REVOLVING DOOR:

Tom McGouran is returning to morning radio in Winnipeg, joining Corus Entertainment’s [email protected] as the station’s new morning show host, starting July 4. McGouran has been helming mornings in the Winnipeg market, on and off, since 1982, best known as one-half of successful morning duos “Tom and Larry” and “Tom and Joe,” alongside Larry Updike, and Joe Aiello, respectively. McGouran was most recently heard in mornings on Pattison Media’s 94.3 The Drive, accompanied by co-host Vicki Shae, until the station’s rebrand as NOW! Radio (CHNW-FM) in fall 2021. McGouran succeeds Samantha Stevens as morning show host. With Corus since 2017, Stevens is moving to a new position outside the market and the company. In addition to mornings on [email protected], she also hosts middays on boom 99.7 (CJOT-FM) Ottawa and does fill-in on Q107 (CILQ-FM) Toronto. Her last day on-air is June 29. Read more here.

Just a heads up. Quick little announcement. @TarzanDan (that’s me) will start to be heard on XL RADIO 103.1 in #Calgary soon. I will be doing fill-in for their big shows while they are away on vacay & such. Big thanx to Stingray for thinking of me for this. pic.twitter.com/Aw3wsFRPnL

— Tarzan Dan Freeman (@TarzanDan) May 19, 2023

“Tarzan Dan” Freeman has joined Stingray’s XL103.1 (CFXL-FM) Calgary as a fill-in host. Freeman, well-known for his run hosting YTV Hit List with Tarzan Dan throughout the ’90s, has been a free agent since December when Corus Entertainment moved to simulcast 770 CHQR on its former classic rock station Q107 (CFGQ-FM).

Tim Wieczorek is the new General Manager of My Broadcasting Corporation’s (MBC) 88.7 myFM (CKYM-FM) Napanee. Wieczorek was most recently Executive Vice President at Torres Media and Director of Operations at Rebel 101.7 (CIDG-FM) Ottawa, up until parting ways with the company last August.

James Lewis has assumed the role of News Director at CTV Toronto. Lewis has been with CTV News since 2017, most recently as Supervising Producer. Prior to joining the network, he was a producer at Global BC and a reporter/anchor at CKNW News Talk 980 Vancouver.

Stacy Voudouris has stepped into the role of News Director at CP24. Voudouris has been with Bell Media for 16 years, including 13 at CP24, most recently as Supervising Producer. Voudouris succeeds Linda Oland, who recently retired as Director of News & Programming. Ian Caldwell will continue to support the assignment desks at both CP24 and CTV News Toronto in his role as Managing Editor. 

Jeff Bollenbach has retired as General Manager of Bell Media’s radio and TV stations in Manitoba and Saskatchewan. Bollenbach started his broadcasting career in radio in Cranbrook, BC, with stops in Southern Manitoba and then Edmonton, before joining CTV affiliate CFQC-TV Saskatoon in 1987. After a short stint at ITV Edmonton, he rejoined CTV Saskatchewan as a political reporter and anchor. Bollenbach moved into the News Director position at Global Regina in 1991, then CTV Winnipeg in 2002, Global Calgary in 2008 and Global Vancouver in 2012. He returned to Winnipeg and Bell Media to take up the GM position in 2015. He was recognized with a Prairie Region Lifetime Achievement Award from RTDNA Canada last year.

Nicole Dubé is leaving CTV Morning Live Winnipeg after seven years as host and anchor of the morning show and a decade with the station. Prior to joining CTV, Dubé did reporting stints with Global Winnipeg and the Sun News Network.

Noushin Ziafati has joined CTVNews.ca as a digital writer and producer. Ziafati previously worked as a reporter at The Canadian Press (CP) in Ontario, The Chronicle Herald in Halifax and Telegraph-Journal in Saint John.

Sissi De Flaviis has joined the CTV News national digital team. De Flaviis has been freelancing for the last few months after an almost two-year stint with CBC in various roles in Ottawa and Whitehorse.

