Radio & Podcast News – Durham Radio’s Doug Kirk inducted into OAB Hall of Fame

The Ontario Association of Broadcasters (OAB) has presented its annual OAB Hall of Fame honour to Durham Radio President Doug Kirk. Kirk founded Durham Radio in 1994 with the acquisition of CHOO 1390 AM Ajax, ON, going on to grow the company to seven stations over the last three decades, including KX96 (CJKX-FM) Ajax, 94.9 The Rock (CKGE-FM) and CKDO Oshawa, KX 94.7 (CHKX-FM) Hamilton/Burlington, 92.9 The Grand (CHTG-FM) Haldimand County, and WAVE 98.3 (CIWV-FM) Vancouver. A past president of OAB from 2008-16, Kirk reflected on his love for the medium during his acceptance speech, taking the opportunity to advocate for independent broadcasters, acknowledging the challenges ahead. OAB also handed out awards recognizing station promotion, community service and creative at Wednesday’s awards luncheon. Read more here. More coverage of OAB Connection 2023 to come.

SiriusXM has unveiled a new SiriusXM Streaming app, rolling out to subscribers across North America beginning Dec. 14. Key features coming to the new SiriusXM app include Always-On Personalization & Curation with four curated sections – Music, Talk & Podcasts, Sports, and For You; Greater Content Discovery with new pages dedicated to teams, shows, channels, and artists; Revamped Playback with a new and improved media player optimized for each type of content; Enhanced Search; Improved Podcast Listening; and a Central Audio Library that allows listeners to save content they like. SiriusXM has also unveiled a new logo and mascot, a fresh take on its iconic dog, now named “Stella.” Read more here.

SiriusXM Canada has announced the return of its holiday music lineup, including three new channels: Trans-Siberian Orchestra Radio, Smokey’s Holiday Soul Town and Sleep Christmas. Other offerings include Hallmark Channel Radio, featuring music and carols from the Hallmark Channel Countdown to Christmas movies; Holidays with The Tenors; Mannheim Steamroller Radio; and Noël Incontournable playing Francophone Christmas classics with music from Ginette Reno, Bruno Pelletier and Laurence Nerbonne.  

98.9 XFM (CJFX-FM) Antigonish, NS has now helped raise more than $1.7 million over the last 30 years during the St. Martha’s Regional Hospital Foundation Hospital Help Day. This year’s 12-hour live broadcast was held Oct. 25, raising nearly $84,000.

Rogers Sports & Media’s Frequency Podcast Network has launched In This Economy?!, a spin-off of its daily affairs podcast, The Big Story, billed as a “survival guide” to help navigate an unpredictable economy. Hosted by Jordan Heath-Rawlings, the weekly show will share the stories of real people seeking out realistic solutions to money problems. Since the launch of The Big Story five years ago, the show’s producers say the singular theme that’s emerged is that a growing percentage of the population can’t afford to live basic, comfortable lives. Read more here.

LISTEN: On the latest Sound Off Podcast, Matt Cundill reunites with former 100.3 The Bear (CFBR-FM) Edmonton colleague Jake Daniels. In this episode, you’ll hear Jake’s infamous story about Nazareth, recollections of watching Nickelback’s ascension into stardom and Woodstock ’99 (Jake was there), how he still hates country music and Metallica, and advice on the benefits of going vegan. Listen on your favourite podcast app or here:

FEATURE: UCB Canada is celebrating 20 years on-air with the launch of a national streaming channel, in response to listener demand from outside the listening area of its 12 stations across Ontario, Alberta and Saskatchewan. We spoke with National Promotions Director John Connor about the radio group’s plans to launch two new FM signals in 2024 and more. Read Broadcast Dialogue’s interview with Connor here.