REVOLVING DOOR:
Michele Austin has joined Bell as Vice President, Public Affairs. Austin, Twitter’s former Director of Public Policy for Canada and the U.S., was among those caught up in layoffs at the app in November. Austin, whose background includes time with Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada and Summa Strategies, had been with Twitter since 2018.
Duncan McCue is joining Carleton University’s journalism school full-time. He’ll formally take up a new tenure track position in July as an Associate Professor, specializing in Indigenous Journalism and (Story)telling, while also working on the creation of a new journalism skills certificate in Indigenous communities. McCue, who has been with CBC for 25 years, is currently the host of Helluva Story on CBC Radio and behind forthcoming residential schools podcast, Kuper Island. He’ll maintain a formal association with the CBC and continue to produce documentaries, guest host radio programs, and do Indigenous-related training.
Ross Lord has retired from Global News. Most recently Global National‘s Atlantic correspondent, based in Halifax, Lord had been a reporter since 1984 and with MITV/Global Halifax since 1990. By 1995, he had ascended to the position of Assignment Editor for Global Maritimes. He joined Global National in 1998, covering stories from Canada’s mission in Afghanistan to the Moncton RCMP murders in 2014.
Tim Cook is the new Managing Editor at The Canadian Press (CP). Cook has been with CP since 2001 when he started with the wire service as a reporter with its Edmonton bureau. He went on to hold the roles of Deputy Bureau Chief, Western Canada and Prairies Bureau Chief. For the last year, he had been serving as Assistant Managing Editor.
Tim James is leaving CityNews 1130 (CKWX-AM) Vancouver after a decade with Rogers Sports & Media. James started with CityNews 660 (CFFR-AM) in 2012, before joining 1130 in 2014. The news anchor says he’s leaving to explore his options, but will continue broadcasting for USPORTS, serving as the voice of the Trinity Western Spartans volleyball and soccer teams.
Crystal Laderas has left CityNews Vancouver after eight years with Rogers Sports & Media. Laderas, who is stepping away from journalism, first joined CityNews 660 (CFFR-AM) Calgary in 2015 as a reporter and producer. After transitioning to television in 2018, she joined CityNews Vancouver in 2021 as a video journalist, producer and host.
Keila DePape is now a Digital Reporter at CTV Montreal. DePape was most recently with CTV News Winnipeg where she’d worked since 2018, ending her tenure there as Supervising News Producer.
Issac Piotrowski, host of Isaac In The Morning on Hits 100 (CKNB-FM) Campbellton, NB, has announced his departure from the MBS station. With Hits 100 since March of 2021, Piotrowski previously worked in promotions with Rogers Sports & Media’s radio stations in Tillsonburg and London, ON.
Shannon Waters is the new Editor-in-Chief of Politics Today, a collection of daily newsletters that includes Queen’s Park Today, British Columbia Today, Alberta Today, and Parliament Today, helmed by publisher Allison Smith. Waters, who was formerly a reporter for BC Today, was among those caught up in recent layoffs at Overstory Media Group’s Capital Daily. Waters succeeds Sammy Hudes, who had held the Editor-in-Chief role for the last two years and now joins The Canadian Press as a Business Reporter/Editor. 
E.J. (Bud) Keys is the new President & CEO of Manitoba internet, television, and home phone provider Westman Communications Group. Keys has 35 years of industry experience, including leadership positions at Allstream and Northwestel. He is currently Vice President of the Coalition of Manitoba Internet Service Providers, a member of the Business Council of Manitoba, and a board member of the Manitoba Cooperative Association.
Allison Lenehan is transitioning out of the President & CEO role at rural broadband provider, Xplore Inc., to become a Senior Advisor to the Xplore board, focused on strategic initiatives. Lenehan has served as Xplore’s CEO for the last decade and with the company for nearly 30 years. Francis Shammo, Chairman of the Xplore board and former Chief Financial Officer at Verizon, has been named Interim President & CEO.
Steve Ziff and John Torris have joined Vancouver-headquartered augmented reality solutions provider, ImagineAR, as Advisors to the CEO to help launch immersive AR partnerships in the North American sports, entertainment and retail spaces. Ziff, is a former marketing and sales executive for multiple NFL, MLB and NHL clubs, while Torris is the current Head of Sales & Vertical Partnerships at Bold Commerce and a former NFL and NBA executive.
RADIO & PODCAST:
Cabin Radio has advised the CRTC of its intention to immediately reapply for an FM licence in Yellowknife. The commission determined in February that Yellowknife, NWT cannot support an additional commercial radio station at this time. With two dissenting opinions, its decision was based on the finding that the market is generally underperforming in terms of revenue and profitability when compared to Whitehorse and Iqaluit, as well as nationally, noting an ongoing decline in revenue at Vista Radio’s CJCD-FM, the only commercial station in the market. Cabin Radio, which has operated online since 2017 under the ownership of five local residents, would ordinarily have to wait two years to reapply. In its letter to the commission, it sets out why that moratorium shouldn’t apply including an unreasonable 42-month wait for the CRTC’s first decision and what it terms “a lack of appreciation” for the fact Cabin Radio is already operating in the market. Read more here.
Ongoing History of New Music, the long-running music documentary series hosted by Alan Cross, celebrated its 30-year anniversary on Toronto’s 102.1 the Edge (CFNY-FM) last Sunday. Since its debut on the station on Feb. 28, 1993, the show has explored everything from the roots of Alt-Rock, New Wave, and Christian Rock over the years to artist profiles of musicians like Joe Strummer, Sid Vicious, and John Frusciante, and Canadian acts like Billy Talent and The Trews. After gaining popularity on 102.1 the Edge, Corus Radio started airing the show nationally across its rock stations on Sunday evenings. A podcast version followed in 2017, which consistently remains in the Top 5 on Apple Podcasts’ Canada Music and Music History charts, in addition to charting in more than a dozen other countries. The show has produced 976 original radio episodes and 280 podcast episodes to date, with a landmark 1000th episode to air this fall. Read more here.
630 CHED Edmonton has made changes to its weekday lineup that see J’lyn Nye join Daryl McIntyre as co-host of This Morning from 5:30 a.m. to 9 a.m., while Chelsea Bird moves into the afternoon drive talk position as host of Chelsea on CHED from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. Corus Radio says moving J’lyn to mornings and Chelsea to afternoons gives the station the opportunity to further develop its personalities and expose them to different audiences.
102.7 The Pole (WLYK-FM) went live in Kingston on Tuesday afternoon, a stunt format inspired by strip club DJ bangers, ushering in the new ownership of Border Broadcasting. Licenced to Cape Vincent, New York, Jon Pole and Andrew Dickson, the co-founders of My Broadcasting Corporation (MBC), acquired Border Broadcasting in December. The dial position was previously held by Rogers Sports & Media’s KiSS 102.7 with Rogers holding a 20% stake in Border Broadcasting. You can blame (or credit) radio veteran Rob Mise for the trial format, who is assisting with the ownership transition. “We wanted to have some fun with it,” Mise told Broadcast Dialogue. “The reaction that I’m getting the most is ‘finally someone is having fun with radio.’ We take ourselves too seriously, so this is clearly a chance to step out a bit.” Spanning Pop, Hip Hop and Rock, 102.7 The Pole’s livestream – “Music for the grind” – features a playlist running the gamut from The Weeknd, 50 Cent, Flo Rida, Lady Gaga, Nikki Minaj and Beyonce to Pearl Jam, INXS, The Police and Def Leppard. Read more here.
SiriusXM Canada, in partnership with the Canadian Country Music Association (CCMA), has announced the eight semi-finalists vying to be the 2023 winner of SiriusXM’s Top of the Country competition. They are Hailey Benedict (St. Albert, AB); Noah Derksen (Winnipeg); Teigen Gayse (Kelowna); Amanda Jordan (Smith Falls, ON); Mark Ledlin (Vancouver); The Prairie States (Edmonton); Dayna Reid (Elmvale, ON); and Lydia Sutherland (Montréal). In addition to the $25,000 grand prize, SiriusXM is awarding both runners-up $10,000 with all to receive a SOCAN songwriting camp experience in Nashville following the competition. The finale will air live on SiriusXM’s new Top of the Country Radio (ch. 171).
LISTEN: Marie, host of YouTube-first podcast The Radio Fam, is on the latest Sound Off Podcast. Described as “a resource for those that are looking to the future of radio,” she talks about her lifelong passion for radio, eventual shift to podcasting, and what inspired her to start The Radio Fam. Listen on your favourite podcast app or here:
LISTEN: CNN and CTV marketing veteran Rick Lewchuk joins Broadcast Dialogue publisher Shawn Smith on Broadcast Dialogue – The Podcast to reflect on his media branding career and his plans to offer “coaching” for media creatives in semi-retirement via his new firm “Film at 11 Marketing.” Listen on your favourite podcast app or here:
The Pro Bono Group, a collection of advertising and media pros who offer radio creative at no charge to worthwhile organizations, have written and produced another PSA for stations to download in support of Canada’s food banks. The third in a series, entitled “Food Banks – For Anyone,” the spot is intended to help remove any stigma attached to using a food bank. Contact [email protected] for more info.
SIGN OFFS:
Don McGowan, 85, on Feb. 27, following a brief illness. McGowan’s foray into broadcasting started in 1957, at the age of 19, as an announcer at CKX-TV in Brandon, MB after receiving a recommendation from the organist at his Outremont, Que. church whose brothers worked at the station. McGowan went on to hold positions in Quebec City and Cornwall, ON before joining CFCF-12 (now CTV) Montreal in 1962. McGowan served as a weatherman, announcer, and host of travel series, “McGowan’s World” and “Travel, Travel.” For many years, he also held the title of Executive Producer at CFCF. He retired from the station in 1998 and had been living in Brockville, ON for the last 20 years.
Kerri Wynne MacLeod, 57, on Feb. 26, following an ongoing illness. Originally from Montague, PEI, MacLeod was a local stage performer and singer, prior to joining Newcap Radio in 2001 where she was heard on CHTN-AM Charlottetown. She helped launch the Ocean 100 morning show, alongside longtime co-host Kirk MacKinnon in 2006, when CHTN launched on FM. Memorial donations can be made to the Holland College Foundation for the Olivia Ruth MacLeod Memorial Award for Music Performance. Read more here.
Gordon Pinsent, 92, on Feb. 25. Originally from Grand Falls, NL, Pinsent started acting in stage plays in his teens and taking roles in CBC Radio dramas, before doing a stint with the Canadian Army. He had returned to acting by 1957 with roles on stage in Winnipeg, Toronto and Stratford. Parts in Canadian soap opera “Scarlett Hill” and CBC/ITC series “The Forest Rangers” followed, the start of a long film and television career that would include starring roles in films like “Away From Her” (2006), “The Shipping News” (2001), and “The Grand Seduction” (2013) and recurring parts in series, including “Due South,” “Republic of Doyle,” and “The Red Green Show.” Pinsent’s work with CBC Radio One over the years included documentary series “The Late Show,” a summer replacement that aired for three years in the late 2000s, featuring obituaries of notable but not universally known Canadians. Pinsent was made an Officer of the Order of Canada in 1979 and promoted to Companion in 1998. He received the Earle Grey Award recognizing lifetime achievement in television in 1997, and a star on Canada’s Walk of Fame in 2007, in addition to numerous Genie, Gemini, and ACTRA awards.
Kent Matheson, 64, on Feb. 23, of cancer. Raised in Port Hope, ON, Matheson “jobbed out” at the beginning of his second year at Loyalist College to take a job with CKIX-FM St. John’s, NL in 1982. He went on to a 12-year run with CFQM-FM Moncton as Music Director where he received both Canadian Country Music Association (CCMA) nominations for Music Director of the Year and a nomination for East Coast Music Association (ECMA) Broadcast Personality of the Year. In 2008, he returned to Ontario to work with Moose FM (CKLP-FM) Parry Sound where he served as the station’s morning show host and for a time, program director. Matheson worked with Vista Radio for a total of 24 years, also heard on its Moose FM stations in Kapuskasing and Timmins.
TV & FILM:
Canada Media Fund (CMF) has opened its Canadian Content industry survey, announced last month, gathering the audiovisual sector’s views on how the current definition of Canadian content should evolve. Open until March 31, the insights gathered from the survey will be condensed into a “What We Heard” style report, to be published ahead of the CRTC policy review, following adoption of Bill C-11.
CBC and BET Plus co-production The Porter won’t get a second season. While CBC supported and had greenlit another season of the historical drama, which is heading into the Canadian Screen Awards with a leading 19 nominations, BET Plus decided to pass on renewal. Executive producer Jennifer Kawaja told the Toronto Star that attempts by Sphere Media to interest other American and British networks in the series, which depicts the formation of the first Black union and is primarily set in 1920s Montreal, was met with a lack of interest due to the series’ distinct Canadian point of view.
Bell Media is teaming up with entertainer, musical artist, and the first-ever winner of Canada’s Drag Race, Priyanka. The partnership includes a development deal and a first-look acquisition opportunity on international projects. Priyanka will also join ETALK as a special contributor, including bringing her interview and hosting skills to the studio and red carpet.
CTV new original drama series Sullivan’s Crossing joins the network’s midseason schedule Sundays at 7 p.m. ET/PT on CTV, CTV.ca, and the CTV app beginning March 19. From the team behind Netflix series’ Virgin River, and adapted by executive producer and showrunner Roma Roth from the bestselling novels by Robyn Carr, Sullivan’s Crossing stars Morgan Kohan (Transplant), alongside Chad Michael Murray (One Tree Hill), and Scott Patterson (Gilmore Girls). Filmed in Nova Scotia, the 10-episode one-hour drama follows the journey of neurosurgeon Maggie Sullivan (Kohan), whose life is turned upside down after finding herself in unexpected legal trouble, taking refuge in her childhood home of Sullivan’s Crossing, a campground run by her estranged father.
Crave’s March highlights include the premiere of Crave Original Series, Disobey (Desobeir: Le Choix De Chantale Daigle) on March 8. The six-part, one hour drama focuses on the infamous 1989 story of Chantale Daigle and her legal battle surrounding the right to abortion in Canada. The series follows a weekly release schedule with new episodes dropping Wednesdays. Also making its Canadian documentary premiere March 21 is And I Still Sing from award-winning Afghan-Canadian filmmaker, Fazila Amiri, featuring controversial Afghan pop star and activist Aryana Sayeed as she mentors young hopefuls for Afghan Star, Afghanistan’s hugely successful version of American Idol. With two young women on the verge of being named the show’s first-ever female winners, the Taliban take over and their dreams are suddenly under threat.
Just For Laughs Vancouver and CBC have announced a third season of original series The New Wave of Standup (14×10), beginning March 24 on CBC Gem. The third season showcases 14 Canadian comedians including Brendan D’Souza, Travis Lindsay, Rachel Schaefer, Courtney Gilmour, Bobby Warrener, Charles Haycock, Seán Devlin, Dino Archie, Heidi Brander, Jackie Pirico, Jacob Balshin, Laura Leibow, Malik Elassal, and Mike Green.
PBR (Professional Bull Riders) Canada has extended its broadcast agreement with TSN for the 2023 and 2024 seasons. For the sixth consecutive year, TSN will deliver more than 30 weeks of PBR programming, bringing viewers highlight specials from both the PBR Canada Cup Series and PBR Unleash The Beast. The 30th anniversary schedule begins March 8 with the first broadcast of the 2023 PBR Canada Cup Series, recapping the season-launch event in Red Deer, AB.
The Tim Hortons Brier gets underway on TSN beginning March 3 at 7 p.m. ET, culminating with the final March 12 at 7 p.m. ET on TSN, TSN.ca, and the TSN app. This year’s field is highlighted by 2022 Tim Hortons Brier champion Brad Gushue and Team Canada; two-time World Champion and four-time Brier champion Kevin Koe and Team Alberta; and 2021 Brier champion Brendan Bottcher’s Team Wild Card #1. TSN play-by-play commentators Vic Rauter and Bryan Mudryk are on-site at Budweiser Gardens in London to deliver the call, alongside analysts Cathy Gauthier and Russ Howard.
Prime Video has announced new Amazon Original Francophone docuseries, Pendant ce temps en cuisine. Over eight episodes, the docuseries follows the fast-paced lives of six chefs over six months, offering a behind-the-scenes look at the chaotic world of the restaurant industry. Pendant ce temps en cuisine premieres on Prime Video in Canada, starting March 10. Produced by Pixcom in association with Amazon Studios, chefs featured include Antonin Mousseau-Rivard from Le Mousso, Simon Mathys from Mastard, Alex Cohen and Raegan Steinberg from Arthurs, Maria-Josée and Zoya De Frias from Le Virunga, Kim Côté and Perle Morency from Côté Est, and Mike Lafaille from Kwizinn.
Cottage Life’s latest original series Mission Unexplained features Military Police Officers, U.S. Marines and U.S. Air Force medics, among others, talking about the unexplained events they’ve witnessed on the front lines. From mystifying lights to vanishing civilians and mechanical mysteries, the series sees military veterans recount their harrowing experiences. The world broadcast premiere of Mission Unexplained airs on Cottage Life on March 12 at 10 p.m. ET/PT during the channel’s eight-week nationwide free preview event, happening until April 30.
BritBox International has reached a milestone of three million total subscribers across the eight international markets where the streaming service is available, including the U.S., Canada, Australia, South Africa, Sweden, Denmark, Norway and Finland. Representing subscriber growth of over 15% during the past year across all of the BBC and ITV joint venture streaming service’s markets, BritBox International previously announced subscriber milestones of 1M in March 2020, 2M in July 2021, and 2.6M in March 2022, with the service having grown by 300% in under three years.
Guitar Lessons – The Movie is opening in 70 more cinemas nationwide after multiple sold out shows in more than 70 communities across the prairies. Telling the story of a 15-year-old Metis boy who inherits a guitar from a father he never knew and sets out to find someone to teach him to play it, the film stars musician Corb Lund as an oilfield contractor rumored to have been something of a rock star. Financed by the community of High Level, AB with no distributor or festival exposure, the film was shot in 18 days. Extra Butter Pictures says Guitar Lessons has done more than $100,000 of box office and growing.
Super Channel and the Canadian Film Fest (CFF) have teamed up for a fourth year to present a hybrid festival from March 28 to April 1. Canadian Film Fest Presented by Super Channel will showcase nine features, 25 shorts, and a digital series, running concurrently for audiences to enjoy in-person at Toronto’s Scotiabank Theatre and virtually on Super Channel Fuse. The festival will open with the Toronto premiere of Quebec-made comedy, Babysitter from director Monia Chokri, adapted from Canadian playwright and screenwriter Catherine Léger’s play of the same name. The Canadian premiere of Super Channel Original feature film, Wintertide from writer/director John Barnard will close the festival.
The Quebecor Fund has announced the Canadian production companies that will receive a total of $2.1 million in backing in the 45th round of the fund’s Television Production Assistance Program. Under the Support for the Creation of Intellectual Property component, $621,568 is being granted to projects from PVP Média, Attraction Images, and Yzanakio, supported by Corus Média, Bell Media and Société Radio-Canada, respectively. Under the Support for the Production of Intellectual Property for International Markets component, administered in partnership with the Canada Media Fund (CMF), a total of $1,917,000 will be divided among 10 fiction projects and one documentary produced by Encore Télévision, Les Productions ALSO, Urbania TV, ComediHa!, V10 Média, Duo Productions, Productions Pixcom, Productions Sovimage, A Média, Trio Orange, and Productions J. The selected productions will air in Canada on Corus Média, TVA Group Inc., Télé-Québec, Bell Media, Société Radio-Canada and TV5 Québec.
ONLINE & DIGITAL MEDIA:
The Media Technology Monitor (MTM) Fall 2022 Sneak Peek report includes new insights on Connected TVs, the polarization of social media, and Ad-based Video on Demand (AVOD). Findings include that more than four in five Canadians have watched some form of AVOD content in the past month, with most of the viewing coming from YouTube. Close to three-quarters of all Canadians access the internet on their TV set, with the most common ways to connect Smart TVs (51%), media streaming devices (43%), computers (22%) and game consoles (19%). Three-quarters of all Canadians have used a social network in the past month, but MTM found many are feeling platforms have become more divisive with seven in 10 sharing the belief that social media is becoming more toxic. At the same time, one in five believe they should be able to say anything they want online.
The Global TV App has officially added Magnolia Network Canada and Lifetime to its roster of featured networks offering over 500 episodes and more than 300 hours of content at launch. With more than 8 million downloads, the Global TV App is already home to Global, Food Network Canada, HGTV Canada, W Network, The HISTORY Channel, Showcase, Slice, National Geographic, and Adult Swim. To access Magnolia Network Canada and Lifetime specialty programming, users require a cable subscription to unlock streaming access and past seasons of series like Fixer Upper: Welcome Home, Magnolia Table with Joanna Gaines, Restoration Road with Clint Harp, and Restoring Galveston, in addition to new Lifetime series Married at First Sight: Couples Couch (Mar. 1) and Meet, Marry, Murder (Mar. 21).
Big Brother Canada is launching Digital Dailies – uncut content from inside the BBCAN house, offering viewers an extended peek into the houseguests’ lives that will replace the 24/7 livestream offered during previous seasons. Digital Dailies will be posted regularly throughout each week on bigbrothercanada.ca. Big Brother Canada premieres its 11th season Wednesday, March 8 at 9 p.m. ET/PT on Global and STACKTV. Hosted by Arisa Cox, who also serves as one of the show’s executive producers, this season of #BBCAN11 will air three nights a week featuring new episodes every Tuesday at 7 p.m. ET/PT (Head of Household), Wednesday at 9 p.m. ET/PT (Power of Veto) and Thursday at 7 p.m. ET/PT (Eviction).
REGULATORY, TELECOM & MEDIA:
TVO employees, unionized under the Canadian Media Guild (CMG), have voted 100% in support of a strike mandate. The collective agreement governing journalists, producers and education workers at the provincial broadcaster expired last October. CMG says its TVO members have received below-inflation wage increases for the past 10 years with salaries below the industry standard, including three years of wage freezes, at a time when the cost of living has skyrocketed, pushing several employees out of Toronto where the broadcaster is based. The salaries of members were subject to Bill 124, which was ruled unconstitutional in November and is now being appealed by the province. The union says workers are also disheartened by a move away from permanent employment toward hiring for contract positions with no benefits. Read more here.
The Canadian Association of Broadcasters (CAB) is accusing Google of using bullying tactics as the digital giant confirms it’s been testing limiting Canadian users from viewing news content ahead of the potential passage of Bill C-18, the Online News Act. Google recently revealed it has been blocking fewer than four per cent of Canadian users from viewing news content in a five-week test run, encompassing online stories from both Canadian broadcasters and newspapers. Bill C-18 proposes a regime, overseen by the CRTC, to regulate digital platforms like Google and Facebook, which would enact a new bargaining framework compelling digital intermediaries displaying content links to compensate Canadian news outlets. Bill C-18 passed in the House of Commons in mid-December and is now with the Senate for further study. Read more here.
The CRTC is directing wireless service providers to engage in “regular consultations” with disabled Canadians and file annual reports about the outcome of those discussions. The reports must be filed to the regulator starting June 1 and address, among other issues, which disability communities took part in the discussions, insights gleaned, changes the provider has put in place, the number of subscribers on accessible plans, and the make-up of plans available in the market in the course of the year, including those that were withdrawn. The order is a result of a years-old exploration into barriers to affordable and accessible telecommunications services for Canadians living with disabilities. The CRTC found that while there was a “significant increase in subscribers to accessible plans in recent years,” the 14,453 subscribers were “significantly lower than could have been expected.”
Quebecor has reported its consolidated financial results for the fourth quarter and full year for 2022. For the full year, Quebecor recorded adjusted EBITDA of $1.93 billion, down $38.7 million (2.0%), and revenues of $4.53 billion, down $22.5 million (0.5%) compared with 2021. The Telecommunications segment’s adjusted EBITDA increased by $37.2 million (2.0%) in 2022, while Videotron increased its revenues from mobile services and equipment ($113.6 million or 11.5%) and Internet access ($36.7 million or 3.1%) in 2022. Net income attributable to shareholders of $599.7 million ($2.55 per basic share) was up $21.3 million ($0.17 per basic share). In Q4 2022, Quebecor recorded revenues of $1.19 billion, up $1.1 million (0.1%) and adjusted EBITDA of $483.0 million, down $15.8 million (3.2%) compared with the same period in 2021.
CBC’s Q3 financial highlights include a revenue decrease of 3.5% year-over-year or $5M due to reduced TV advertising spend, primarily on the conventional TV side. That decline was partially offset by higher digital advertising revenue. Expenses increased slightly over the same quarter last year (+0.8% or $4M) due to inflationary pressures and higher programming spend, partially offset by lower pension expenses.
CBC News has announced the 2023 Joan Donaldson CBC News Scholarship recipients, offered to aspiring journalists from across the country. Over the course of 16 weeks, students get hands-on experience in all areas of multi-platform news, working across digital, radio and television. Named for the founding head of CBC Newsworld, many past scholars have gone on to employment as CBC journalists. This year’s recipients are: Aloysius Wong, Bogdan Lytvynenko, Charles Brockman, Nishat Chowdhury, Prapti Bamaniya, Rachel DeGasperis, Racy Rafique, Rianna Lim, Rukhsar Ali, Shlok Talati, Talia Kliot, Taylor Holmes, and Trishla Parekh.
The Canadian Association of Journalists (CAJ) has announced the finalists for its 2022 awards program. Winners will be announced at the awards gala scheduled for April 15 in Vancouver, as part of the CAJ’s National Conference.
AMI is accepting applications for the AMI Robert Pearson Memorial Scholarship until May 31. AMI partners with the National Educational Association of Disabled Students (NEADS) to administer the program and engage students with disabilities from across the country. Two $5,000 bursaries will be awarded to two deserving students with a permanent disability; one from the English community and one French.
BROADCAST TECH & ENGINEERING:
Rogers Sports & Media is beta testing new AI voice tech from broadcast solutions provider, Futuri, capable of training artificial intelligence to power a station’s on-air programming in its entirety. RadioGPT, billed as the world’s first AI-driven localized radio content solution, combines GPT-3 search and conversation tech with Futuri’s AI-driven social content system, TopicPulse, and AI voice tech to provide a radio experience that can be adapted for any market or format. TopicPulse, which Futuri first introduced in 2017, scans Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and more than 250,000 other sources for news and information, identifying which topics are trending in a local market. RadioGPT leverages TopicPulse to create a script for on-air use which AI voices then turn into audio. The tech can be modified to include multiple AI voices co-hosting the same show or be trained using the voices of existing personalities. The Futuri launch comes the same week Spotify announces AI DJ, a personalized guide that selects songs complementary to your listening history. Read more here.