I haven’t been on-air since this day, April 6. I had felt “off” for a while and a few days later my counsellor told me I had burnout and early onset PTSD. The traumatic stories, graphic images and online abuse finally got to me after 12 years in the news business. pic.twitter.com/WtdVwPEMM0

— Alissa Thibault (@AlissaMThibault) May 19, 2023

Alissa Thibault has revealed that she stepped away from CTV Vancouver in early April, suffering from burnout and early onset PTSD. Thibault, who holds dual Australian-Canadian citizenship, started her career in news radio in Australia, before moving into television with Channel Nine in Sydney. She’s been working in television in Vancouver since 2017, first with CBC News Network, before joining CTV in 2019. 

Cindy Tran has joined the Edmonton Journal as a multimedia reporter. Tran arrives from The Canadian Press (CP) in Ottawa where she’s been a reporter for the last seven months. Prior to that, she was an associate producer and reporter with CBC Ottawa.

Charles Adler has announced he’s signed a deal with Dean Blundell’s Crier Media to supply three podcasts and two columns a week to the digital media network. Adler, who parted ways with the Corus Radio talk network in 2021, can also be read in the Winnipeg Free Press on Thursdays and Fridays. He additionally appears weekly on Real Talk with Ryan Jespersen.

Joy Loewen has announced her intention to step down as CEO of the National Screen Institute (NSI) in June 2024. Loewen plans to leave her position following the completion of the Winnipeg not-for-profit’s strategic plan. She’ll have served in the CEO role for almost five years with over 12 years of total service to the organization. Prior to joining NSI, Loewen held positions with Vision TV, the Women’s Television Network (WTN) and CBC Manitoba.

RADIO & PODCAST:

Ford Motor Company has reversed course on its plan to remove AM radio from all new vehicles, starting in 2024. In a post to Twitter, CEO Jim Farley said the automaker would continue “to innovate to deliver even better in-vehicle entertainment and emergency notification options in the future.” Ford’s announcement comes following the introduction of the AM for Every Vehicle Act last week which proposes mandating AM radio in new vehicles and undertaking a study to determine whether AM’s reach and effectiveness could be replicated for alerting the public to emergencies. With U.S. lawmakers now set to consider the future of AM, tech leaders, including Rich Stern, CEO of global audio streamer TuneIn, are pushing back against the AM radio lobby. Stern said Ford’s decision is an affirmation of radio and the important role it plays in listeners’ lives, but the issue is a “wake up call” for the industry. Yann Legarson, CEO of Radioplayer Worldwide, is advocating for the adoption of hybrid radio tech in vehicles going forward. Read more here.

Corus Entertainment has formally applied to amend the licence of CFGQ-FM Calgary to add an AM rebroadcasting transmitter for the station, while revoking the licence for its current Calgary AM, 770 CHQR. The move comes more than five months after Corus Radio moved to flip its Classic Rocker Q107, which was formerly broadcast on CFGQ-FM, to simulcast CHQR’s news/talk programming on FM. That prompted the CRTC to question whether Corus was in compliance. Corus says it intends to deliver CHQR’s current news/talk programming line-up – deemed a “specialty” format by broadcasting regulations on an FM station – in addition to requesting an added condition of licence for CFGQ-FM ensuring that more than 50% of all programming broadcast each week consists of material from Category 1 – Spoken Word. The application questions the viability of AM going forward, citing, in addition to CHQR-AM’s unique reception challenges, RF noise floor from electrical devices like flat screen televisions, power lines and phone chargers, in addition to electric vehicle interference. Read more here.  

The CRTC has approved an application by Edmonton’s Kenner Media to acquire the assets of English-language commercial radio station Mix 107.9 (CKFT-FM) Fort Saskatchewan, AB from Golden West Broadcasting. Owned by Craig Fee, Kenner Media plans to continue operation of the station under the same terms and conditions as those in effect under the current licence. Kenner Media will acquire CKFT-FM for $664,800 as well as fortsaskonline for $135,200.

The CRTC has approved an application by Pattison Media to acquire from Westman Radio Ltd. the assets of the English-language commercial radio stations 94.7 STAR FM (CKLF-FM), Q Country (CKLQ-FM) and its transmitter CKLQ Brandon, MB. Pattison Media plans to continue operating the stations under the same licence conditions. Pattison Media proposed a transaction value of $5,549,079, which includes the purchase price, working capital transferred at closing, and the total value of leases payable over five years. 

Pattison Media has flipped 93.3 The Rock (CJHD-FM) North Battleford, SK to Beach Radio 93.3. CJHD-FM is the third Pattison station in Saskatchewan to adopt the Hits of the ‘80s and ‘90s format, joining Prince Albert and Melfort. With the rebrand, Nic Fransoo moves from sister station Q98 (CFCQ-FM) into the morning time slot on Beach Radio, while Brad Best moves into mornings on Q98.

Evanov Communications’ morning show on Hot Country 93.9 (CFWC-FM) Brantford, ON – Hot Country Mornings with Tracy Lynn – has added two more Ontario stations, Hot Country 107.7 (CKHK-FM) Hawkesbury and Hot Country 92.5 (CHRC-FM) Clarence/Rockland. Hot Country Mornings with Tracy Lynn can now be heard from 6 – 10 a.m. weekdays across all three Evanov Hot Country stations, with each station contributing its own local newscasts, surveillance, and breaking news. 

630 CHED Edmonton and the Edmonton Elks have announced a new broadcast agreement. Fans can listen on-air or online for full game day coverage featuring veteran play-by-play announcer Morley Scott and analyst Dave Campbell. Back for their 13th year in the broadcast booth, the duo will be joined by Brenden Escott, who will host a 90-minute pre-and post-game show, along with in-game analyst Blake Dermott and sideline reporter Dave Boles. The Green and Gold’s regular season kicks off at home on Sunday, June 11 against the Saskatchewan Roughriders.

The BC Lions have signed a new two-year partnership with Corus Entertainment to keep the club’s radio broadcasts on AM730 (CKGO-AM) Vancouver and across the Lions Audio Network, including CFAX 1070 Victoria, AM 1150 (CKFR-AM) Kelowna and Radio NL (CHNL-AM)  Bob “The Moj” Marjanovich and Giulio Caravatta are back for all regular season and playoff contests. As part of the partnership, the weekly BC Lions On Tap, presented by Coors Light, will air at 8 p.m. every Tuesday, starting June 6. The Moj is joined by BC Lions’ personalities Matt Baker and Nik Kowalski at a rotating location of team-preferred pubs. Along with teeing up that week’s game, the trio will promote the club’s 2023 events, both on game day and throughout the week. The partnership also includes one-hour pre-and 30-minute post-game shows on AM730 for all 18 regular season games, plus playoffs, and a weekly Monday appearance by head coach Rick Campbell on Mornings With Simi on 980 CKNW.

David (Ace) Burpee is among the latest Order of Manitoba recipients. From Cooks Creek, MB, Burpee is the host of The Ace Burpee Show, which airs weekday mornings on 103.1 Virgin Radio (CKMM-FM) Winnipeg. In addition to advocating for mental health and other causes, Burpee is being recognized for using his platform to continuously raise awareness, support and funds for worthy causes.

Bayshore Broadcasting’s 560 CFOS held a 12-hour Radiothon on May 12 that raised $60,000 for Camp Presqu’ile. In partnership with the Owen Sound Rotary Club and the YMCA of Owen Sound Grey Bruce, the summer camp has provided a summer experience for 300 youth, aged 6-16, for the past 90+ years. Funds raised will go towards a kitchen upgrade and expansion at Camp Presqu’ile. 

Everything Podcasts, the Vancouver-based branded content studio, has been named Best Podcast Agency of the Year at the Quill Podcast Awards. The Everything Podcasts-produced Ideas of Order podcast for California Closets, hosted by Jeremiah Brent, won Most Creative Branded Podcast, while Beyond KPMG was named Best B2B Branded Podcast. Find the full list of winners here.

LISTEN: With Radiodays set to make its North American debut June 8-9, during Canadian Music Week in Toronto, we welcome General Manager and CEO Peter Niegel, and Head of Programming, Nik Goodman, to the podcast. Peter and Nik join us to talk about bringing the spirit of Radiodays to this side of the pond, all the buzz from Radiodays Europe in Prague, and more. Listen on your favourite podcast app or here:

LISTEN: Chris Myers, who recently parted ways with Harvard Media’s stations in Edmonton and Red Deer, joins Matt Cundill on the latest Sound Off Podcast. With a programming background that includes time with Rawlco Radio in Saskatoon, Bell Media in Edmonton, and Focus Entertainment, the first owners of Vancouver’s The Beat 94.5 (CFBT-FM), Myers recently took to Twitter to solicit audio from anyone willing to send it to him for free feedback. Listen on your favourite podcast app or here:

SIGN OFFS:

Bruce Whiteford, 63, on May 16. Whiteford got his start in broadcasting as a disc jockey at CFNY and as a CNE Bandstand Manager at age 16. He went on to become an electrician with Ontario Hydro, getting his first taste of production as a lighting director for Brampton Theatre in the early 1980s. That led to a long career as a lighting director and technical producer, starting with Global TV in Toronto, beginning in 1982. He left Global in 1990 to join TVO as a Technical Director and Producer, before landing at CBC in 1998 where he would work for the next 21 years, retiring in 2018. Whiteford had been freelancing for the past three years, working with Dome Productions, Tri-Lite and Mediapro Canada, most recently on Canadian Premier League broadcasts.

TV & FILM:

The Leo Awards, celebrating excellence in B.C. film and television, have announced the 2023 nominees. This year’s feature film nominees are led by Bones of Crows, which earned 13 nominations, including Best Motion Picture and Best Director for Marie Clements. When Time Got Louder received 10 nominations, followed by Float and Sheltering Season, which each earned seven nods apiece. Firefly Lane, Family Law and Riverdale lead Dramatic Series nominees, while Phantom Pups and Apple TV+ series Circuit Breakers lead the Youth or Children’s Program or Series nominees.

The Guild of Music Supervisors Canada (GMSC) and Canadian Music Week (CMW) have unveiled the nominees for the 2023 Canadian Sync Awards, celebrating the craft of music supervision in filmed media in Canada with the presentation of 15 awards, with 8 categories voted on by the public. Cody Partridge of Pear Tree Music Supervision leads with six nominations, followed by Natasha Duprey with five nominations. By production, Crave comedy Shoresy, and feature films Fancy Dance and Bloody Hell received two nods apiece. The Canadian Sync Awards will take place Thursday, June 8 at the Westin Harbour Castle in Toronto and include performances by Preston Pablo, Milk & Bone, and Adria Kain. Voting is now open until June 2.

Frantic Films CEO Jamie Brown is one of 12 recipients to receive the Order of Manitoba, the province’s highest honor. Brown has served as the CEO and executive producer of the Winnipeg-based production company since 2000. According to the citation, he is being recognized for “winning awards in Canada and abroad for his innovation, creativity and business leadership, he is a tireless community volunteer and an advocate of Manitoba’s creative sector.”

Seneca Polytechnic and the National Film Board (NFB) are strengthening their existing relationship with the signing of a formal framework, committing both organizations to ongoing collaboration and engagement. Through the pact, Seneca students will have opportunities to work on new NFB projects and learn from speaker sessions, workshops and presentations. Seneca will provide technical and creative consultation services and promote NFB films within its animation programs and spaces. While the agreement itself is new, the NFB and Seneca have a history of collaboration on film animation projects with Seneca students and grads having worked on NFB productions including 2004’s Ryan, winner of the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film, and 2013’s Subconscious Password, which won Best Short Film at the Annecy International Animated Film Festival.

Supercollider, part of UK-based Zinc Media, is collaborating with Idris Elba’s GreenDoor Pictures and Sabrina Elba’s Pink Towel to make PAID IN FULL: The Battle for Payback (working title) for CBC and BBC. The new series, produced in association with Catalyst, examines the systematic exploitation of Black artists by the music industry. The series (3×60) is funded and co-produced by a partnership between Abacus Media Rights (AMR) and Media Musketeers Studios, with AMR distributing internationally. It will feature bestselling author and filmmaker MK Asante Jr. and Lawrence Lartey, Director of Innovation, Industry and Enterprise at Ravensbourne University London, who has produced and consulted on documentaries for BBC 4, BBC Radio 1, and Channel 4, including How Hip Hop Changed the World with Idris Elba and MK Asante.

Gary and His Demons, the adult-animated comedy series produced by Look Mom! Productions, will premiere on Amazon Freevee in the U.S on July 7. Seasons 1 & 2 of the series will launch simultaneously. Blue Ant International licensed the rights for the cult-classic, expanding the global distribution group’s relationship with Amazon, following the launch of the series on Prime Video in Canada, Australia and New Zealand in February. The series serves up a story about a 45-year-old demon slayer named Gary who is ready to retire. Just when he thinks he has chased his final demon, Gary discovers his boss can’t find his replacement and he’ll be forced to keep fighting demons for eternity. 

