REVOLVING DOOR:

Joe Bowen’s Final Call 💙 pic.twitter.com/q3N5vpU4A7

— Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) April 16, 2026

Joe Bowen has made his final call as the voice of the Toronto Maple Leafs. Bowen, 75, announced last summer that this season – his 45th – would be his last. Bowen began his career in his hometown covering the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) Sudbury Wolves and serving as sports director for CKSO, before going on to call games for the American Hockey League (AHL) Nova Scotia Voyageurs. He made his play-by-play debut with the Leafs in 1982, also handling play-by-play for regional Leafs TV broadcasts from 1989-95 and 1998-2014.

Michel Y. Lacroix has retired from RDS after 36 years. Lacroix has been with the network since 1989. He worked as a writer, journalist, and newsreader for the Sports 30 bulletin for a decade, going on to host curling events at all levels, in addition to Champions League and MLS soccer, junior hockey, and NHL broadcasts – providing the call for Ottawa Senators games from 2014 to present, alongside Norman Flynn. 

Jeremy Dupuis has been appointed Vice President, Growth at TVO, a newly-created position Ontario’s public broadcaster says reflects its focus on “long-term financial sustainability in a complex media entertainment.” Reporting to CEO Pary Bell, Dupuis will be the “executive steward” of TVO’s growth and self-generated revenue strategy. His background includes a three-year stint with Torstar as General Manager of Marketing 360 Canada, Star Metroland Media’s marketing platform for small business. He also spent six years with Rogers Sports & Media, holding roles including Director of Social Media & 3rd Party Platforms. Read more here.

Scott Stewardson is retiring from his role as Executive Director of Distribution & Operations for CBC/Radio-Canada on May 1, after nearly 41 years with the public broadcaster. After graduating from SAIT’s Broadcast Engineering program, he began his career at CBC Edmonton and spent the next four decades working in technology and leadership roles across the country, including Head of Operations in Vancouver, and Senior Director of Media Operations in Toronto. Stewardson has supported seven Olympic games, Hockey Night in Canada, and numerous elections, through the analog to digital evolution and later high definition to IP. 

Nat Lauzon has parted ways with Montreal’s The Beat 92.5 (CKBE-FM) after 15 years with Cogeco Media. Lauzon, the host of Feel Good Weekends, has been a fixture in the market for almost three decades. She got her start in radio at the age of 14 in her hometown of Timmins, ON. She went on to host overnights and later afternoon drive on Mix 99.9 (CKFM-FM) Toronto. Lauzon has been heard on the Montreal airwaves since 1999. Read more here.

I am no longer employed by CityNews. I am proud of my journalism at CityNews and I stand by my reporting. I will have more to say on this later but for now please stay tuned and thank you for those who have supported me.

— Tina Yazdani (@TinaYazdani) April 13, 2026

Tina Yazdani has parted ways with CityNews Toronto, amid reports some of the Queen’s Park reporter’s coverage of the Doug Ford government has been pulled from the CityNews website. Yazdani has since filed at least one story for Village Media’s The Trillium.

Greg Bowman has left CityNews Vancouver to return to his home province of Ontario as a producer with CityNews Toronto. Bowman has been with Rogers Sports & Media since 2021, starting as a reporter/anchor with 1130 NewsRadio (CKWX-AM) Vancouver.

Luc Grenier is taking on the role of General Manager at Cogeco Media in Quebec City, starting May 4, responsible for FM93 (CJMF-FM) and Rhythme FM 102.9 (CFOM-FM). Grenier has been with Cogeco since 2022, overseeing programming for Saguenay-Lac-St-Jean.

Franki Berry, News Director at Moose Media in Fort St. John, BC, is leaving to return to the UK. Berry joined the newsroom in January 2025 after working at various newspapers in Britain.

Daniel Cassell has joined the Corus Radio street team for Kitchener and Guelph. The recent Conestoga College grad was previously heard in afternoons on campus radio station, 88.3 CJIQ.

Ryan Clarke has left JAR Podcast Solutions to join Scotiabank as a Podcast Producer. Clarke had worked as a sound designer and audio engineer with JAR for the past two years, with previous stints at Pacific Content and Rogers Sports & Media’s Frequency Podcast Network. 

Tieren Hawkins has been appointed Vice President of Vertical Content at Blink49 Studios. Based in Halifax, Hawkins has created and delivered multiple vertical series for streaming platforms like ReelShort, Dramawave, and ShortMax, garnering more than 325 million views. Hawkins will lead the development of an original slate of vertical IP, while working across Blink49’s Brand Studio, traditional platforms, and emerging apps in the space. He’ll also collaborate with buyers, with multiple projects already in development with an unnamed “major” U.S. network, in addition to exploring opportunities to adapt existing IP into microdrama formats. Read more here.

MILESTONE: Chester Pangan, longtime host of Good Morning Philippines on Evanov Communications’ 92.7 CKJS Winnipeg, is being recognized for 25 years of service. Pangan joined CKJS in April 2001, playing a significant role in serving the Filipino community—now the largest visible minority group in Winnipeg and largest ethnic origin group overall. Evanov says Pangan’s anniversary marks an important milestone for CKJS, reflecting the station’s ongoing commitment to delivering programming that serves and celebrates Winnipeg’s diverse communities.

RADIO & PODCAST:

Signal Hill Insights has announced it’s undertaking Audio on the Move, billed as the first holistic study diving into how and when Canadians are listening, across digital audio, terrestrial and digital radio, streaming, satellite, podcasting and emerging platforms, including share of time spent with all forms of audio. The study’s inaugural findings are set to be released in late spring, with Pattison Media and Spotify signing on as its first subscribers. Read more here.

The Community Radio Initiative campaign is underway through the end of June aimed at raising awareness of the essential role community radio plays in amplifying local voices, culture, and music. Supported by the Community Radio Fund of Canada (CRFC) and the National Campus and Community Radio Association (NCRA), the campaign calls for consistent government support to ensure the long-term sustainability of community radio stations. Supporters are encouraged to generate an email to their Member of Parliament

SiriusXM Canada has launched Nouvelles Ondes SiriusXM, a new national initiative to discover and elevate emerging Francophone artists. The cross-Canada search will give participating artists the chance to perform at some of Québec’s leading music festivals, benefit from industry mentorship, and compete for a $25,000 grand prize. Now open to applications, three finalists will be selected by a jury of music industry professionals to advance to the next stage, participating in a professional studio session to record an original song and video. From July 9-23, the public will be invited to vote daily for their favourite artist, ahead of their performances at the Festival d’été de Québec (FEQ) in July. The grand finale will take place in September on stage at Festival de musique émergente en Abitibi-Témiscamingue (FME).

SiriusXM Canada has announced a new multi-year agreement with comedian Sebastian Maniscalco. Beginning April 20, channel 99 becomes Sebastian Maniscalco’s Comedy Radio. The channel replaces SiriusXM Raw Comedy.

CBC Podcasts has unveiled its spring/summer slate of original podcasts, headlined by new comedy podcast The Big Five, hosted by musician Donovan Woods and Tom Power of CBC’s Q. Set to debut April 20, The Big Five features debates on the “Big 5” of any given category. In each episode, Woods and Power, joined by a celebrity guest, debate topics like the Big 5 farm animals, types of hats, slang terms for “butt,” ways to cook a potato, or guys named Paul. Two new true crime series under the Uncover banner are additionally set to drop, starting with Uncover: The Expert Witness on May 11. Read more here.

The Leaders & Icons Podcast is set to premiere April 16, hosted by producer and media personality Patricia Bebia. The inaugural season will feature guests including Richard Lawson, star of Netflix series Beauty In Black; Canada Media Fund (CMF) President & CEO Valerie Creighton; former cabinet minister Jean Augustine; former Jamaican Prime Minister P. J. Patterson; global speaker, strategist and peacebuilder Dr. Siyabulela Mandela; and Nobel Peace Prize laureate and former President of Liberia Ellen Johnson Sirleaf.

Albertans in Space, a video podcast highlighting Albertans’ incredible contributions to the space sector, launched its second season this week. Available on TELUS Optik Channel 9, Stream+, and STORYHIVE’s YouTube channel, episodes are also released weekly on the Albertans In Space YouTube and podcasting platforms. Created and produced by Calgary-based storytellers Zac Trolley, Meghan Westelmajer and Sandralynn Trent, the series spotlights the engineers, artists, entrepreneurs, astronauts, educators, and students redefining what it means to be Albertan in the 21st century — and beyond Earth’s atmosphere. Season 2 guests include Calgary-born and raised astronaut Robert Thirsk and 22-year-old Edmonton entrepreneur Madison Feehan, CEO and founder of Space Copy, a company developing 3D print infrastructure on the Moon. 

Podstarter Chief Creative and Partner Rhys Waters has developed Canada’s Best Podcasts Ranked, a ranker based purely on reach, estimated monthly listeners and audience size signals. Sourced from Triton Digital, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and official social channels, the list is led by Terry O’Reilly’s Under the Influence, and CBC true crime pod Someone Knows Something.

LISTEN: TrueFans.fm founder Sam Sethi is on the latest Sound Off Podcast, discussing how True Fans grew out of the podcasting 2.0 movement into a full creator marketplace where podcasters can host audio and video, build fan communities, and earn through micro payments, subscriptions, and one-off episode payments. Sethi and Matt Cundill dig into why downloads are a broken metric and how True Fans uses streaming and six-second packets to deliver consumption analytics. He also previews what’s coming next.

SIGN OFFS:

Irwin “Ike” Erickson, 75, on April 11. Erickson studied marketing at St. Clair College, before going on to a long career spanning both advertising and radio. In addition to serving as General Sales Manager of CKSY-FM Chatham and CHYR-FM Leamington, Erickson’s agency work included working for Gilbert & Stewart and Baker Lovick in Toronto, among other stops, and serving as Marketing Director for Kawartha Credit Union in Peterborough. He went on to become a partner in Chatham-Kent businesses, Bulldog Design, and HUB Creative Group.

TV & FILM:

The National Film Board (NFB) and CBC/Radio-Canada have announced a new era of collaboration with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that will see the two public media institutions move away from project-by-project cooperation toward a more coordinated, long-term approach. The agreement establishes a framework for “sustained collaboration” across documentary production and programming, archives, new technologies, educational offerings and audience engagement, “identifying new ways of better working together in a rapidly evolving cultural landscape.” Read more here.

Netflix has officially cut the ribbon on Netflix Animation Studios (NAS) in Vancouver. The new 110,600 sq. ft. studio is a purpose-built hub for animated feature film production and development, combining state-of-the-art technology with collaborative workspaces. The studio’s more than 450 employees will soon be joined by Vancouver employees of Netflix’s in-house VFX studio, Eyeline, creating an “integrated hub” bringing animation and visual effects together. Read more here.

Crave and Accent Aigu Entertainment’s Heated Rivalry is among the 86th annual Peabody Award nominees. Nominated in the Entertainment category, winners will be announced on April 23, and celebrated May 31 at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Beverly Hills.

Canadian Cinema Editors (CCE) has announced its 2026 award nominees. The organization previously announced Annie Jean as the recipient of the 2026 Lifetime Achievement Award and Didier Kennel as the recipient of this year’s Career Achievement Award. The 16th Annual CCE Awards will be presented May 22 at the Delta Hotel in Toronto, hosted by Richard Crouse.

Telefilm is investing over $24 million to fund 11 feature-length films in the English market as part of the first round of decisions under the Production Program’s big budget stream. Among the selected projects are historical dramas Forgiveness from Deepa Mehta, Half-Blood Blues (a German co-production) from Clement Virgo, and UK co-pro Nightingale from directors and screenwriters Guy Maddin, Evan Johnson and Galen Johnson. Also funded is an untitled drama from director/screenwriter Matt Johnson.

Bell Media has struck a deal with NBCUniversal Global TV Distribution that will bring Saturday Night Live (SNL), to CTV and Crave. Starting with the iconic sketch comedy show’s 52nd season this fall, SNL will air exclusively on CTV and be available to stream live and on demand next day on Crave. The Canadian broadcast rights are currently held by Corus Entertainment, with the show airing on Global TV and streaming on the STACKTV app. Read more here.

Crave’s new original series, Bon Cop Bad Cop, the television adaptation of the film franchise of the same name – which celebrates its 20th anniversary this year – premieres Thursday, May 7. Filmed across multiple locations in Québec, and with dialogue in English, French, and Mi’gmaq, Patrick Huard and Henry Czerny reprise their roles as two police officers who find themselves at the heart of an investigation in an Indigenous community, supported by a team just as unorthodox as they are. 

Farpoint Films and Super Channel, alongside the RCMP, are joining forces on RCMP Files, a new 20-episode, one-hour docuseries that goes behind the scenes of real police work across Canada. Currently in production in Winnipeg, Season 1 will premiere on Super Channel and Super Channel+ in 2027. Each episode profiles a historical case. Series consultants include Retired Commissioner, Senator Beverley Busson, and current Commissioner Mike Duhme.

CHCH-TV is set to launch an original stand-up comedy series. Comedy in 5 premieres April 20, hosted by Canadian comedian Crystal Ferrier. Michael Moses and Andrew Packer are among the show’s forthcoming guests.

The Weather Network’s Experiencing Canada is set to launch Season 2, following host Nathan Coleman across four very different regions, from the Yukon to New Brunswick, capturing the landscapes, people and small moments that define each place. The series premieres April 19, supported by travel partner, Choice Hotels. 

APTN’s spring programming season is headlined by new Cree comedy Rabbit Soup, starring Davey Gott and his mom, Melva. Also joining the schedule are Grandma Sherry’s Kitchen featuring TikTok star Grandma Sherry sharing recipes and reconnecting with her Dakota language; youth/documentary series Guerriers de demain, a look at young Indigenous army recruits in the Carcajou military training program, offered in both French and Innu; and reality series Rezervations for Two that follows singles on blind dates.

APTN has recognized Rogers with its Most Valuable Player (MVP) Award for the company’s longstanding support of Hockey Night in Canada in Cree and Inuktitut. Since 2019, Rogers has played a key role in bringing Indigenous-language hockey broadcasts to national primetime audiences. APTN CEO Monika Ille presented the award to Rogers Sports & Media President Colette Watson during the final Hockey Night in Canada in Cree broadcast of the season on April 11. The MVP Award features a custom hockey stick created by contemporary Indigenous artists Warren Kay (carver) and Patrick Hunter (painter). 

Locomotive Media and Reign Films have announced that the first bilingual French-language drama series produced in B.C. – Surf Bay, côte Ouest (10 episodes x 22 mins) – will launch nationally on TV5+ on April 24 and on Crave in 2027. Set in Tofino, the series stars Camille Felton as a pro surfer who sees her life upended when she is driven to take radical action to protect the wild nature of her hometown on Vancouver Island. 

Canadian Media Producers Association (CMPA) has released the findings of a survey indicating 83% of Canadians support the Online Streaming Act (OSA). The report, released ahead of the CMPA’s “Lights, Camera, Action” reception this week at the National Arts Centre,  found Canadians support the OSA across political lines. Looking ahead to trade negotiations with the U.S., it found Canadians believe it’s important that the federal government stand up for digital sovereignty, with 74% of Canadians concerned about foreign tech companies having significant control over the content Canadians see online, while 73% agree Canada has the right to set the rules for digital platforms operating within its borders.

TIFF: The Market and the Access Canada Summit powered by The Hollywood Reporter have announced they’re joining forces, introducing a combined pass for the industry events, happening Sept. 10-16. The two organizations say the collaboration reflects a shared commitment to strengthen Canada’s screen sector by breaking down barriers to access, creating more opportunities for meaningful connection, and increased visibility for partners and delegates.

ONLINE & DIGITAL MEDIA:

Complex Canada has resumed dedicated Canadian editorial content, with a renewed focus on homegrown culture across music, sports, fashion and entertainment. A slate of new social-first, platform-native shows are also being developed for YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram, featuring Canadian hosts and creators. Ideon Media originally launched Complex Canada in 2014, with Christopher Turner as Editor-in-Chief, who continues as Editorial Director. Imani Walker has joined the publication as Social Editor, leading Canadian social strategy, tasked with building out a dedicated social team to scale Complex Canada’s presence across platforms.

MTM Jr. has released its latest report on the YouTube Generation, providing an in-depth look at how children and teens, aged 2-17, interact with the video platform. Key findings include that YouTube remains a mainstay in the lives of young Canadians. More than four in five kids watch the platform every month, with two in five engaging with it daily. Despite the rise of competing apps, monthly viewing habits among children have remained steady since 2020. The study also found that the TV set is the most common way for kids to consume YouTube (77%). Teens show a stronger preference for smartphones, while those under 12 use tablets and TVs at a a similar rate. MTM says the “snackable” content trend is alive and well, with three in five anglophone kids watching YouTube Shorts. Regular videos under 20 minutes are most popular.

REGULATORY, TELECOM & MEDIA:

The CRTC has approved an application by CPAC (Cable Public Affairs Channel) to increase its mandatory per subscriber monthly wholesale rate. CPAC applied for the increase back in August 2024 to raise its regulated wholesale fee for basic carriage by three cents to a total of 16 cents per subscriber per month. Last November, the commission deferred the application, alongside two others from TV5 and Canal M, while it completed a broader policy review. In this week’s decision granting the increase, the CRTC noted that since the deferral, CPAC’s financial situation “has continued to deteriorate and is now critical, jeopardizing the fulfillment of its mandate and the sustainability of its public interest mission.” Read more here.

Corus Entertainment has announced its second quarter financial results, with aggressive cost-cutting and programming delays offsetting a double-digit slide in ad and subscriber revenue. While consolidated revenue fell 15% to $230 million, Corus saw its segment profit skyrocket by 72% to $30 million, a result management attributed to a “disciplined approach” to right-sizing the company’s cost structure. The decline in revenue was felt most acutely in the television segment, where advertising plummeted 21% to $102 million. CEO John Gosling pointed to the Winter Olympics as the primary disruptor, noting that the games forced a delayed start to Corus’ typical winter and spring schedules. The company’s radio segment saw profit up 33% to $2 million due to cost-containment initiatives, despite a four per cent or $18 million dip in revenue. Read more here.

Cogeco has announced its financial results for the second quarter ended Feb. 28. Revenue decreased by 5.3% to $693.6 million. On a constant currency basis, revenue decreased by 3.6% due to a decline in the American telecom segment, offset in part by revenue growth on the Canadian telecom side, which increased by 0.9%, mainly from the cumulative effect of high-speed internet service additions, offset by an overall decline in video and wireline phone service subscribers. Revenue from media activities decreased by 6.5%, with Cogeco citing continued challenges in the radio advertising market.

Mount Saint Vincent University in Halifax will present Lisa LaFlamme with an honorary degree during its spring convocation ceremony on May 14. The degree of Doctor of Humane Letters (honoris causa) honours worthy recipients who have contributed to the betterment of society and humanity in any field, but in particular, improvement of the status of women, contribution to higher education, humanitarian and social service, involvement with and fostering of culture and the arts, or leadership in a field of endeavour. 

The Canadian Journalism Foundation (CJF) has unveiled the shortlist for the inaugural CJF Hinton Award for Excellence in AI Safety Reporting. Launched last fall, in partnership with the AI Safety Foundation, the $10,000 award is named for Nobel laureate Dr. Geoffrey Hinton. The three finalists are: Nam Kiwanuka and the team at TVO’s The Thread (Chantale Dahmer, Ali Zaidi and Diego A. Garcia) for How AI is turning your image into an explicit deepfake; Craig Silverman, co-founder of Indicator, alongside co-founder Alexios Mantzarlis, and co-authors Santiago Lakatos and Benjamin Shultz for three articles on AI nudifiers that turn a single photo into a realistic pornographic image or video; and Rory White of Canada’s National Observer, for his three-part series, uncovering a group that used AI to create persuasive climate disinformation targeting local politicians across Canada. 

BROADCAST TECH & ENGINEERING:

NAB Show, happening April 18–22 at Las Vegas Convention Center, will bring together more than 1,100 exhibitors with platforms and decision-makers in media and content, with a focus on AI’s impact on media and entertainment, the creator economy, and live sports. This year’s show floor will feature nearly double the number of AI exhibitors as last year. Among other changes, NAB Show has expanded its Sports Summit to four days this year, and expanded its Creator Lab, anticipating more than double the number of registered creators, influencers and podcasters, compared to 2025. Read more here.

Nautel has expanded its NX Series of AM transmitters with two new digital/analog low‑power models: the NX1 (1 kW) and NX2.5 (2.5 kW), bringing its most advanced AM modulation and digital transmission capabilities to lower power levels for the first time. The NX1 and NX2.5 are built on the same NX Series architecture used in more than 40 MW of high‑power AM deployments worldwide. The new products are enabled by a new 250 W RF power module specifically developed to deliver NX‑class performance in low‑power configurations. NX1 and NX2.5 are the industry’s first low‑power AM transmitters specifically designed to support digital transmission. Both models support HD Radio, including MA3 (all‑digital) operation, as well as all current DRM modes. The transmitters will be available this fall and shown at Nautel’s NAB Booth C2546.   

Appear and Corus Entertainment have announced a major modernization of Corus’ news contribution architecture, using an IP-based approach that relies on SRT (Secure Reliable Transport) as the primary transport protocol across the network’s affiliates, news bureaus and operational hubs. Oslo-headquartered Appear says the transition reflects the changing realities of broadcast environments in North America, including more live output, locations, and greater pressure to operate efficiently while maintaining the reliability required for news production. Corus is using Appear’s X Platform to consolidate key functions into a more streamlined workflow. The deployment also includes an orchestration layer built around Skyline Dataminer, with Toronto-based partner Rocket delivering custom UI and application-layer tools for scheduling and operator control. 

CBC is the newest Associate Member of the Digital Preservation Coalition (DPC). CBC joins DPC’s growing international community of organizations committed to securing long-term access to digital content and advancing good practice in digital preservation. The charitable foundation supports digital preservation, helping its members to deliver resilient long-term access to digital content and services through community engagement, targeted advocacy work, training and workforce development, capacity building, good practice and standards, and through good management and governance.