Buck Martinez, 73, is stepping away from the Toronto Blue Jays broadcast booth as he prepares to undergo cancer treatment. The Blue Jays TV analyst called Sunday’s series finale against the Oakland Athletics – his last game before he takes a leave from Sportsnet. The former MLB player, who did stints as both a catcher and manager for the Jays, has been working as a colour commentator for the team off and on since 1987, initially for TSN. He’s been with Sportsnet since 2010.
Gord Steinke has announced he’ll retire from Global News Edmonton at the end of the summer after 30 years with the station. The longtime co-anchor of Global News Hour at 6 and Global News at 5 will anchor his final newscast on Aug. 31. Steinke started out as a touring musician, playing bass in rock bands out of Saskatoon and Toronto, before pursuing journalism at the University of Regina. He began his broadcast career at CBC, heading stateside in 1989 to work at ABC affiliate, KSTP-TV Minneapolis. He joined ITV (now Global Edmonton) in 1992. Read more here.
Claude Mailhot has retired from RDS after a 50-year career in media. Mailhot, 74, started in broadcasting in 1972 as the host of open line radio program, Les amateurs de sports, and later served as an analyst on Radio-Canada’s La Soirée du hockey, a position he held until 1982. Over the years, Mailhot has covered 21 Olympic Games and held roles from sports director to host across radio and television. He first joined RDS in 1991, covering the NHL, NFL, and CFL, in addition to amateur sports. A lawyer by training, he was appointed Assistant Deputy Minister at the Ministère de l’Éducation, du Loisir et du Sport in 2005. He returned to broadcasting in 2009, ahead of the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics.
Nav Nanwa is the new host of CBC Radio’s Windsor Morning. Longtime host Tony Doucette announced his intention to retire in December after 46 years in broadcasting, 38 with the CBC. Nanwa has been with the public broadcaster since 2020, most recently as a reporter and producer with the Brampton bureau.
Ramraajh Sharvendiran is leaving the CBC Radio morning show in St. John’s, NL to host CBC Ontario Morning, CBC’s local morning program for non-metropolitan markets in Southern Ontario. His last day co-hosting in St. John’s, alongside Krissy Holmes, is April 29. Sharvendiran has been with the public broadcaster since 2017 when he started as an intern on The Current.
Siobhan Morris has joined CTV’s Queen’s Park bureau full-time. Morris was a videojournalist, anchor and producer with CTV Barrie, prior to joining CTV Toronto in February.
Jeff Fillion is leaving CHOI-FM Quebec City. RNC Media says the host rejected its latest contract renewal offer. Fillion has been hosting on-demand paywalled content on his site radiopirate.com.
Paulie (Paul) Herriot has been laid off by Rogers Sports & Media in Kitchener after almost 18 years with CityNews 570 (CKGL-AM). The 2003 Loyalist grad was a technical producer and backfill programming assistant.
Bill Good’s “A Minute with Bill Good” commentary on CityNews 1130 (CKWX-AM) Vancouver has come to an end. The veteran media personality’s daily editorial segment had been running since 2015. Good retired from 980 CKNW in 2014 after 26 years with the station.
Nate Bryant has parted ways with 104.9 Virgin Radio (CFMG-FM) Edmonton, just shy of his six- month probationary period. Bryant had been voicetracking and providing show coverage, among other duties. Prior to joining Bell Media, he was an evening show host on SONiC 102.9 (CHDI-FM) Edmonton, arriving from the morning show on Harvard Media’s X100.7 (CKEX-FM) Red Deer.
Andie Bennett will be the third member of Melnick in the Afternoon, starting in June, on TSN 690 (CKGM-AM) Montreal, following Joey Alfieri’s departure earlier this year to join the Montreal Alouettes as a content creator. Bennett was formerly a contributor to the show before leaving to cover sports for CBC Montreal. She’s most recently been working in the not-for-profit sector. In announcing Bennett’s return to the show, Melnick, who’ll turn 63 in June, revealed he’s not sure how much longer he’ll be in the host’s chair.
Darren Worts is leaving his afternoon drive slot on Star FM (CKSR-FM) Chilliwack, but staying within Rogers Radio as he joins the morning show on JACK 103.1 (CHTT-FM) Victoria. Worts is already heard in the Victoria market as he does double-duty voicetracking middays on Ocean 98.5 (CIOC-FM). Prior to joining Rogers in March of last year, Worts had most recently been the midday announcer on Pattison’s Power 104 (CKLZ-FM) Kelowna.
Paul Laing is leaving the morning show at Durham Radio’s 92.9 The Grand (CHTG-FM) Haldimand/Hamilton after three years, to move to Bayshore Broadcasting’s Country 102 (CJMU-FM) Bracebridge as Operations Manager and Morning Show Host. His last day on The Grand will be Friday, April 29.
Ray St. Germain is getting set to retire from “Métis Hour x2,” the Saturday morning call-in show he’s hosted on the NCI (Native Communications Inc.) radio network in Manitoba for 23 years. The Canadian Country Music Hall of Famer, 82, has hosted numerous radio and television programs since the 1960s, including national CBC series “Time for Livin'” and “My Kind of Country,” and long-running CKND Winnipeg show “Ray St. Germain Country.”
Jordan Press has announced he’s stepping away from The Canadian Press (CP) and journalism. Press has been an Ottawa-based National Affairs reporter for the wire service since 2015. Press has also written for the Ottawa Citizen and other Postmedia papers, among other freelance work.
Zain Meghji has joined Vancouver’s BBTV as Senior Manager, Audience Development. Up until last October, Meghji had been the Head of Video Content at Daily Hive Vancouver. He’s also done stints as a correspondent for EXTRA, ETALK, and Breakfast Television in Vancouver and Calgary.
Heather Conway is stepping down as Executive Director and co-President of Hot Docs after just five months. The former Executive Vice-President of CBC, Conway will be transitioning into a new strategic planning advisory role in May. Longtime President Chris McDonald will assume sole leadership of the organization. Erin Lau, Managing Director, and Paul Lewis, Conference Director of World Congress of Science and Factual Producers, have been named interim co-Executive Directors and will be supporting McDonald as part of the leadership team. Hot Docs says in her short tenure, Conway made significant improvements to the organization’s structure, including centralizing development and sponsorship activities and hiring Hot Docs’ first director of finance. She also secured Cineplex as a new presenting partner for the 2022 Festival.
