Radio & Podcast News – Tarzan Dan goes public with cancer diagnosis

“Tarzan Dan” Freeman has gone public with a cancer diagnosis he received in mid-May, following a cardiac event that landed him in hospital. Happening just three months into his “dream job” as the network midday host on Bell Media’s Bounce Radio, Freeman woke up from a nap with a resting heart rate of 185 bpm. It was during the subsequent hospital visit that he learned he had cancer. The veteran radio host is now going public with his diagnosis as he comes out on the other side of an ongoing treatment plan and looks to make his return to the airwaves after a four and a half month break. Freeman doesn’t have a date for his return to work, but is hoping to get back on-air soon. Read more here.

Maritime Broadcasting System (MBS Radio), which currently operates 24 stations across Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and P.E.I., has announced a new strategic partnership with Target Broadcast Sales. The transition is set to take effect Nov. 25 with no change in representation for MBS’ in-house agency business. Pending CRTC approval, MBS Radio plans to acquire five additional stations currently owned by Bell Media, including CKTY-FM and CKTO-FM in Truro, NS; CKBC-FM Bathurst, NB; CJCJ-FM Woodstock, NB; and CIKX-FM Grand Falls, NB, bringing its radio assets to 29 stations.

CVOX, Comox Valley, BC’s online, community radio station, is looking to raise $50,000 to work towards securing a broadcast licence from the CRTC. The volunteer-run, donor-funded station has reached an agreement with the Waverley Hotel in Cumberland to broadcast from its rooftop, one of the highest points in the Comox Valley.  

CBC has unveiled its fall slate of original podcasts, featuring a new series on Celine Dion, a first-person account of vision loss, and the return of true crime exploration Someone Knows Something, focused on the disappearance of a Hanover, ON teen. Season 9 of Someone Knows Something digs into the Christine Harron case, who left for school in May 1993 and was never seen again. Uncover: Bad Results, launching Oct. 28, explores the chaos that ensued following bad results from a Toronto company offering prenatal paternity tests promising “99% accuracy,” while Celine: Understood, hosted by Montrealer and Celine Dion expert Thomas Leblanc, explores the combination of cultural, political and business alchemy that led to the Canadian icon’s international stardom. Read more here.

Curiouscast sci-fi podcast, Escaping Denver, returns for a fourth season on Oct. 21. Mike Howorun and Brady Roberts are co-creators of the podcast, that takes place in a seemingly inescapable maze below Denver International Airport. Following the success of the first three seasons, Blackstone Publishing LA will release an Escaping Denver novel – an original story set in the same universe as the podcast – in fall 2025. 

The Indigenous Screen Office (ISO) Podcasting Program is open for a second round of project funding. Open to Indigenous screen-based and audio storytellers, the program supports podcast projects with Pre-development, Development, Marketing & Distribution, up to a maximum of $30,000. The submission window closes Oct. 24.

Spotify is sunsetting the Chartable podcast analytics platform. From now through Dec. 12, users can continue to access Chartable and its features free of charge. Those who’ve prepaid will receive a refund through the end of their contract period. To avoid episode playback issues or other disruptions to your podcast or data, it’s recommended users remove the Chartable trackable RSS prefix from their hosting provider. If you’re a Chartable SmartFeeds user, you’re asked to update your podcast RSS URL in the various podcast directories with the RSS feed provided by your hosting provider. Spotify will introduce shareable links through the Spotify for Podcasters platform to track Spotify listener conversion, available for free, no matter where you’re hosted. 

The Pro Bono Group has released the latest “Pro Radio Project” spot, titled “Promotion,” starring Canadian actor and voiceover performer Noel Johansen, and award-winning Canadian actress and TV personality Camilla Scott. “Promotion” can run by itself or in rotation with the other Pro Radio spots. New creative aimed at Christmas advertisers is set to follow in November. 

LISTEN: Tchadas Leo became the first Coast Salish journalist to anchor a news program on Coast Salish territory earlier this year. Leo, the winner of this year’s RTDNA Canada Emerging Journalist Award, has been working with Victoria’s CHEK Media since 2021, hosting the award-winning podcast and now television series Our Native Land, which explores all things Indigenous and First Nations on Vancouver Island. He joins Broadcast Dialogue – The Podcast to talk about his media journey thus far, his commitment to telling under-reported Indigenous stories, and his thoughts on recruiting the next generation of journalists.

LISTEN: Steve Pratt joins the latest Sound Off Podcast, discussing his career evolution from YTV’s “The Zone” to CBC Radio 3, and later co-founding Pacific Content. His new book Earn It: Unconventional Strategies for Brave Marketers offers strategies for earning audience engagement through creative storytelling.