Vista Radio has released four of its senior executives, including company president Geoff Poulton, who had been helming the company since 2013. Other casualties of Friday’s executive sweep include Murray Brookshaw, Vice-president of Content, who had been with Vista since 2015; Christine Swain, Human Resources Manager, who had been with the company since 2017; and Ddin Morbi, VP of Revenue & Operations. Morbi only joined the company this past January. An internal memo from Vista board chair Brad Erickson, obtained by Broadcast Dialogue, cites an inability “to stabilize an ongoing decline in revenues and resultant profitability.” Bryan Edwards, one of Vista’s original founders, will take on the role of acting company president. Read more here.
Rogers Media has cut 23 positions across the Citytv network, following the cancellation of Breakfast Television (BT) Montreal and the “reimagining” of BT Calgary and BT Vancouver. Starting Sept. 23, those shows will continue to feature local news, traffic and weather with local hosts, but the most popular segments across all three Breakfast Television markets in Toronto, Vancouver and Calgary, will be shared. Rogers says those shared segments will be lifestyle and entertainment-focused with broad appeal. Read more here. Among those caught up in the layoffs are Cindy Leong, Andrea Macpherson and Megan Stewart in Vancouver; Derik Fage, Joanne Vrakas, Catherine Verdon-Diamond, and Sonja Broomfield in Montreal; and Andrew Schultz, Ted Henley, Leah Sarich, and Ian Busby in Calgary.
Keith Boag has retired from CBC News after 35 years. Boag had been a correspondent in CBC’s Washington Bureau since 2012. Prior to that, he was CBC’s correspondent in Los Angeles. He also spent time in the public broadcaster’s South Africa bureau. For much of his career, he was based in Ottawa where he held roles from current affairs political reporter to Ottawa Bureau Chief and Chief Political Correspondent.
Brian Langston is retiring after more than 40 years in radio, following an ALS diagnosis. His last day as GM/GSM at 104.7 Heart FM (CIHR-FM) Woodstock will be Sept. 27. Langston started his career as an announcer, working at stations in Red Deer, Vancouver and Quesnel, before landing the GM/GSM role at CINL Princeton, BC in 1980. He went on to hold the same role at CHQB Powell River and CFWB/CJGR Campbell River, before heading to North Wales to head up a five-station network for the Marcher Radio Group in 1999. He returned to Vancouver two years later and worked in broadcast software sales, holding roles at Iris Ink/MT&T, Finale Editworks, and Canadian Time Systems. Langston returned to radio in 2005 as GM/GSM for the Bell Media BC North cluster, based in Terrace, managing EZ Rock (CFTK-AM), CJFW-FM and CFTK-TV for a decade.
Zach Bedford, program director of 90.3 AMP Radio (CKMP-FM) Calgary, is taking on an expanded national role with Stingray Radio, in addition to leading AMP. Effective immediately, Bedford is Stingray’s National Director of Premium Content and Contemporary Music Format Advisor. Reflective of the company’s growth in national content distribution, syndication, non-broadcast and podcast content, Bedford will oversee the development and distribution of content on Stingray radio stations across Canada, as well as on emerging platforms outside radio. Additionally, he’ll work with record labels, artists, and clients to develop national promotions on these shows. Bedford will also provide expertise to Stingray’s hit music-based stations on a project by project basis.
Cabral ‘Cabbie’ Richards is leaving TSN. Richards has been the host of Cabbie Presents, a weekly segment that airs Fridays on Sportscentre, for the last eight years. He’ll be joining Bleacher Report’s Las Vegas-based studio show B/R Betting, hosting the weekly sports betting show alongside Kelly Stewart. The show is available via the B/R app.
Raina Douris has announced that this is her last week hosting CBC Music Mornings on CBC Radio 2. She hasn’t revealed what’s next. The former 102.1 The Edge (CFNY-FM) and Indie 88 (CIND-FM) personality has been in her current role since 2016.
Marney Blunt is leaving Global News Regina to join Global Winnipeg. Blunt has been with Global for the last two and a half years as an anchor reporter and host of current affairs show Focus Saskatchewan.
Christine Dobby, who has covered all things telecom and CRTC for The Globe and Mail for the last six years, has moved over to cover the corporate law beat for Report on Business. Dobby, a graduate of the Osgoode Hall Law School at York University, practiced law before pursuing her Masters in Journalism at Ryerson. She’s been with the Globe since 2014.
Eric Wolfe has rejoined the Evanov Radio Group (ERG) as promotions coordinator for Toronto stations Jewel 88.5, Z103 and PROUD-FM. Wolfe previously worked for ERG in sales in Halifax in 2011/12.
Peter Soares has joined the Jewel 88.5 (CKDX-FM) programming team as an administrative assistant. Soares will be based out of the Evanov Radio Group’s head office.
Jesse Ferreras has left Global News, where he’d been an online journalist for the last two and a half years. Based in Vancouver, Ferreras’ focus was both national and B.C. He was previously an associate editor with HuffPost Canada.
Siobhan Morris is stepping away from Newstalk 1010 (CFRB-AM) Toronto temporarily to work with Bell Media sister news org CP24 for the next five months as an assignment editor. Morris has been with Newstalk 1010 the last seven years.
Carolyn Rohaly is leaving Talent Relations at CBC Toronto to relocate to Vancouver. Rohaly has been with the public broadcaster for the last decade. Prior to taking up her current role in 2012, she served as executive assistant to George Stroumboulopoulos.
Jessica Vomiero has left Global News Toronto where she’s been part of the national breaking news online team for the last two and a half years. Vomiero is an MBA candidate at Ryerson’s Ted Rogers School of Management, researching media disruption.
Nextologies Limited has hired Fernando Aunon as Regional Vice-President, USA Operations. Based out of Lewes, Delaware, Aunon brings over 30 years of sales and business development experience. Most recently, he held a similar position at LTN handling their U.S. broadcast station groups and government entities. Based in Markham, ON, Nextologies operates multiple teleport and data centers around the world, providing fibre, IP and satellite transmission services for broadcasters.The company specializes in high-quality broadcast-grade video connectivity.
Liz Shorten has been promoted into the newly-created position of Chief Operating Officer (COO) of the Canadian Media Producers Association (CMPA). Shorten will lead staff and oversee organizational operations across the association’s offices in Ottawa, Toronto and Vancouver, and work to implement the CMPA’s corporate strategic plan. Shorten was most recently SVP, Operations and Member Services at the CMPA’s BC Producers Branch. She’s previously held senior positions at the Ontario Film Development Corporation (now Ontario Creates), British Columbia Film (now Creative BC), and CBC Television.
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.
