Radio & Podcast News – CRTC finds Yellowknife can’t support additional station

The CRTC has found that Yellowknife, NWT cannot support an additional commercial radio station at this time. The Yellowknife radio market is currently served by one commercial radio station operated by Vista Radio, CJCD-FM, one French-language community radio station operated by Société Radio Taïga, CIVR-FM, and one Indigenous (Type B Native) station operated by the Native Communications Society of the N.W.T., CKLB-FM. The commission noted that the market is generally underperforming in terms of revenue and profitability when compared to the Whitehorse and Iqaluit markets, as well as nationally. Furthermore, the decision reveals CJCD-FM had declining revenues the five years prior to the pandemic and subsequently. The decision effectively ends a bid by online station, Cabin Radio to secure an FM licence.

Radiodays North America has announced the first round of speakers appearing at the inaugural conference, June 8-9 in Toronto, as part of Canadian Music Week (CMW). Taking place at the Harbour Castle Westin Hotel, the expansion of the Radiodays radio and audio industry conference brand to North America, replaces the long-running Radio Active conference. Featured speakers will include: Aled Haydn-Jones, Head of Radio 1 at BBC, on successfully attracting youth audiences; Catherine Burns, Artistic Director of The Moth Podcast, on the journey of storytelling vs. story taking; James Cridland, Radio Futurologist and Editor of Podnews, on the best new podcasting tools and how radio stations can utilize them; and Dennis Clarke, Vice President of Talent Development, iHeartMedia, on developing on-air personalities. Read more here.

Country Music Alberta has announced the nominees for their 12th annual awards to be handed out April 1-2 in Calgary. Among those nominated for Radio Station of the Year (Large Market) are Country 105 (CKRY-FM) Calgary; 840 CFCW Edmonton; CJWE FM Calgary; CFWE FM Edmonton; and WILD 95.3 (CKWD-FM) Calgary. In the Small/Medium Market category: Sun Country 99.7 (CFXO-FM) High River; CKFM 96.5 Olds; 104.5 More Country (CKMR-FM) Strathmore; Real Country 95.9 (CKSA-FM) Lloydminster; and New Country 98.1 (CFCW-FM) Camrose. Among those nominated for Industry Person of the Year are Real Country 95.9 FM Lloydminster afternoon drive host Sarah Scott, who also hosts the Studio B Podcast, as well as digital creator Codi McIvor.

CF Montréal and BPM Sports have a new two-year partnership agreement as the club’s French-language radio broadcaster. BPM Sports, via 91.9 (CKLX-FM) Montreal, will once again broadcast all CF Montréal regular season and playoff matches. Coverage will include a half hour pre-game show, as well as a half hour post-game show for road games and an hour-long show for games played in Montreal. The new agreement sees the introduction of a new broadcast team comprised of Maxime Van Houtte as play-by-play commentator, Sydney Fowo as colour analyst and Georges Laraque as the sideline reporter. For a seventh consecutive year, BPM Sports will also air dedicated soccer show, FC 919, with Olivier Brett returning as host. 

CBC Podcasts and Kelly&Kelly have launched Let’s Make A Rom-Com, the sequel to hit comedy podcast, Let’s Make a Sci-Fi. Hosts and comedians Maddy Kelly, Mark Chavez, and Ryan Beil are back, inviting listeners to follow along as they try to write a successful script for a romantic comedy feature film. Let’s Make A Rom-Com features interviews with screenwriter Kirsten “Kiwi” Smith (Legally Blonde, 10 Things I Hate About You), writer-director Ol Parker (Ticket to Paradise, Mama Mia II), comedian Phoebe Robinson (Everything’s Trash), and actor Karan Soni (Deadpool, Always Be My Maybe), among others. New episodes will be released every Monday. Let’s Make A Sci-Fi was highlighted as a “Best Podcast of 2022” by both The New Yorker and Vulture Magazine. Later this year, Kelly&Kelly will release the first-ever podcast sitcom, also written by Maddy Kelly.

Cynthia Loyst, co-host of CTV’s The Social, and Josie Dye, host of The Josie Dye Show on Indie88 (CIND-FM) Toronto, launched their new podcast, Unmentionables, on Valentine’s Day. Unmentionables tackles taboo topics from cheating to sexual fantasies. It will air episodes weekly on iHeart Media Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Google, in addition to a short form video series where the hosts will answer fan questions.

CPAC (Canadian Parliamentary Affairs Channel) has relaunched the Today in Politics podcast with new host Julie Van Dusen. Van Dusen spent three decades on Parliament Hill with CBC, reporting on every major political convention, election, leadership race, and First Ministers’ conference during her career. She left the CBC in 2020 to author “You Can’t Write the Script,” a book about her mother, artist and author Shirley Van Dusen. Listeners can subscribe to Today in Politics on all major podcasting platforms. 

24 Shades of Blue, the Toronto Police Service (TPS) podcast intended to give listeners a behind-the-scenes look at the inner workings of the department, has cost TPS more than $330,000 so far, according to a CBC News investigation. Produced by Obie & Ax Inc., which has offices in Toronto, Vancouver and Delaware, the sole-source contract was initially awarded in 2020, according to the report by CBC, which had to file a freedom of information request to obtain the financial details. TPS says the podcast has reached fewer than 95,000 people across its platforms.

SCTV character duo Bob & Doug McKenzie have resurfaced to support a new national, radio-anchored Beer Canada campaign urging Ottawa to freeze the federal tax on beer. Beer Canada, the national voice of Canadian brewers and beer consumers, has been lobbying against a planned April 1 federal tax increase of 6.3%. While Dave Thomas (Doug) and Rick Moranis (Bob) rarely appear as the fictional Canadian brothers that rose to fame in the 1980s as the hosts of SCTV sketch “Great White North,” the organization was stunned when they responded after reaching out to Thomas’ agent. Among the creative team working on the campaign was veteran comedy writer and creative director Larry MacInnis. The campaign, which also includes print and digital media placements, is anchored by three 30-second radio spots, running coast-to-coast, in which Thomas and Moranis revive classic “Bob & Doug-isms” like “take off, eh” and signature call “Coo loo coo coo, coo coo coo coo,” a nod to the vintage Hinterland Who’s Who wildlife vignettes that aired on Canadian TV. Read more here.

LISTEN: There are few modern radio programs in the storytelling genre that have resonated with audiences like The Vinyl Cafe. Hosted by the late Stuart McLean, the long-running CBC Radio show aired from 1994 to 2016. For the first time, The Vinyl Cafe’s longtime producer Jess Milton is sharing behind-the-scenes stories from her 15 years working on and touring with the show. She joins us on this episode of Broadcast Dialogue – The Podcast to talk about Backstage at the Vinyl Cafe, her new podcast – produced with the Apostrophe Podcast Company – diving into the making of the legendary radio show. Listen on your favourite podcast app or here:

LISTEN: Cathy Faulkner, former Music Director at KISW Seattle, joins Matt Cundill on the latest Sound Off Podcast to talk about championing the local music scene and her front row view to the ascension of Nirvana, Soundgarden, Alice in Chains and other Seattle bands like Queensryche and Candlebox, who shaped the soundtrack of rock radio in the ‘90s. Listen on your favourite podcast app or here: