REVOLVING DOOR:
Robert Fife has announced his retirement as Ottawa Bureau Chief at The Globe and Mail. Fife, 71, will retire at the end of the month after a career that started in the parliamentary bureau of NewsRadio in 1978. He went on to work for The Canadian Press (CP), Sun Media, the National Post, and CanWest News Service, before joining CTV as Ottawa Bureau Chief in 2005, also hosting Question Period. He’s been with The Globe since 2015.
Jane Bradley is moving to Toronto to become The New York Times first Canadian investigative correspondent. Bradley has most recently served as NYT’s UK investigative correspondent. NYT International Editor Phil Pan says her hiring “signals our commitment to aggressive, fair and deeply reported coverage of Canada, home to our largest international audience.”
Celine Galipeau is leaving the helm of late night newscast, Le téléjournal, after 18 years to host a new international current affairs program. Set to debut this fall, the new show promises more context and a broader perspective on major global issues, drawing on Radio-Canada’s network of correspondents.
Renee Deighton has retired from TSC. The former Miss Toronto, who originally hails from Scarborough, officially joined the channel as a host in 2008.
Chelsea Leite is joining TSN as the network’s Toronto Tempo/WNBA beat reporter. Leite has been covering the league since 2021 and for the past three years has served as Editor-in-Chief of SB Nation’s Raptors HQ.
Creeson Agecoutay has signed off from APTN National News. Agecoutay has been with the network for the past two years. Prior to joining APTN, he was a reporter, host and VJ for CTV News for more than 15 years, with stops in Regina, Saskatoon, Ottawa and Halifax, where he served as Atlantic Bureau Chief.
Andrea Macpherson has wrapped up her time at Global BC after six years and more than 22 in broadcasting. Macpherson joined Global News Morning as a reporter in 2019. She’s also worked with CityNews and 1130 NewsRadio (CKWX-AM) in the Vancouver market.
Maeve Ellis has joined CBC/Radio-Canada as a reporter and associate producer in the Saskatchewan Bureau. Ellis has previously interned with the Investigative Journalism Foundation (IJF) and held editorial roles at University of Toronto campus newspaper, The Varsity.
Scott Pettigrew has taken on an expanded role at Acadia Broadcasting as Regional Station Manager for Ontario, including Northwestern Ontario and Thunder Bay. In addition to running the four stations in Kenora, Dryden and Fort Frances, he adds the two stations in Thunder Bay. Pettigrew has been with Acadia since 2016.
Justin Crouch has joined Golden West Broadcasting’s Air 106 FM (CFIT-FM) Airdrie as a weekday host from 6 a.m. – noon. Crouch, the former host of middays on Calgary’s X92.9 (CFEX-FM), returns to the airwaves after a two-year hiatus. He was most recently working as a Creative Writer with Pattison Media’s Red Deer stations.
Brian Platt is taking on a new role as Bloomberg’s Ottawa Bureau Chief. Platt, who has been with Bloomberg since 2021, succeeds Laura Dhillon Kane, who is moving with the network to Toronto to take on an editor’s position.
Meghan Potkins is joining The Logic as the publication’s Alberta reporter, based in Calgary. Potkins arrives from the Financial Post, where she was an energy reporter, covering the revival of Keystone XL, among other stories. Prior to that, she covered City Hall for the Calgary Herald.
Kimberlee Alexander is joining Panavision’s Vancouver office as Director of Sales and Market Development. Reporting to Johanna Gravelle, Managing Director of Panavision Canada, Alexander will focus on growing new business and building and sustaining long-term industry relationships, including supporting sponsorship and partnership opportunities within the B.C. industry. Alexander previously served as VP of Sales and Marketing for Vancouver Film Studios and Head of Sales and Marketing for Umedia VFX.
Doug French, longtime Chief Financial Officer at TELUS, is retiring from the company on June 30 after three decades. He’ll be succeeded by Gopi Chande, the CFO of TELUS Digital and TELUS Health. French will stay on as an advisor until the end of July and will remain seated as chair of the board of Terrion, TELUS’ wireless tower operator.
Gerald Saul is retiring from the Department of Film at the University of Regina. Saul has been teaching in the faculty for 27 years and served as department head from 2004-07 and again from 2017-21.
RADIO & PODCAST:
LISTEN: Radiodays North America was dominated by discussion of regulatory challenges, overcoming measurement hurdles, meaningfully reaching media buyers, and the impact of AI, among other timely topics. Listen to our audio recap of some of this year’s RDNA highlights on Broadcast Dialogue – The Podcast, featuring Pattison Media President Rod Schween and Chief Innovation Officer Andrew Snook, Trailblazers Chair Nancy Brown Dacko, Paul Riismandel and Matt Hird of Signal Hill Insights, Barry Rooke, Executive Director of the National Campus & Community Radio Association (NCRA), as well as RDNA programming consultant Ross Davies. Read more of our Radiodays North America coverage at BroadcastDialogue.com.
CBC is joining forces with fellow public broadcasters ABC and the BBC to revive award-winning, short-form audio docuseries Short Cuts as a podcast and radio series. Short Cuts – known for its personal documentaries, experimental storytelling, and highly-crafted audio – aired for 12 years, until its cancellation in January 2025 by BBC Radio 4. Returning with original host, British comedian Josie Long, and produced by original creators, Falling Tree Productions, a call for pitches is now open until July 1 from international audio producers (both emerging and established) to submit ideas for short audio documentaries. The new iteration of the series will premiere in 2027 everywhere podcasts are available, as well as CBC Listen, BBC Sounds, ABC listen, CBC Radio, BBC Radio 4 and ABC Radio. Read more here.
The National Campus and Community Radio Association (NCRA/ANREC) has announced the winners of the 2026 CRABOs (Community Radio Awards in Broadcast and Online), recognizing outstanding achievements and contributions in campus and community media. This year’s multiple award winners include UBC campus station CiTR; University of the Fraser Valley station, CIVL-FM; the University of Calgary’s CJSW; the University of Alberta’s CJSR; and Toronto’s Met Radio CJTM 1280 AM.
89.9 The Wave (CHNS-FM) Halifax is celebrating 100 years of CHNS. Nova Scotia’s first radio station, CHNS-AM, made its debut on May 12, 1926 from studios in the Carleton Hotel in downtown Halifax. Long-owned by Maritime Broadcasting System (MBS Radio), among the station’s notable alumni are Mike Duffy, Mike Cranston, Denyse Sibley, Frank Cameron, Hal Blackadar, and Orville Pulsiver.
The 20th annual 800 CHAB Family First Radiothon in Moose Jaw surpassed its fundraising goal, bringing in $368,126 over two days. CHAB personality Rob Carnie anchored the radiothon for 26 hours. Over the last 20 years, $6,251,954 has been raised for the Moose Jaw Health Foundation. Funds raised through this year’s broadcast will support the expansion of the chemotherapy department at the Dr. F. H. Wigmore Regional Hospital.
Matt Latour, morning news anchor and reporter for My Broadcasting Corporation’s 91.7 GIANT FM (CIXL-FM) and New Country 89.1 (CKYY-FM) Welland, was honoured this week with the Niagara Regional Police Service’s Media Award. The award is presented to the local media personality who delivers to the community newsworthy material from and relating to the Niagara Regional Police service in a manner that satisfies the public’s right to know, while at the same time respecting the obligations of the service.
TV & FILM:
Canadian Heritage Min. Marc Miller has announced the permanent renewal of Canada’s Creative Export Strategy, which will continue supporting Canada’s creative industries in expanding their international reach. Starting in 2026-27, the federal government will devote $95 million to the strategy over five years, as well as $19 million annually afterward, to continue offering creative firms tailored support measures designed to enhance their export potential, through direct funding, trade missions, business programming and advisory services. As part of the renewal, the application period for Creative Export Canada’s 2026–27 Export-Ready Stream, has opened to applications until June 10.
WildBrain has outlined a refined strategic focus, centred around growing the long‑term value of its intellectual property (incl. Strawberry Shortcake, Teletubbies, Inspector Gadget and Degrassi). To support the strategy, WildBrain has renamed its three strategic pillars as Franchise and Global Licensing, Content, and WildBrain Network. Among other moves, Ben Peace has rejoined WildBrain to lead the Franchise arm as Executive Vice President, Franchise. On the Licensing side, Maarten Weck, under the new title Chief Commercial Officer and Managing Director, WildBrain CPLG, continues to lead growth strategy. Stephanie Betts, under new title Chief Content Officer, will lead the Content pillar, overseeing slates across development, pre-production, animation, digital, and live action. Ricardo Curtis steps into a newly-created role as Head of Creative, Animation, expanding his oversight across animation creative for both WildBrain Studios and House of Cool.
The BANFF World Media Festival has unveiled its 2026 Rockie Awards Gala honourees. Jason Priestley (Private Eyes West Coast, Wild Cards, 90210) will receive the Canadian Award of Distinction, while Mae Martin (Wayward) will be bestowed with the Creative Voice Award. Ken Jeong (Community) is being recognized with the Sir Peter Ustinov Comedy Award. Tantoo Cardinal (Killers of the Flower Moon, Dances with Wolves) is this year’s Career Achievement Award winner. Spain has been named as the 2026 Country of Honour, recognizing its global influence on the entertainment industry.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will hold the presentation ceremony for the 53rd Student Academy Awards (SAA) at TIFF on Sept. 14. The annual competition is open to full- and part-time undergraduate and grad students who have completed an intermediate-level or final graduation film as part of their coursework. Films are judged across Alternative/Experimental, Animation, Documentary and Live Action Narrative categories. Past winners have gone on to receive 70 Oscar nominations and have won or shared 15 awards.
RESO (Racial Equity Screen Office) has launched the Canada-Asia Pacific Co-Production Mentorship Lab (CAPCOM), a six-month program designed for mid-career racialized Canadian producers. Running with support from the Canada Media Fund and Creative BC, it includes an eight-week production company placement to develop scripted content for international markets.
CBC will re-air The Tragically Hip: A National Celebration, a decade after the original airing of the band’s last show on Saturday, Aug. 22. The special will be rebroadcast and stream commercial-free on CBC TV, CBC Gem, CBC Radio and CBC Music’s YouTube channel, in conjunction with the release of live album LIVE JULY 22 – AUGUST 20, 2016, immortalizing the 10-year anniversary of the band’s final tour.
Rogers Sports & Media has greenlit Deadliest Catch: Northern Edge, a new Canadian iteration of the Deadliest Catch brand from Warner Brothers Discovery. The series is slated to premiere winter 2027 on Discovery in Canada. Produced by Attraction and Fremantle’s Original Productions, in association with Discovery U.S, Deadliest Catch: Northern Edge consists of eight 60-minute episodes, with production currently underway in Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, and the North Atlantic. Deadliest Catch ranked as the Discovery Canada’s #1 series in 2025, reaching more than 1.6 million Canadians.
Crave Original series, The Tom Green Farm, sees the Canadian comedian, actor, and filmmaker invite guests to his 150-acre farm in rural Ontario, including actors Dan Aykroyd, Jay Baruchel, and Michael Cera; hockey analyst and former NHL player Paul “Biz Nasty” Bissonnette; country singer-songwriter Jason Blaine; music producer/DJ DeadMau5; former MuchMusic VJ Erica Ehm; and skateboard legends Tony Hawk and Kevin Staab. The 10-episode, hour-long unscripted series launches May 29, with the first two episodes followed by two all-new episodes released every Friday.
CTV Original docuseries Queen of the Castle drops its second season on Crave, Friday, May 29, also airing Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET/PT on CTV Life Channel beginning June 3. The 10-episode, hour-long lifestyle series follows Ann Kaplan Mulholland, who returns to rule her ever-expanding and ambitious plan of transforming a historic medieval castle in Kent, England, into a world-class, luxury destination.
Hearse Chasing, the TELUS original documentary from award-winning director Teresa Alfeld (Doug and the Slugs and Me) has premiered on TELUS Optik TV Video on Demand channel 8 and TELUS Stream+. Simultaneously, the film debuted on the TELUS originals YouTube channel, available until May 31 in honour of Mental Health Awareness Month. Hearse Chasing follows Cassidy Waring, a Vancouver-based singer-songwriter, as she returns to her hometown of Calgary with her brother Cooper to better understand their mother’s death.
Nelvana has announced a slate of new global licensing partnerships across its portfolio of legacy brands, including a Babar-inspired apparel collection with Undiz in France; and Retrokid adult apparel collections featuring Max & Ruby, Pippi Longstocking, Maurice Sendak’s Little Bear and Franklin the Turtle. The Corus Entertainment-owned studio says as demand for nostalgia-driven products continues to rise, it remains focused “on unlocking new commercial opportunities for its library while maintaining the integrity and storytelling legacy of its brands.”
ONLINE & DIGITAL MEDIA:
Bell Media has announced it’s planning to make its extensive media archive available on YouTube, with the help of AI. Spanning an estimated 300,000 to 400,000 physical tapes that date back to the early 1960s, Bell Media says it’s undertaking “a large-scale digitization effort” that will see more than 100,000 tapes converted by the end of this year. The network credits Google’s Gemini AI models with helping generate metadata allowing it to instantly search and categorize thousands of hours of footage. Read more here.
SPIN Magazine is expanding to Canada with a dedicated editorial presence focused on local artists, culture, and live music experiences. NEXT Magazine publisher and NXNE founder Michael Hollett has been named editor-in-chief. SPIN Canada will launch June 10-14 with the debut of the SPIN Canada Stage at NXNE during FIFA World Cup programming week. While SPIN’s U.S. edition is already available in Canada, SPIN Canada promises to deliver original reporting, artist features, and cultural pieces tailored specifically for Canadian readers, while also serving as a foundation for future live events.
The Canadian Journalism Foundation (CJF) has commissioned a new national survey that finds while independent, online news creators are making an impact, they are largely being layered into existing habits, rather than replacing traditional journalism. Fielded in early April by Canada Pulse Insights with a representative sample of 1,549 Canadian adults, the study shows that nearly one in three (31%) now consume news from at least one independent news creator – including video, blogs, newsletters and podcasts – however, most continue to rely heavily on TV, radio, newspaper brands and mainstream digital news sources. Read more here.
REGULATORY, TELECOM & MEDIA:
BCE Q1 2026 operating revenues were $6,168 million, up 4% compared to Q1 2025. Bell Media operating revenue increased 0.4% year-over-year to $778 million, driven largely by higher subscriber revenue (up 11.8%), partially offset by lower ad revenue, down 12.8% year-over-year, reflecting continued softness in non-sports traditional advertising demand, economic uncertainty, and lower audio ad revenue following last year’s divestiture of 45 radio stations, as well as the non-recurrence of 2025 Federal Election advertising, and a shift in ad spending during the 2026 Olympic Winter Games. That was offset by higher digital video ad revenue (up 8%). Total Crave subscriptions increased 25% year-over-year to 4.74 million at the end of Q1, the most-watched quarter in the streamer’s history.
The Canadian Digital Regulators Forum (CDRF) is bringing together stakeholders to discuss regulatory perspectives on AI. A partnership between the CRTC, the Competition Bureau, the Office of the Privacy Commissioner and the Copyright Board of Canada, the CDRF is facilitating a discussion with stakeholders on competition, privacy and copyright law, and telecommunications and broadcasting regulation. The workshop will take place May 21. Registration is open.
The Canadian Journalism Foundation (CJF), in partnership with CBC News, has announced Gregory Conway as the recipient of the 2026 CJF-CBC Indigenous Journalism Fellowship. Conway is a writer and editor from Curve Lake First Nation who lives and works in Peterborough, and is the founding editor of Lønningspils, a Canadian publication focused on Nordic literature in translation. During the fellowship, which runs from September through December, he’ll work with CBC journalists and editors, gaining experience in pitching, reporting, fact-checking and producing stories for a national audience.
The Canadian Journalism Foundation (CJF) has announced the recipients of the 2026-27 CJF Black Journalism Fellowships in partnership with CBC/Radio-Canada, CTV News, The Globe and Mail, and the Investigative Journalism Bureau (IJB). They are: Nathan Abraha, a Toronto-based journalist covering culture, arts and politics; Zachary Gaouad, a Canadian, Mauritanian and French writer and journalist with an interest in digital and literary culture; Myron Mayne, a journalist with experience in digital storytelling and content production; Danielle Reid, a freelance journalist, researcher and editor; and Joy SpearChief Morris, an Indigenous Black Canadian journalist and former Canadian national team hurdler. The five fellows will receive mentoring and training in skills like video and audio editing, writing, research and investigative reporting.
Pattison Media has announced this year’s Pattison Media Equity Scholarships, valued at $2,500 each, awarded to deserving students enrolled in journalism studies at institutions in Western Canada. This year’s recipients are: Adeline Aris, SAIT, Journalism; Chelsea Asuzu, Mount Royal Polytech, Journalism; Toni De Guzman, Red River Polytech, Communications & Journalism; and Bailey Pilgrim-Paje, BCIT, Broadcast & Online Journalism.
BROADCAST TECH & ENGINEERING:
Flightpath has announced the upcoming launch of Revenue Optimizer, a managed traffic service designed to help publishers maximize revenue, improve campaign delivery, and create greater operational flexibility across podcast and digital audio inventory. Set to be unveiled next week during The Podcast Show in London, the Hamilton-headquartered company says the solution leverages Flightpath’s forecasting engine and Flight Simulator capabilities to identify and execute the best optimization path across interconnected campaigns and platforms.
SMPTE Toronto Boot Camp on Thursday, May 21 has finalized its schedule. This year’s theme is Game Changers: The Future of Sports Live Production and Fan Experience – a deep dive into the technologies, workflows, and creative strategies redefining how audiences connect with sport.
WABE (Western Association of Broadcast Engineers) has opened vendor registration for its 2026 Media and Entertainment Technology Conference. It’s set to be held in Vancouver, Oct. 5-7, at the Pinnacle Hotel Harbourfront.
