Maureen Holloway has left CHFI-FM Toronto after five years with the station’s morning show as Rogers Sports & Media gets set to introduce a new lineup in the time slot. Holloway joined the show following Erin Davis’ departure in 2016, while Mike Cooper had been filling in for Darren B. Lamb, who has been off on leave since early this year. As of Monday, Tracey Moore is temporarily guest hosting from 7 – 9 a.m. weekdays, in addition to her CityLine duties. KiSS 92.5 (CKIS-FM) personality Brooksy also joins the show, alongside Christine Cardoso. In other changes, morning show producer Gord Rennie announced he’s been relieved of his position after 16 years.
Jim Crichton has announced his retirement from CTV Windsor. Crichton has had a 47-year career in broadcast journalism, including 21 years with CTV Windsor as the anchor of CTV News At Six. His final broadcast will be Friday, Nov. 26. A native of nearby Port Colborne, ON, Crichton started his radio career in 1974 at 1470 CHOW-AM Welland. From there, he worked at CJRN Niagara Falls, CHEX Radio Peterborough, CKKW Kitchener, CHNS Halifax, and Broadcast News. Crichton has also lectured in journalism at the University of King’s College in Halifax and St. Clair College.
Carole MacNeil has announced she’s leaving CBC News. Her last day with the public broadcaster will be Oct. 26. MacNeil, who has been with CBC since 1987, currently hosts CBC Rundown with Carole MacNeil on CBC News Network. She was formerly one The National’s regular hosts, anchoring Saturday nights, and from 2009-16 hosted weekday afternoons on CBC News Network, in addition to other programs and specials. She started her career with the public broadcaster at CBC Fredericton.
Gary Gunter has been named General Manager of Toronto’s G98.7FM (CKFG-FM) as CINA Radio Group closes on its acquisition of the station. Up until this past July, Gunter was Market Senior Vice-President of Sales with iHeartMedia in Norfolk, VA. The 30-year radio sales and marketing veteran started his career as an Account Executive for Clear Channel Radio in his hometown of Chicago in 1995. He’s also held roles with Radio One in St. Louis, Baltimore and Detroit; and Cox Media in Orlando. CINA Radio, which also operates multicultural stations CINA 1650AM Toronto, CINA 102.3FM Windsor, and CKIN 106.3FM Montreal, was the successful bidder for G98.7 after Intercity Broadcasting Network – the founding licensee of the station under the late Fitzroy Gordon – was placed in investigative receivership. Read more here.
Victoria Williston has accepted the News Director position at CityNews Ottawa. Williston has been the morning show anchor at CityNews/1310 News (CIWW-AM) for the last three years. She previously worked with Rogers Sports & Media at 680 News (CFTR-AM) as an anchor and traffic reporter.
Ben Wilson has announced his departure from News 1130 (CKWX-AM) Vancouver. Wilson has been with the station for 21 years, most of that time reading overnight news. His last day with News 1130 is Oct. 15.
Aastha Shetty is leaving 570 News (CKGL-AM) Kitchener to join CBC News Windsor. Shetty has been working with Rogers Sports & Media as an anchor and reporter since 2018.
Anya Nazeravich has departed Global News Winnipeg to head marketing for the Trans Canada Brewing Company. The 2020 Red River College Creative Communications grad started her career with Corus Entertainment as an anchor on 680 CJOB. More recently, she’d been focused on digital broadcast journalism.
Alex Boutilier has announced he’ll be joining Global News Ottawa as a National Reporter, Politics and Investigations, filing across online, TV and radio. Boutilier arrives from the Toronto Star where he’s been a staff reporter for the last eight years.
Melanie Green has left her Audience Development role at Pacific Content. The former CBC Vancouver current affairs producer and Star Metro reporter had been with the branded content producer since Jan. 2020. Green hasn’t gone public with where she’s headed, but has indicated she’s making a move out of media.
Greg Douglas, aka “Dr. Sport” is now contributing to online publication, The Orca. The BC Sports Hall of Fame inductee and former Vancouver Sun columnist used his inaugural post to discuss the decline of local sports radio.
Tom Lombardi has been hired as Strategic Advisor for Network Media Group’s NFT research and development. Lombardi has over two decades of experience in investment banking, principal investing, and emerging technologies, most recently focused on bitcoin and NFTs. He was most recently Managing Director at 3iQ, responsible for overseeing marketing strategy and execution of a $2 billion digital asset firm invested in bitcoin and Ether. Lombardi is also an adjunct professor at Pepperdine University, teaching Digital Asset Finance to MBA students.
Marie-Claude Poulin is Sphere Media’s new Producer, Feature Films and Fiction. With 18 feature films to her credit, Poulin founded MCP Productions in 2016. Her latest feature, Tempête, co-produced and directed by Christian Duguay, will be released in 2022. Poulin also sits on the board of directors of the Quebec Bureau of Cinema and Television.
Geoff Teoli is taking on the role of Acting Film Commissioner for Vancouver. Teoli brings more than two decades of experience in locations, workplace safety and permitting to the position, which leads business expansion and investment attraction initiatives on the city’s behalf. Teoli was a location manager for 18 years, and subsequently served as executive director of Actsafe, the industry’s health and safety advisory and training association. Since joining the City of Vancouver in 2018, he’s served as Senior Branch Manager in its Film & Special Events Branch.
Osas Eweka-Smith is the National Film Board’s (NFB) new Publicist and Public Relations Officer, based in NFB’s Halifax office. Eweka-Smith will initially be working remotely from her home in Alberta, before relocating to Halifax in January. Over the last 12 years, she’s worked for the Government of Alberta, City of Edmonton, Alberta Legal Information Society, Covenant Health and the University of Alberta. Outside of PR/communications, Eweka-Smith is an emerging filmmaker.
Thomas Santram, Deputy General Counsel at Cineplex, has been elevated to Vice Chair on the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television Board of Directors. Former Bell Media VP of Communications Scott Henderson moves into Santram’s former Academy Secretary role. Justin Stockman, English Content Development & Programming at Bell Media, also joins the board.
Dr. Rita Shelton Deverell has been named Lakehead University’s next chancellor. Deverell will be formally installed at convocation in 2022 as the first person of colour to serve as chancellor. Deverell was appointed to the Order of Canada in 2005 for her pioneering work in broadcasting. The founder of Vision TV, she was the first woman to lead a journalism program at a Canadian university at the University of Regina. She also served as News Director at APTN from 2002-05.
The Canadian Journalism Foundation (CJF) has welcomed five new members to its Board of Directors for the 2021-22 year, each serving three-year terms. They include former journalist Desmond Brown; Susan Harada, associate journalism professor, Carleton University; Global News’ journalist and anchor Farah Nasser; Sunny Puri, principal and portfolio manager, Anson Funds; and Connie Walker, journalist and host for Gimlet Media. Find the full list of current board members, here.
Dennis Steiger is joining Xplornet as its Chief Technology Officer. Steiger will lead all aspects of architecture, planning, design, implementation, and operations of the Xplornet national, rural broadband network. Steiger has more than 30 years of experience in the telecommunications and media industries, including holding the role of Chief Technology Officer for Shaw Communications from 1994 to 2014 and NBN Co., Australia’s National Broadband Network.
