The Weekly Briefing

REVOLVING DOOR:

Nathalie Théberge has been appointed Vice-Chairperson of the CRTC, starting April 3. The longtime civil servant steps into the vacancy created by Alicia Barin’s resignation last month to focus on her personal life following the sudden passing of her husband last summer. Théberge has most recently served as Vice-Chair and CEO of the Copyright Board of Canada. Prior to that, she held a number of executive roles within the Department of Canadian Heritage. Read more here.

Glenn Stewart has retired after more than 20 years as Chief Operating Officer (COO) of YES TV. Stewart’s association with YES TV, previously Crossroads Television System, began in 1998. During his tenure at Canwest Global, he played a pivotal role in the launch of YES TV, officially joining the broadcaster full-time in 2000, overseeing National Sales. Following a brief retirement in 2013, Stewart returned to YES TV in 2015 as Director of Sales and Programming, eventually ascending to the role of COO in 2020. Melissa McEachern will succeed Stewart in the COO role, in addition to her current position as Chief Content Officer, while David Garby is promoted to General Manager/Director of Sales, overseeing day-to-day operations.

Pat DiVittorio will leave her role as Vice President, Programming, CTV and Specialty, and General Manager, Discovery Networks Canada, at the end of March. DiVittorio has been with the company for 34 years.

Derek Conlon, assignment editor at CTV Montreal, weather presenter Lise McAuley, and production assistant and movie reviewer Mosé Persico are among the names that continue to emerge from the latest round of layoffs at Bell Media. Director Yves Marion and producer Helen Michailidis are also impacted in Montreal. In radio, CJAD afternoon co-host Natasha Hall and copywriter and Sunday morning “Trivia Show” host Dan Laxer are casualties, in addition to Tim Day, the Regional Program Director for Pure Country 101 (CKXA-FM) Brandon, MB and Pure Country 92.7 (CHBD-FM) Regina.

Karis Mapp is joining CBC Kitchener-Waterloo as a reporter. Mapp arrives from CTV Kitchener where she had been a multimedia reporter since fall 2022.

Glen McGregor has joined the CityNews Toronto Parliament Hill bureau. McGregor had spent the last seven and a half years as a senior political correspondent at CTV News. He’d been freelancing on the Hill since last June.

 

Adrienne South is joining CityNews Vancouver. South arrives from Citytv Edmonton. Prior to that, she was a multimedia journalist with CTV in the Alberta capital.

Taylor Jukes has been named Senior Vice President of Programming for iHeartMedia in San Diego, encompassing eight stations. She’ll be responsible for programming, social, digital and marketing strategy, reporting to Noreen Ippolito, Market President for iHeartMedia San Diego. Jukes joins the station group from iHeartMedia Miami, where she served as Program Director at Y100 and will continue her role on the iHeart CHR Brand Team. Previously, she served as the Program Director for Virgin Radio (CKFM-FM) Toronto and National Content Director for iHeartRadio Canada.

Scot Turner has retired as Program Director of Evanov Communications’ Lite 92 (CKPC-FM) and Hot Country 93.9 (CKKL-FM) Brantford, ON. With the stations for the last three years, Turner’s 45-year career has included stops as Operations Manager at Bell Media’s stations in Kitchener-Waterloo, Program Director for Corus Radio in Kitchener, Cambridge and Guelph, and roles with Energy 108 and CFNY, among many other stations. Turner is an executive producer on the upcoming CFNY Spirit of Radio documentary, alongside Alan Cross and Ivar Hamilton, and is working with Hamilton on a companion podcast set to debut this fall. 

See more

It’s almost time!
Here’s a little message from US to YOU. ♥️🎙️ See you tomorrow! pic.twitter.com/CYjGS4W1yk

— Ottawa’s MOVE 100 (@Move100Ottawa) February 25, 2024

Sophie Moroz and Jeff Hopper have joined Ottawa’s Move 100 (CJMJ-FM) in mornings. Sophie & Jeff in the Morning is airing from 6 – 10 a.m. ET. Moroz and Hopper had been helming the Pure Country (CKKL-FM) Ottawa morning show and now step into the role vacated with the recent layoffs of Stuntman Stu, Angie Poirier and Janel Steeper.

Lexine Stephens and Adam Growe are joining the boom 97.3 (CHBM-FM) Toronto weekend on-air line-up. Stephens, who has done on-air stints at Q107 Calgary and 100.3 The Q Victoria, returns to 97.3 after previously hosting swing on the station in 1993-94. She’ll primarily be heard on Saturdays from 9 a.m. – 3 p.m., while Growe will be heard in the same Sunday time slot. Growe is best known as the host of Cash Cab. Last heard on 97.3 EZ Rock, he returns to radio after an almost two decade absence. 

Mark McKenzie is back on the airwaves after an almost three-year hiatus. McKenzie is the new morning show host at CKBG-FM Amherstburg, which launched last year. McKenzie spent 13 years at 89X (CIMX-FM) Windsor, and has spent time on-air in Chatham, Sudbury, Charlottetown, and Winnipeg, most recently at 92 CITI FM. He’s also currently serving as a City of Windsor councillor.

Jim MacDonald assumes the role of General Sales Manager for Novacast Media’s CFLB-FM, which is scheduled to launch this year in Lunenburg, NS. MacDonald brings a diverse background spanning the automotive, HVAC, and supermarket sectors across the Maritimes. 

Liza Yuzda has announced she’s leaving journalism to join BC Ferries in a communications role. Yuzda has been reporting from the B.C. Legislature for the last seven years, initially for 980 CKNW and more recently for CityNews Vancouver. She started her career as a reporter at CHNL Kamloops, before joining 630 CHED Edmonton as an anchor and reporter.

Peter McCully is no longer with Black Press Media, where he produced over 250 podcast episodes, including 100 of the Today in B.C. podcast series over the last two years. McCully had been with Black Press for 12 years, previously serving as group publisher of the Parksville Qualicum Beach News, Vi Free Daily, Westerly News and OASIS Magazine on Vancouver Island. 

Jodi Morelli is joining Rise, the advocacy group for gender diversity in broadcast and media technology, as Growth Manager for North America. The newly-created position aims to expand Rise’s presence and impact in the U.S. and Canada. Morelli has previously worked with Liberty Media, MTV, and FOX, with a focus on affiliate and event marketing tactics designed to increase subscribers. She most recently held marketing roles with Globecast and Nextologies.

RADIO & PODCAST:

Stingray has joined forces with a coalition of 20 independent broadcasters to compel the federal government to allocate a greater share of its advertising spend to local media. The call is supported by Acadia Broadcasting, Arsenal Media, Bayshore Broadcasting, Blackburn Media, Byrnes Communications, Central Ontario Broadcasting, Dougall Media, Durham Radio, Evanov Communications, Golden West Broadcasting, Local Radio Labs, MBS Radio, Pattison Media, Quinte Broadcasting, Rawlco Radio, Starboard Communications, Torres Media, Vista Radio, and Whiteoaks Communications Group. A letter sent to Finance Min. Chrystia Freeland and Canadian Heritage Min. Pascale St-Onge appeals for government intervention to aid the local radio sector, which has been challenged by the loss of advertising dollars to online platforms. During fiscal 2022-23, the federal government spent $86.09 million on advertising, 71% of that with digital media. Just 14% or $2.68 million was spent with radio. The radio groups are proposing a commitment from the feds to dedicate at least 70% of government advertising expenditures to local media in the upcoming budget, ensuring even distribution across radio, television, print, and Canadian-owned digital media. Read more here.

OP-ED: The National Campus and Community Radio Association (NCRA) is calling for the immediate renewal of the Local Journalism Initiative. “This program is not merely a lifeline for community-based journalism; it is the very scaffolding upon which the future of informed, local discourse must be built,” writes NCRA Executive Director Barry Rooke. “Failure to do so will see hundreds more journalists leave the industry. Additionally, redirecting government advertising funds towards Canadian media organizations, particularly community media, is a pragmatic approach that would require no new spending.” Read more here.

CBC has announced new additions to its winter audio schedule that include the debut of a live Saturday afternoon call-in show on CBC Radio One and CBC Listen. Just Asking is airing live across the country at 5 p.m. ET, hosted by Saroja Coelho. The former foreign correspondent is joined by guest experts, aiming to help listeners make decisions about tech, money, their careers and health, drawing from the week’s news and latest trends. New CBC Podcasts making their debut in March include Who Replaced Avril Lavigne? Joanne McNally Investigates, a six-episode co-production with BBC Sounds, exploring the conspiracy theory claiming the Canadian pop singer was replaced by a look-alike at the height of her fame. The Pornhub Empire: Understood, launching March 11, pulls back the curtain on the Montreal startup and the massive scandal that exposed non-consensual sharing and underage images on the platform. Read more here.

Canadaland has released its 2024 podcast slate after opening its first-ever call for pitch submissions last summer. Four new original series are set to be introduced over the next nine months including: Pretendians (premiering May 14), exploring Indigenous identity fraud, co-hosted by Robert Jago and Angel Ellis; A Field Guide to Gay Animals (June 13) looking at sexuality and gender in the animal world, hosted by Owen Ever and Laine Kaplan-Levenson; The Worst Podcast (Sept. 4), billed as Canadaland’s first celebrity podcast, hosted by documentary filmmaker Alan Zweig and inviting comedians, pop stars, TikTok influencers, and others to share their worst failures; and The Copernic Affair (late 2024) revisiting the French court’s pursuit of Lebanese-Canadian sociologist Hassan Diab, convicted in absentia of masterminding the 1980 Paris synagogue bombing. Read more here.

Spotify and journalist Connie Walker’s Pulitzer and Peabody winning podcast Stolen returns for Season 3 with Stolen: Trouble in Sweetwater on March 5. Premiering on the heels of the critically acclaimed Stolen: Surviving St. Michael’s, this season takes listeners to The Navajo Nation, 27,000 sq. miles of remote terrain with just over 200 tribal police officers, as Walker investigates the disappearance of two women in a place where people say you can get away with murder. Stolen: Trouble in Sweetwater was supported by the International Women’s Media Foundation’s (IWMF) Fund for Indigenous Journalists, reporting on issues related to Missing & Murdered Indigenous People (MMIP).

Bumper has made Podcast X-Ray, its solution offering answers to common podcast research questions, free to the podcast community. An internal Bumper tool for the last year and a half,  the company enlisted the help of Stephen Hallgren (now Bumper’s fractional CTO) to significantly expand Podcast X-Ray’s capabilities. Among other info, it captures data on publishing trends, technical details, and episode breakdowns.

The International Women’s Podcast Awards are now open to entries. Set to take place at The IET: Savoy Place in London, there’ll be an accompanying global livestream for international guests. The entry window is open until March 28. Check out the categories here.

Radio Trailblazers is extending the deadline for nominations for the annual Rosalie Award, recognizing women who’ve blazed new trails in radio, to be presented at Radiodays North America. Submissions will now be accepted until March 11 at 5 p.m. ET. Learn more here.

The Pro Bono Group has a new food bank PSA launching nationally, not to be confused with its separate campaign for Feed Ontario. The PSA, titled “Help You,” is a follow-up to their Canadian Radio Award-winning series in support of Canadian food banks that ran in 2022-23. The new spot features former Toronto and Vancouver radio personality turned voiceover pro Kat Carter (aka ‘The Radio Nerd’), sharing her own struggle with food insecurity.

https://broadcastdialogue.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Food-Bank_Help-You_Pro-Bono-Group_Full-Mix_020124.wav?_=1

 

LISTEN: Craig Baird, host of Canadian History Ehx, is on the Sound Off Podcast. Baird’s podcast is dedicated to proving that Canadian history isn’t nearly as boring as everyone thinks it is. Among other things, Baird and Matt Cundill talk about the failings of the Canadian education system in teaching our history. Listen on your favourite podcast app or here:

SIGN OFFS:

Jack Little, 83, on Feb. 26. Little worked for CFRN-TV Edmonton (now CTV) for 27 years, initially in sales beginning in 1967, before spending a decade as station manager. After departing the station in 1994, Little went on to serve as Executive Director of the Edmonton Heritage Festival for 13 years. He retired from helming the event in 2015. His volunteer work extended to the Western Association of Broadcasters (WAB), United Way, Northern Alberta Better Business Bureau, and Edmonton Community Loan Fund, in addition to serving on the boards of the Edmonton Food Bank, Greater Edmonton Foundation Seniors Housing and Our House Addiction Recovery Centre. 

James Murray, 59, on Feb. 24 of cancer. Remembered as an incredible storyteller, Murray began his reporting career with CBC News in 1997. Over the course of his 25 years with the public broadcaster, he worked with every major news program, including The World at Six, The National, World Report, CBC News Network, Morningside and Infotape. Holding roles from reporter to producer and host, he spent an extensive period of time covering the war in Afghanistan for CBC News. Murray retired in 2021 and moved to Nova Scotia to focus on his fight against cancer. Just months after retiring, he came back to work on a casual basis as a reporter and host from his at-home studio in Windsor, NS. A supportive and encouraging mentor to many colleagues, his work continues to be used in training courses for new journalists.

TV & FILM:

Mae Martin will host the 2024 Canadian Screen Awards, airing Friday, May 31 on CBC and CBC Gem. The one-hour broadcast will air at 8 p.m. (9 p.m. AT, 9:30 p.m. NT). Martin is an award-winning comedian, actor, writer, and producer who presently hosts the hit comedy podcast Handsome, alongside Tig Notaro and Fortune Feimster. Nominees for the Canadian Screen Awards will be announced on March 6.

Paramount+ in Canada and inkcanada have announced the return of #inkdrinks Toronto, a series of six in-person professional networking events designed to break down barriers to industry-access for Canadian screenwriters at every career stage. Events are scheduled to begin Thursday, Feb. 29, from 7- 9 p.m. ET at the Monarch Tavern. Founded in 2007 by Canadian screenwriter Karen Walton (Ginger Snaps, Orphan Black), the volunteer-driven collective offers writers in the Canadian industry a place to engage in a dialogue about career-related questions. Learn more here.

Canadian Film Fest (CFF) presented by Super Channel, the indie-spirited festival dedicated to celebrating Canadian filmmakers, has announced its lineup for the 2024 edition, set to take place March 18-23. New this year, CFF is extending the festival to six days and expanding its shorts programming, returning to Cineplex’s Scotiabank Theatre in Toronto, showcasing 11 features and 45 shorts. The festival will kick off with Ian Harnarine’s Doubles about a Trinidadian street vendor who travels to Toronto to decide if he will help save his estranged father from dying.

The Banff World Media Festival (BANFF) has announced the return of the Indigenous Screen Summit Pitch Forum (ISS), welcoming Rogers Communications as a new multi-year presenting partner. The company joins founding partners, the Indigenous Screen Office (ISO) and the Canada Media Fund (CMF). Applications are now open for the third edition of the ISS Pitch Forum, which will take place Sunday, June 9 at the Fairmont Banff Springs, kicking off the 45th edition of BANFF. Fifteen Indigenous producers/creators will present their projects in a series of mainstage pitch sessions in front of a panel of leading industry buyers and audience of industry delegates. Interested candidates are invited to apply by March 7. 

Global will premiere Season 12 of Big Brother Canada on March 5, with a tour of this season’s Big Brother house in Hollywood North to air on The Morning Show at 9 a.m. ET, led by host and executive producer Arisa Cox. This season, the 12 new houseguests rolling up to the #BBCAN12 studios include a general contractor from Newfoundland, a software developer from New Brunswick, a bartender from Nova Scotia, a dental hygienist from Ontario, and a sales engineer from B.C., competing for over $200,000 in cash and prizes.

TSN’s coverage of the FIA Formula One World Championship season begins with the Bahrain Grand Prix on March 2 at 8:30 a.m. ET. As the exclusive television partner of F1 auto racing in Canada, TSN’s multi-platform coverage features practice, qualifying, and live broadcasts of every race on the calendar, including companion feeds for every race on TSN+. TSN auto racing reporter and former professional driver Tim Hauraney delivers F1 news and analysis on Sportscentre and TSN.ca.

The 2024 Montana’s Brier, begins Friday, March 1, culminating with the final Sunday, March 10 on TSN, TSN.ca, and the TSN app. The stakes are high with the Brier Tankard on the line, as well as the opportunity to represent Canada in the upcoming LGT World Men’s Curling Championship, which airs live on TSN, April 1-9. Find TSN’s full curling broadcast schedule here. Play-by-play commentators Vic Rauter and Bryan Mudryk are on-site in Regina, delivering the call alongside analysts Russ Howard, Joanne Courtney, and Cathy Gauthier.

TELUS has announced a new partnership with Vevo to become its direct ad sales representative nationally, enabling Vevo to bring its music video content and accompanying advertising opportunities to the Canadian market on Connected TV (CTV) platforms and streaming services, including YouTube, Apple TV, Samsung TV Plus, Vizio, Google TV, and Roku. Vevo purports a monthly reach of more than 10 million Canadians across its library of over 800,000 music videos.

Media Technology Monitor (MTM) has unveiled its latest series of reports focused on the adoption and usage of media and technology across generations, including Gen Z (18-25), Gen Y (26-42), Gen X (43-57) and Boomers (58-77). Highlights from the anglophone generations reports include that traditional TV subscriptions are still very popular among 82% of younger Baby Boomers, 89% of older Baby Boomers and 71% of Gen Xers. Most Gen Zs and Gen Ys, however, are consuming TV and video content online. With French-speakers, subscriptions to linear TV services continue to be popular with 89% of younger Boomers, 92% of older Boomers and 76% of Gen Xers.

