REVOLVING DOOR:
In its biggest round of layoffs since 2015, Bell Media has cut positions cross-country at its TV and radio stations. In a statement to Broadcast Dialogue, the company cites challenges it says Bell Media and other Canadian media companies are facing due to increasing international competition, the evolution of broadcast technologies, and advertising and regulatory pressure. Casualties include W5 investigate reporter Victor Malarek; CTV Vancouver anchor Coleen Christie; CHUM-FM Toronto midday host Ingrid Schumacher; CHOM Montreal morning co-host Heather Backman; CTV Okanagan reporter Kent Molgat; TSN Vancouver Whitecaps play by play voice Peter Schaad and BC Lions caller Scott Rintoul; CFAX 1070 AM Victoria morning co-host Steve Duffy; David Fisher, VP/GM for Bell’s Saskatchewan TV and radio stations; Gord Leighton, GM/GSM for Sun FM Vernon, EZ Rock in Salmon Arm, Revelstoke and Golden; Mark Burley, group program director for Bell Media’s 22 radio stations in the BC interior and his wife Janet Burley, GM for Sun FM 97.1, EZ Rock AM800 in Penticton, 98.5 EZ Rock Summerland and 102.9 EZ Rock Osoyoos. Also gone is Don Mumford, VP/GM for Bell’s Southwestern Ontario stations, who officially retires April 7 but whose duties are now being handled by Mike Melling.
Lionsgate has promoted Chris Selak to executive vice-president of worldwide television. Selak will lead Lionsgate Television Group’s creative collaboration with the newly-launched Lionsgate UK TV business. Her team will also be responsible for supplying new scripted projects to Starz. Before joining Lionsgate, Selak served as senior VP at John Wells Productions, where she oversaw programming for ER and The West Wing and helped develop Shameless.
Walter Levitt has resigned from his position as Comedy Central’s executive vice-president and chief marketing officer. He had been in the NYC-based position since 2011, commuting from Toronto. Prior to Comedy Central, Levitt was at Canwest Global and Alliance Atlantis Broadcasting.
Marie Ginette Lepage has been appointed senior VP of global sales and mobile solutions at Stingray Digital Group Inc. Starting March 6, Lepage will lead Stingray’s Canadian and international sales operations and business development partnerships, as well as oversee mobile sales. Since 2006, Lepage has held various senior positions at Videotron.
Kurt Eby, has joined Pelmorex Media Inc., which operates The Weather Network and MétéoMédia, as director of regulatory and government relations. Kurt moves over from the Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association (CWTA) in Ottawa where he held the same position.
Corrine Koslo has been cast as the voice of character Emma Leroy in the upcoming animated reboot of Corner Gas. Koslo was a longtime friend of the late Janet Wright who played the character of Emma for six seasons. Koslo is a veteran of the stage and voiced the character of Lady Rataxes in the children’s series Babar. She’s also been cast in the upcoming Netflix adaptation of Anne of Green Gables. Voice recording for the 13-episode, half-hour series is underway with an anticipated premiere on The Comedy Network in 2018.
Quinte Broadcasting in Belleville, ON has made some changes. Morning hosts Justin Anderson and Dani Guppy move from Rock 107 (CJTN-FM) to afternoons on sister station Mix 97 (CIGL-FM). Replacing them on Rock 107 mornings is Buzz Collins, most recently with Corus Radio Kingston, and in-house newsie Tim Durkin.
Source: Bill Morton Written: CT Edited: SS
Vicki Shae re-joined the QX104 (CFQX-FM) Winnipeg on-air team this week. Shae was with the station until 2013 and drew attention online for her performance in the station’s 2012 NHL Lockout YouTube spoof that went viral. Shae will hold down the Sunday afternoon and Monday evening shifts, while filling in elsewhere as needed.
Mike Murphy has left 1310 News (CIWW-AM) Ottawa to go into automotive sales. Before joining Rogers Ottawa last March, Murphy was a senior producer at CFRA-AM for 20 years and spent his last year at the Bell Media-owned station as operations manager.
Darryl MacArthur, who departed Newcap Ottawa before Christmas, has a new position with Torres Media as director of regional sales. MacArthur will head up sales for Rebel 101.7 FM (CIDG-FM) in Ottawa.
