REVOLVING DOOR:
Stefan Keyes is CTV Ottawa’s new weekday anchor for CTV News at Five and CTV News at 11:30. Keyes’ appointment was announced during Tuesday night’s newscast by departing anchor Matt Skube, who is moving on from the station after 11 years. Born and raised in Ottawa, Keyes has most recently been co-hosting the local edition of CTV Morning Live, alongside Rosey Edeh and Melissa Lamb. Read more here.
Evan Solomon has been elected as the Liberal Member of Parliament in Toronto Centre, capturing more than 64% of the vote. The former iHeartRadio talk network, CTV and CBC host, has been the publisher of global affairs news site GZERO Media since 2022 and based in New York City.
Anthony Germain has been elected in the Newfoundland and Labrador riding of Terra Nova – The Peninsulas. The retired CBC journalist and foreign correspondent defeated Conservative candidate Jonathan Rowe by just 12 votes – the closest outcome of any race in the country.
MILESTONE: Chantal Hébert is celebrating 50 years of contributing to CBC/Radio-Canada. Hébert, 71, first joined the public broadcaster in April 1975. She continues to appear frequently on The National and as a member of the At Issue political panel hosted by Rosemary Barton, in addition to contributing to other French and English-language current affairs programming.
Jill Macyshon has joined First Nations not-for-profit political advocacy organization, Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak (MKO), as a Communications Officer. The former CTV News national news correspondent, who was most recently in the role of Winnipeg Bureau Chief, had been with CTV for 25 years, up until February 2024 when she was caught up in a round of layoffs at Bell Media.
Jonathan Roiter will join Spin Master as Executive Vice President & Chief Financial Officer. Roiter’s appointment follows the previously announced retirement of Mark Segal. Roiter joins the children’s entertainment company having most recently served as CFO for software and cloud-focused IT solutions provider, Softchoice.
RADIO + PODCAST:
Radiodays North America gets underway in Toronto next week. The third iteration of Radiodays North America, happening May 6-9 at the lakefront Hotel X, promises to cover a range of issues the radio and podcast sector is grappling with – from what the Top 40 format looks like in 2025 to sessions on audience measurement, the value and future of local news, and digital advertising opportunities. Read more here.
LISTEN: Departure Festival + Conference gets set to launch its debut edition May 6 – 11, in Toronto, a “reimagined” Canadian Music Week at the intersection of music, comedy, arts and tech. Randy Lennox, the co-founder and CEO of Loft Entertainment, joins Broadcast Dialogue – The Podcast on the eve of the inaugural event to talk about their new venture with Oak View Group, and building on the CMW legacy, as Departure sets out to super-serve Canada’s creative community.
View this post on Instagram
Canadian Music Week (CMW) founder Neill Dixon posted late Wednesday that his legal dispute with Departure Festival over the particulars of the CMW sale agreement to Loft Entertainment and Oak View Group has been resolved. Dixon wrote that he will be on hand to accept his Lifetime Achievement Award during the festival’s Departure Honours event, saying he hopes to “put all of this behind us now and focus on the music and artists that we are all so passionate about.”
BBC Studios has announced a deal with The Podcast Exchange (TPX) that will see TPX serve as the exclusive third-party advertising reseller for BBC podcasts in Canada. BBC’s podcast offerings include Global News Podcast, World of Secrets, You’re Dead to Me, Football Daily, and History’s Secret Heroes. Read more here.
Stingray has announced a partnership with autonomous robotaxi company Zoox, which plans to welcome its first public riders in Las Vegas and San Francisco later this year. Zoox robotaxis will feature a selection of curated Stingray music channels, with riders able to tune in to custom channel, Zoox FM.
The Shadows We Cast premiered this month at #36 in Canada’s mental health podcast category. The podcast aims to build on the momentum of Canadian Mental Health Week (May 6–12), featuring an interview with Sophie Grégoire Trudeau. The Shadows We Cast explores the often unspoken experiences of those impacted by a loved one’s mental illness—beginning with host Jenn St. John’s story of growing up with a parent living with undiagnosed and untreated mental illness.
Spotify says it paid out more than $100 million to podcast publishers and podcasters worldwide in Q1. The payout encompasses both ad-based revenue and revenue generated through the Spotify Partner Program, which launched earlier this year in select markets, including Canada and the U.S. The program is designed to provide creators with more ways to monetize their content, offering audience-driven payouts from Spotify Premium video engagement and the ability to monetize via ads in Spotify Free and other podcast platforms. Spotify says it’s seeing “positive signals that this approach is resonating with creators,” with total earnings for participating creators up 23% month-over-month from January to February, and 29% month-over-month from February to March. The streamer says it has also seen a significant increase in video podcast adoption, with active monthly video podcasts up 28% since the launch.
The Pro Bono Group’s Pro Canada Project radio PSA campaign has drawn in more Canadian voices including singer/songwriter Andy Kim, Canada’s “First Lady of the Guitar” Liona Boyd and actor and comedian Shaun Majumder. The new spots continue to build on the campaign’s “Shop as if your country depends on it” message, joining previously-released PSAs from Chantal Kreviazuk, Hayley Wickenheiser, Ron MacLean, Brian Williams, Arlene Dickinson, Ron James, Rick Mercer, Colin Mochrie, Deb McGrath, Peter Mansbridge and Cynthia Dale. Read more and listen to the new spots here.
LISTEN: Valerie Geller is on the Sound Off Podcast talking about her updated edition of Beyond Powerful Radio, a guide for audio communicators navigating podcasting, social media, storytelling, and AI. Staying true to her core principles—tell the truth, never be boring, and make it matter—Geller urges content creators to focus on authenticity, listener relevance, and compelling storytelling. She and Matt Cundill dive into the “prism method,” a storytelling technique that adds depth by exploring multiple perspectives, discuss the rise of AI, and talk about what’s been lacking in broadcasting over the last decade, namely risk-taking.
SIGN OFFS:
Peter Pearson, 87, on April 2. Pearson started his career as a journalist with the Timmins Daily Press, before being hired by CBC in 1964 as a director, producer, and writer. He soon joined the National Film Board (NFB) as a documentarian, going on to earn 19 Canadian Film Awards – more than any other Canadian director. His credits include the NFB feature film “The Best Damn Fiddler from Calabogie to Kaladar,” launching the career of Margot Kidder, and “Paperback Hero,” a film about Canadian fascination with and colonisation by American culture. He also contributed as a director to the drama series “For the Record.” Pearson went on to helm the Canadian Film Development Corporation’s newly-created Broadcast Program Development Fund from 1983-85, which became Telefilm Canada and served as Telefilm’s executive director from 1985-87. He also played an integral role in building the Directors Guild of Canada, serving as DGC National President from 1973-76, and in 2014 received the DGC Don Haldane Distinguished Service Award. He was appointed an Officer of the Order of Canada in 2023.
George Jamieson, 74, on March 20. Jamieson served as a writer, producer and senior producer of daily CBC Radio current affairs program, As It Happens, for the better part of two decades during the tenure of hosts Michael Enright and Mary Lou Finlay. A 1974 graduate of the Ryerson Radio and Television Arts program, Jamieson is credited with shaping much of the sound and content direction of the long-running program from behind-the-scenes.
Violet (Vi) Schapansky Atwell, 82, on March 6. Born and raised in Rosthern, SK, Atwell graduated from Saskatoon Business College in 1960 and worked in various law offices before landing at CBC-TV Saskatoon in 1969 where she built a career that saw her ascend to the role of Sales Department Manager. Atwell retired in 1996, pursuing her passion for folk art painting and travel.
Yette Vandendam, 55, on Feb. 25, after a battle with pancreatic cancer. A graduate of Ryerson’s Radio and Television Arts program, Vandendam started her career as an Associate Director at CBC in the mid-1990s. She quickly moved into television sports, producing live to air programming and was a senior producer with the Olympic Field Unit. In 2007, she joined Olympic Broadcast Services as Head of Information ahead of the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics, one of nine Olympic Games she worked on over the course of her career. Vandendam moved into reality television in 2011, working on shows like Food Network Canada’s “Recipe to Riches,” Discovery Channel’s “Canada’s Greatest Know It All,” CTV’s “Masterchef Canada,” W Network’s “Say Yes to the Dress Canada,” CBC’s “Dragons’ Den,” and Family Feud Canada.” She’d most recently been working with Blue Ant Media as Executive Producer and Supervising Producer on the “Canada’s Drag Race” franchise, contributing to the series winning a 2024 Canadian Screen Award for Best Competition Reality, amid other wins and nominations.
TV + FILM:
CTV News says its Election 2025 federal election special led all networks Monday evening as the most-watched election night special, attracting an average audience of more than 1.8 million viewers in the 9 p.m. ET – midnight coverage window. CBC’s Canada Votes: 2025 Election Special drew 7.14 million Canadians to CBC and CBC News Network, drawing a combined 2+ average minute audience of 1.25 million, up 25% compared to the 2021 federal election special. CTV News’ digital election coverage saw a new single-day record set of 3.8 million video views across all CTV News platforms on April 28. Canadians spent 3.5 million hours on CBC’s digital platforms on election day, the highest-ever day on record for the public broadcaster. Read more here.
The Writers Guild of Canada (WGC) handed out the 29th annual WGC Screenwriting Awards on Monday night at Koerner Hall in Toronto. Among those receiving special awards was Halifax filmmaker Leah Johnston, who received the Sondra Kelly Award, open to a mid-career woman screenwriter looking to research/develop a self-initiated project. Writer-director Faisal Lutchmedial was awarded the Jim Burt Screenwriting Prize for Through the Eyes of an Ibis. The Margaret Collier Award, presented to a Canadian writer for their outstanding body of work in film or television, was given to Andrew Wreggitt, while Matt Schiller was honoured with the Showrunner Award for his work in the kids and teen space. Read more here.
Hot Docs is recognizing Oscar, Emmy and Peabody-nominated Canadian producer Cornelia Principe with the Hot Docs Don Haig Award. Principe is the producer behind Shamed, in which an online vigilante seeks out potential sexual predators and ambushes them in videotaped confrontations, exposing them to the court of public opinion. The award, celebrating its 20th anniversary, is presented to an outstanding Canadian independent producer with a feature-length film at the festival, with the recipient selected by a jury of independent filmmakers.
Canada’s Walk of Fame has announced that Montreal filmmaker and director Shawn Levy will be inducted to its ranks. Levy’s credits include Deadpool & Wolverine, Night at the Museum franchise, Stranger Things and the recently announced Star Wars: Starfighter. Levy is among nine new inductees to be honoured at the 2025 Induction Gala on June 14 at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre.
APTN, CBC and Netflix have renewed North of North for a second season. The series first premiered in Canada on APTN and CBC in January and then globally on Netflix in April. North of North was the most-watched new series on CBC Gem since the launch of the streaming platform. On APTN, it was among the top-performing new scripted shows during the winter season and the top new program on APTN lumi. Globally, it debuted at No. 9 on Netflix’s global top 10 for English-language series the week of its release, and broke into Netflix’s top 10 in 27 countries.
Counterfeit Pictures and Crave have announced the start of production on Season 2 of Crave Original comedy series, The Office Movers. Created by and starring Brampton-born content creators/brothers Jermaine “Jae” and Trevaunn “Trey” Richards, the new season is filming in and around Toronto through the end of June and will feature six new half-hour episodes. Reprising their roles are ensemble cast Heather Gallant, Lucas Lopez, Marina Nedic, Hassan Phills, Andy Agyepong-Ntra (WatswithAndy), Michael Charles, Solomom Kehinde, and Baldeep Sehmbi. Joining the cast this season are Danny Martinello, Gervail Sean Lemo, ZlamDunk, and Marlon Palmer.
Blink49 Studios has pre-empted the rights to Death on the Island, the debut novel by Eliza Reid, the former First Lady of Iceland. Writer and producer Lynne Kamm (Plan B, Transplant) and Truenorth Executive Producers Kristinn Thordarson and Leifur B. Dagfinnsson (The Valhalla Murders, The Darkness) are attached to the television adaptation. A six-part mystery thriller, the series will dive into the high-stakes world of diplomacy. Death on the Island was released in Canada by Simon & Schuster on April 29 and is set for publication in the U.S. on May 13. The project stems from Blink49 Studios’ joint venture with North American literary management company, Transatlantic.
THEMA Canada, a subsidiary of Canal+, has launched four new French-language channels on TELUS’s Télé OPTIK service. As of April 25, TELUS subscribers in Quebec have access to Saisons, StudioCanal TV, M6 International, and France 24.
OUTtv has launched on YouTube TV and YouTube Primetime Channels in the U.S. Subscribers can access the channel’s LGBTQ programming for $5.99 per month, on all devices supported by YouTube. OUTtv recently expanded into Asia, partnering with Chunghwa Telecom to launch OUTtv in Taiwan, available as a linear offering for audiences.
NFB will be at the Cannes Film Festival with animated film Hypersensitive, directed by Montreal-based filmmaker Martine Frossard. The film is part of the Official Selection – Short Film Competition at this year’s edition, May 13-24. The film recounts the turbulent, surrealistic journey of a young woman struggling to rebuild her self, in defiance of social norms that tell us to repress our emotions. The animated short Bread Will Walk (Le pain se lève) by Alex Boya, produced by the NFB, has been selected for the Directors’ Fortnight sidebar section of Cannes.
The Banff World Media Festival (BANFF) is welcoming the Directors Guild of Canada’s inaugural market accelerator delegation. The 15 participating directors are from the National Directors Division (NDD) Career Pipeline Initiative that aims to build a pathway for DGC Directors to advance their careers. Selected directors all have scripted TV series they are seeking to move forward, with a producer attached or partial financing secured.
