Originally published in the May 11, 2023 edition of The Weekly Briefing
Sandie Rinaldo is celebrating 50 years with the CTV network. The weekend anchor for CTV National News and a reporter for flagship investigative program, W5, Rinaldo got her start in television in the 1960s as a dancer on CBC-TV youth series, Where It’s At. She was hired at CTV a week after her graduation from the York University Fine Arts program in 1973, initially as a junior secretary to News Director Donald Cameron, eventually moving into the role of production manager and later researcher for W5, before going on to report for CTV National News and Canada AM. She started anchoring on Canada AM in 1980, establishing herself as the first woman in the country to hold a full-time national anchor position. She became weekend anchor of CTV National News in 1985 and since Lloyd Robertson’s retirement in 2011, has served as the newscast’s main back-up anchor, in addition to anchoring on CTV News Channel three days a week since 2009. Read more here.
Glen LeBlanc, EVP and Chief Financial Officer of BCE and Bell Canada, will retire as CFO later this year after 18 years in the post. Curtis Millen, currently SVP, Corporate Strategy & Treasurer, will be promoted to CFO. He also serves as the Head of the company’s corporate venture capital initiative, Bell Ventures, and President of Bimcor, its pension fund subsidiary. Prior to joining Bell in 2008, Millen was a media and telecom investment banker at Citigroup Global Markets and Banc of America Securities. LeBlanc, who’ll vacate the CFO position Sept. 1, will maintain his position as Vice-Chair, Atlantic, Chair of Northwestel, and as Board member and Chair of the Audit Committee for Maple Leafs Sports & Entertainment. He’ll continue to provide transitional leadership until the end of December. Read more here.
Michael Woods is joining CBC News’ Parliamentary Bureau as Digital Senior Producer. Woods arrives from CTV Ottawa where he’s worked since 2016, the last three years as Senior Digital Lead. He’ll take up his new role June 13.
Siobhan Morris has been named CTV News’ Queen’s Park Bureau Chief. Morris joined the Queen’s Park bureau full-time in April after moving to CTV Toronto from CTV Barrie in February where she’d been a video journalist, anchor and producer since 2020.
Marke Driesschen is expected to make a full recovery after undergoing a successful heart valve replacement surgery. The weathercaster for CTV Vancouver’s CTV Morning Live, Driesschen underwent the procedure May 3 at St. Paul’s Hospital. He’ll be off work at least two to three months.
Sabeen Ahmad has returned to CTV Regina as a weather and community anchor. Ahmad first worked with the station in 2009 as a creative producer, before going on to take producer and reporter positions with Rawlco Radio and CBC. She returned to CTV Regina in 2014 as a weather specialist and later co-host of CTV Morning Live, leaving again in 2018 to pursue marketing and communications opportunities with the Regina Exhibition Association, among other organizations.
Emad Agahi is moving on from Global BC. Agahi has been with the station since 2021 after two separate stints as a reporter with CTV News in Vancouver and Winnipeg.
Eric Mark Do is leaving Global Toronto after more than six and a half years. Do started with the network as a National Online Journalist in 2016, before moving into the role of National Syndication Editor. He’d been serving as a Partner and Audience Strategist since 2020.
Kevin Gibson has been released by TSN after more than 15 years. Gibson, who headed Research, Stats and Information for the network, is also the author Of Myths and Sticks: Hockey Facts, Fictions and Coincidences, published in 2015.
Elise Toplass has left Stingray Radio Vancouver to join River Rock Casino as Entertainment and Booking Theatre Manager. Toplass had been working as Promotions Director for Stingray’s Vancouver stations on and off since 2020, most recently covering a maternity leave.
Louise Burns has retired from CKUT Montreal after more than three decades. Burns, who acted as Sales and Administrative Coordinator for the McGill University campus & community station, in addition to serving on its Board of Directors, first joined CKUT in Oct. 1991. Yei Luc has moved into Burns’ former role.
Rob Brimacombe is the new President of the BC Association of Broadcasters (BCAB). Brimacombe, Manage of Local Sales at Corus Radio Vancouver, succeeds Rob Germain, CEO of CHEK Media, in the role.
Josh Scherba has been promoted to the role of President and Chief Executive Officer at WildBrain, succeeding previous CEO and Vice Chair Eric Ellenbogen. Scherba worked for DHX Media for 18 years, prior to its 2019 rebrand as WildBrain when he was appointed President. As part of his new appointment, he’ll also serve on the company’s Board of Directors. Additionally, Jim Fielding, Chief Marketing and Brands Officer, has been appointed Strategic Advisor to the CEO and Board of Directors. Fielding is a former President of Disney Stores Worldwide and has held leadership roles at top retailers, including Claire’s Stores, where he was CEO, The Gap, Lands’ End, and the J. Peterman Company. Read more here.
Nataline Rodrigues has joined Toronto’s Vortex Media as SVP, Development. Rodrigues was formerly Director of Original Programming at Rogers Sports & Media for nine years, up until mid-2022. Prior to that, she served as the Executive in Charge of Production leading CBC Drama & Comedy programming.
Jerry Diaz has joined Vancouver-based Big Bad Boo Studios as its first-ever VP of Global Sales and Distribution. Diaz has formerly served as VP, Distribution for WildBrain and VP, Worldwide Sales and Distribution for Nelvana, among other roles.
