Radio & Podcast News – Pacific Content confirms layoffs

Rogers Sports & Media has confirmed restructuring is underway at its branded podcast division, Pacific Content. Acquired by Rogers in 2019, the branded content studio counts Ford Motors, Adobe, and Charles Schwab, among its clients. The layoffs follow the recent appointment of Matt Mise to the position of Director, Podcasting & Head of Pacific Content. Rogers declined to comment on specific personnel changes or how many staff might be impacted. Read more here.

PodCamp Toronto is set to make its in-person comeback, Feb. 24-26, bringing together over a thousand podcasters, content creators, and thought leaders. Celebrating its 15th year, the annual “unconference” returns to Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) for the first time since 2020. Operating on a crowd-sourced conference model where the participants set the agenda and contribute to the programming content, the networking and learning event is free to attend. The speaker schedule kicks off on Saturday with a session on the intersection of radio and podcasting featuring Amanda Cupido, Founder of Lead Podcasting and Director of Talk and Talent at AM 640 Toronto, and Dani Stover, host of AM 640’s new Toronto Today podcast and evening radio show. Other speakers throughout the weekend include Tom Webster of Sounds Profitable on audience strategy and best practices; The Sonar Network co-founder Michael Mongiardi on how to pitch to podcast networks; Bumper co-founder Dan Misener on identifying audience niches; AR Media’s Sean Savage on broadcast quality post-production; and CBC Podcasts producers Eunice Kim, Ilina Ghosh and Evan Kelly, among almost 40 sessions, panels, and workshops. Read more here.

Corus Entertainment’s Power 97 (CJKR-FM) Winnipeg has switched up its lineup. As of Feb. 21, the reimagined morning show now features the duo of Jay Richardson and Vicki Shae, as Jay & Vicki in the Mornings from 6 – 10 a.m. The afternoon drive show is now, Power Afternoons with Ed & Nicole, airing from 2 – 7 p.m., with Nic Welsh moving from the morning show to afternoons to join Ed Garcia. This is the station’s second lineup refresh in the last six months, following the departure of morning show veteran Joe Aiello over the summer. Aiello joined former Power morning show co-hosts Phil Aubrey and Shalinda Kirby at Rogers Sports & Media’s 92 CITI FM last month.

Deezer has announced a long-term partnership with Sonos to power the brand’s streaming radio service Sonos Radio and subscription service Sonos Radio HD. Beginning in April, Deezer will deliver key services for Sonos Radio and Sonos Radio HD, including a catalog of 90 million tracks, metadata, licensing, reporting & royalty management, business intelligence & data, as well as strategic collaboration for growth and monetization of the service. Deezer and Sonos will deliver services to 16 countries worldwide, including the U.S., Canada, the UK, France and Germany. In addition, Deezer will support ongoing development and expansion of the Sonos music experience.

Voices, the London, ON-headquartered voiceover marketplace, has released their annual Professional Talent Trends Report.  Among its findings are that top earners audition consistently with nearly 62% of top earning voice actors on Voices submitting up to 50 auditions per day. Of all full-time voice actors, 34% submit up to 50 auditions daily. The report also found that top earning voice actors invest approximately 15% of profits back into their business and 3% of their annual income in career development like coaching, webinars, or conferences.

LISTEN: Dave Beasing, CEO of Sound That BRANDS – an audio production and consultation company with a focus on creating brand-affiliated podcasts – is on the latest Sound Off Podcast. Matt Cundill talks to Beasing about his career in media branding, the philosophy behind Sound That BRANDS, and what makes a good branded podcast. Listen on your favourite podcast app or here: