REVOLVING DOOR:
Tracy Moore and Cheryl Hickey have parted ways with Citytv, as Rogers Sports & Media reconsiders development of a national hour of Breakfast Television (BT). The network announced last April that its long-running daytime show, Cityline, would be coming to an end during its 40th anniversary season and be “reformatted” into a fifth live hour of BT. Moore stayed on at Citytv to host the new national hour, alongside longtime entertainment reporter Hickey. Moore will continue to work with Rogers Sports & Media in future, and is set to co-executive produce a television special later this year, the details of which are still under wraps. Read more here.
George Leith, Executive Vice-President at Harvard Media, is leaving the company as he heads back into the software business. Leith joined Harvard in April 2023 as EVP and Managing Partner, responsible for overseeing day-to-day business, while also holding a seat on the board of directors. He told Broadcast Dialogue he’ll be joining an American company for a yet-to-be revealed opportunity. Prior to joining Harvard, Leith worked with Saskatoon-headquartered software company Vendasta for a decade. He’ll also be stepping down as president of the Saskatchewan Association of Broadcasters. Read more here.
Mellany Welsh has stepped down as Vice-President and Head of Corus Entertainment’s Nelvana to pursue a new opportunity outside of Corus. Welsh took up the role last February following a round of restructuring in the Original Content division. Rachel Nelson, VP, Original Programming and Head of Corus Studios, assumes executive oversight of Nelvana and Kids Can Press. Tonya Lindo takes up the role of Head of Business Operations at Nelvana and Kids Can Press. Vanessa Esteves, Head of Production, Nelvana, assumes management of Nelvana’s day-to-day business operations and studio production.
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Natasha Gargiulo has joined Cat Spencer as host of the drive home show on The Beat 92.5 (CKBE-FM) Montreal. The Beat 5@7 with Cat and Natasha is being heard from 5 – 7 p.m. ET. The former ET Canada host had been providing vacation relief on the station since last summer.
Holly Moore has left CTV News Winnipeg, where she’s been Managing Editor for the past year. Prior to joining CTV, Moore worked with APTN for seven years as an Executive Producer.
Jody Vance has announced that she’ll be hosting the “World Feed” for the Invictus Games Vancouver Whistler 2025 Opening Ceremony and The Invictus Games Daily Show nightly at 11 p.m. local time on TSN and TSN+, beginning Feb. 8. Running through Feb. 16, the games will bring together up to 550 competitors from up to 25 nations to compete in adaptive sports.
Song Rattanavong has been promoted at Creatorade to VP of Enterprise Sales. Rattanavong held similar roles at Harvard Media and Vendasta, prior to joining the influencer marketing agency in June 2024 as Director of Customer Success.
John I. Taylor, Vice-President of Public Affairs and Communications for LG Electronics USA, has been elected 2025 Chair of the ATSC Board of Directors, the Broadcast Standards Association. Taylor’s contributions to the television industry include co-founding the Digital TV Transition Coalition during the 2000s, and serving as Public Affairs Chairman of the Digital HDTV Grand Alliance in the ‘90s, helping to shape the next generation of television technology at the heart of ATSC standards. Outgoing Chair Richard Friedel, who had led the board since 2022, will continue as a board member.
Katie Uhlmann has been appointed president of WebSeries Canada, the non-profit organization dedicated to supporting and preparing professional and emerging web series creators and producers for successful careers in entertainment. Uhlmann is a Toronto-based writer, director, producer and comedian.
RADIO & PODCAST:
Corus Entertainment has confirmed plans to move its Vancouver news/talk powerhouse 980 CKNW down the dial, where it will be rebranded as 730 CKNW. 730 (CKGO-AM), which had carried an all-traffic format since 2006, has been rebroadcasting CKNW programming since late June, when Corus announced it would only operate one AM station going forward in both Vancouver and Edmonton. The company’s Edmonton news/talk heritage station 630 CHED took over the dial position formerly held by sister station 880 News (CHQT-AM) in October. While both 730 and 980 operate at 50,000 watts, a Corus spokesperson told Broadcast Dialogue that 730’s transmitter is newer and can offer expanded reach in Downtown Vancouver and the Lower Mainland. The move is set to take effect on Feb. 24. Read more here.
Rythme 97.1 (CHLX-FM) debuted in Gatineau-Ottawa on Jan. 17, as part of a renewed partnership between Cogeco Media and RNC Media. The station had formerly been branded as WOW 97 since 2017 when it dropped the Rythme branding under a previous licensing agreement between the two companies. Les Lève-Tôt, hosted by Marie-Claude Morin, Cynthia Plamondon and Philippe Bessette, is continuing to wake up the region, while WonderSteph is heard in middays and afternoons. Marie-Eve Janvier and Maripier Morin are heard from 11:30 a.m. – 1 p.m. on Les filles du lunch.
Scott Fox, who formerly co-hosted the morning show on Kitchener’s 91.5 The Beat (CKBT-FM) and Energy 95.3 (CINF-FM) Hamilton, alongside Kat Callaghan, has launched daily podcast, Scott Fox After 9. The podcast tackles “the top news events, politics, pop-culture, sports, and all of the information you would expect to hear on a morning radio show, but in podcast form.”
Canadaland Investigates is the podcast network’s new home for thorough, longform, deep-dive journalism. The first offering under the new banner is The Copernic Affair, a six-part series looking at the case of Hassan Diab, the Lebanese-Canadian convicted as a terrorist in a 2023 French in absentia trial, accused of planting the explosive in the 1980 Paris synagogue bombing. Journalists Dana Ballout (WSJ, This American Life) and Alex Atack (The Guardian) have been working with Jesse Brown, Noor Azrieh and Julie Shapiro on the series for the past 18 months.
CBC’s The Secret Life of Canada has announced it has come to an end after seven seasons. The pod dove into Canada’s irreverent and weird history from the lore of The Bay blanket to the rest of Canada’s hate for Toronto. Hosted by Falen Johnson and Leah-Simone Bowen, the duo posted a “Goodbye for Now!” episode on Jan. 16, saying they “have covered it all.”
SiriusXM Canada has announced its seventh annual SiriusXM Top of the Country competition, in partnership with the Canadian Country Music Association. The nationwide search for Canada’s top country talent offers artists career-defining opportunities with the chance to perform at some of the biggest country music events in Canada. The top three finalists will also win cash prizes including a $25,000 grand prize and $10,000 each for both runners-up. Registration is now open to solo artists and groups until Jan. 31. Zach McPhee was named the 2024 champion.
LISTEN: CBC News General Manager and Editor-in-Chief Brodie Fenlon joins Broadcast Dialogue – The Podcast to talk about the public broadcaster’s recently-announced resource expansion that will see up to 30 new journalists hired, set to be deployed to 22 communities where CBC currently does not have an established presence. Among other issues, Fenlon addresses audience fragmentation and CBC’s push into the local news on-demand space; and the upcoming news cycle, which includes a federal election, the outcome of which could heavily determine the public broadcaster’s fate.
LISTEN: Jay Stone, station manager and program director at 102.3 NOW! Radio and 99.3 Up! in Edmonton, is on the Sound Off Podcast sharing his journey from the Air Force to radio. He highlights NOW!’s successes, including winning 2024 Canadian Radio Awards for Major Market Station of the Year and Best Community Service Initiative for the Alberta Day of Caring for Jasper, which raised over $3 million. Jay himself also took home the award for Major Market Program Director of the Year. He emphasizes the importance of emotional connection and unique content, like the Swiftie-oke contest, which drew 2,000 participants to the River Cree Resort & Casino to sing Taylor Swift songs (in front of a live band) for the chance to win tickets to her show in Vancouver, and the station’s focus on live, local programming.
SIGN OFFS:
Robert Verrall, 97, on Jan. 17. Verrall was one of the early Canadian film pioneers at the National Film Board (NFB), where he worked for more than 40 years, from 1945-87. He began his career at NFB as a summer student and joined the staff of the animation department the following year, when he was hired by Norman McLaren. He apprenticed with McLaren and formed a close association with Colin Low and Wolf Koenig, with whom he made The Romance of Transportation in Canada, winner of the Best Animated Short Film award at Cannes and the first NFB film nominated in an animation category at the Academy Awards. Verrall distinguished himself as a producer and as head of the NFB’s Animation Department from 1967-72. In 1972, he became Director of English Production, a post he held until 1976. During his term he was responsible for extending NFB production activities to Toronto and Winnipeg while helping to establish Studio D, the NFB’s legendary women’s filmmaking unit, and Studio B, responsible for drama, both based in Montreal. In 1977, he was appointed Executive Producer of Special Projects, which included the Canada Vignettes program and Paul Cowan’s Oscar-nominated Commonwealth Games film, Going the Distance. In 1980, he was named head of Studio B. His legacy includes over 50 films on which he acted as either director or producer, before retiring in the summer of 1986 to live on his farm in the Eastern Townships. His son David followed in his footsteps as a producer and executive producer of animation, joining the NFB in 1977 and going on to head its English Animation Studio in Montreal.
