Scott Moore will step down from his role as president of Sportsnet and NHL Properties at the end of October. During his eight years with the organization, Moore played a key role in helping Rogers secure a 12-year, $5.2-billion deal with the NHL in 2013, in addition to championing the acquisitions of The Score and Grand Slam of Curling. He also brokered the deal that brought the FX brand to Canada, created Rogers Hometown Hockey, and helped launch SN NOW. While Rogers searches for his successor, Rick Brace, president of Rogers Media, will oversee Sportsnet in addition to his current role.
Bob Cole will return to the Hockey Night in Canada broadcast booth for a 50th and final season. Sportsnet says Cole, 85, is scheduled to call 10 games, starting with the Montreal-Pittsburgh matchup Saturday, Oct. 6. The network says the games will all be in the first half of the 2018-19 season. Whether Cole would return at all was in question after the legendary broadcaster was left out of calling any NHL playoff games last season for the first time in five decades. Cole told the Toronto Sun in April, the decision to sideline him wasn’t mutual and that Rogers had decided to go with other broadcast teams. Read more here.
Scott Garvie has been re-elected as the board chair of the Canadian Media Producers Association (CMPA). Garvie, EVP, Business & Legal Affairs at Shaftesbury, first assumed the role in 2016. The CMPA executive is rounded out by Anne Loi (DHX Media); Kim Todd (Original Pictures); Mark Bishop (marblemedia); Jennifer Dodge (Spin Master Entertainment); Erin Haskett (LARK Productions); Paul Pope (Pope Productions); Christina Piovesan (First Generation Films); Sari Friedland (Factory Films); Brian Hamilton (Omnifilm Entertainment); Jeremy Spry (DATSIT Sphère Inc.); and Mary Sexton (Rink Rat Productions).
Lucie Lalumière is permanently moving into the role of president & CEO of Interactive Ontario, the not-for-profit trade organization dedicated to growing Ontario’s interactive digital media sector. Lalumière is the founder and principal of Toronto-based consultancy Lalumiere Media, specializing in digital media and emerging technologies. She has over two decades of experience in the digital media sector with past roles at MediaLinx Sympatico (Bell); Radio-Canada and Corus Entertainment Television. She was the winner of the inaugural WIFT-T Digital Trailblazer Crystal Award in 2015.
TELUS has announced the appointment of Zainul Mawji and Jim Senko to the positions of president, Home Solutions and Small Business, and president, Mobility Solutions, respectively. The appointments come as Dave Fuller, executive vice-president and president of Consumer and Small Business announced he’ll be leaving the organization in Jan. 2019 after 14 years at TELUS. Mawji has been at TELUS for 17 years, holding senior leadership positions in broadband, operations and most recently leading the Home Solutions and Complementary Channels team. Senko also joined TELUS 17 years ago and was most recently SVP, Consumer and Small Business Marketing.
John Laberge is retiring from CTV Montreal. Laberge started out in 1977 in commercial production at CJAD-AM Montreal, then CFCF-AM producing Montreal Expos broadcasts. He moved over to CFCF’s television side in 1987 as a videotape operator and has been a video editor with the station for the last 20 years.
TJ Connors is the incoming morning show host at 92.1 CITI-FM Winnipeg, replacing Dave Wheeler who was fired in July and has since filed a $1.4 million lawsuit against Rogers Media. Connors, a native Winnipegger and the son of late shock jock Scruff Connors, will join the station Dec. 3 as part of the new Rena, TJ and Turnbull Show. Connors is currently at 97.7 HTZ-FM (CHTZ-FM) St. Catharines.
Juanita Taylor is the new host of weeknight CBC Northbeat, airing in Yukon, the NWT and Nunavut. Taylor rejoins CBC North after leaving in 2017 to host the APTN National News and current affairs show In Focus.
Peter Akman is leaving CTV National News to join investigative program W5. Akman has been a national reporter since 2013 and was with CBC for the seven years before that as a reporter, anchor and VJ.
Tony Grace has joined Star 96.7 (CHVR-FM) in his hometown of Pembroke, ON. Grace left the anchor chair at CTV Barrie in June, after 17 years with the network, to return to the Ottawa Valley.
Victor Young is leaving Global News Radio 980 CFPL London and transitioning to a new role as network producer for Charles Adler on sister station 980 CKNW Vancouver. Young has been producing The Craig Needles Show on CFPL.
Brian Coxford, Bob Price, Jody Vance and Rick Cluff are among the current and former B.C. broadcasters who have signed on as contributors to The Orca, the province’s newest online news site. Helmed by editor-in-chief Maclean Kay, one-time speech writer for former Liberal Premier Christy Clark, the site features commentary and coverage of provincial politics, business, and history.
Russ Byth is returning to Power 104 (CKLZ-FM) and 103.1 Beach Radio (CKQQ-FM) Kelowna. Byth was part of a group of layoffs at the Jim Pattison Broadcast Group stations last fall. He’s returning as the new morning news writer and will also fill-in on-air as needed.
Hance Colburne is leaving CBC Information Morning Saint John after eight years with the show. Colburne joined Information Morning in 2010, first as a news anchor and then co-host. He’s been with the CBC since 2003, with the exception of a year-long stint with Communications Nova Scotia. Colburne Tweeted that he’s “not sure what’s next, but it will be with love for @cbcradio in my heart.”
Ashley Brauweiler is moving from CBC North’s bureau in Yellowknife to continue as a meteorologist for CBC in St. John’s, NL. Brauweiler will be joining Anthony Germain and Debbie Cooper on Here & Now weeknights, in addition to supplying forecasts for CBC Radio and the regional digital platforms. She replaces Ryan Snoddon, who joined CBC Halifax this spring.
Radio-Canada’s first female ombudsman, Julie Miville-Dêchene, is one of Canada’s newest senators. Miville-Dêchene was sworn in on Sept. 18. She joins the Red Chamber after 25 years at Radio-Canada as a public affairs correspondent for the network in Washington, D.C., Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal before serving as ombudsman from 2007 to 2011. She went on to serve as president of the Conseil du statut de la femme and represented Quebec as part of Canada’s delegation to UNESCO.
Not A Subscriber? Subscribe Now – Free!
Broadcast Dialogue has been required reading in the Canadian broadcast media for 25 years. When you subscribe, you join a community of connected professionals from media and broadcast related sectors from across the country.
The Weekly Briefing from Broadcast Dialogue is delivered exclusively to subscribers by email every Thursday. It’s your link to critical industry news, timely people moves, and excellent career advancement opportunities.
Let’s get started right now.
