RADIO/AUDIO/PODCAST:

Mega Music Canada is winding down after seven years in business. The company provided radio stations with online music stores that made 95 per cent of any radio format’s playlist available for digital download. Mega Music says the decision to close centres around uncertainties with its supplier’s ability to guarantee the level of digital content required to meet the needs of its radio partners.

MBS Radio has laid off all of its on-air staff at its three radio stations in Saint John, NB – K100 (CIOK-FM), Kool 98 (CJYC-FM) and CFBC-AM. The stations will be voice-tracked from out of market. The stations are the same that unionized in 2012, resulting in a nearly two-year lockout.

Corus Radio, CBC and other networks have suspended airplay of Hedley following sexual misconduct claims. The Junos have also dropped the Vancouver-based band from the awards broadcast. Led by Jacob Hoggard, who rose to fame after appearing on the second season of Canadian Idol, the band calls the allegations “unsubstantiated.”

The CRTC has approved an application by Bell Media to acquire English-language commercial radio stations CICZ-FM Midland, CICX-FM Orillia, CJOS-FM Owen Sound and CICS-FM Sudbury, from Larche Communications for $15.64 million. The commission has granted full licence terms to the stations through Aug. 2024.

The 9th Annual Care from the Heart Radio-a-thon raised $233,662 for the Chinook Regional Hospital Foundation on Feb. 15 with Lethbridge stations B93.3 FM (CJBZ-FM), 94.1 CJOC-FM, Country 95.5 (CHLB-FM), 98.1 THE BRIDGE (CKBD-FM), 106.7 Rock (CJRX-FM) and KISS 107.7 (CFRV-FM) donating air time. Personalities from the stations converged on the hospital atrium as part of the fundraising effort.

Vista Radio president Geoff Poulton will be awarded a Leadership Excellence Award from Women in Communications and Technology. WCT’s annual awards gala will be held at Ottawa’s Fairmont Chateau Laurier on Apr. 16.

Newcap has rebranded CKRV-FM Kamloops, changing the station’s handle back to K97, the name it launched with in 1984 and held through 1993. The New K97-5 features similar music to what was heard on the original K97, from the 70s, 80s, and 90s.

Bill Anderson, host of Bill’s Classical Jukebox on The New Classical FM (CFMZ-FM) Toronto, is now broadcasting his show from a new studio in Collingwood, ON. The midday show formerly originated from the Toronto studio at 96.3 FM, with coverage of Collingwood at 102.9 FM (CFMO-FM) and Coburg at 103.1 FM (CFMX-FM). With Anderson contemplating retiring to Collingwood permanently, the Zoomer Media-owned station says the decision was easy to build him a studio to keep him on the air.

The National Campus and Community Radio Association (NCRA/ANREC) will host its annual Canadian Homelessness Marathon on Feb. 22, airing on 15 stations in seven provinces. Local 107.9 (CFMH-FM) Saint John is hosting and coordinating the 18-hour broadcast, which will also be offered as an online stream at localfm.ca. Programming covers topics related to homelessness such as poverty, financial insecurity and the reality and experiences of homeless Canadians from coast to coast.

CKTO-FM Truro has been rebranded to 100.9 Big Dog Rocks, moving to a full out rock format. The Bell Media station previously played a mix of CHR, Hot AC and Classic Rock.

CBC has announced a new slate of original podcasts for Winter 2018, including second seasons of Alone: A Love Story, On Drugs, CBC News’ Missing & Murdered and Season 4 of true crime hit Someone Knows Something, which boasts over 50 million downloads since its debut in Apr. 2016. New original podcasts include Personal Best, a humorous journey into self-improvement, and Other People’s Problems, a fly-on-the wall podcast of real-life therapy sessions.

Stingray Music says says it’s reaching a record number of Canadians, according to the latest Canadian Listenership Study conducted by Maru/Matchbox. Stingray says it’s mobile app reached 2.5 million downloads in January with 50 per cent of Canadians with access to Stingray Music tuning in during the past month, a 14 per cent point increase over Sept. 2017 results.

REVOLVING DOOR:

Shaw Communications Inc. CFO Vito Culmone is leaving the company May 4, as part of its business transformation. Trevor English will take on his responsibilities as executive VP, chief financial and corporate development officer. The move comes as Shaw reveals 3,300 employees, or a quarter of the company’s staff, have agreed to voluntary buyouts. The move will cost the company $450 million next quarter, but then save it an estimated $225 million a year.

