REVOLVING DOOR:
More names emerging from last week’s Bell Media layoffs, including Scott Lund, who had been vice-president and GM of CTV Northern Ontario since 1997 and VP of affiliate sales and distribution marketing Stephen Green. Veteran journalists Gord Nicholls in Sudbury and Cindy Males in North Bay took buyout packages. At CTV News Barrie, the sports department has been eliminated with sports anchors Alastair Connolly and Mike Arsalides offered positions as news videographers. Two veteran camera operators were also laid off, including Jim Holmes who had been with the station 38 years.
There’s a line-up shake-up at Rogers Sportsnet 590 The FAN (CJCL) Toronto with Dean Blundell hitting the bricks immediately to make way for The Brady & Price Show with Greg Brady, Elliott Price and Hugh Burrill, 5:30 a.m. to 9 a.m., starting Feb. 27. It’s fill-in hosts until then. The moves are being touted as a return to the station’s roots as Brady had been cut loose from The FAN two years ago to make room for Blundell, whose run at 102.1 The Edge (CFNY-FM) came to a controversial end a year earlier in 2014. Price arrives from Montreal where he was most recently heard on CFMB 1280 and for almost 15 years on TSN Radio 690 (CKGM) before that. Burrill returns to the company after being caught up in cuts at Sportsnet in 2016. He is also an alumnus of City and other Rogers outlets in Toronto.
Kevin Lim and Sonia Sidhu sign on as new hosts of the KiSS (CKKS-FM) Vancouver breakfast show beginning Feb. 14. Current morning host Ara Andonian will continue hosting The Ara Show during the afternoon drive slot. Kevin and Sonia met as classmates in 2002 and hosted at SUN FM (CHSU-FM) in Kelowna before doing mornings at The Peak (CKPK-FM) Vancouver, which released the duo from their contract this past August. They’ve previously received the Broadcast Performers of the Year award from the BC Association of Broadcasters.
Bruce Cheadle, who retired from the Canadian Press’ Ottawa bureau in January, has been named director of communications for the President of the Treasury Board, the Hon. Scott Brison. Cheadle spent 29 years with the national wire service.
Rob Wreford is resurfacing on Montreal internet radio, 16 years after his last broadcast on CHOM-FM. Wreford, who has been working as a successful voiceover artist, will hold down the morning drive shift on internet radio station Mountain City Rock 1091.FM starting Feb. 27. Former AM 940 (CINW-AM) Montreal traffic reporter and talk host Michael Dean and his business partner Mike Chute are behind the station, which has been live since early last year without any on-air staff. The station can be heard via apps for both Android and Apple devices, as well as a web player on its website.
James Lewis has joined CTV Toronto as a late night news producer. Lewis has been with Global BC since 2012 and prior to that was a reporter/anchor at CKNW NewsTalk 980 Vancouver.
Dave Sheldon, who parted ways with independent tri-cities station The Point 98.7 CKPM-FM in December, has joined Pulse 107.7 (CISF-FM) in Surrey, BC. Sheldon says he’ll be hosting his own show by mid- February.
David Skok has left the Toronto Star. Skok joined the Star in 2016 as associate editor, Digital and was head of Digital Strategy. Skok was previously VP of Digital at the Boston Globe and was instrumental in helping launch Globalnews.ca. Meantime, JP Fozo has been appointed to a new role at the Star as assistant managing editor, Digital Platforms. JP arrived at the Star in 2014 as senior editor, digital projects. Prior, he was general manager and director, current affairs and business, at Rogers Media, responsible for digital strategy across all platforms for Maclean’s, Canadian Business and MoneySense.
Jason Coleman is retiring from CBC after 31 years. Coleman will leave the public broadcaster March 31 after starting in sales and marketing at CBC TV Vancouver in 1986. In 2000, he moved to the Transmission Division where he’s been the business manager for Western Canada.
Mark Morris has joined Beau on the morning show at 99.9 BOB FM (CFWM-FM) Winnipeg. Morris, who started on Monday, is already known for his work in the market on QX 104 (CFQX-FM) and 92 CITI-FM.
Sarah Bartok has joined Newcap’s 93.5 The Move (CFXJ-FM) Toronto as a swing announcer. Bartok was previously co-host of the breakfast show on The Beat 92.5 (CKBE-FM) Montreal when she was caught up in station restructuring last June. Her first shift was Saturday morning.
Global News Winnipeg has a new morning weather anchor. Adriana Zhang joins Global from TBT News in Thunder Bay, ON where she was a reporter, weather presenter and anchor. Born in China, but raised in Winnipeg, Zhang will also be heard on 680 CJOB Winnipeg weekday mornings as weather specialist. She’ll be on-air starting in early March.
Elliott Price has pulled the plug on Sportsnet Tonight after a year on CFMB 1280 AM Montreal. The show began airing in Feb. 2016, three months after Price was laid off from TSN 690 (CKGM-AM). Starting as a weekly Sunday night show called Price is Right, a deal was reached with Sportsnet last August when the show was re-dubbed Sportsnet Tonight with Elliott Price. In a Facebook post, Price thanked sponsors, but also chastised those who chose not to advertise.
North American Broadcasters Association VP John Lee has been elected to the World Broadcasting Unions technical committee for 2017-2018. Lee retired from CBC/Radio-Canada in December from his position as executive director of technology solutions.
