Originally published in the Jan. 23, 2025 edition of The Weekly Briefing
Tracy Moore and Cheryl Hickey have parted ways with Citytv, as Rogers Sports & Media reconsiders development of a national hour of Breakfast Television (BT). The network announced last April that its long-running daytime show, Cityline, would be coming to an end during its 40th anniversary season and be “reformatted” into a fifth live hour of BT. Moore stayed on at Citytv to host the new national hour, alongside longtime entertainment reporter Hickey. Moore will continue to work with Rogers Sports & Media in future, and is set to co-executive produce a television special later this year, the details of which are still under wraps. Read more here.
George Leith, Executive Vice-President at Harvard Media, is leaving the company as he heads back into the software business. Leith joined Harvard in April 2023 as EVP and Managing Partner, responsible for overseeing day-to-day business, while also holding a seat on the board of directors. He told Broadcast Dialogue he’ll be joining an American company for a yet-to-be revealed opportunity. Prior to joining Harvard, Leith worked with Saskatoon-headquartered software company Vendasta for a decade. He’ll also be stepping down as president of the Saskatchewan Association of Broadcasters. Read more here.
Mellany Welsh has stepped down as Vice-President and Head of Corus Entertainment’s Nelvana to pursue a new opportunity outside of Corus. Welsh took up the role last February following a round of restructuring in the Original Content division. Rachel Nelson, VP, Original Programming and Head of Corus Studios, assumes executive oversight of Nelvana and Kids Can Press. Tonya Lindo takes up the role of Head of Business Operations at Nelvana and Kids Can Press. Vanessa Esteves, Head of Production, Nelvana, assumes management of Nelvana’s day-to-day business operations and studio production.
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Natasha Gargiulo has joined Cat Spencer as host of the drive home show on The Beat 92.5 (CKBE-FM) Montreal. The Beat 5@7 with Cat and Natasha is being heard from 5 – 7 p.m. ET. The former ET Canada host had been providing vacation relief on the station since last summer.
Holly Moore has left CTV News Winnipeg, where she’s been Managing Editor for the past year. Prior to joining CTV, Moore worked with APTN for seven years as an Executive Producer.
Jody Vance has announced that she’ll be hosting the “World Feed” for the Invictus Games Vancouver Whistler 2025 Opening Ceremony and The Invictus Games Daily Show nightly at 11 p.m. local time on TSN and TSN+, beginning Feb. 8. Running through Feb. 16, the games will bring together up to 550 competitors from up to 25 nations to compete in adaptive sports.
Song Rattanavong has been promoted at Creatorade to VP of Enterprise Sales. Rattanavong held similar roles at Harvard Media and Vendasta, prior to joining the influencer marketing agency in June 2024 as Director of Customer Success.
John I. Taylor, Vice-President of Public Affairs and Communications for LG Electronics USA, has been elected 2025 Chair of the ATSC Board of Directors, the Broadcast Standards Association. Taylor’s contributions to the television industry include co-founding the Digital TV Transition Coalition during the 2000s, and serving as Public Affairs Chairman of the Digital HDTV Grand Alliance in the ‘90s, helping to shape the next generation of television technology at the heart of ATSC standards. Outgoing Chair Richard Friedel, who had led the board since 2022, will continue as a board member.
Katie Uhlmann has been appointed president of WebSeries Canada, the non-profit organization dedicated to supporting and preparing professional and emerging web series creators and producers for successful careers in entertainment. Uhlmann is a Toronto-based writer, director, producer and comedian.