DGC’s delegation also includes the 2025 Jean-Marc Vallée Bursary recipient, Alfonso Maiorana, who will be at the festival with The Last Trombone Player, about a young man who escapes the pressures of family and political upheaval through his love of music. Supported by the Banff World Media Festival, WBD Access Canada, and the DGC, the bursary honors the legacy of Québec filmmaker Jean-Marc Vallée by offering a Québec-based director a full BANFF Festival pass, stipend, and an opportunity to showcase their work and gain industry profile.
WFF25 Producers Lab International: The Emerald Lens is a special edition of the Whistler Film Festival’s Producers Lab for 2025. WFF invites experienced Canadian producers with feature film or doc projects to apply for a targeted business development mission to the Galway Film Fleadh from July 8-13, followed by a four-month mentorship culminating at the Whistler Film Festival + Content Summit, Dec. 3-7. The deadline to apply is May 15.
Paramount+ is coming on board as the lead sponsor for the 2026 edition of Pacific Screenwriting Program’s Scripted Series Lab, PSP’s flagship program for emerging B.C. screenwriters. Launched in 2019, it annually provides training to six emerging screenwriters with an emphasis on historically under-represented communities. Read more here.
ONLINE + DIGITAL MEDIA:
The Toronto Star won the National Newspaper Award for Project of the Year on Friday for its coverage of childhood sex abuse and the complicated legacy of Canadian literary icon Alice Munro. It was one of 25 awards handed out, culminating in Aaron Beswick of The Chronicle Herald being named Journalist of the Year. The Globe and Mail led all organizations with nine wins. The Toronto Star had six wins, including two shared with the Investigative Journalism Bureau. La Presse, Reuters and The Chronicle Herald also won multiple awards, picking up two each. Find the full list of winners here.
REGULATORY, TELECOM + MEDIA:
The Canadian Media Producers Association (CMPA), Writers Guild of Canada, and Coalition for the Diversity of Cultural Expressions are among the arts and culture groups congratulating Prime Minister Mark Carney and the federal Liberal Party on the outcome of Monday’s federal election. Canadian Association of Broadcasters (CAB) President Kevin Desjardins said his members are looking forward to engaging with the new government “immediately” to underline the ongoing and deepening impact that foreign – mostly American – media companies continue to have on domestic markets for advertising, programming and audiences. Read more here.
Music Canada has filed an application with the Federal Court of Appeal seeking leave to intervene in the ongoing appeal of the CRTC’s base contributions decision, as part of implementation of the Online Streaming Act, which imposes a 5% levy on major music streaming platforms operating in Canada. Music Canada, which represents the interests of companies that record, manufacture, produce, and distribute music in Canada, says the policy risks investment from music streaming platforms in programs and initiatives that promote Canadian music. It’s asking the court to consider music streaming services’ direct investments in Canada among qualifying contributions. Read more here.
The Canadian Journalism Foundation (CJF) has announced that Joy SpearChief-Morris is the recipient of the 2025 CJF-CBC Indigenous Journalism Fellowship, established to amplify Indigenous voices and foster better comprehension of Indigenous issues. SpearChief-Morris is an Indigenous Black Canadian journalist and former athlete from Lethbridge, who specializes in print news and long-form features. The story or series resulting from the fellowship experience will be considered for publication or broadcast by CBC News.
Rogers has begun to turn on cellular service to the remaining TTC underground tunnels, between Kipling and Islington stations, and Keele and Dundas West stations. This marks the first sections of new cellular network coverage as part of Rogers work to expand 5G and access to 911 for all riders to remaining underground tunnels. Together with the TTC, Rogers is expanding the network in phases to connect the remaining 36 kilometres of unconnected tunnels, with the aim of connecting 80% of the tunnels by the end of the year.
BROADCAST TECH + ENGINEERING:
LiveU, which specializes in live IP-video contribution, production and distribution solutions, has announced it’s acquiring Actus Digital’s business and technology. LiveU says the move will enhance its recording, monitoring and Artificial Intelligence (AI) capabilities and accelerate its mission to help customers improve operational effectiveness and create more value from video.
WABE (Western Association of Broadcast Engineers) is hosting a meetup in Winnipeg on Monday, May 5, from 6:30 to 9 p.m. The free event will take place at Canada Brewhouse on Kenaston Boulevard, open to anyone interested in or working with media and entertainment technology, including AV, live production, film, broadcast, TV, radio, marketing, and event production. The evening will include a presentation on the crucial elements of cybersecurity, including oversight, regulatory alignment, detection and incident response, and cloud backup.
