REVOLVING DOOR:
Alan Dark, Chief Revenue Officer at Rogers Sports & Media, is exiting the company. Dark joined Rogers in 2014 as VP of National Sales, Media, moving into the role of SVP, Sales of Rogers Sports & Media sales division within seven months. He’d been SVP of Revenue since 2020. Read more here.
Dean Rutherford will be joining the Stingray Radio team as the company’s new Vice President of Sales. Rutherford was most recently Director of National Sales & Audio Lead at Bell Media, where his team was also responsible for Stingray Radio’s national sales effort for the last nine years. He’d been with Bell and previously Astral for 25 years. Read more here.
Mark Connolly will retire from CBC Edmonton on July 31 after 36 years with the public broadcaster. The host of Edmonton AM, the local CBC Radio morning show for the last 12 years, Connolly started with CBC as a sports reporter in 1988. He then moved into TV anchoring from 2010-13, before assuming his current role. Connolly, who has covered 11 Olympic Games, started his career in Fort McMurray, AB, where he was the play-by-play voice of the Alberta Junior Hockey League Oil Barons. He went on to work in Red Deer and for Edmonton’s K-97 (CIRK-FM), prior to joining CBC.
John Andersen (aka Andy Johnson) is retiring from Zoomer Media this Friday after 12 years as the morning news anchor on The New Classical 93.6 FM (CFMZ-FM) Toronto, 103.1 FM (CFMX-FM) Cobourg and 102.9 FM (CFMO-FM) Collingwood. Anderson has been a broadcast journalist for more than 50 years, including anchoring national newscasts and hosting the Toronto morning show for the CKO Radio network throughout the 1980s.
Alex Brown has left Rawlco Radio’s 650 CKOM in Saskatoon to pursue other opportunities. Brown joined the station as a reporter one year ago after getting caught up in layoffs at CTV Saskatoon in February 2024 where she anchored CTV Morning Live.
Todd Roberts and Anthony Gallace have joined AdCellerant, as the Denver-based software company makes its digital advertising technology, automation, and sales support solutions available to Canadian agencies and media companies. As previously reported, former Harvard Media Executive Vice-President George Leith is spearheading AdCellerant’s Canadian operations. Roberts, Senior Business Development Manager, and Anthony Gallace, Senior Director, Agency Partnerships, are both Harvard Media sales alumni. Gallace was most recently Harvard’s Director of Sales, Northern Markets, based in Edmonton, while Roberts was in sales for Harvard’s Saskatoon group of stations. Prior to that, Roberts led sales and business development for Saskatoon-based software company, Vendasta, for a decade, where Leith served as Chief Customer Officer. Read more here.
Cameron Pictures Inc. (CPI), the independent production company behind Law & Order Toronto: Criminal Intent, Mary Kills People and Pretty Hard Cases, is expanding its creative team with the appointment of Karen Tsang as Vice President of Creative Affairs. In the newly formed role, Tsang oversees the creative pipeline of original scripted series, reporting to CPI co-founders Tassie Cameron and Amy Cameron. Tsang joins Cameron Pictures from Pier 21 Films, where she served as Senior Vice President of Creative Affairs. Prior to her time at Pier 21, she spent eight years at CBC, most recently as Executive in Charge of Production, Comedy. CPI has also promoted Caledonia Brown from Co-Producer to Supervising Producer / VP, Operations and will continue to work across CPI’s projects from concept to broadcast, along with overseeing day-to-day operations of the company.
RADIO & PODCAST:
CBC/Radio-Canada has been named Broadcaster of the Year by the New York Festivals Radio Awards. Highlighting the achievements of global creators in radio and podcasting, CBC Radio current affairs program, The Current, was among this year’s award winners, earning a Gold trophy in the On-Air Talent category for host Matt Galloway. Long-running radio docuseries IDEAS, also claimed Gold for its episode on Child Sex Abuse Prevention: How Best to Protect Kids. Other Canadian winners included TVO and Toronto-based creative producing duo Innerspeak, who earned a Gold award in the Investigative Journalism Podcast category for Extradition: The Search for Huseyin Celil. Academic podcast company, Cited Media, also claimed Bronze for The Rationality Wars in the Education Podcast category. In the Personal Lives category, Podcast Nation’s Before We Go won Bronze. Read more here.
