Media Technology Monitor (MTM) has released its latest Radio report indicating nearly four in five English speakers still listen to AM/FM radio through a traditional radio receiver, a number slightly higher with Francophones. MTM says while AM/FM content is widely available online, the vast majority of users are listening via traditional receivers. The car is the most common place to listen, followed by at home and at work. AM/FM radio receiver listenership is highest among those aged 50-64. Other groups, such as Francophones and those with higher education are also more likely to listen on a receiver. Highlights from the Podcasting report include that over one-third of English-speaking Canadians listen to podcasts, with listening increasing by 93% since 2017. More than one in five Francophones reported listening to a podcast in the last month. Smartphones are the most commonly used device for podcasts. Spotify has grown as a podcast provider and is now the most popular source of podcasts for French speakers.
The CRTC has approved Gulf Islands Community Radio Society’s application to operate an English-language community station and rebroadcasting transmitter on Salt Spring Island, BC. It will operate at 107.9 MHz with a maximum ERP of 850 watts. Serving the Southern Gulf Islands, including Salt Spring and large portions of Galiano Island, Pender Island, Mayne Island and Saturna Island, the station plans to broadcast 126 hours of programming each week, of which a minimum of 105 hours would be devoted to local programming. The remainder would consist of wrap-around programming from the National Campus and Community Radio Association (NCRA). It also plans to devote two hours per broadcast week to local artists.
The CRTC will hear an application from Amherstburg Broadcasting Corporation for a broadcasting licence to operate a low-power English-language commercial FM radio station in Amherstburg, ON near Windsor. The station would operate at 107.9 MHz (channel 300LP) with an effective radiated power of 50 watts. The applicant is proposing more than 123 hours of local programming each week featuring a mix of news, talk and soft adult contemporary music.
CBC’s great Canadian book debate, Canada Reads, returns for its 21st edition, March 28-31. Hosted by Ali Hassan, a panel of celebrity advocates will champion Canadian books that speak to the theme, “One Book to Connect Us.” Canada Reads debates will be broadcast each day at 11 a.m. ET on CBC Radio One and CBC Listen and 1 p.m. ET on CBC TV and CBC Gem. Each day of the competition, one book will be eliminated by the panellists until a winner is declared. The five books to be debated are: Washington Black by Esi Edugyan, to be championed by Olympian and LGBTQ2+ advocate, Mark Tewksbury; What Strange Paradise by Omar El Akkad, to be championed by entrepreneur and former Syrian refugee, Tareq Hadhad; Five Little Indians by Michelle Good, to be championed by Ojibway journalist and Vogue fashion writer, Christian Allaire; Scarborough by Catherine Hernandez, to be championed by actor and activist, Malia Baker; and Life in the City of Dirty Water by Clayton Thomas-Müller, to be championed by forest ecologist, Suzanne Simard.
Senator Don Oliver (retired) will host Black History Month programming on 99.3 County FM (CJPE-FM) Prince Edward County. Oliver will host a segment on The County Grapevine, Jan 31-Feb. 28. Appointed to the Senate in 1990, Oliver’s life has included stints from newspaper reporter to Cordon Bleu chef to trumpet player, however he decided to become a lawyer to help break down barriers of discrimination. His guests will include poet and playwright George Elliott Clarke; Tiffany Callender, co-founder and CEO of the Federation of African Canadian Economics (FACE); The Honourable Mayann Francis who served as the 31st Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia; and Greg Fergus, MP for Hull-Aylmer and Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister. Community & Campus not-for-profit radio stations can contact the station for broadcast quality copies or visit the NCRA Community Radio Exchange.
iHeartMedia and digital parenting brand, Fatherly, have collaborated on new iHeartRadio Original podcast Finding Raffi. The documentary-style podcast explores the history of Canadian children’s musician and environmental activist Raffi Cavoukian, tracing his life from aspiring folk singer to international kids’ superstar to outspoken climate activist. Hosted by comedian, writer, and podcaster Chris Garcia, new episodes drop every Tuesday.
LISTEN: Chris St. Clair, who recently retired from The Weather Network after 26 years, joins Matt Cundill on the Sound Off Podcast. St. Clair started at the network back in 1994 after working in radio, in later years as the program director at 990 Hits in Montreal. In this episode, he talks about getting his start in radio while still in high school, what he learned as a program director and how it became valuable as a presenter, his forthcoming book and a discussion about climate change. Listen on your favourite podcast app or here:
