Harley Finkelstein, René Légère, Jennifer Rattray, and François R. RoyMélanie Joly, Minister of Canadian Heritage, has appointed five directors to five-year terms on the CBC/Radio-Canada Board of Directors. The new members are lawyer and Shopify CEO Harley Finkelstein (ON); René Légère (NB), executive director of Moncton’s Aberdeen Cultural Centre; Jennifer Rattray (MB), former journalist and current assistant deputy minister of Community Programs and Corporate Services, Department of Families; François R. Roy (Que.), former CFO of Quebecor, Telemedia and McGill University; and Marie Wilson (NWT), journalist, broadcaster, and Truth and Reconciliation commissioner.
Joël Lamoureux has stepped away from radio and accepted a position as national media relations officer with the Native Women’s Association of Canada in Ottawa. Lamoureux previously held positions with Country 101.1 (CKBY-FM) Ottawa, QX104 (CFQX-FM) Winnipeg, and Vista Radio Vancouver Island, among other stations.
Sharon Friedlander is the new VP of Insights at the Radio Advertising Bureau (RAB). Most recently, Friedlander was with media planning agency MEC, with previous roles at Group M and OMD. She’ll be based out of RAB’s New York office.
Bob McCown has agreed to a multi-year contract extension with Sportsnet to remain the host of Prime Time Sports on Sportsnet 590 The FAN (CJCL-AM). McCown was the original host when the show first launched in 1989 and other than 1993-95 when he was reassigned to mornings on the Fan 1430, has anchored the show.
YES TV has undergone corporate restructuring. Rob Sheppard, who had been director of programming and research since 2003 and general manager since Oct. 2016, is no longer with the company. CEO Lorna Dueck will be assuming the GM role.
Khalil Hassanali, who has been anchoring evening traffic on News 1130 (CKWX-AM) Vancouver, since March is leaving to join Rogers’ sister station 570 News (CKGL-AM) Kitchener, effective Jan. 4. Hassanali is a 2016 graduate of Toronto’s College of Sports Media.
Gordie Tupper will retire from CHEK-TV Victoria, effective Jan. 31. Tupper started his career as a rock jock in the 1960s, working his way up to mornings at CKDA Victoria, before joining CHEK in the late 1970s. He’s had varied roles over the years from community reporter and host of CHEK Around, to filling in as the weatherman.
Mike Shannon has landed in Charlottetown, where he’s heading up operations for Newcap. Shannon was last with KOOL 101.5 (CKCE-FM) Calgary.
Pascal Robidas is now a permanent reporter at Radio-Canada Montréal. Robidas has been with Radio-Canada and RDI since 2008. He was previously with TQS Montreal and Journal de Quebec.
Terry Mosher is ending his run as a contributor on the CJAD 800 AM Montreal morning show. The 75-year-old political cartoonist is also cutting back his work with the Montreal Gazette to one cartoon a week. Listen to Mosher’s last segment with host Andrew Carter here.
François Cormier returns to TVA Nouvelles, starting Jan. 15 as parliamentary correspondent, based in Quebec City. Cormier was previously with TVA in 2005 before embarking on a career in marketing and communications, most recently for Université du Québec à Rimouski.
Georgia Balogiannis has been named editor-in-chief of Metroland Media Toronto. Balogiannis will direct editorial strategy for the Toronto newsroom, responsible for insidetoronto.com and the city’s eight community newspapers. Previously an acting managing editor, she replaces Grace Peacock who is now director of communications for Canada’s Wonderland.
Hilary Montbourquette has been hired by Byrnes Media to take up general manager duties for CFLZ-FM Fort Erie and CJED-FM Niagara Falls, pending purchase approval from the CRTC. Montbourquette had a 26-year career with Newcap Radio that took him to stations from St. John’s, NL to Kelowna, before parting ways with the company in 2016.
Marvin Perry is the new general manager for the Jim Pattison Broadcast Group stations 102.9 The Drive (CHDR-FM) and B104 Total Country (CHBZ-FM) Cranbrook, and 99.1 The Drive (CJDR-FM) Fernie. Perry will also serve as GSM for the Cranbrook/Fernie division. In his most recent senior management role, Perry was regional manager for Vista Radio’s stations in Alberta and the Northwest Territories.
Hubert Lacroix, the outgoing president of CBC/Radio-Canada, will stay put in his position as the selection process for a successor drags on. Lacroix, 62, has been president and CEO since Jan. 2008 and was due to step down Dec. 31. Lacroix will stay in the role until a replacement is found.
Brian Fysher has signed off from 680 News (CFTR-AM) Toronto after 16 years with the station and a 46-year career in broadcasting. The Chatham, ON-born Fysher began his career as an intern with CFOR-AM Orillia in 1970, with announcer stints along the way at CKAR-AM Huntsville, CHOO-FM Ajax, as a regional reporter for Global Television in Hamilton-Niagara, and 23 years as news director at 820 CHAM Hamilton. Fysher has also served as a part-time instructor at Mohawk College. Listen to his final broadcast here.
Lori Gibbs will join the 95.9 CHFM Calgary morning show Mookie, Billie Jo & Lori permanently as of Jan. 8. Gibbs had been covering co-host Billie Jo’s maternity leave.
Rick Tompkins is joining CTV Sudbury as an account executive, starting Jan. 8. Tompkins was formerly the longtime program director at Rewind 103.9 (CHNO-FM) and Hot 93.5 (CIGM-FM) Sudbury, and most recently an advertising account manager with Northern Ontario Business.
Lee Jones has been named co-anchor of CTV News At Six in Regina, beginning Jan. 8. Jones assumes his new role alongside co-anchor Heather Anderson. Jones has spent more than 16 years covering local sports for CTV Regina, as well as serving as a CFL ON TSN sideline reporter for Saskatchewan Roughriders games.
Kelland Sundahl is taking on the position of assignment editor at CTV Atlantic, as of Jan. 8. The BCIT grad first joined CTV as a videographer in Prince Albert, SK in 2006 and then CTV Atlantic in 2007, first in Moncton and then Halifax.