ONLINE & DIGITAL MEDIA:

See more

It’s official! After 8.5 years at VICE, I’ve been laid off. It was a dream job, where I got to work with the most supportive editors and hilarious colleagues, who loved pushing boundaries. Despite the BS, I’ll treasure the memories forever. BIG OLE’ THREAD of some of my fav work:

— 𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐚 𝐤𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐧𝐚𝐧 (@ManishaKrishnan) February 26, 2024

VICE Media has ceased publishing on vice.com after almost three decades as VICE CEO Bruce Dixon announced the elimination of “several hundred” positions, saying it’s no longer “cost-effective” to distribute its digital content in the traditional way. Dixon said Refinery29, the fashion and beauty blog VICE acquired in 2019, will continue to operate as a standalone business, with the company “in advanced discussions” to sell. Founded in Montreal in 1996, the company – once valued at $5.7 billion – filed for bankruptcy last May and was acquired by Fortress Investment Group for $350 million in June. VICE made a previous round of layoffs last fall, consolidating its five operating divisions to two, and reducing its global workforce to around 900 employees from what at the company’s high point was purportedly a staff of 3,000. It had previously downsized its Canadian staff on several occasions, including closing its Montreal office in 2019, among other rounds of layoffs in Toronto. Read more here.

Pink Triangle Press (PTP) has laid off staff with 16 positions eliminated last week, three of those tied to content at its flagship LGBTQ+ publication, Xtra. David Walberg, Executive Director of PTP, told Broadcast Dialogue that it was necessary “to align our cost structure with current market realities in order to protect the continued health of the organization overall.” Read more here.

REGULATORY, TELECOM & MEDIA:

The CRTC has released its annual highlights of the telecommunications sector report for 2022. The Canadian sector experienced a 3.5% increase in total revenues, similar growth to 2021 (3.4%), and a clear progression from the 2020 pandemic year when revenues declined for the first time since 2002. The increase is primarily due to the almost $1.7B increase in mobile revenues, up 5.7% from 2021. Retail fixed internet service revenues experienced 4.9% growth, up from $14.5B in 2021 to $15.2B in 2022. The five largest telecom providers accounted for 87.3% of total revenues, including Bell, TELUS, Rogers, Shaw and Vidéotron, and their flanker brands. 

The Canadian Media Guild (CMG) and CBC/Radio-Canada have reached a tentative collective agreement after seven full weeks of bargaining. CMG says the proposal includes an immediate wage increase of 6.1% (which includes two years of retro pay) on April 8 of this year, translating to 12.57% more in wages between March 2022 and April 2026. The minimum daily Technical Freelancer rate also improves to $400 a day, up from $280.

Quebecor has reported its consolidated financial results for Q4 and the full year 2023. For the year, Quebecor recorded revenues of $5.43 billion, up $902.4 million (19.9%) and adjusted EBITDA of $2.24 billion, up $303.3 million (15.7%). The Telecommunications segment increased its revenues by $935.8 million (25.2%), reflecting, among other things, the contribution of the Freedom Mobile acquisition. In Q4, Quebecor recorded revenues of $1.5 billion, up 27% year-over-year. TVA Group reported declines of $49.2 million (‑8.3%) in revenues and $24.8 million (‑128.5%) in adjusted EBITDA for 2023, while the Sports and Entertainment segment grew its revenues by $22.8 million (12.0%) and its adjusted EBITDA by $3.6 million (18.6%) in 2023. The Film Production & Audiovisual Services segment (MELS) reported $686,000 in adjusted EBITDA, a $12,198,000 unfavourable variance due mainly to lower volume of activities in soundstage, mobile and equipment rental, post-production and media accessibility services. TVA’s Q4 revenues were $151,714,000, an 11.8% decrease compared with Q4 2022.

The Canadian Journalism Foundation (CJF), in collaboration with the Canadian Women’s Foundation, is presenting an online panel discussion in the lead-up to International Women’s Day, on ethical reporting of intimate partner violence. The free event takes place Thursday, March 7, at 1 p.m. ET. Reporting with Care: Ethical Journalism in the Shadow of Intimate Partner Violence will bring together Michael Friscolanti, editor-in-chief of Village Media; Hannah Sung, co-founder of Media Girlfriends; Landsberg Award-winner Molly Hayes of The Globe and Mail; and Jana Pruden, the Globe’s Edmonton-based reporter. Anna Maria Tremonti will moderate the discussion.

BROADCAST TECH & ENGINEERING:

Closed Caption Services (CCS) has rebranded as ScribeWire. Operating since 1996, the Kingston, ON-headquartered company says its new identity is the beginning of a digital transformation to adapt to the changing needs of the market. The rebrand includes a refreshed visual identity, updated website, and the expansion of new accessibility services and artificial intelligence (AI) integrations.

LG Electronics is ramping up its strategic collaboration with Meta Platforms, aiming to expedite its extended reality (XR) ventures. LG envisions that by bringing together Meta’s platform with its own content/service capabilities from its TV business, a distinctive ecosystem can be forged in the XR domain, one of the company’s new business areas.