CBC and Radio-Canada have announced they’ll no longer carry the National Research Council (NRC) time signal. Monday marked the last time it was broadcast, ending the longest running segment on CBC Radio. For more than 80 years the tone of the NRC time signal has connected Canadians at exactly 1 p.m. with variations of the daily message playing over CBC’s airwaves since Nov. 5, 1939. The NRC says since the public broadcaster’s installation of HD transmitters in 2018, the time signal’s accuracy had been delayed by nine seconds, with a CBC spokesperson adding that most people are now able to accurately get the time from their phones.
CTV Your Morning and etalk alum Ben Mulroney, TVO host Steve Paikin, and former Toronto deputy mayor Ana Bailão are among those joining 640 (CFIQ-AM) Toronto as regular contributors. All three guests have joined host Greg Brady on weekday morning show Toronto Today. They’ll now move into dedicated appearance spots, with Mulroney heard every Monday between 7:30-8:00 a.m., Paikin every Tuesday from 7:30-8:00 a.m. and Bailão every Thursday from 7:30-8:00 a.m. Former Toronto Police Chief Mark Saunders, former CP24 Managing Editor and anchor Stephanie Smyth, mayoral candidate Anthony Furey, and Paramount Fine Foods founder Mohamad Fakih also join the station as contributors. Read more here.
Bay FM (CKVB-FM) Corner Brook, NL hosted the 33rd annual Western Regional Hospital Foundation Radiothon on Sept. 29. This was the community station’s first time hosting the radiothon, which previously was heard on Stingray’s CFCB Corner Brook, which now simulcasts programming from VOCM St. John’s. This year’s radiothon exceeded the foundation’s $607,409 goal by $50,000 and broke the record for the highest amount raised from any radiothon since its existence by around $80,000. As a result of surpassing that goal, two members of the Bay FM team – station manager Lenny Benoit and volunteer Kevin Young – now have to get inked with station tattoos.
My Broadcasting Corporation’s 91.7 GIANT FM (CIXL-FM) Welland, ON has successfully completed the 91.7 GIANT FM $10,000 Fugitive social experiment. Listeners were told someone had broken into the radio station and stole $10,000 cash. 91.7 GIANT FM then provided multiple daily, hyper-local spoken word & visual clues offering a $10,000 cash reward to anyone who could find, identify and capture The Fugitive through a specific question. Response was unprecedented with the station receiving thousands of text requests asking for clues. The station distributed lawn signs throughout the Niagara region which encouraged listeners to ask the winning question: “Are you the 91-7 GIANT FM $10,000 Fugitive?” and t-shirts given to high profile community leaders to wear which read “I am NOT the 91.7 GIANT FM $10,000 Fugitive.” In week four of the contest, the Fugitive was found at Lester B. Pearson Park in St. Catharines by resident Ivanka Siolkowsky who was relentless in following the clues and on-air excitement. When asked what she planned to do with the prize money, Siolkowsky said she would be donating 100% of it to Ukraine assistance.
SiriusXM Canada, the Official Satellite Radio Partner of the NHL, has announced comprehensive coverage of the 2023-24 season. With SiriusXM NHL Network Radio entering its 19th season, the roster of former players bringing their knowledge and perspective to the channel include Mike Johnson, Anthony Stewart, Mike Rupp, Martin Biron, Shane O’Brien, Mike McKenna and Andrew Raycroft. The regular roster also includes Gord Stellick, Scott Laughlin, Steve Kouleas, Boomer Gordon, Mick Kern, Linda Cohn and Dave McCarthy. Insiders Brian Burke, Elliotte Friedman, Bruce Boudreau, Dave Poulin, Craig Button, Jeff Marek and Dave Pagnotta also return every week for another season.
The Canadian Podcast Awards are open to nominations until Oct. 22. Open to Canadian podcasts, at least 50% of the podcast hosts or performers must be Canadian or a permanent resident of Canada, and the majority of team members (more than 50%) Canadian citizens or permanent residents. Podcasters are invited to submit their work in 31 categories, including Outstanding Francophone Series, Outstanding Indigenous Series, Outstanding True Crime Series, and the coveted People’s Choice Award. Last year’s event received an impressive 600+ podcast submissions, with standout winners including You Made Me Queer (Sonar), Our Native Land (CHEK News), Front Burner (CBC), and Parkdale Haunt (Frequency).
The New York Festivals Radio Awards are open for entries. New SciFi/Fantasy/Horror and Mystery Programs categories expand the Entertainment roster. Editorial/Viewpoint News Feature rounds out the journalism-based News Reports/Features category group, while Short Form Documentary offers additional opportunities to showcase distinct points of view. New Podcast categories include Investigative Journalism Podcast and Mystery Podcast. Additional On-Air talent categories include News Correspondent/Reporter and Sports Correspondent/Reporter.
Under The Influence will host a live podcast recording at the upcoming Hot Docs Podcast Festival, on Sunday, Oct. 22 at Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema. The episode recording will include live music by the Under The Influence band, with Chief Sound Engineer Geoff Devine producing all sound effects live onstage. An audience Q&A will follow.
LISTEN: Aiden Wolf joins the Sound Off Podcast to share tips for making it big on YouTube. Over the last few years, podcasters have been trickling onto YouTube, however, this does not make podcasters, effective YouTubers. In this episode you’ll hear Wolf talk about his journey in radio, from morning show host to voiceover artist. But it was his microphone reviews, and unboxings that garnered him a true YouTube audience. He also discusses creating short-form content (e.g. YouTube shorts) to appeal to a broader audience and increase views and how to make sure your podcast appears on YouTube Music in the near future.
