Keith Radford, the Windsor, ON-born WKBW-TV Buffalo anchor, has retired after 50 years in radio and television. Radford had been with WKBW for 34 years and anchored his final newscast on June 30. His career has included stops as an anchor/reporter at CTV Toronto and CKVR-TV Barrie and in radio in Windsor/Detroit, Ottawa, and Toronto, including a stint as news director at CKLW Windsor.
Wendy Mesley has announced her retirement from CBC after 38 years. Mesley, 64, started her career with the public broadcaster in 1980 and has held roles from regularly hosting The National for more than 25 years to hosting shows like The Weekly with Wendy Mesley, Marketplace, and Undercurrents. Her departure comes following her suspension last year following use of the n-word in a production meeting. Mesley published her side of the story in a Globe and Mail opinion piece July 7.
Martha Troian has joined CBC Podcasts as a producer. The award-winning freelance journalist and writer previously worked on CBC original podcast Missing and Murdered as well as projects for VICE News, the Toronto Star, Globe and Mail, The Walrus, and APTN News.
Heidi Baiden is the new Program Director for CHUM 104.5 (CHUM-FM) Toronto. Baiden was previously responsible for six Bell Media stations in London, Windsor, and Kitchener-Waterloo. She succeeds Sarah Cummings who was promoted in February to the national role of Director, Radio Content, iHeartRadio Canada & Orbyt.
Blair Bartrem is the new Program Director for Bell Media – Southwestern Ontario, leading the Virgin Radio, Pure Country, and Bounce Radio stations in London, Windsor, and Kitchener-Waterloo. Bartrem was most recently program director for 95.9 Virgin Radio (CJFM-FM) Montreal. Prior to joining Bell in 2019, he was PD at Q107 (CILQ-FM) Toronto for 12 years.
Mike Occomore has announced his retirement as Creative Director of Toronto’s CHUM 104.5 (CHUM-FM), TSN 1050 (CHUM-AM), 99.9 Virgin Radio (CKFM-FM), and Newstalk 1010 (CFRB-AM), in addition to Peterborough’s MOVE 99.7 (CKPT-FM), Pure Country 105 (CKQM-FM), and Bounce 91.9 (CKLY-FM) Lindsay. Occomore’s award-winning, 44-year career included stops in Brampton, Cambridge, and Hamilton, before he landed at 1050 CHUM and 104.5 CHUM-FM Toronto in 1984. His last day at Bell Media will be July 29.
Jim McCourtie is joining Harvard Broadcasting as Program Director for X92.9 (CFEX-FM) Calgary and X100.7 (CKEX-FM) Red Deer. McCourtie was most recently Program Director at Bell Media Windsor stations, 89X (CIMX-FM), 83.9 The River (CIDR-FM), and AM 580. McCourtie takes over the role being vacated by Christian Hall, who is headed to Rogers Vancouver as National Content Director for the JACK FM brand.
Mark Iype is joining the Globe and Mail as Deputy National Editor. Iype has been Managing Editor at Global Edmonton for the past year. Prior to that, he was Editor-in-Chief of the Edmonton Journal and Edmonton Sun and led special projects for the Postmedia Network.
Jane Lytvynenko has left BuzzFeed News to join the Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics, and Public Policy at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University and will be moving from Toronto to Boston in the fall. Lytvynenko had been with BuzzFeed since 2016.
Kathryn Stewart, the former Director of Talk and Talent at CKNW Vancouver, is now Program Director for CKNW and sister all-traffic station AM 730 (CHMJ-AM). Stewart has been with Corus since 2013, starting as a content producer and later Executive Director of Radio Network Programming.
Ted Henley is the new host of The Drive on Calgary’s Global News Radio 770 CHQR, airing 3 to 6 p.m. weekdays. Henley began his career with Global Calgary before joining CityTV as the 6 p.m. and 11 p.m. anchor. He subsequently hosted the morning show on 660 News (CFFR-AM) for six years, before returning to Citytv as the senior anchor and host of Breakfast Television up until the fall of 2019.
Sarah Nick is leaving Winnipeg to join Power 104 (CKLZ-FM) Kelowna in afternoon drive. Nick has been hosting evenings on KiSS 102.3 (CKY-FM) for the past 11 months after getting let go from Energy 106 (CHWE-FM) mornings last August to make way for host Dave Wheeler’s return to radio.
Lisa Cordasco has joined the Vancouver Sun and Province as a legislative reporter. Cordasco, who retired from CBC Radio in Victoria in 2015, was most recently News Director at Nanaimo community station CHLY 101.7 FM.
