REVOLVING DOOR:
Corus Entertainment has announced that Heather Shaw will retire from her position as Executive Chair on May 31. She’ll remain on the company’s Board of Directors as a non-executive chair. Shaw has served as Executive Chair since the company’s inception in September 1999. Read more here.
Imaan Sheikh has taken on the role of Managing Editor at Daily Hive. Sheikh first joined the publication in 2021 as Toronto City Editor and more recently had been helming the publication’s first National & Trending Desk
Shirley Vercruysse is retiring from the National Film Board of Canada (NFB) after 11 years as Executive Producer of the NFB’s Western Documentary Unit. A Vancouver-based producer, Vercruysse will remain with NFB to complete her ongoing projects, before retiring at the end of September. She first joined NFB in 2014, taking over for Tracey Friesen as Executive Producer of what was then known as the BC & Yukon Studio.
Kevin Johnson, CEO, GroupM Canada and President of WPP in Canada, and Nora Felder, Emmy-winning and Grammy-nominated Music Supervisor, have joined the Banff World Media Festival (BANFF) Board of Directors. Johnson oversees the teams that lead advertising, media investment, creative and marketing strategy at GroupM and WPP in Canada. Felder has worked with artists like Paul Simon, Sinead O’Connor, Malcolm McLaren, Cyndi Lauper, Joan Jett and Iggy Pop and has led music supervision on Stranger Things, What We Do In the Shadows, Better Things, Ray Donovan, Californication and Yellowjackets.
RADIO + PODCAST:
The CRTC has approved an application from UFV Campus and Community Radio Society, which operates campus and community station, CIVL-FM Abbotsford, to operate a new FM transmitter in Chilliwack to rebroadcast CIVL-FM’s programming. The new transmitter would operate at 92.3 MHz (channel 222A) with an average effective radiated power (ERP) of 1,800 watts.
JAZZ.FM91 (CJRT-FM) Toronto will celebrate International Jazz Day on Wednesday, April 30, starting at 11 a.m. ET, with a showcase of the best in local and international jazz. The festivities kick off with Heather Bambrick and Raina Hersh, who will host in-studio performances featuring Canadian jazz luminaries like Molly Johnson, Robi Botos, Jane Bunett, and Michael Occhipinti. Brad Barker takes over on afternoon drive, welcoming artists from across Canada with interviews and more live performances. Dinner Jazz, hosted by John Devenish, will close out the day, honouring jazz as a global force for unity, creativity, and cultural exchange.
Flightpath, the Ontario-headquartered predictive analytics and inventory intelligence platform for the audio industry, has announced a partnership with the PodcastOne network. It will see Flightpath support PodcastOne’s growth strategy by delivering real-time inventory forecasting, unified revenue insights, and data transparency across all sales channels. The partnership builds on PodcastOne’s recent adoption of Amazon’s Art19 for hosting and dynamic ad insertion, enabling the network to expand monetization opportunities while streamlining operations.
LISTEN: We last spoke with Vista Radio President Bryan Edwards in February 2024 as the company announced it was set to acquire 21 stations from Bell Media in B.C. as part of BCE’s divestiture of 45 radio stations. More than one year later, Vista is now operating those stations, officially becoming the second largest radio group in the country. We welcome Edwards back to the podcast to talk about the ownership transition and major rebrand effort, as well as his continued optimism about radio’s viability.
LISTEN: Jordan Blair first fell in love with the storytelling in podcasts. Then she started a bedtime story podcast called Dreamful, initially for her children, which unexpectedly evolved to attract a diverse audience of adults seeking relaxing content. She’s now a full-time podcast producer at Buzzsprout. She joins the Sound Off Podcast to talk about monetization strategies like listener support, affiliate marketing, and sponsorships, tech toys like Rodecaster Duo, and more.
SIGN OFFS:
Orville Pulsifer, on April 14. Pulsifer was the Program Manager at Halifax’s 960 CHNS in the early 1960s, working alongside General Manager Fred Arenburg, when it made the change from MOR (Middle of the Road) to a News Talk / Rock format. The station rocketed to #1 and stayed there for more than a decade. Pulsifer first joined the station part-time in 1956 as a news reader. He was promoted to News Director in 1959 and then Program Manager in 1961. He was appointed to the station’s board of directors the following year.
Harry Maunu, 73, on April 8. Maunu started his broadcasting career in Kelowna, before joining CHEK-TV Victoria as an investigative reporter. The BCIT graduate was one of the first journalists to cover the War in the Woods as protesters were arrested for trying to stop clear-cut logging in Clayoquot Sound in the ‘80s and ‘90s. He was also one of the first to report on residential school abuse, and the disappearance of four-year-old Michael Dunahee in 1991. Watch CHEK’s tribute here.
Carrie Hunter, 83, on April 5. Hunter led the Banff Television Festival (now known as the Banff World Media Festival) for 17 years as its Executive Director, growing the festival into one of the premiere television and media gatherings. She began working with the festival from its launch in 1979. Prior to joining the venture, Hunter was a features writer at the Calgary Herald. Following her time with the festival, she moved to the West Coast where she became a minister, working at the White Rock Centre for Spiritual Living in Surrey and founding the Agape Centre for Spiritual Living in Vancouver. She most recently had been serving as a senior minister at the Centre for Spiritual Living in Victoria. The Banff World Media Festival will honour Hunter with the inaugural Carrie Hunter Emerging Talent Prize at this year’s event.
Dianne Newman, 69, on April 1. Best known for her 19-year run with Vancouver’s News 1130 (CKWX-AM), from 1992 to 2011, Newman started her broadcasting career at Mountain FM (CISQ-FM / CISW-FM) in Squamish and Whistler. She then joined 1040 KICKS (CKXY-AM) Vancouver from 1989 to 1992, before landing at News 1130. In addition to her broadcasting career, Newman entertained frequently at Legion 142 in Kitsilano, performing with her brand Groove Therapy. Since parting ways with Rogers Sports & Media in 2011, where she was last heard in the morning co-anchor chair, she had been a narrator with Descriptive Video Works in Vancouver, providing audio descriptions of filmed content for the visually impaired. Read more here.
John B. Murphy, 82, on March 4. Murphy worked in radio for over 50 years, 30 of those as General Manager of VOCM St. John’s, NL from the 1970s until 2010. Murphy, who started his broadcasting career at CKCM Grand Falls in 1963, also served as chair of the VOCM Cares Foundation, The Boys and Girls Club, The Canadian Liaison Council, and the Lion’s Club where he was awarded the Melvin Jones Fellow for dedication and humanitarian service. He was also key in building the Admiralty House Communications Museum in Mount Pearl. He was inducted into the Newfoundland Amateur Hockey Association Hall of Fame in 2009, after years in the play-by-play booth calling senior hockey games across the province and the Allan Cup at the national level. Murphy retired from VOCM in 2013. Upon his passing, Newfoundland & Labrador Premier Andrew Furey presented the family with a provincial flag—one that flew at half-mast on the day of Murphy’s passing.
TV + FILM:
CBC says historic audiences tuned in across its platforms for the French- and English-language Canadian federal leaders’ debates last week. According to audience data supplied by the public broadcaster, 1.26 million Canadians tuned in to the French-language leaders’ debate last Wednesday on CBC News Network, more than double the number that tuned in for the same debate in September 2021. Streams of the French debate on cbcnews.ca also increased by 476% over 2021, while live views on CBC News’ YouTube up 80%. For the English-language debate on Thursday, over 2.6 million Canadians tuned in to CBC and CBC News Network, which drew a combined 2+ average minute audience of 1.24 million, an increase of 29% compared to the 2021 debate broadcast. Read more here.
Rogers is offering hockey fans the ability to watch two games at once on the same screen, starting with select Stanley Cup Playoff games. The cable provider has started a preview of Rogers Xfinity Multiview beginning this week. Customers can access the feature by saying “Multiview” into their voice remote to watch side-by-side coverage, with the ability to switch audio and add captions. Read more here.
Bell Media has announced a development agreement for compelling new drama series, Prejudice, from creator and showrunner Celeste Parr (PLAN B), with Canadian actress Emily VanCamp (Revenge, Captain America: Civil War) attached to star. Produced by Neshama Entertainment, with Pixcom and Keshet International also serving as Executive Producers, Prejudice follows rising litigator Liesl Wellington (VanCamp) as her life and career are thrown into upheaval when her past as a sex worker is publicly exposed. A series order for Prejudice would mark the first show produced under Bell Media’s previously announced content licensing and distribution agreement with Fox Entertainment Global.
Prime Video has released the trailer for upcoming Amazon Original documentary, The Sexiest Man in Winnipeg, telling the true story of former Winnipeg sportscaster Steve Vogelsang, who went from local celebrity to convicted bank robber. Set to premiere on Prime Video in Canada on May 9, Canadian Will Arnett’s Electric Avenue is attached to produce, alongside Vespucci. Arnett also serves as narrator. Read more here.
MuchMusic iconic concert series Intimate & Interactive returns with an all-new special featuring country superstar Keith Urban, as he joins VJs Teddy Tong and Georgia Kolev for a deep-dive into the stories and inspiration behind his music, along with performances from Urban’s recent album HIGH. The special premieres Friday, April 25 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on CTV, and is available for streaming on Crave the following day. It will also be available across MuchMusic’s digital, content, and social channels, including TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and X. The special was shot in front of a live studio audience at Universal Music Canada’s headquarters in Toronto.
JUGAAD Sisters Inc. has announced that four-part docuseries Not Your Butter Chicken directed by Priyanka Desai (House Special) will be available to stream on CBC Gem starting May 1 as part of the Asian Heritage Month collection. The series celebrates the recipes, untold stories and life lessons of South Asians in Canada through the eyes of Vancouver culinary mind, Shiva Reddy. Over the course of four episodes, Not Your Butter Chicken takes viewers from Vancouver to Kamloops and Kelowna, BC, and Lethbridge and Fort McMurray, AB, while Reddy explores her culture with other South Asians to fill in the gaps that come with being a second-generation Canadian.
APTN has previewed its spring lineup, including three new series: Northwoods Survival, premiering on APTN and APTN lumi on May 25; Red River Gold. a modern-day treasure hunt for a trove of gold joins that disappeared during the Red River Resistance in 1870 (premiering on APTN lumi April 28, APTN May 5); and @Home, in which Tamara Bell uses her interior design prowess to help Indigenous peoples connect with their cultural and artistic traditions, also premiering May 5.
FuboTV has announced it has exclusive rights to broadcast English Premier League soccer games after signing a three-year deal starting in the 2025/26 season. The deal, an extension of an existing rights contract that started in 2022/23, will mean the sports-first streaming service will broadcast all 380 matches. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Asian Television Network (ATN) has acquired exclusive Canadian rights from ZEE to launch Zee Punjabi, Alpha Punjabi and &TV. ATN Zee Punjabi is dedicated to celebrating the cultural heritage of Punjab through drama series, movies, reality shows, and lifestyle content. ATN Alpha Punjabi showcases a diverse range of programming, including Punjabi cinema, music, cultural shows, and spiritual content. ATN &TV is a general entertainment channel offering a diverse mix of content, including fiction, non-fiction, and reality programming, like sitcom Bhabi Ji Ghar Par Hai and drama Santoshi Maa. All three ZEE channels will be available through cable, satellite and licensed IPTV providers across Canada.
REGULATORY, MEDIA + TELECOM:
Rogers Communications Inc. has announced its Q1 financial and operating results for the three months ended March 31, boasting a 24% bump in media revenue. Total revenue and total service revenue each increased by 2% this quarter, driven by service revenue growth in the company’s Wireless and Media businesses. Media revenue increased by 24% to $596 million, mainly as a result of higher sports-related revenue, including at the Toronto Blue Jays, and higher subscriber and advertising revenue related to the launch of Warner Bros. Discovery’s suite of channels and content. Read more here.
Unifor members at Bell and its subsidiaries are organizing to protest multi-million dollar executive bonuses at the company’s upcoming AGM on May 8. “Bell can expect our union to be vocal when the executives continue to cut good jobs while rewarding themselves with fat bonuses,” said Unifor National President Lana Payne, in a release this week. “We are asking shareholders to examine the facts: more layoffs, a stunning drop in profits, and lucrative executive bonuses and we are asking they push back and demand better from the company’s C-suite and board of directors.” The meeting agenda includes the election of board members, three shareholder proposals, and an advisory vote on executive compensation.
Western Association of Broadcasters (WAB) has unveiled its full speakers lineup for its 89th conference, ranging from addressing the rapid pace of change in broadcasting to new revenue models and emerging tech solutions. Set to take place May 28-29 at Banff Fairmont Springs, this year’s keynote will be delivered by Kimberly Knull, an Edmonton-based psychologist and host of The Overwhelm Cure Podcast, who’ll speak to resiliency in leadership amongst broadcasters. Other conference highlights include former BC Lions captain and radio host Angus Reid, unveiling a playbook for building an elite team culture; Ashish Agrawal, founder and CEO of Eon Media Corp, on utilizing AI to enhance and monetize media archives; and Frequence sales leader Michael Smith on building successful digital teams at traditional media companies. Read more here.
SAVE THE DATE: The 2025 OAB Conference will be co-located with the CCBE Conference, Oct. 27-28 at Delta Hotels Toronto Airport & Conference Centre. The collaboration brings together the Ontario Association of Broadcasters, representing independent broadcasters across the province, and the Central Canada Broadcast Engineers, Technologists and Technicians conference, which offers education on broadcast technology. The OAB Conference will maintain its two-stream format, with leadership sessions tailored for owners, management, and programming staff, as well as a sales program for sales managers and executives.
