Radio & Podcast News – Stingray acquires 30% stake in The Podcast Exchange

Stingray has announced it’s acquired a 30% interest in The Podcast Exchange (TPX). Toronto-based TPX was founded in 2017 by president and CEO Jean-Marie Heimrath, and Jeff Ulster, who serves as chief content officer. It’s grown to become a leader in Canadian podcast advertising, representing Stitcher advertising arm Midroll on this side of the border, in addition to partnerships with Corus Entertainment, Acast, audioBoom, Wondery, and iHeartMedia. In a release, Stingray said the acquisition will allow the company to reap the benefits of podcast digital ad revenue, supporting growth in the key 18-34 demographic. Those benefits include leveraging existing TPX partnerships, proprietary research like the TPX-sponsored Canadian Podcast Listener study, and brand equity with agencies and advertisers. Read more here.

The Podcast Exchange (TPX) has signed an exclusive marketing and sales agreement with the Apostrophe Podcast Company, the new podcast production venture co-founded by longtime ad man and Under The Influence host, Terry O’Reilly. Apostrophe, which launched earlier this year, will release its first podcast, We Regret to Inform You, on Mar. 16. The highly-anticipated series will explore the stories of famous people who overcame repeated, debilitating career rejection to achieve remarkable success. Read more here.

Chartable is publishing a new Top 200 weekly podcast chart based on the podcast analytics company’s IAB V2-certified measurement of audience size. The Top 200 and Trending charts will reflect listening in 20 different countries, based on weekly changes in audience among the 5,000 podcasts using Chartable’s proprietary feed integration. The charts are opt-in, and open to any publisher to join, free of charge. The company has also launched genre-specific charts in 19 categories from Arts to Technology.

Canadian Music Week (CMW) has opened nominations for its RadioActive Awards, which this year will include new categories, including Broadcast Executive of the Year and Podcast of the Year. Set to be handed out at the inaugural Canadian Radio & Audio Awards luncheon on Wednesday, May 20 at the Sheraton Centre Toronto Hotel, the awards will celebrate and recognize achievement in Canadian radio and audio over the past year. They’ll be hosted by Toronto comedian Adam Growe, the host of Cash Cab. Find the full list of awards and their criteria, here. The deadline for nominations is Mar. 28.

The Allan Waters Young Broadcaster of the Year Award in Honour of Steve Young will be presented to an outstanding young broadcaster for the 12th year in a row at Canadian Music Week. Nominations close Monday, Mar. 16. Anyone working in the industry can nominate a worthy broadcaster under the age of 30 as of Apr. 20, 2020. Nominees can work in On-Air, Programming, Promotion, Production or Creative, must be a Canadian citizen or landed immigrant, and must have made a documented contribution to the community they serve, the radio industry or their craft. Find more info, here.

The Ontario Association of Broadcasters (OAB) 15th Annual Career Day event was held Mar. 2 at Corus Entertainment in Toronto. Fifty broadcast professionals volunteered to host tables for 300 students from Conestoga College, Confederation College, Durham College, Fanshawe College, Humber College, Loyalist College, Mohawk College and Seneca College. The 2020 Michael Monty Scholarship Award, in memory of the late Seneca prof, was presented to May Gabreyohannes from Humber College. 2020 winners of the OAB Pro Radio Committee contest were also announced with Fanshawe students RJ Lowe, Ethan Ralph, Vanda Di Michele & Abe Peters, among the winners for their submission in the Power of Local Radio category. They tied for the award with Chris Hunchak of Byrnes Communications, who also claimed the win for Power of Radio During an Emergency. Kieran Berry of Durham Radio claimed the award for Power of Radio – Amber Alert, while Kyle Taylor, creative director at Indie88, won the Power of Advertising award. Listen and download the spots for use on your station, here.

Calgary Arabia, heard weekly on Calgary multicultural station Red FM (CKYR-FM), is celebrating five years on-air. Heard every Thursday at 10 p.m. the show speaks to the Canadian Arab community. Calgary Arabia is hosted and produced by Noha Mohamed, who started the show to create space for Canadian Arabs to share their stories.

LISTEN: Josie Dye, morning show host at Indie88 (CIND-FM) Toronto, alongside Matt & Carlin, is Matt Cundill’s guest on the latest Sound Off Podcast. Dye opens up to Matt about radio, television and that whole thing with the national anthem in 2010.

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