Rogers Sports & Media alumni talk station closures and the future of broadcast news

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Rogers Sports & Media alumni talk station closures and the future of broadcast news

July 7, 2026

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Imagine the station you’ve dedicated years of your life to suddenly going completely dark. That’s the reality for 80 Rogers Sports & Media employees this week as the company shuttered six radio stations Tuesday and laid off a total of 230 staff across the media division.

On this episode of the podcast, we’re holding space for the people who built these stations. We’re joined by a lineup of Rogers Sports & Media alumni, including former 95.7 NewsRadio talk hosts Sheldon MacLeod and Lisa Blackburn from Halifax, and industry veterans Robert Linden and Amanda Wawryk, who both spent the bulk of their careers with Vancouver’s 1130 NewsRadio.

Featuring: Breaking News by Alex-Productions | https://onsound.eu/
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Creative Commons / Attribution 3.0 Unported License (CC BY 3.0)
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Connie Thiessen https://broadcastdialogue.com

Connie has worked coast-to-coast as a reporter, editor, anchor and host at CKNW and News 1130 in Vancouver, News 95.7 and CBC in Halifax, and CFCW Edmonton, among other stations. With a passion for music, film and community service, she led News 95.7 to a 2013 Atlantic Journalism Award and regional RTDNA award for Best Radio Newscast. More recently, she was nominated for Music Journalist of the Year at Canadian Music Week 2019. To report a typo or error please email - corrections@broadcastdialogue.com

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