REVOLVING DOOR:
Vanessa Case has been named Vice President, Media, at TVO, overseeing the Ontario public broadcaster’s programming and editorial strategy. Reporting to CEO Pary Bell and serving as a member of TVO’s Executive Leadership Team, Case will be accountable for the direction, performance, and stewardship of TVO’s content portfolio across broadcast and digital. Case most recently served as Vice-President of Content Strategy for Paramount+ and Pluto TV Canada, up until getting caught up in layoffs at Paramount Skydance last November. Read more here.
Chris Glover is the new host of the public broadcaster’s Toronto morning radio show, Metro Morning. Glover’s 17-year career with CBC started in the Halifax newsroom, before joining CBC Winnipeg as a legislative correspondent. He’s also spent time deployed to CBC’s Washington, D.C. bureau, most recently hosting and reporting from Toronto, including a stint on Marketplace. Glover succeeds David Common, who had hosted the program since 2023, before being named to the helm of CBC Morning Live on CBC News Network. Read more here.
Sarah Offin has left Global Calgary after 15 years to join multinational law firm, Dentons, as Senior Manager, Profile & Client Development. Offin had been with the station since 2011, rising to the position of Supervising Reporter and Senior Digital Journalist.
Creeson Agecoutay has joined the CBC News Indigenous Team as a Senior Reporter, based in Calgary. As previously reported, Agecoutay leaves APTN where he’d been anchoring APTN National News for the last two years.
Chris Wiggins has joined CTV Vancouver as a weather anchor and reporter. Wiggins is an experienced in-game host for BC Lions football, Abbotsford Canucks hockey, and Vancouver Bandits basketball. He’s also served as a sideline reporter for the Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) for the past two years.
Katrina Squazzin has left Sportsnet to pursue an opportunity outside of journalism. Squazzin had been a host, reporter and associate producer with the network since 2023. She’d been working in media since 2014, including stops at TSN, CHCH-TV Hamilton and Global News Peterborough.
Tasha Loewen has been named General Sales Manager for the Okanagan Division at Pattison Media. Lowen joined Pattison in 2021 as an Account Executive in Vernon after relocating from Calgary. She was promoted to 2023 to Retail Sales Supervisor in Vernon. Prior to Pattison, she held account and marketing roles with Stingray, Newcap, and Astral Media in Calgary.
Greg Murphy is retiring from Rogers Sports & Media after 19 years. Murphy has most recently held the title of Sales Manager, Atlantic Canada.
Douglas Hass is leaving Rogers Sports & Media after 15 years. Hass joined Rogers Radio in 2011 as a Creative Writer, based in Edmonton. Since 2018, he’d held the title of Creative Manager – Radio & Television (Midwest).
David Boorne is retiring from Rogers Sports & Media after more than 30 years. Boorne has been an Operations Manager with the company, based in Toronto, since 1995.
After 20 years at 680 NewsRadio, the head of our traffic department Halina Balka is retiring and today was her final day. Halina, thanks for everything you’ve done and thanks for being such an amazing human being.https://t.co/T0DKeyAiNM
— Alex Seixeiro (@AlexSeixeiro) May 15, 2026
Halina Bulka has retired after 20 years at 680 NewsRadio (CFTR-AM) Toronto. Bulka headed the station’s traffic department, delivering her final report on May 15.
Ed Seneshen has retired after 21 years in the television control room at the Saskatchewan Legislature and 50 years in the broadcast industry. Seneshen was previously a Senior Television Technician at CBC-TV for 25 years, prior to joining the Saskatchewan Legislative Network as a Senior Broadcast Technologist in 2005.
Jason Rockman is joining The Beat 92.5 (CKBT-FM) Montreal in a surprise time slot, starting this summer. Rockman, who was the host of Amped with The Rockman on CHOM 97.7 for 14 years, is also the host The Rockman Power Hour podcast with co-host Ryan Stick. He’s also infamously worked with Énergie’s Sébastien Trudel to prank Donald Trump, among other celebrities.
John Matisz is among those caught up in layoffs at theScore. Matisz had been a senior NHL writer for the past eight years. Prior to that, he served as National Online Sports Editor at Postmedia Network.
Prarthana Pathak has joined The Local as its first Peel Region reporter. Pathak is a 2024 Toronto Metropolitan University Masters of Journalism grad, who has most recently been a contributing writer to Broadview Magazine.
Josh Epstein is the new Executive Director of the Whistler Film Festival Society. Epstein succeeds Angela Heck, who will continue to support the organization as a transitional advisor through the 26th edition of the festival in December. Epstein brings extensive leadership experience as a producer, writer, actor, and entrepreneur as co-founder and co-CEO of Vancouver-based prodco Motion 58, alongside Kyle Rideout. A graduate of UBC’s Sauder School of Business, the festival says Epstein “combines business acumen with creative insight—an uncommon and invaluable blend in the arts and culture sector.” His appointment is effective July 1.
Lea Marin has been appointed Manager of Content at Netflix Canada. Marin departs CBC after five years where she’s held the role of Director of Development, Drama. Prior to that, she was a producer at Telefilm for 15 years.
RADIO & PODCAST:
Vista Radio is expanding its ICON Radio Classic Hits brand into Ontario with the launch of 107.9 ICON Radio (CKPP-FM) Prescott and 106.5 ICON Radio (CHBY-FM) Barry’s Bay. Both stations formerly played Classic Hits under Vista’s Moose FM brand. The rebranded stations join the original ICON Radio station (CKAY-FM), launched in Sechelt on B.C.’s Sunshine Coast in March 2024. Among the voices heard across the ICON Radio network are veteran personalities Brother Jake Edwards and Jim Jackson. Read more here.
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Pender Radio is now streaming live online. The Pender Island community station launched Saturday, broadcasting from a converted airstream trailer, powered by about 40 volunteers.
MILESTONE: Veteran broadcaster Phil Thompson marked 50 years on the Cape Breton airwaves with a special four-hour broadcast May 13 on community radio station, The Coast 89.7 (CKOA-FM) Sydney, NS. Thompson, who began his radio career in 1976 at CJCB Sydney, was joined by past co-workers from his days at CJCB and sister stations 94.9 The Cape (CKPE-FM) and Max 98.3 (CHER-FM). The Coast 89.7 held an open house in his honour, with listeners and dignitaries extending congratulations, including Cape Breton Regional Municipality Mayor Cecil Clarke, who presented Thompson with the key to the city, and Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston, who surprised him with a live phone call during the broadcast. Thompson continues to host the 9 – 11 a.m. weekday time slot on The Coast, in addition to serving as Program Director.
Curiouscast has launched Hostile History, a new podcast that takes listeners inside some of the most defining wars and rebellions, hosted by military historian and UBC professor, Dr. David Borys. From Genghis Khan and the Crusades, to the Vietnam War, and the U.S. war with Iran, Hostile History travels between past and present to help better explain the present and future. Hostile History launches with a four-part series on Iran, with the first two episodes now available.
Triton Digital has unveiled its Q1 2026 U.S. Podcast Ranker, revealing Comedy, News and Society & Culture continue to make up the top three genres, with an uptick in emerging genres like Kids & Family and Health & Fitness. Comedy continues to claim 43.6% reach (unchanged from Q4 2025), accounting for 47 shows in the top 200. Good Hang with Amy Poehler was the podcast with the single biggest quarterly surge on the ranker, moving up 26 spots to slide into the top 10. Read more here.
FEATURE: Canadaland founder and publisher Jesse Brown laid out a monetization road map for podcasters at the first-ever Podcast Day for Creators on the University of Toronto campus during Radiodays North America last week. Brown told the room that Canadaland’s “playbook” for turning 10,000 listeners into one of the most successful podcasting networks in the country is more relevant than ever as the “dumb money” and venture capital bubbles in podcasting continue to burst. His model for financial independence is built on a 10% conversion rate to turn listeners into paid subscribers. Read more here.
Radiodays North America panel, “Signal Lost: Radio’s Measurement Crisis is Now a Fight for Survival,” brought together leaders from across the broadcast, retail, and tech sectors arguing that while radio still possesses massive scale, it must adopt real-time engagement data to survive the rise of AI-driven media planning. The panel, moderated by Radio Connects President Caroline Gianias, moved beyond the traditional debate over “currency” (ratings) to focus on a more urgent need: “measurement for insight.” Read more here.
Pro Bono Group has released two new PSAs as food banks everywhere are in crisis mode. The new spots include a general one for use nationally and an Ontario-specific PSA in support of Feed Ontario. Pro Bono Group suggests radio stations, podcasters, and streamers replace whatever creative they have with “Canadian_Food_Banks_After_Work” and “Feed_Ontario_After_Work.”
LISTEN: JC Douglas returns to the Sound Off Podcast, following his retirement announcement earlier this month. He reflects on his 40-year tenure at Q104 Halifax, his morning run at C100, and in-between time at 89.9 The Wave. He also highlights pivotal moments, including interviewing Paul McCartney and covering the 2020 Nova Scotia mass shooting, emphasizing the importance of radio’s human connection and the impact of social media on community engagement.
SIGN OFFS:
Baba Singh (Dilbagh Singh Bhangoo), on May 14. Singh’s first foray into radio came in the 1990s on Edmonton community station, CJSR. He eventually joined CKUA as a weekend operator, which led to announcing, and ultimately hosting the long-running weekday show, Mid-Morning Mojo. Singh announced his retirement in fall 2024. Prior to that, he previously took a step back from the station to one day a week in 2021, heard Friday mornings from 9 a.m. – noon.
Jerry Appleton, 84, on Dec. 22. Appleton worked in the Canadian broadcast industry for over 40 years as a studio technician, writer, director, producer and executive. He started his career in the early 1970s at CHCH-TV Hamilton as a studio director involved in shows including Don Messer’s Jubilee, Party Game, and The Hilarious House of Frightenstein. In the late 1970s, he joined the founding team that launched the Global Television Network. He went on to take on the role of Executive Producer of a number of television projects on behalf of Global, including SCTV; several TV movies; and over 20 Variety Club Telethons. In 1988, Appleton launched Venture Entertainment Group, focused on developing, producing and distributing Canadian-made television programs, which developed a strong association with Selkirk Communications. He went on to serve of VP of Broadcast Operations at Rogers Communications in 1995, assigned to The Shopping Channel (TSC), tasked with creating a new live-motion broadcast that up until then the CRTC had restricted to a slide-show format. He retired from TSC in 2006 at the age of 65. A celebration of life will take place June 6 in Kingston.
TV & FILM:
CBC has paused production on the Indigenous-led “prank” show that reportedly targeted a handful of authors and academics under the guise of a phony production company. Northland Tales (working title) was an unscripted, half-hour comedy series in early production for CBC Entertainment and APTN. Complaints about the production started surfacing earlier this month after several of those asked to take part in the show started sharing their experiences. They include author and political commentator Jerry Amernic, who was targeted for his defence of Canada’s first Prime Minister John A. Macdonald, as well as political scientist Frances Widdowson and conservative media commentator Lindsay Shepherd, who’ve both been critical of coverage of possible unmarked graves at the former Kamloops Indian Residential School site. Several RCMP veterans have also come forward to share their interactions with the show’s producers. CBC spokesperson Chuck Thompson said it’s important that the “execution” of the show does not “negatively impact” the CBC news brand. Read more here.
The CRTC has turned down Canal M’s request for a wholesale rate increase for its French-language discretionary service, offering visually impaired Canadians audio programming, including news and current affairs. Vues & Voix filed an application to increase the mandatory per subscriber monthly wholesale rate for Canal M from $0.04 to $0.07 (i.e., an increase of $0.03 over the current rate) last year, however the commission deferred the decision pending the release of a broader policy review. In a May 15 decision, the CRTC says it recognizes the important role Canal M plays for the accessibility community and for people with disabilities, however it found it does not have sufficient evidence to justify the rate increase “due to a lack of detailed justification.”
The Canadian Sync Awards and music supervision conference Sound + Vision are moving to NXNE. The awards, celebrating the best in supervision across Canadian film, TV, advertising and media, are hosted annually by the Guild of Music Supervisors, Canada (GMSC). The first in-person edition of Sound + Vision will take place at The W Hotel in Toronto, on June 10, featuring four in-depth conversations on a variety of topics: Sync + Swim, Sync + Discover, Sync + Impact and Sync + Clear.
Sony Pictures Television (SPT) and Bell Media have announced new Crave Original drama series, I’m Not Here to Hurt You, created by The Good Doctor alumni David Shore and Freddie Highmore. Produced by Blink49 Studios, the series is the first co-commission by SPT and Bell Media, with SPT distributing the series in the U.S. and internationally. Inspired by the true story of “Ireland’s most polite bank robber” and The Irish Independent podcast of the same name, the series stars Highmore as an upstanding family man who spirals into a life of crime, driven by the futile goal of never hurting anyone ever again.
Citytv has renewed Law & Order Toronto: Criminal Intent for a fourth season, with Emmy-winning actor Luke Kirby (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, The Last Thing He Told Me) joining the cast. He’ll play new character Detective Sergeant John Darcy, who is called up from Guns & Gangs to partner with Detective Sergeant Frankie Bateman (played by Kathleen Munroe) in Homicide. Kirby joins the upcoming season alongside returning cast members Munroe, Karen Robinson (Inspector Vivienne Holness), K.C. Collins (Deputy Crown Attorney Theo Forrester), Nicola Correia-Damude (Pathologist Dr. Lucy Da Silva), and Araya Mengesha (Tech Expert Mark Yohannes).
Hollywood Suite is checking audiences back into Hell Motel, announcing a second season that transforms the limited series into an anthology. Currently in production, Hell Motel: Murder at Red Mountain, marks the latest chapter from Slasher series creators Aaron Martin and Ian Carpenter. The new season will air on Hollywood Suite and be available On Demand in Canada, and on Shudder and AMC+ in the U.S. Devon Sawa (Idle Hands, Final Destination, Casper, TV’s Chucky) stars as Patrick, a man with a thirst for alternative facts and theories who comes to the resort to look into historic mysteries tied to Red Mountain.
REGULATORY, TELECOM & MEDIA:
Quebecor recorded Q1 2026 revenues of $1.40 billion, up $52.1 million (3.9%), and adjusted EBITDA of $576.6 million, up $27.0 million (4.9%) compared with the same quarter of 2025, excluding the unfavourable impact of a stock‑based compensation charge. In the Media segment, President & CEO Pierre Karl Peladeau said TVA Group is beginning to see tangible results from “sustained efforts” to streamline its structures and optimize its operations. In Q1, TVA Group reported negative adjusted EBITDA of $1.0 million, a $19.5 million year-over-year favourable variance due to the aforementioned initiatives, reversal of the digital services tax and higher carriage fees for TVA Sports and its entertainment specialty channels. “While we are pleased with these results, we remain extremely cautious due to the deep, ongoing structural crisis in the media industry,” said Peladeau.
Karyn Pugliese is the recipient of this year’s CJF Indigenous Health Journalism Fellowship in partnership with the Canadian Medical Association (CMA). The fellowship is aimed at fostering expert reporting on critical health issues affecting Indigenous communities in Canada, providing a $100,000, one-year research stipend for an Indigenous journalist with at least five years’ experience and $50,000 in publishing partner support. Pugliese will collaborate with APTN to investigate the opioid crisis and its impact on Indigenous communities.
The Michener Awards Foundation has announced that Halifax Chronicle Herald editorial cartoonist Bruce MacKinnon and Vancouver Sun political columnist Vaughn Palmer are the recipients of the 2026 Michener-Baxter Award for exceptional service to Canadian journalism. The award will be presented during the Michener Awards ceremony at Rideau Hall in Ottawa on June 18, celebrating excellence in Canadian public service journalism.
BROADCAST TECH & ENGINEERING:
WABE’s fourth annual Media Meetup in Winnipeg, saw people from across media and tech gather at RRC Polytech, with a panel tackling the changing nature of media jobs. “For those of us working behind the scenes in media, one of the biggest themes wasn’t a surprise: curiosity,” writes WABE chancellor Tessa Potter. “If you aren’t a lifelong learner, this industry can be difficult to keep up with. Figuring out how things work, adapting to new tools, and learning how to work alongside AI are already skills many people in broadcast engineering have in spades.” Read more here.
