CBC News has announced that Prasanna Rajagopalan has been appointed the new Senior Managing Director for the Ontario Region.
Most recently the Director of Journalism and Programming for CBC Toronto, he’ll take up his new role March 10, working closely with managing editors and the next CBC Toronto leader to oversee all strategy, programs, teams and stations across the province in Hamilton, London, Ottawa, Sudbury, Thunder Bay, Toronto, Kitchener, Waterloo and Windsor, as well as community locations and future bureaus in St. Catharines, Oshawa and Sault Ste. Marie.
“Prasanna brings to this important job a genuine appreciation of the value of local journalism and community engagement in Ontario, and a vision for how best to serve future audiences in our dynamic media ecosystem,” said Brodie Fenlon, General Manager and Editor in Chief of CBC News, in an announcement from the public broadcaster.
Rajagopalan graduated from Queen’s University with an Honours degree in Psychology, before obtaining a journalism degree from University of King’s College in Halifax. He joined CBCNews.ca in 2008 and CBC Toronto’s digital team a year later, before leaving Toronto for Kitchener-Waterloo in 2013 to become the first executive producer of the then new station. After returning to CBC Toronto to oversee its digital transformation, he spent four years working closely with CBC’s Digital Strategy and Product department. He’d been in his current role for the last three years, helping launch CBC News’ local streaming channel, CBC News Toronto, while maintaining market-leading ratings on weekday morning radio program, Metro Morning, and weekend morning show, Fresh Air.
“Journalism has always been about evolving to meet the needs of audiences, and CBC News is meeting these changing needs in Ontario,” said Rajagopalan. “Our commitment to robust public service journalism is evident in the coming launch of three new bureaus to serve the communities of Oshawa, St. Catharines, and Sault Ste. Marie, as well as the recent launch of three new streaming channels serving the Greater Toronto Area, Ottawa and Windsor. I’m grateful for the opportunity to continue to represent and collaborate with communities across Ontario.”
Rajagopalan succeeds Ruth Zowdu, who had held the role since the fall of 2020 and announced late last year she’d be retiring in March.
