630 CHED Edmonton is shaking up its afternoon lineup, starting Sept. 5. Chelsea on CHED moves to 2 to 5 p.m., from the 3 to 6 p.m. timeslot, hosted by Chelsea Bird. She’lll be joined by anchor Randy Kilburn, who delivers the headlines of the day, and Reid Wilkins, host of Inside Sports, with sports updates. With the Edmonton Oilers’ 2023-24 season set to start this fall, Oilers Now with Bob Stauffer, will now be heard every weekday from 5 to 7 p.m. Hosted by the radio colour commentator for the team since 2008, Regional PD John Vos says the afternoon time slot will naturally tie into hockey broadcasts and the Oilers Face Off show. Inside Sports with Reid Wilkins, who also serves as host of the Oilers’ broadcasts, remains in its current time slot of 7 to 8 p.m.
Durham Radio’s 94.9 The Rock (CKGE-FM) Oshawa is adding Jeff Woods’ Classic Rock Sundays to its lineup, starting July 23. The veteran programmer, musicologist, interviewer, writer, researcher and storyteller will helm the weekly, six-hour show, Sundays from noon to 6 p.m.
OnAirCoach’s 2023 Radiostar competition features two Canadian finalists in the Top 11 contestants: Mary Anne Ivison and Sarah Nick. Ottawa-based Ivison is a former on-air announcer, who has launched herself as a voiceover artist and host of the Let’s Take This Outside podcast, while Nick co-hosts the morning show on Pattison Media’s The Lizard (CKLZ-FM) Kelowna. They are up against nine other contestants from the UK, U.S., Nigeria and Australia.
Jon McComb has signed on to host The Bureau Podcast, a companion to investigative reporter and author Sam Cooper’s recently-launched Substack, The Bureau. McComb, best known for his 36-year run as a talk host on CKNW Vancouver, speaks to Cooper in the first episode about the events leading up to the former Global News and Postmedia scribe’s personal journalism venture, foreign interference in Canadian politics, and more.
The Canadian Country Music Association (CCMA) has unveiled the nominees for the 2023 CCMA Awards, set to be announced on Sept. 16 and broadcast live from Hamilton’s FirstOntario Centre on CTV’s platforms. Among this year’s industry nominees are: Country Personalitie(s) of the Year nominees Wendy Boomer (CKBY-FM); Shannon Ella (Pure Country); Paul McGuire (Stingray); Greg Shannon & Stella Stevens (CFCW); and Toff & Melissa (CHKX-FM). Radio Station of the Year (Large Market) nominees include CFCW Edmonton; KX94.7 (CHKX-FM) Hamilton; 93.7 JR Country (CJJR-FM) Vancouver; Country 104 (CKDK-FM) London; and Pure Country (CKKL-FM) Ottawa. Up for Radio Station of the Year (Medium or Small Market) are Cool 100.1 (CHCQ-FM) Belleville; New Country 96.9 (CJXL-FM) Moncton; Real Country 95.5 (CKGY-FM) Red Deer; 96.5 FM (CKLJ-FM) Olds; and 93.5 Country (CKXC-FM) Kingston. Find the full list here.
CBC Music has launched its Short List Summer programming showcasing the 10 nominated albums on the 2023 Polaris Short List, including 10 separate radio specials taking an in-depth look at each of this year’s Short List nominees, leading up to the 2023 Polaris Music Prize winner announcement, Sept. 19 at Massey Hall in Toronto. Short List Summer is being anchored by CBC Music’s THE TEN, a series of one-hour weekly radio specials hosted by Damhnait Doyle, broadcasting each Sunday on CBC Music and CBC Listen at 6 p.m. (6:30 NT) until Sunday, Sept. 17. The Short List includes: Alvvays – Blue Rev; Aysanabee – Watin; Begonia – Powder Blue; Daniel Caesar – Never Enough; Feist – Multitudes; Debby Friday – Good Luck; Gayance – Masquerade; Dan Mangan – Being Somewhere; The Sadies – Colder Streams; and Snotty Nose Rez Kids – I’m Good, HBU?
Canada’s Walk of Fame is adding 13 of the country’s rock royalty from the ’70s and ’80s to its ranks: April Wine, Chilliwack, Glass Tiger, Lee Aaron, Lighthouse, Loverboy, Max Webster, Michel Pagliaro, Platinum Blonde, PRISM, Rough Trade, The Parachute Club, and Trooper. To commemorate this first-of-its-kind mega induction, Canada’s Walk of Fame will present Canada’s Rock of Fame at Massey Hall on Sept. 28, alongside partners Anthem Entertainment and Live Nation. This is the first of two induction ceremonies this year as part of the organization’s 25th anniversary events. They join previously announced inductees: Supreme Court Justice Rosalie Silberman Abella (Humanitarianism), Canadian pop culture institution Degrassi (Arts and Entertainment), NHL’er Connor McDavid (Sports and Athletics), comedian Rick Mercer (Arts and Entertainment), and neuropsychologist, Dr. Brenda Milner (Science, Technology and Innovation). More Inductees will be announced in the coming months, along with this year’s Allan Slaight Music Impact and National Hero honourees.
Coleman Insights has launched Pod Predictor, a new service for podcasters to test concepts pre-launch. Pod Predictor surveys 1,000 18- to 64-year-old podcast listeners in the U.S. and Canada to determine how appealing a podcast concept is. Podcasters test a show title along with a one or two-sentence elevator pitch, which respondents rate on a 1 to 5 scale. Pod Predictor is available to individual publishers and networks, with the ability to test one or multiple concepts. Results are delivered by total result, as well as breakdowns by age, gender, ethnicity, geography, and category interest.
LISTEN: This October will mark 10 years of Canadaland. Jesse Brown joins Matt Cundill on the Sound Off Podcast to talk about why Brown started Canadaland, his decision to create a podcast network, and some thoughts about recent laws passed by the Canadian government that are causing havoc for content creators and news organizations. He also shares his wins and losses when it came to monetizing the show – first via ads, and later with Patreon and other methods of public support.