TV & FILM:
The Canadian Media Producers Association’s annual Prime Time event in Ottawa celebrates its 30th year, Jan. 29-31. This year’s ambitious programming schedule addresses both global and domestic issues facing the screen industries, including regulation, incentivizing production and investment in domestic content. Among the highlights are an “In Conversation With” Colette Watson, President of Rogers Sports & Media, as she sits down for her first interview at Prime Time to discuss Rogers’ multi-year, multi-platform deals with NBCUniversal and Warner Bros. Discovery, among other topics. A one-on-one with former Conservative Heritage Min. James Moore and actress and comedian Mary Walsh of This Hour Has 22 Minutes fame, tackles the subject of political change in the air and the implications for Canada’s production sector if a Conservative government is elected. Prime Time’s closing session will feature Marie-Philippe Bouchard, the new President and CEO of CBC/Radio-Canada, as she makes her first conference appearance since taking up the role. Read more here.
The Banff World Media Festival (BANFF) has announced Anjali Sud, CEO of Tubi, as the first confirmed keynote speaker for its 2025 BANFF Summit Series at the 46th annual event, June 8–11, at the Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel. The festival says Sud’s keynote promises to offer invaluable insights into the evolving streaming landscape, drawing on her groundbreaking leadership at Tubi, one of the fastest-growing streaming platforms in the world.
BANFF has teamed up with the creators of Hot Pilot Party to bring their event to the Rockies. The festival is looking for the top five unproduced comedy pilots in Canada. A single script will be chosen for the live table read, and four additional scripts will have the opportunity to be featured and receive international trade press, plus a complimentary BANFF pass. The deadline to submit is Feb. 14.
The Netflix-BANFF Diversity of Voices Initiative (DOV) has been renewed for 2025. Launched in 2018, Diversity of Voices (DOV), a market access program for creators who are Black, Indigenous or People of Colour, is now in its eighth year. Seventy-five DOV participants receive an all access pass to the 2025 Banff World Media Festival and will also benefit from customized industry sessions. Twenty-five qualifying participants from the 2025 cohort will be selected as Diversity of Voices Pitch Participants, and receive additional one-on-one meeting opportunities and a travel stipend. Interested candidates are invited to apply by Feb. 4.
Black Women Film! Canada (BWF) has announced the creation of new national program, Reel Change for Black Women in Film & Media, to be held in Winnipeg, Vancouver, Halifax, and Montreal. Funded by the federal ministry of Women and Gender Equality Canada (WAGE), the bilingual program focuses on supporting Black women producers to thrive in the industry and works with industry leaders to create more inclusive working environments that support the lasting success of Black women, non-binary, and trans women producers at every stage of media and film production. Bilingual producer and on-air host Sabine Daniel has been appointed the “Reel Change” Program National Manager.
The Canada Media Fund (CMF) has released its first-ever Genre Report exploring challenges facing producers working in the Documentary and Children and Youth (C&Y) genres. Its key takeaways include that shifts in audience behaviour, structural changes in broadcasting, and funding challenges have reduced CMF participation in C&Y content, which now accounts for just 11% of total CMF funding across four genres. It also found that modernizing financing models, like including contributions from distributors or pre-sales in license fee thresholds, could reduce reliance on the limited number of Canadian broadcasters.
The Canada Media Fund (CMF) has announced the Indigenous Company Impact Support (ICIS) program. In alignment with CMF’s mandate to support Indigenous production, ICIS provides one-time funding to companies owned and controlled by First Nations, Inuit, and Métis individuals with projects funded by the CMF in 2022–23 or 2023–24. The successful applicants will receive up to $50,000 from the CMF. Eligible applicants will be notified and invited to apply for funding by Jan. 30.
ACTRA (Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists) members have voted to ratify a new Independent Production Agreement (IPA) for a three-year term. The IPA serves as the collective agreement between ACTRA performers and producers represented by the CMPA and AQPM. It outlines terms, conditions, and minimum rates for both on- and off-camera performers in English-language film, television, and media productions across Canada, excluding British Columbia and Yukon, where the UBCP/ACTRA Master Production Agreement governs.
Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) and Rogers have announced a three-year agreement that will see Rogers return as the official Presenting Partner of the Festival, and the TIFF People’s Choice Award through 2027. The expanded partnership builds on the success of TIFF ’24, which welcomed a record-breaking 700,000 attendees. The 50th edition of the festival, presented by Rogers, will take place Sept. 4-14. TIFF and Rogers will create a new original content series in partnership with TIFF’s in-house Studio 9 production team. Rogers will also develop and produce a 50th edition TV special to be aired exclusively on Citytv. Rogers customers will also have access to VIP red carpet experiences through Rogers Beyond the Seat.
Buffalo Gal Pictures has launched sister enterprise Fiasco Global Media, a new television development company dedicated to creating character-driven stories “rooted in the spirit of working-class communities and rural prairies.” Headquartered in Winnipeg and Los Angeles, Fiasco Global Media will be led by Jennifer Beasley, a former writer-turned-executive producer who has been working with Buffalo Gal since 2016, most recently holding the title of Vice-President of Development. Early projects on Fiasco’s slate include a rural half-hour family workplace comedy series from writer Garry Campbell (North of North, Kids in the Hall, Less Than Kind) and a comedic police procedural from Hollis Ludlow-Carroll, creator of Citytv TV drama Wong & Winchester. Read more here.
Prime Video has announced launch dates for a trifecta of Tom Green projects from the comedian, actor and filmmaker, offering viewers an unprecedented look into his life and career. From his groundbreaking MTV show to his Hollywood adventures and recent return to rural living, Green’s journey will be showcased in This Is The Tom Green Documentary (Jan. 24), comedy special Tom Green: I Got A Mule! (Jan. 28), and Tom Green Country (Jan. 31), an Amazon Original unscripted series, following Green as he pulls up stakes and relocates from the bright lights of Hollywood to his newly-purchased country farm.
REV TV has signed a multi-year deal to bring NASCAR to Canadian race fans, starting this year. The NASCAR Canada Series — Canada’s only national touring racing series — will be the cornerstone of REV TV’s NASCAR coverage, including live race broadcasts. REV TV will also bring additional NASCAR International Series to Canada for the first time with the NASCAR Euro Series, NASCAR Mexico Series and NASCAR Brasil Series race broadcasts. NASCAR has also expanded its decades-long partnership with Bell Media, which for the first time will be Canada’s home for all three NASCAR national series as it adds NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series programming to its long-standing NASCAR Cup Series and NASCAR Xfinity Series rights. Read more here.
Accessible Media Inc. (AMI) and Pilot Light Productions, in association with Ha!ifax ComedyFest, will debut a second All Access Comedy special—hosted by comic D.J. Demers on Feb. 7 on AMI-tv and AMI+. All Access Comedy is a stand-up special featuring comedians from the disability community, including Ontario comic and motivational speaker Michael McCreary, Toronto-based comedian Joze Piranian, Toronto writer and performer Dan Barra-Berger, and New York City-based comedian Tina Friml.
Quebecor Content has announced that Season 1 of acclaimed drama series, Detective Surprenant: The girl with stone eyes, has been acquired by Global Series Network (GSN) for streaming on video-on-demand platform Walter Presents. Produced by V10 Media and distributed worldwide by TVA Distribution and Incendo, the six-episode, one-hour police thriller is set to run in its original French language with English subtitles, beginning Spring 2025 in the UK, U.S., and Ireland. Curated by Walter Iuzzolino, Walter Presents is dedicated to hand-picking prestige foreign-language drama from around the world. Based on a series of novels by Jean Lemieux, Detective Surprenant: The girl with stone eyes follows Detective André Surprenant, tasked with investigating the murder of a teenage girl on the Magdalen Islands.
Corus Entertainment’s Nelvana has announced more international sales for its new 3D animated original series Millie Magnificent (52×11).The highly-anticipated preschool series based on the best-selling books by Ashely Spires is set to roll out on ABC (Australia), DR in Denmark and Télé-Québec in French Canada throughout 2025. These latest sales join a roster of previously announced international broadcasters including Canal+ (France), Treehouse/STACKTV (English Canada), YLE (Finland), RTS (Switzerland), SVT (Sweden) and HOP! (Israel).
Hollywood Suite is celebrating Black History Month in February with a curated lineup of films from Black creators, storytellers and stars, including the Canadian broadcast premiere of Canadian horror film Guess Who (2024) on Feb. 12. Starring Canadians Keeya King (Yellowjackets) and Corteon Moore (From), the Montreal-shot Guess Who sees a newly engaged couple’s visit to future in-laws turn deadly when a masked killer shows up. Viewers can also catch films by essential directors Sidney Poitier, John Singleton, Spike Lee, Cheryl Dunye and more on Hollywood Suite On Demand, beginning Feb. 1.