OUTtv has commissioned two new original series, alongside acquiring a new weekly competition series and renewing six of its series for additional seasons. New original series for the service include heartfelt dramedy We Three Queens, and documentary I Work From Home for its OUTspoken slate of unscripted content. OUTtv has additionally acquired weekly competition series The Gold Rush, combining reality TV and docuseries elements. Renewed are Drag Heals for Season 4, Pride for Season 5, and Behind the Drag Queen of the Year Pageant Competition Award Contest Competition, Dr. Jackie, Sugar Highs and Dating Unlocked, all for a second season.

Blue Ant Media has announced the launch of its free, ad-supported streaming TV (FAST) channels, Homeful and Love Pets on VIZIO WatchFree+ for millions of U.S. users. Homeful features real estate, renovation and transformation series and is home to TV reno expert Mike Holmes’ catalog of series and specials, while Love Pets features heartfelt stories about the animals in our lives. The channels join wildlife and nature brand, Love Nature, which Blue Ant says is currently among VIZIO’s top performing FAST channels, as well as Haunt TV and Drag Race Universe on VIZIO WatchFree+.

AMI-tv has unveiled new and returning original series and documentary programming set to air over the summer months. New AMI-tv series Blind Trust: A Guide Dog’s Journey tells the story of the CNIB Guide Dog program. Returning programs include new seasons of By Hook or By Cook, Postcards From, Blind Adventures with Ron Walsh, Our Community and Adaptable Animals, along with all-new documentary Everyone Belongs in Nature.

Crave’s new, four-part original docuseries, Billionaire Murders, an intimate look at the unsolved murders of Barry and Honey Sherman, premieres June 16. The series narrative is driven by investigative journalist Kevin Donovan, who also hosts Toronto Star podcast The Billionaire Murders: The hunt for the killers of Honey and Barry Sherman. Billionaire Murders delves into the mystery of the killings, including outrageous conspiracy theories about who killed the Shermans. Sources featured include Former Ontario Deputy Chief Coroner Dr. Jim Cairns, former Novopharm executive Aubrey Dan, and former FBI profiler Brad Garrett.

The 2023 Memorial Cup presented by KIA kicks off on TSN, beginning May 26. Play-by-play commentator Victor Findlay delivers the call for all games in Kamloops, alongside analyst Kevin Sawyer, with TSN 1050 Radio (CHUM-FM) and BarDown host Julia Tocheri reporting live rinkside. Laura Diakun leads TSN’s panel coverage on-site in Kamloops, alongside Craig Button and Cheryl Pounder as analysts. TSN Hockey Insider Darren Dreger joins the broadcast team during the final four days of the tournament. Luca Celebre, Jesse Pollock, and Tocheri are also on-site in Kamloops to deliver updates for BarDown throughout the championship, with content available on Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok. TSN’s complete broadcast schedule is available here, with French-language coverage available on RDS.

The Sundar Prize Film Festival has announced its inaugural competition for filmmakers who use their art to create meaningful social impact. With over $10,000 in cash prizes, it will award the Top 5 films in select categories, including Best Feature Film, Best Documentary, Best Short Film, Best Animation, and Best Student Film. The winners will be announced June 15-16, 2024, at the Centre Stage at Surrey City Hall in Surrey, BC. Founded by Alex Sangha, an award-winning social worker and documentary film producer, and Vinay Giridhar, a director, editor, and visual artist, the Sundar Prize Film Festival is an initiative of Sher Vancouver, a registered charity supporting LGBTQ+ South Asians. Films with any theme are welcome, but the festival encourages filmmakers who showcase social justice issues, human rights, immigrants and refugees, Indigenous peoples, people of color, LGBTQ+ communities, vulnerable and marginalized peoples, environment and climate change, and educational films. The festival is now accepting submissions. 

