Vista Radio has rebranded the three Alberta radio stations it acquired from CAB-K Broadcasting last year. As of last week, Country 96.5 (CKLJ-FM) Olds and Country 106.5 (CKVG-FM) Vegreville became 96.5 FM The Ranch and 106.5 FM The Ranch, respectively. Rock 104.5 (CKJX-FM) Olds has been rebranded as 104.5 The Goat. Darren Scott, Director, Creative Services & Communications, says while the station playlists will remain pretty much identical, the rebrand – particularly on the Country side – is about reflecting the rural lifestyle of the Olds and Vegreville coverage areas. On the Rock side, Scott says The Goat brand is a good fit for the Olds area, joining its Vista counterparts in Lloydminster and Prince George. Read more here.
Rogers Sports & Media’s Country 104.3 (CJQM-FM) Sault Ste. Marie has been rebranded as 104.3 The Fox, The Sault’s Rock Station. Country 104.3 listeners are being redirected to Rogers’ sister station Country 600 (CKAT-AM) North Bay. 104.3 The Fox is playing a Rock format anchored on acts like Tragically Hip, Our Lady Peace, Rush, Headstones, and Billy Talent. Like its Rogers’ Rock counterparts in Ontario, the syndicated The Brock and Dalby Show is being heard in mornings on 104.3 The Fox.

John-Angus MacDonald, founding member and lead guitarist for The Trews, is the latest Canadian rocker to join the lineup at 94.9 The Rock (CKGE-FM) Oshawa as the new host of Generation Next Radio. Heard weeknights at 8 p.m. and weekends at 11 a.m. and 8 p.m., the new music discovery show is an opportunity for new unsigned talent to get their music heard, some of the more than 1,200 acts featured on Generation Next over the last 12 years include The Glorious Sons, Greta Van Fleet, Crown Lands, Stuck on Planet Earth, and Cleopatrick. Beginning Jan. 18, MacDonald takes over the show from guitarist Sean Kelly, known for his work backing Lee Aaron, Coney Hatch and Alan Frew, among other bands. Read more here.
Orbyt Media has announced a sales and syndication partnership with Throwback Nation Radio, offering Canadian radio stations access to the Classic Hits weekend and daily shows on a cash or barter basis. Hosted by Tony Lorino, it features hit music from the ‘80s and ‘90s. The new version of the show will be compliant with music tailored to the needs of Canadian broadcasters.
CBC/Radio-Canada’s Make the Season Kind campaign saw 24 regional CBC stations across the country run charity drives throughout the month of December, including 37 community events, raising $7.8 million for local food banks. Radio-Canada also organized fundraising events, including Le Noël du coeur in Trois-Rivières, contributing an additional $952,000 to local charities. In Quebec, Radio-Canada was also a major partner in the Media Food Drive, which raised $5.1 million.
Curiouscast’s newest podcast, A Most Audacious Heist, premiering Jan. 28, tells the story of master jewel thief Daniel Blanchard. Created in partnership with Blanchard House, the historical true-crime story is written by Emma Jane Kirby and hosted by Seren Jones, taking listeners inside the life of the daring thief, whose ingenious heists and escapes from the law defy belief. A Most Audacious Heist is the second podcast to join Curiouscast as part of a multi-partnership deal with Blanchard House. Their first podcast together, Black and Blue: Behind the Badge, launched in 2023 – a true-crime story centering around the experiences of Black officers – which won a British Podcast Award for Best Factual Podcast. New episodes will be available every Tuesday.
Media Technology Monitor (MTM) has released its annual report on Indigenous Canadians and Their Use of Media and Technology. It finds that 60% of respondents are tuning traditional radio over the course of a typical week. However, YouTube (70%), along with audio streaming services like Spotify (68%) are the biggest sources for audio content. While online video is ubiquitous among Indigenous respondents (95%), more than half (55%) have a paid TV subscription and three in five (61%) tune in to traditional TV in a typical week. 84% of Indigenous respondents have used a social media platform in the past month, led by Facebook (77%), Instagram (56%), TikTok (46%) and Snapchat (41%).

The Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (CARAS) has announced the four inductees for the Canadian Music Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, presented by Music Canada. Industry legend Dan Hill, grande dame of Québec song Ginette Reno, rock superstars Glass Tiger, eclectic Celtic singer/songwriter/composer Loreena McKennitt, pop-punk icons Sum 41, and hip-hop pioneer Maestro Fresh Wes will all be honoured for their contributions to Canada’s music history on May 15 at Studio Bell in Calgary. The spring ceremony follows the induction of Maestro Fresh Wes (during The 2024 JUNO Awards Broadcast in Halifax) and Sum 41, who will be inducted to the Canadian Music Hall of Fame live on the 2025 JUNO Awards Broadcast in Vancouver on March 30.
LISTEN: Dani Stover is on the latest Sound Off Podcast discussing her experience hosting “Let’s Talk with Danny Stover,” a pre-recorded radio show that curated content from across Canada. Stover expresses her dislike for live radio and the reliance on text lines for audience engagement. She also criticizes the use of AI and the negative impact of social media. Stover plans to continue writing on Substack and is considering a future podcast.