Greg Bowman has joined News 1130 (CKWX-AM) Vancouver as a weekend anchor and reporter. A 2020 Fanshawe Broadcast Journalism grad, Bowman spent the past 11 months working as a reporter/anchor with Vista Radio’s Moose FM (CFXN-FM) North Bay, ON.
Max Sheppard has joined CFOX and Rock 101 (CFMI-FM) Vancouver as Promotions Coordinator. Sheppard was previously Promotions Director and an on-air contributor at Mountain FM Whistler/Squamish (CISQ-FM).
Anna McMillan has joined Jordan Cunningham as co-anchor on CTV News at 5 on Vancouver Island. McMillan was previously a digital broadcast journalist with Global Saskatoon and prior to that was a reporter and web writer with CBC Edmonton.
🚨Our @CTVNewsJordan was lonely so we hired him a new friend! Tonight we’re welcoming @annamcmills to the 5 p.m. newscast. She joins us fresh from the Prairies, and is quote, “stoked,” to be on the anchor desk weeknights at 5 p.m. 🚨 pic.twitter.com/qIz3qIIYz3
— CTV News Vancouver Island (@CTVNewsVI) July 5, 2021
Phoenix Lam, who has been a Senior Communications Officer with CBC Vancouver for the past six years, is leaving the public broadcaster to work for the City of Vancouver. Lam will act as the new Communications Manager, Arts, Culture, and Community Services as part of the city’s Civic Engagement and Communications team.
Pratyush Dayal is joining CBC Saskatoon as a reporter. The recent UBC Master of Journalism grad has been working as a casual program assistant at CBC Vancouver for the past few months.
Paul Deegan has been appointed the President and CEO of News Media Canada, the national association representing print and digital news media. Deegan will be responsible for the association’s day-to-day operations and “advancing its positions on a range of important policy matters, including taxation, employment standards, recycling, freedom of information, privacy, and copyright, as well as threats to the industry posed by unregulated digital players such as Google and Facebook.” Deegan is the former VP, Public & Government Affairs, at CN and held a similar role with BMO Financial Group for two decades. He also served as Deputy Executive Director of the National Economic Council in the Clinton White House.
Jennifer Brown has been appointed CEO of SOCAN after serving in the role on an interim basis since April 2020. The first woman to lead the music and visual arts rights organization, Brown started her career with SOCAN in 1995 in the company’s membership department and held leadership positions including Vice-President of SOCAN’s Licensing department, before taking on the role of SVP, Operations & Reproduction Rights in 2018. Brown grew up in a household in which royalties from music creation and performance were a crucial source of income with her father the principal songwriter in award-winning country group, The Family Brown.
Randy Lennox has been appointed Executive Chair of not-for-profit tech, innovation and sustainability hub Elevate, effective Sept. 1. Most recently President of Bell Media up until this past January, Lennox was President & CEO of Universal Music Canada prior to joining Bell in 2015.
Rob Germain, GM/CEO of CHEK Media Group, has been named President of the BC Association of Broadcasters (BCAB) for a two-year term. Rob Bye, Pattison Media, Vancouver Island, will serve on the board executive as Past President, while Jasmin Doobay, Pattison Media, Prince George, has been named Vice-President. Newly-elected directors are: Shusma Datt, i.t. Media Broadcasting; and Megan Milne, Vista Radio, who’ll serve alongside continuing directors Devon Tshritter, Stingray; Rob Brimacombe, Corus Entertainment; Manish Verma, Joy TV; and Dustin Collins, Pattison Media, Vancouver.
E.J. Alon, Telefilm Canada’s Vice-President, Industry Development, has accepted a leadership role with another organization. Alon had been with Telefilm since 2019 and helped reshape the agency’s Talent Fund, in addition to being a frontline lead in the roll-out of COVID-19 Emergency Relief Funds and co-chairing the Equity and Representation Action Committee. Alon has also held fundraising roles with TIFF and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences.
Bill Amos has announced his retirement from BCIT after 32 years teaching Journalism, On-air Presentation and Documentary Production, among other courses. Prior to joining BCIT in 1989, Amos was a reporter with CBC Radio and television for 17 years in both Montreal and Vancouver.
After 32 years teaching courses from Announcing to Intro to Radio to TV News to Radio Documentaries at BCIT Journalism, it’s finally time to retire. Added to 14 years full-time in print, radio and TV news, it’s been a 46-year career in a business that is almost never dull. Ciao! pic.twitter.com/6FMt3vLVP8
— Bill Amos (@billamos) July 13, 2021