E.D. Films, the Montreal multi-disciplinary animation studio, has received a repayable federal investment of $160,000 to enable the business to improve its ability to market itself internationally by hiring marketing resources, conducting targeted promotional campaigns, participating in large-scale trade shows, and acquiring digital equipment. Founded in 2013 by Emily Paige and Archita Ghosh, along with Daniel Gies, the studio specializes in custom animated illustrations for cinematic and immersive films, virtual reality/extended reality experiences, video games, and physical installations across the cultural, scientific, and themed entertainment industries.

Numeris says as of the June 2023 data release, its VAM (Video Audience Measurement) solution will encompass Facebook Watch and Instagram Reels. While still only available in Ontario and Quebec Franco, the audience measurement agency says VAM’s coverage of the total video landscape now amounts to 90% of video streaming platforms available in Canada. Throughout 2022, VAM added PlutoTV, CBS News, Discovery Plus, ET Online, TikTok, FuboTV, Paramount Plus and Samsung TV Plus to its available data sets.

REGULATORY, TELECOM & MEDIA:

A Canadian Broadcast Standards Council (CBSC) panel has ruled that themes of murder, suicide and domestic violence require a certain level of viewer maturity, meaning that a 13+ classification would have been more appropriate on two episodes of French-language legal drama, Indéfendable, broadcast on TVA. Indéfendable, which airs at 7:30 p.m. on TVA’s schedule, centres on a law firm of criminal lawyers and their clients. The CBSC received complaints about two episodes that included scenes of suicide, with the viewer concerned the scenes were too detailed and did not follow recommendations from suicide prevention organizations. In its decision, the CBSC concluded that scenes of suicide and domestic violence did not constitute gratuitous violence or promote violence under the Canadian Association of Broadcasters’ (CAB) Violence Code, but the episodes should have been rated 13+ instead of 8+ under the Quebec classification system. Read more here.

The Public Interest Advocacy Centre (PSAC), Open Media, Unifor, Quebec English-language Production Council, FRIENDS of Canadian Broadcasting, and the National Campus and Community Radio Association (NCRA) are among a dozen organizations requesting the CRTC extend the deadline to comment on implementation of the Online Streaming Act. They’ve filed a joint request to extend both deadlines to July 28. The application cites not enough time to consult and undertake necessary research, as well as the fact that Cabinet has yet to provide policy direction to the CRTC that would help guide submitting parties on reasonable recommendations. The group says the current deadlines overlap with 11 other CRTC proceedings, eight of which are on broadcasting matters.

FRIENDS is advocating for public disclosure requirements in Bill C-18, the Online News Act. The public broadcaster watchdog has launched a Senate lobbying campaign saying basic public knowledge of which platforms compensate which news outlets, to what extent and in what way, is the best safeguard to prevent any inappropriate influence. “At this critical juncture for our news media, we cannot afford to adopt legislation that places corporate privacy above public disclosure,” the organization wrote in a statement on its website.

The Western Association of Broadcasters (WAB) returns to Banff Fairmont Springs, June 7-8, with a speakers lineup that WAB President Brett Adnum says will address challenges like consumer and advertiser competition, in addition to inspiring industry leaders with practical advice they can bring back to their teams. Adnum says registration is strong, including representation from Harvard Media, Golden West Broadcasting, Vista Radio, Rawlco Radio, Corus Entertainment, and Stingray. Read our interview with Adnum here.

BROADCAST TECH & ENGINEERING:

Pelmorex Corp. has unveiled its new self-service Advertising Studio to enable local ad buys on its owned and operated digital platforms, The Weather Network and MétéoMédia. The tool was developed in collaboration with Montreal-based M32 Connect. The self-service technology provides businesses with another way to advertise with Pelmorex by allowing them to launch their marketing initiatives with complete autonomy over their media-buying process and management of their local and national digital marketing. Advertisers can facilitate their own ad creation, targeting, payment, and campaign tracking.

Quickplay has announced it’s collaborating with Google Cloud to drive new digital transformation opportunities for streaming providers and broadcasters in the Middle East. The two companies say they are building on their “shared history of cloud innovation” to bring to market solutions that leverage Google Cloud’s new Middle East regional data center in Qatar. Toronto-headquartered Quickplay’s research and development team has been a leader in using Google Cloud tools to enable delivery of FAST services, user recommendations, and low latency video. Joint customers include PLDT and Cignal in the Philippines, aha in India, and YES Network and MSG Networks in North America, among others.