Gerry Forbes has announced his retirement from CJAY 92 (CJAY-FM) Calgary after 25 years with the station. Forbes, 61, started his broadcasting career in 1975 in Kamloops, eventually landing at CHUM Toronto where he did middays and mornings before moving to Calgary.

Vassy Kapelos has been named the new host of CBC’s flagship daily political program Power & Politics. Originally from Toronto, Kapelos leaves Global News, where she most recently served as Ottawa bureau chief and host of The West Block. Kapelos takes over from Rosemary Barton, who joined the anchor team for The National in September.

There are structure changes at radio within Corus Entertainment. Brad Phillips, who has been VP for Corus Radio West since 2016, has been promoted to vice president and head of FM Radio for Corus Entertainment. Lars Wunsche, Regional Director, Ontario Radio will assume responsibility of all markets in Ontario outside Toronto and Ottawa. Chris Sisam, vice-president of Corus Radio East will exit the company at the end of February.

Charmaine de Silva will take over the role of news director at News 1130 (CKWX-AM) Vancouver in March. de Silva has been CKNW NewsTalk 980’s senior reporter and assistant news director since 2014 and previously an anchor and editor with CBC Radio Vancouver and AM 1150 Kelowna (CKFR-AM).

Mike Samples is retiring from CHCH-TV Hamilton. Samples joined the station in 1988 after transitioning into sales at CKCK-TV Regina after an 11-year CFL career with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats and Saskatchewan Roughriders.

Trevor Romkey, GM/GSM for Evanov Halifax stations Live 105 (CKHY-FM) and Hot Country 103.5 (CKHZ-FM) is leaving the broadcast industry after a decade with the company. He joins traffic safety tech innovator Site2020, as VP of Sales and COO.  

Sheila Walsh, the first female program coordinator of the Radio Humber Diploma program, has announced she’s resigning effective this June. Walsh, who has been in the role since 2010, will remain with the program as a professor.

Patrice Bernier, former Montreal Impact captain, is joining TVA Sports program L’Impact This Week as a contributor. Bernier will comment on news and developments related to Major League Soccer (MLS), starting in March.

Jill Morgan has left CBC Saskatchewan for a communications position with Farm Credit Canada (FCC) in Regina. Morgan had been a reporter and anchor with CBC for the last five years, following a 12-year stint with Global Regina.

Kiah Tucker is taking over the KiSS 104.9 (CKKS-FM) Vancouver drive show. The former JACK 96.9 (CJAX-FM) Vancouver host will slide into the time slot being vacated by Ara Andonian, who is returning to the Okanagan to take over mornings at Beach Radio 103.1 (CKQQ-FM) Kelowna. His last show at KiSS is Friday.     

Marieke Walsh is leaving Global Halifax to join ipolitics.ca in Toronto where she’ll cover the Ontario provincial election. Walsh had been with the station since 2014 and was previously with Global as a producer on The West Block with Tom Clark.

TV/FILM/VIDEO:

Corus Entertainment, the parent company of Global News, has announced the elimination of nearly 80 positions in a move away from producing television news content. 50 new digital news positions will be added, including multi-platform journalists who will file for new, local versions of Globalnews.ca in Ottawa, Kitchener, Guelph and Barrie. The changes will also see Global Halifax and New Brunswick’s 6 p.m. newscasts anchored out of Toronto.

CTV Montreal  is expanding its news production by delivering regular morning news updates during CTV’s Your Morning, weekdays from 6 – 9 a.m. ET. Caroline Van Vlaardingen is contributing local news, weather, and traffic updates every half hour beginning at 6:25 a.m. ET.

CTV, CBC, Global News, Postmedia and APTN were denied a request to film and broadcast portions of Gerald Stanley’s second-degree murder trial by the chief justice of Saskatchewan’s Court of Queen’s Bench. Broadcasting or publishing court proceedings is generally prohibited in almost all criminal cases in Canada. Justice Martel Popescul wrote in his decision that the trial was not the right case with which to experiment. Stanley was acquitted on Feb. 9 of second-degree murder in the 2016 shooting death of Colten Boushie. Among those in favour of cameras in the courtroom was the Boushie family.

The Alberta legislature will have its own dedicated TV channel starting this Spring. While televised proceedings of the legislature started in 1972 and webcasts of question period in 2003, daily question period hasn’t been airing with regularity in Edmonton and Calgary since last year. The Legislative Assembly was able to secure its own broadcast licence from the CRTC in December for a 24-hour a day, commercial-free channel that will carry proceedings directly from the floor of the legislature, as well as committee meetings.