ONLINE & DIGITAL MEDIA:
Pink Triangle Press (PTP) has announced the creation of a one-stop destination for credible and accessible health information for 2SLGBTQIA+ Canadians. Available in French and English, PTP Health will launch in late 2025, encompassing a website, three newsletters and multi-media social content. The health publications will be the latest addition to PTP’s expanding slate of brands, which includes television shows, documentaries, podcasts and flagship publication Xtra Magazine. Xtra Senior Editor Ziya Jones, who has led Xtra’s health coverage since 2020, will become the Managing Editor of Health for PTP. The project will kick-off with a nationwide research project exploring the state of healthcare for queer and trans-Canadians which will culminate in a Pink Paper on 2SLGBTQIA+ Health to be published this spring.
Gill Deacon, the former CBC Radio One host and breast cancer survivor – who was sidelined by Long COVID in 2022 – has started a new Substack. A Love Affair with the Unknown dives into where the Here and Now host has been since stepping away from the public broadcaster last September, her ongoing personal evolution, and saying “yes” to uncertainty.
REGULATORY, TELECOM & MEDIA:
The CRTC is requiring Northwestel to automatically reduce customers’ bills when internet services are disrupted for 24 hours or more, following a multi-phase public consultation to improve services in the Far North. To foster competition and provide more choice, the CRTC is also making it easier for other internet service providers to use Northwestel’s network to sell services to customers. Additionally, the CRTC is launching a public consultation to develop a subsidy to help improve affordability, aimed at helping bring the cost of internet services in the Far North closer to those in other parts of the country. The CRTC is accepting comments until Feb. 18.
The Indigenous Media Association of Canada (IMAC) formally incorporated this month with a goal to unify Indigenous media professionals and advocate for First Nations, Inuit, and Métis storytellers, including broadcasters and journalists. IMAC says its mission is to ensure safe, culturally supported spaces for truth-tellers, create a stronger and more inclusive media ecosystem, and amplify Indigenous voices in national and international dialogue. The group’s founding board members are Kerry Benjoe (Saulteaux), Interim President; Francine Compton (Anishinaabe), Interim Director; Eden Fineday (Cree), Interim Secretary; Maureen Googoo (Mi’kmaq), Interim Vice-President; and Katherine Ross (Cree), Interim Treasurer. IMAC invites Indigenous storytellers across Canada to join the movement.
The Canadian Association of Journalists (CAJ) has released the findings of its fourth annual national Canadian Newsroom Diversity Survey. This year’s voluntary survey collected data on 5,806 journalists from 270 newsrooms across radio, television, digital and print media in Canada. Key findings from the 2024 survey include that about 77% of journalists identify as white, 3.5% as Indigenous and 19.5% as a visible minority. Asian journalists are the most under-represented racial category overall, making up 17.5% of the Canadian population, but only 8.7% of journalists in Canada. For full-time journalists, excluding supervisors, most racial percentages are close to their census data, except for Asian full-time journalists, who are underrepresented. Among supervisors, 83.4% identify as white, compared to 2.4% identifying as Indigenous and 14.2% as a visible minority.
The Michener Fellowships are now open to submissions until Feb. 21. The Michener – Deacon Fellowship for Investigative Reporting encourages excellence in journalism that serves the public interest through improvements in public policy, ethical standards, corporate governance or the lives of Canadians. It’s available to journalists with at least five years’ experience to complete a reporting project with a recognized Canadian news organization. The Michener – L. Richard O’Hagan Fellowship for Journalism Education is dedicated to the advancement and enrichment of the education of Canadian journalists and journalism students. It’s open to teams of up to four people (or organizations including journalism schools and media organizations) including at least one journalism educator from a post-secondary institution and one experienced journalist on the team. Each fellowship is for $40,000 and up to $5,000 in expenses. Meet past Fellowship recipients and learn more about their projects here.
The Michener Award and Rideau Hall Foundation are accepting submissions for the new Norman Webster Fellowship, designed to amplify the ecosystems of small Canadian newsrooms; recognize their critical role in keeping communities connected; providing a diversity of voices and opinions; and maintaining their journalistic independence. The Norman Webster Fellowship is valued at up to $125,000 and will provide the winning news organizations (one in English and one in French) with a unique opportunity to not only produce a groundbreaking story but also allow early career journalists to hone their craft. Honouring the legacy of the late Canadian journalist, submissions close March 21.
