Acadia Broadcasting’s newly-launched Halifax Modern Rock station Surge 105 (CKHY-FM) has announced the key members of its programming team. Jeremy Slattery takes on the role of Program Director for both Surge 105 and Hot Country 103.5 (CKHZ-FM). Slattery was previously with the station group under its ownership by Evanov Communications as Music Director for the former Z103.5. For the last 10 years, he’s been with Rogers’ KiSS brand – first in Vancouver as Music Director and Assistant Program Director and more recently in Toronto as National Music Director, CHR and Assistant Content Director, KiSS 92.5 (CKIS-FM). Morning show veteran Jeff Brown will helm Surge 105’s three-person morning drive show. Brown has worked in rock radio across the country, most recently hosting mornings on JACK 96.9 (CJAX-FM) Vancouver, until getting caught up in layoffs at Rogers Sports & Media in Nov. 2020. Prior to that, he was the host of mornings on Toronto’s Q107 (CILQ-FM). His first day on-air will be Monday, Aug. 9.
Scotty Mars makes his return to CKHY-FM as Surge 105’s afternoon drive host and Assistant Program Director. Mars hosted afternoon drive host at station launch under CKHY-FM’s previous Modern Rock branding Live 105 in 2010. After detours to 106.9 The Bear Ottawa, Q104 (CFRQ-FM) Halifax, and C103 (CJMO-FM) Moncton, he returned to host the Live 105 morning show in 2016. “Driving to Mars” debuts Tuesday, Aug. 3. Read more here.
Signal Hill Insights has conducted new research that confirms the widely varied roles played by each audio medium. The June online survey of 1,510 Canadian adults, in conjunction with Radio Connects, asked weekly listeners of different types of audio where, when and why they use each type of audio. Among the takeaways are that music streaming services and owned music each play virtually the same role in listeners’ lives, reinforcing research that the growth of music streaming, much of it now accessed through a paid, ad-free subscription, has largely come from time spent with owned music. Signal Hill also found that podcast listening may have more in common with print and video than with other types of audio. Read more here.
Gerry Forbes and Brother Jake Edwards have signed on to host a new podcast as part of the DeanBlundell.com network. Forbes and Edwards were both inducted into the Canadian Broadcast Industry Hall of Fame in 2019. Forbes retired in 2018 after 25 years at CJAY 92 (CJAY-FM) Calgary and 43 years in radio, while Edwards officially retired from TSN 1040 (CKST-AM) Vancouver in 2019 after a career that included 17 years in mornings at Rock 101 (CFMI-FM), among other stops.
Christian Hall’s last day at X92.9 (CFEX-FM) Calgary was marked on-air on July 23 with a playlist that harkened back to the station’s launch in 2006. Hall, the founding PD of the Harvard Broadcasting alt rock station, and later National Program Director and VP, Brands & Content, is headed to Vancouver to take on National Content Director duties for the JACK FM brand and serve as Content Director for Rogers Sports & Media’s Vancouver FM stations. He left the X92.9 station team with some parting wisdom.
Meant every word. https://t.co/iutPHGVA3H
— 𝗖𝗵𝗿𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗮𝗻 𝗛𝗮𝗹𝗹 (@hallofchristian) July 23, 2021
Podtrac has confirmed that an auto-download bug within Apple Podcasts resulted in a 20% year-over-year drop in podcast downloads for June. It says adjusting for the increase, absolute downloads for June would have been up 5% year-over-year, in line with the average monthly growth for January through May. Apple has since rolled out a fix, which should be reflected in August numbers.
LISTEN: On the latest Sound Off Podcast, Matt Cundill talks with Terry DiMonte about what he’s been doing since his “retirement” from Montreal’s CHOM in May. Cundill catches up with DiMonte on a stop in Winnipeg where the veteran host has roots that extend back to his days at 92 CITI and working in the same building as the legendary Don Percy, who acted as a mentor. Listen on your favourite podcast app or here:
