Caroline Paquet will take the helm of Cogeco Media and its 23 radio stations, effective July 5. Paquet steps into the President’s role vacated by Michel Lorrain in December when he announced he was leaving “to pursue personal interests.” Lorrain had been with Cogeco since 2007 and President since 2018. Paquet comes into the job following nearly two decades with Quebecor, where she most recently served as Vice-President, Marketing and Content, at Vidéotron since 2017. Read more here.
Yolande James has been named Radio-Canada’s Executive Director, Diversity and Inclusion. A lawyer-mediator, James became the first black woman elected to the National Assembly of Quebec in 2004 and the first Black cabinet minister when she was appointed Minister of Immigration and Cultural Communities in 2007. Since 2014, James has been a commentator and analyst on Radio-Canada and CBC, a role she’ll give up when she takes up her post June 7.
Charmaine de Silva now holds the title of Director, CityNews for both Vancouver and Calgary, overseeing both television news properties as well as News 1130 (CKWX-AM) and 660 News (CFFR-AM). de Silva has been with Rogers Sports & Media since 2018, first as News Director for News 1130, before adding responsibility for CityNews Vancouver last November.
Brent Pushkarenko has been named the Director of Radio News and Station Manager at Corus Edmonton, where he’ll lead the news team for 630 CHED and Global News Radio 880 (CHQT-AM) Edmonton, in addition to Global News Radio 770 CHQR Calgary. The move marks a return to Corus for Pushkarenko, who was previously Assistant News Director at what was then i880 News, prior to its rebrand as Global News Radio 880. Pushkarenko has most recently been with CTV Edmonton as a Senior and Executive Producer, working on programs like Alberta Primetime. His appointment comes following the retirement of Bob Layton in January, who had served as news director for the Edmonton stations since 1995. Pushkarenko will take up his new role June 16.
Josie Balka and Gregg Reynolds are the new morning show duo on Calgary’s Country 105 (CKRY-FM). The announcement follows the retirement of Robyn Adair in April, who had been paired on the morning show with Roger Rhodes since 2016. Rhodes moves into afternoon drive, starting June 7, which Reynolds previously hosted alongside Hot Rod Harriet. Balka arrives from 98.5 Virgin Radio (CIBK-FM).
Ben McCully has resigned from his morning show host role at 97.7 Max FM (CHGB-FM) Collingwood. McCully had been with Bayshore Broadcasting for the past five years. He’s previously done stints at Chez 106 (CHEZ-FM) and The New Hot 93.5 (CIGM-FM) Ottawa, among other stops.
Andrea Griffith, who has been a Corus Entertainment/Shaw Production Executive for the past decade, has joined BGM as Director of Content. Griffith formerly oversaw the development and production of original series for HGTV Canada, Food Network Canada, and Slice. Her appointment at BGM comes as President Marlo Miazga takes on an additional role as President of Unscripted at parent company Sphere Media. BGM has also upped Aidan Denison to Director of Development, while Azucena Mainero is promoted from Executive Assistant to Development Coordinator.
Teri Hart has joined Super Channel as Entertainment Producer and Host, creating weekly IGTV video content featuring hand-picked programming highlights from the network’s Fuse and Vault channels. “Teri Hart’s Super Channel Super Picks” will debut during the channel’s nationwide free preview, June 14-23. Hart is a longtime entertainment reporter and producer, most recently with Rogers Television, working on shows like Entertainment City and Your World This Week. She’s also the former face of The Movie Network and was a contributor and segment producer to Bell Media and Astral properties for 18 years.
Megan King has left Global Toronto to join CKWS-TV Kingston as a VJ. King, a 2020 Western University Masters of Media, Journalism and Communications grad, had been working with Global as an associate producer and on the assignment desk for the past year.
Ciara Yaschuk is moving from Global News Saskatoon to Global Edmonton. Yaschuk has been with Global since 2018, as the morning news anchor on the Saskatoon edition of Global News Morning.
Yasmin Gandham is joining Global Okanagan as a videojournalist. Gandham, a 2020 BCIT Journalism grad, has been an anchor and producer with News 1130 (CKWX-AM) Vancouver since last October.
Nadia Stewart has left Global BC where she’d been a VJ, reporter and producer since 2014. Stewart will be continuing in her role as Executive Director of the Canadian Association of Black Journalists (CABJ), but has moved into a communications role with Union Gospel Mission in Vancouver. She’s also announced she’ll be adopting the surname Tchoumi going forward.
Sheila Scott has left CTV Vancouver to pursue a civilian role with Burnaby RCMP as a Communications Strategist. Scott had been a reporter and writer with the station since 2013. Prior to joining CTV, she was a reporter and anchor with News 1130 (CKWX-AM).
Pattison Media has promoted Sheldon Hovde, to Creative Director Metro Markets and Doug Loepp, to Creative Director Non-Metro Markets, working with Creative Directors and their teams across Pattison’s 48 Western Canadian markets. Hovde has been with Pattison Media since 2005, while Loepp has been with the company since 2003.
Craig Picton is joining the Bell Media station group in Terrace, BC as Program Director. Picton was most recently with Harvard Broadcasting as the General Manager for the Fort McMurray cluster before his position was eliminated last June.
Reagan Babyak joins Pure County 103.1 (CJFW-FM) Terrace as midday announcer. Babyak, a 2020 Western Academy of Broadcasting grad, previously interned with Rawlco Radio in Saskatoon.
