Radio & Podcast News – myFM anchor raising living donor awareness

Radio Connects has released Now Hear This, a new publication featuring a compilation of recently-released research from numerous sources, including Luminate, Signal Hill Insights, marketing strategist Mark Ritson, and Numeris. Among its core highlights are that incorporating live broadcast radio into a campaign significantly enhances business results, retention, brand association, mental availability, acquisition, and brand awareness. The report is designed to help advertisers and agency planners have a one-stop resource to find the support they need to use radio in the communication mix. 

Grant Deme, an anchor and reporter at 88.1 myFM (CHLK-FM) Perth, ON, needs a new liver and is raising awareness for the living donor list in Ontario for himself and others in the same position. Critically ill with Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis for the last three years, Deme’s condition has worsened and he is now seeking a living liver donor with blood type O+ or O-.

boom 97.3 (CHBM-FM) Toronto hosted its first-ever Behind the Vinyl LIVE this week, which featured Cyndi Lauper in conversation with boom morning show host Stu Jeffries in front of an audience of 500 listeners at The Phoenix Concert Theatre. The Behind the Vinyl podcast is now in its fourth season. The live episode will be released on the station’s YouTube channel next week. 

The Canadian Podcast Awards (CPA) have opened nominations for their seventh annual celebration of Canadian podcasting. The awards saw record-breaking engagement last year with over 1,100 podcast professionals casting more than 2,400 votes across 585 nominated podcasts. Nominations are open until Friday, Nov. 1.

Triton Digital has released its Canada Podcast Ranker for September, reflecting the reporting period from Sept. 2 – 29. The Top 3 Canada originated English-language podcasts were Front Burner (CBC/Radio-Canada) at #1, The World This Hour (CBC/Radio-Canada) at #2, and The Current (CBC/Radio-Canada) climbing to #3. The top Canada originated French-language podcasts included Le Radiojournal (Radio Canada) at #1, La revue de presse de Paul Arcand (Cogeco Media) climbing to #2, and Mario Dumont (QUB) at #3. Top podcast debuts included Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard (Wondery Network), La revue de presse de Paul Arcand (Cogeco Media), Supernatural with Ashley Flowers (SiriusXM Podcast Network), and Commotion with Elamin Abdelmahmoud (CBC/Radio Canada). 

Curiouscast’s Bad Parents is back for a second season. Q107 (CILQ-FM) Toronto morning announcers Johnny Garbutt, Shawna Whalen, and Ryan Parker reunite for Season 2 in a new audio-video format, bringing their comedic banter, parenting insights and candid reactions to life with video of each episode now available on YouTube. With a combined total of seven kids ages four to 17, Ryan, Shawna, and Johnny share misadventures and parenting blunders, alongside special guests who are also just trying to keep things “on the rails.” New episodes drop every Wednesday.

Lead Podcasting founder Amanda Cupido is coming out with a second edition of her book, Let’s Talk Podcasting: The Essential Guide to Doing it Right. Featuring six new chapters and updates including fresh technology recommendations, best practices from notable shows and who to watch in the industry, Cupido will be interviewed by journalist Farah Nasser at a launch party at JOEY Young and Dundas in Toronto on Nov. 14. Cupido tells us that Broadcast Dialogue gets a shoutout in Part 5 of the new edition where she offers a behind-the-scenes look at the making of hit Apple podcast, How to Fall Asleep Fast (which BD featured in June). The new forward is by Canada’s first-ever Survivor winner Erika Casupanan, host of the Happy to See Me podcast, who will also speak at the launch event.

Benztown Branding has announced the 2024 Benztown 50, its annual list of the top imaging voices in radio. Among the Canadians on the list are David Kaye, Amanda Madi, Erin Setch, and Lisa Keys.

LISTEN: Mary Anne Ivison joins Matt Cundill on the Sound Off Podcast to discuss the difficult transition and mental health challenges she faced after losing her job in 2021, and how she eventually found success in voiceover work and launching her own podcast “Let’s Take This Outside.” Ivison touches on the ups and downs of building a voiceover business, including the challenges of working with agents and the impact of AI on the industry, the freelance lifestyle and the need to manage expectations.