Radio & Podcast News – Lauren Hunter named Allan Waters Young Broadcaster of the Year

Numeris has released the latest PPM radio ratings covering the 13-week period from Nov. 30, 2020 to Feb. 28, 2021. Among the highlights are that CHFI-FM Toronto has rebounded with women, while Q107 is on top with men, followed by boom 97.3. CBC Radio One grabbed the overall top spot, A12+, with Toronto listeners, while CKNW Newstalk 980 was #1 with listeners in Vancouver. Its Calgary counterpart, 770 CHQR, was #1 overall in that market, while in Edmonton, Stingray’s The Breeze posted a 9.0% share of hours tuned, A12+, up from 7.9% in the last book. In Montreal, CHMP 98.5 FM is #1 for A12+ (Franco) with a 20.8% share (up from 20.4%). CJAD 800 was on top with Anglo listeners with 29.8% share. Read David Bray’s full breakdown of this week’s ratings release, here.

OPINION: David Bray explores questions around the state of audience measurement in his latest feature for Broadcast Dialogue. Read more here.

Lauren Hunter, afternoon drive host on SONiC 102.9 FM (CHDI-FM) Edmonton, is the winner of the Allan Waters Young Broadcaster of the Year Award, presented in memory of Steve Young. The award is presented annually to a young broadcaster under the age of 30 with Hunter to be recognized during Canadian Music Week’s upcoming virtual event, May 18-21. The host’s charitable contributions and viral social media bits have received hundreds of thousands of views over the years, one of the most memorable being her 2017 “McPortrait” of Edmonton Oilers’ Captain Connor McDavid which raised more than $26,000 for charity through the station’s sale of prints. The runners-up for the award were Shannon Burns of CHUM-FM/Virgin Radio Toronto and Mitch Burke of 680 News (CFTR-AM) Toronto. Read more here.

The Ambies, The Podcast Academy’s new awards program recognizing excellence in podcasting, has announced its inaugural cohort of nominees. Among them, CBC Podcasts has come away with five nominations, while Canadian Malcolm Gladwell earned a nod for Best Podcast Host for Revisionist History, with the podcast also nominated for Best Original Score. CBC’s Brainwashed, which investigates covert mind control experiments conducted by the CIA, was nominated for Best True Crime podcast, while More with Anna Tremonti earned a nomination for Best Interview Podcast. Nominated for Best Fiction Podcast is Asking For It from CBC Podcasts and Mermaid Palace. CBC Podcasts also earned two nominations in the Best Knowledge, Science or Tech category. Tai Asks Why, which is entering its third season, picked up one of those nominations, with the other going to Unlocking Bryson’s Brain. Hosted by Keith McArthur, the father of a sick child with a mystery illness, the podcast follows the family’s search for a cure for their son’s rare disease. Read more here.

SiriusXM Canada has struck an exclusive sales partnership with The Podcast Exchange (TPX) to represent Peter Mansbridge podcast, The Bridge. The podcast was added to SiriusXM’s podcast lineup last month. Started as a nightly podcast during the 2019 federal election, The Bridge went daily during the first wave of the pandemic.

Sarah Burke has launched the Women In Media podcast with the first episode featuring radio host and television personality Josie Dye. Taking on issues like bullying, motherhood, diversity and inclusivity, Burke’s upcoming guests include Tracy Martin, President, Canadian Country Music Association (CCMA); Liz Trinnear, L.A. correspondent for CTV’s eTalk; and SiriusXM host Rida Naser. Burke is the Manager of Music Programming for SiriusXM’s Canadian music channels and also hosts swing on Toronto’s Indie88 (CIND-FM).

Andy James and Tamara “TJ” Joel, the former morning show duo on 101.5 EZ Rock (CILK-FM) Kelowna up until December when the station rebranded as The Move, have launched new voiceover venture MarriedWithMics.com. Andy & TJ had been hosting the morning show together since 2003. 

Josh Holliday has launched a new season of his podcast/livestream Josh Holliday Live!  The former afternoon drive host at X92.9 (CFEX-FM) Calgary, and past swing host at 102.1 The Edge (CFNY-FM) Toronto, currently works behind the scenes as a writer and associate producer at CBC Radio in Toronto.

Decomplicated is a new podcast by recent University of British Columbia (UBC) Masters of Journalism graduates Rumneek Johal and Carol Park. The two women of colour say they’re aiming to help shift the voice of Canadian media to be reflective of real Canadian voices. Among the topics tackled in the initial episodes are “blackfishing” and psychedelics.

LISTEN: One of the phenomenons of the pandemic has been the rise of TikTok. The short form video app is now being used by 15% of Canadian social networkers according to the latest Media Technology Monitor (MTM) data. Shannon Burns, evening host at Toronto’s CHUM 104.5 and iHeartRadio Nights on Virgin Radio stations across the country, is one of the creators who has experienced a meteoric rise on the app, closing in on 400,000 followers. On this episode of Broadcast Dialogue – The Podcast, we talk to Burns about becoming TikTok famous, her radio journey, and embracing multimedia.

LISTEN: Bob Willette, Program Manager for Corus Entertainment’s radio stations in Kingston, is on the Sound Off Podcast. Matt Cundill talks to Willette about continuing to persevere in the volatile business of radio and his new podcast, Bob’s Basement.