Radio & Podcast News – Rogers Sports & Media leads Canadian Radio Awards winners

Broadcast Dialogue has unveiled the winners of the 2022 Canadian Radio Awards. Rogers Sports & Media led this year’s awards by group with 17 wins, including capturing the Major and Medium Market Station of the Year categories, won by KiSS 92.5 (CKIS-FM) Toronto and CHYM 96.7 Kitchener, respectively. CHYM personality Adele Newton was notably recognized as Best On-Air Solo Host (Music), in addition to winning Best Canadian Multi-Market Program (Medium Market) with co-host Ryan Gosse. Corus Entertainment won 10 awards, including Small Market Station of the Year for 101.5 The Wolf (CKWF-FM) Peterborough and its Program Director Rob Seguin, who secured Program Director of the Year (Small Market). Corus Kingston PD Bob Willette won the Medium Market honour. Bell Media had eight wins with Karen Steele of 99.9 Virgin Radio (CKFM-FM) Toronto named PD of the Year (Major Market). Other multiple award winners include Harvard Media, Stingray, Pattison Media, and Vista Radio. In addition to those listed above, individual stations who won in multiple categories include boom 97.3 (CHBM-FM) Toronto, CHEZ 106 Ottawa, and CityNews 95.7 (CJNI-FM) Halifax. Find the full list of winners, runners-up and their winning audio submissions at CanadianRadioAwards.com.

The Canadian Radio Awards are free to enter thanks to the generosity of our sponsors and supporters. We’d also like to thank this year’s jury for their hard work which included Jean-Marie Heimrath, Tamara Stanners, Randy Reid, Rob Braide, ChiChi Liu, Jeff Rechner, Nancy Brown Dacko, Brother Jake Edwards, and our editor and head juror Connie Thiessen. A special thank you to Matt Cundill of the Sound Off Media Company and Matt Fogarty of Matt Fogarty Voiceovers for going the extra mile to help amplify our message.

Dani Stover is the host of new 640 (CFIQ-AM) Toronto evening show, Let’s Talk with Dani Stover, which made its debut Monday night. Airing weeknights from 7 – 10 p.m., Corus Entertainment says the “best of” show will be a deep dive into major news stories of the day. It will feature clips from 640’s coverage, as well as CFPL London and CHML Hamilton, where the show is also airing. A 2006 Seneca College journalism grad, Stover has been working with Corus Radio off and on since 2008, including stints hosting the midday show on Calgary’s Q107 (CFGQ-FM) and mornings on The Wolf 101.5 (CKWF-FM) Peterborough. After leaving to host weekends on Indie88 (CIND-FM) Toronto and blogTO podcast Only in Toronto, she returned to Corus last year as the producer of the Kelly Cutrara Show. Stover is also set to host an upcoming podcast for 640, the details of which have yet-to-be announced. Read more here.

Hits 100 FM (CKNB-FM) has launched in Campbellton, NB, replacing CKNB 950 AM. The new radio station launched at 8 a.m. Monday morning with an introduction followed by first song, About Damn Time by Lizzo, as voted on by the community. CKNB has served the area since its original launch on Dec. 27, 1939. CKNB-AM will continue to simulcast for up to 90 days. In advance of the launch, Maritime Broadcasting Systems (MBS) says it interviewed over 300 local listeners to determine their preferences for the new FM radio station. The overwhelming response was very high satisfaction levels for CKNB and that listeners wanted the station to stay as is, but on FM. MBS operates 24 radio stations across the three Maritime provinces. 

The National Community and Campus Radio Association (NCRA/ANREC), in partnership with Abacus Data, has released new polling data that indicates the number of listeners tuning into campus and community radio has increased by over 4.4 million listeners since 2017. The data suggests Canadians are listening to more campus and community radio than ever before with listenership up 14% across Canada over the last five years. The research found 66% of Canadians consume local news through campus or community radio stations. It also found that men are more likely to listen to campus or community radio than women. The survey of 1,500 Canadian adults was conducted from Sept. 29 to Oct. 2 via the Lucid exchange platform. Read more from new contributor, Alex Freedman, Executive Director of the Community Radio Fund of Canada, here.

A Canadian Music Week (CMW) delegation is in South Africa this week with an eye to furthering trade and business opportunities between our two countries. The delegation – which includes CMW President Neill Dixon; Rudy Blair, Rudy Blair Media; Bruce Bradley, Slammin Radio; Tomi Sanni, RnB Radar; Richard Mills, Global Creative Partners; and Julz Ossom, African Music Week – is attending South Africa Music Week in Soweto, Nov. 16-18, building on the Canadian Association for the Advancement of Music and the Arts (CAAMA) “Spotlight” initiative. The group will appear on panels and meet with conference participants who are part of the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC). Read more here.

CBC Podcasts has released Run, Hide, Repeat, a five-episode podcast series based on former CBC journalist Pauline Dakin’s real-life childhood spent on the run. Dakin published a memoir of the same name in 2017.

Andy Ross, who stepped away from radio and Harvard Media in October, has formed new company, Friggin’ Noodles Entertainment, and launched the first of a number of creative projects. Scripted podcast Barbara and Walter is loosely based on Ross’ “very Eastern European” parents, Barbara and Jerzy. Ross, who has long held a passion for character voices and comedy, lends his talents to both voices in the podcast which follows a retired couple who, out of boredom, decide to fire up their son’s computer and create a “show.”

LISTEN: Podcast Hall of Famer Evo Terra is ending his Podcast Pontifications show. On the latest Sound Off Podcast, Matt Cundill talks with Terra about what’s next for the host. They also discuss the value of Podcast 2.0, fiction podcasts, audiobooks and narration. Listen on your favourite podcast app or here: