announced the start of production on the second season of Canadian original series Halloween Bakeshop (7×60) – last year’s #1 freshman lifestyle series**, and Holiday Bakeshop (7×60). Hosted by Lauren Ash, the seasonal baking battles feature eight talented bakers competing for a $25,000 prize. Produced by Nikki Ray Media Agency in association with Corus Studios for Flavour Network, both series are shooting in Toronto and slated to premiere this fall.
The CW has picked up Private Eyes West Coast. The spinoff, originally greenlit by Global, sees Jason Priestley and Cindy Sampson reprise their roles as P.I.’s Matt Shade and Angie Everett. Already renewed for a second season by Corus Entertainment, the 10-episode first season will air later this year on The CW.
CBC Sports and the Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) have unveiled the league’s 2026 broadcast and streaming schedule. Beginning May 9, CBC Sports will live stream every game of the 2026 CEBL season on CBC Gem, cbcsports.ca and CBC Sports YouTube channel. Additionally, six regular season matchups, the Conference Finals and the best-of-three CEBL Finals will be broadcast nationally on CBC TV.
ONLINE & DIGITAL MEDIA:
Gonez Media has announced plans to go national, unveiling an expansion of the Now Toronto brand with the upcoming launch of Now Canada and Now Vancouver. Founder and CEO Brandon Gonez acquired Now Toronto in 2023, reimagining the legacy publication as digital-first format, nowtoronto.com, prioritizing short-form video and social presence, aimed at connecting with younger audiences. The company says the expansion comes following a “breakout year” for Now Toronto in which the platform averaged more than 40 million monthly video views, increased website readership by 65%, and grew its TikTok audience to nearly 400,000 followers. Read more here.
The National Media Awards Foundation (NMAF) has announced the nominees for the 11th annual Digital Publishing Awards. David Beers, the founding editor of The Tyee and editor-in-chief, is the recipient of the 2026 Digital Publishing Leadership Award, the highest individual honour the Digital Publishing Awards can bestow. The awards will take place Friday, June 5 in Toronto.
Blink49 Studios has unveiled a new joint venture with Yuk Yuk’s to develop and produce a slate of live and digital comedy projects. The collab will focus on live stand-up comedy “pop-up” events as well as original comedic digital and online content. Blink49 Studios will serve as the studio partner on all projects developed under the joint venture. Read more here.
REGULATORY, TELECOM & MEDIA:
Rogers Communications is offering voluntary departure packages to roughly half of its employees, excluding those at Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment (MLSE) and the Toronto Blue Jays. Those ineligible include on-air talent and Sportsnet employees at Rogers Sports and Media, as well as unionized employees. Read more here.
Rogers is no longer compelled to contribute to Shaw Rocket Fund, the CRTC has ruled. The commission’s decision confirms Rogers’ 2021 commitment (a condition of its acquisition of Shaw) to place half of its Certified Independent Production Fund (CIPF) contributions toward Shaw Rocket Fund was “temporary in nature” and ended with the end of the licence term in effect at the time the order was given. In the fund’s view, the CRTC’s 2023 renewal of Rogers’ licence to August 2026 was an extension of that licence term, suggesting Rogers would have to continue delivering funds for an additional year.
Canadian Media Means Business (CMMB) has released a new report that links the loss of 1,110 radio and TV broadcast sector jobs in just one year in 2024, to the increased outflow of digital advertising dollars to foreign platforms. The consortium of media organizations, which commissioned Nordicity to analyze Statistics Canada data, says the sector reached a “critical watershed” in 2024, navigating profound structural changes which triggered severe workforce contractions. Read more here.
The Canadian Association of Broadcasters (CAB) is welcoming a federal government commitment in the Spring Economic Update to launch a formal consultation and review that could expand eligibility for the Canadian Journalism Labour Tax Credit to broadcasters. Introduced in 2019, the incentive program currently allows eligible newsrooms to claim a 35% refundable credit on up to $85,000 in labour costs per employee per year to a maximum of nearly $30,000. The program, however, does not support news produced on radio or television. Read more in our sister publication, CARTT.ca here (paywalled).
OP-ED: Rod Schween, President of Pattison Media, has penned an open letter taking aim at the increasingly digital nature of government ad spending. “If Canadian broadcasters are expected to deliver meaningful Canadian content, it is reasonable for governments to commit a meaningful share of their advertising budgets to Canadian media. A 35% commitment is not radical. It is a familiar reference point within our broadcasting system and one that reflects long‑standing public policy,” writes Schween. Read more here.
The Michener Awards Foundation has announced the recipients of its 2026 awards supporting Canadian journalists pursuing projects that advance the public interest through investigative and educational journalism. The Michener – L. Richard O’Hagan Scholarship for Journalism Studies has been awarded to Jessica Patterson and Kanina Holmes for their project, “AI Literacy for Canadian Journalism Education.” The Michener-Deacon Fellowship for Investigative Journalism has been awarded to Jordan Michael Smith for his project, “The Hague Mothers,” investigating a loophole in the Hague Convention that can result in children being returned to potentially abusive parents, even when risks are known. The work will centre on the case of Canadian woman Thuy Nguyen, whose children were returned to their father in Poland despite his status on Interpol’s most-wanted list.
BROADCAST TECH & ENGINEERING:
CBC/Radio-Canada and the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) have been awarded the NAB Technology Innovation Award for the open-source C2PA-enabled video player, a project that addresses how to make content authenticity both verifiable and understandable in real-world scenarios. CBC/Radio-Canada has played a dual role in the project, both testing and actively integrating the player in its workflows. The collaboration demonstrates how the tech can be embedded into newsroom operations, allowing journalists and production teams to work with provenance data. In a demonstration at NAB, the player verified a complete media chain: from acquisition on a C2PA-enabled Sony camcorder, through editing in Adobe Premiere, to publication and endorsement by CBC/Radio-Canada. The player is available on Github and in future will be maintained under the umbrella of the Security4Media association, providing a structured path for ongoing development and governance.
NAB Show has announced the recipients of its 2026 Project of the Year and Product of the Year Awards, recognizing the most innovative and forward-looking products featured on the show floor, along with outstanding projects delivered in 2025. The Best Overall Product of the Year Award was captured by DaVinci Resolve 21 by Blackmagic Design.
Dark Slope, the Toronto-based virtual production and immersive storytelling studio, has opened its virtual production campus to creators working across television, digital-first, and hybrid storytelling. VIEWED will support aspects of digital rollout and platform strategy, bringing expertise across YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok. With its soundstage campus, the studio says it’s building an ecosystem designed to support innovative entertainment at scale, working with creators, podcasters, and digital-first storytellers to elevate and expand their content.
The Audio Engineering Society (AES) will present the Immersive Audio Academy 12th Edition – “Immersive Audio in All Flavors” on April 30 at noon ET, as part of its ongoing series examining developments in immersive and spatial audio. The online event will bring together a panel of internationally recognized experts to explore a range of approaches to immersive audio production, distribution and implementation across multiple application areas, including music, broadcast and emerging media.