Quebecor has filed for leave to appeal a Jan. 2017 CRTC decision on TVA Sports to the Federal Court of Appeal. Quebecor is seeking a review of the decision with respect to the rate paid by Bell TV for distribution of TVA Sports. In a statement, Quebecor says it finds the regulator’s decision baffling in view of the fact that TVA Sports, a relatively recent market entrant, has carved out a strong position with nearly 1.9 million subscribers and a market share close to that of RDS.

The National Film Board of Canada (NFB) and APTN have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) that will pool their efforts in implementing programs, training and other initiatives aimed at strengthening relations with Indigenous Peoples and creators. As part of the implementation of recommendations from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, the partnership will allow the organizations to develop protocols regarding  access and use of archival materials in the NFB’s Indigenous collection, develop projects that could make use of the archive, and work jointly to make the collection accessible through distribution.

CTV has announced the American Idol reboot will anchor CTV Two’s midseason schedule Sundays and Mondays at 8 p.m. ET/ 9 p.m. MT, beginning Mar. 11. American Idol joins the previously announced pick up of three new CTV Two mid-season comedies Living Biblically (Feb. 26), Splitting Up Together (Mar. 27) and Alex, Inc. (Mar. 28).

CraveTV’s first original stand-up comedy special Darcy Michael Goes To Church, begins streaming on Mar. 9. The one-hour special was developed in partnership with Just For Laughs, and joins CraveTV’s Stand-Up Comedy Collection.

Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir have landed the most-watched moment of the Olympic Winter Games with 4.3 million tuning in for their gold medal moment on Feb. 19. After 10 days of competition, 29 million Canadians (82 per cent of the population) have watched some part of CBC/Radio-Canada’s coverage of PyeongChang 2018 across all English and French television network partners and digital streaming simulcasts. CBC’s English-language primetime coverage across all broadcast networks has garnered a 2+ average minute audience of more than 3 million viewers to date, with CBC alone delivering a 24 per cent primetime audience share since the start of the Games.

ONLINE/DIGITAL:

Google Chrome is now blocking disruptive video and pop-up ads by default. VP Rahul Roy-Chowdhury says feedback has shown that video ads that play at full blast or giant pop-ups without an obvious exit icon are a huge source of user frustration. Chrome will stop showing all ads on sites that repeatedly display disruptive ads after they’ve been flagged. Google says it’s relying on Better Ads Standards from the Coalition for Better Ads, to determine which ads to block.

CUPE Quebec’s Provincial Council for Communications is asking the CRTC to drop an exemption order for digital media broadcasting undertakings. Rejean Beaudet, recording secretary for the CPSC-CUPE and provincial president for the local union at TVA, says there is no reason Netflix and similar corporations should be under an exemption order. With more than 116,000 members in Quebec, CUPE (SCFP) represents 7,500 workers in the communications sector.

Blue Ant Media has rebranded Omnia Media’s production arm to Blue Ant Digital Studios. The Los Angeles-based production house creates original short and long form content with Dan Lubetkin continuing to oversee production and development as chief content officer at Blue Ant Digital Studios. Coinciding with the announcement, Facebook’s video platform Facebook Watch, launched three of Blue Ant Digital Studios’ short form series Grade A Kitchen, Family of Champions and Pixville Nightly.

GENERAL:

CRTC commissioner Ian Scott has responded to the Public Interest Advocacy Centre’s request to investigate telecom sales practices. In a letter addressed to PIAC executive director John Lawford, Scott writes “Canadians already have a variety of options available to them to seek redress depending on the nature of the issue.” Scott goes on to cite the 91 per cent satisfaction rate of complaints brought foward to the Commissioner for Complaints for Telecom-Television Services (CCTS).

British Columbia will get a new area code in May 2019, as the Canadian Numbering Administrator (CNA) warns that 236, 250, 604 and 778 will be exhausted by mid-2020. Area code 672 will be used as the new area code.

Canadian Music Week and Friends of Steve Young will once again salute Young with the 10th annual Allan Waters Young Broadcaster of the Year Award in Honour of Steve Young. Anyone in the radio industry can nominate a candidate, who must be under the age of 30 as of Apr. 20, and work in on-air, programming, promotion, production or creative. The deadline for entries is Mar. 12 at midnight ET. Details here.