The CRTC has approved an application by the Association des francophones du Nunavut for a broadcasting licence to operate a French-language community FM radio station in Iqaluit, Nunavut. The licence will allow the applicant to change its existing low-power station, CFRT-FM Iqaluit, from unprotected to protected status. The station would operate at 107.3 MHz (channel 297A) with an effective radiated power (ERP) of 500 watts. The Association proposes to broadcast 126 hours of programming per broadcast week, of which 72 hours and 30 minutes would be devoted to local programming.
radioCount’s April/Spring 2025 release includes data for four markets: Belleville, Peterborough, North Bay and Thunder Bay. Reflecting the continuous measurement period from Oct. 28, 2024 to April 27, 2025, radioCount says radio continues to perform strongly, with those aged 12+ tuning in for an average of 16.5 hours each week. Radio listening remained strong among key demographics, with Adults aged 18–49 tuning in for an average of 17.3 hours per week, while those aged 25–54 averaged 17.8 hours. Adult Contemporary and Hot AC remain the leading radio formats, together capturing a 21% share of total market tuning. Rock stations follow closely behind with a 18.8% share.
Sarah McLachlan is the latest Canadian to sign on to the Pro Canada Project PSA campaign, encouraging Canadians to “Shop as if your country depends on it.” Since the campaign’s launch in February, in response to the threat of tariffs from U.S. President Donald Trump, the effort has attracted well-known Canadians from across comedy, music, television, sports and broadcasting, including Anne Murray, Mark Critch, 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 here.
LISTEN: Scott Fybush of NorthEast Radio Watch and the Top of the Tower Podcast in Rochester, New York joins this special crossover episode of Broadcast Dialogue – The Podcast. Fybush and our editor Connie Thiessen discuss our takeaways from Radiodays North America in Toronto, regulatory happenings on both sides of the border, and our mutual appreciation for the moment Alt Rock is having, among other news from the world of broadcast.
LISTEN: Terry Evans, the morning host at Edmonton’s K97, is on the latest Sound Off Podcast discussing life, family and his new podcast Reluctantly. The conversation explores Terry’s long radio career, his initial hesitation about podcasting, and the vibrant Edmonton music scene that nurtured his own son’s talent.
SIGN OFFS:
Co Hoedeman, 84, on May 26. Born in Amsterdam, Hoedeman was a master of stop-motion animation whose 1977 NFB production The Sand Castle received the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film. Shortly after directing his early films with the NFB, including his award-winning Oddball (1969), he travelled to Czechoslovakia to study puppet animation and then returned to the NFB to begin a series of stop-motion projects, including Tchou-tchou (1972), created with wooden blocks, which received the British Academy Film Award (BAFTA) for Best Animated Film. During the 1970s, he created a series of acclaimed animated films based on Inuit traditional stories, collaborating closely with artists from Nunavut and Nunavik. After completing his final film with the NFB, Marianne’s Theatre in 2004, Hoedeman began an independent animation career. He collaborated with the NFB on the co-production 55 Socks (2011), a deeply personal project drawing on his childhood memories during a dark period of Dutch history, the Hunger Winter of 1944–45. He would also adapt his Ludovic character into a popular children’s TV series. In 2003, the Cinémathèque québécoise and the NFB paid tribute to Co and his importance to Quebec cinema with an exhibition entitled “Exposition Co Hoedeman – Les Jardins de l’enfance,” which was presented the following year at the Musée-Château d’Annecy in France.
TV & FILM:
The Canadian Film Centre (CFC) has announced that Jennifer Podemski, Rick Mercer, and Don McKellar will each be honoured with the inaugural Norman Jewison Founder’s Council Award at the 2025 CFC Gala: Growing Futures on June 12 at the Four Seasons in Toronto. This marks the first year for the award which will be presented annually to up to three recipients whose work reflects the legacy of CFC’s founder Norman Jewison. The award recognizes film and television visionaries whose work embodies Jewison’s legacy, are committed to social justice in their storytelling, and/or have made a global impact in the industry.
The 2025 Leo Awards, celebrating achievement in B.C. film and television production, have announced this year’s nominees. In the Motion Picture category, Can I Get A Witness? leads with 11 nominations, followed by The Island Between Tides with nine. Allegiance and Murder In A Small Town lead Dramatic Series nods with nine apiece. The awards will take place July 12 and 13 at the Hyatt Regency Vancouver.
The National Film Board (NFB) has released its 2025–28 Strategic Plan, laying out NFB’s key priorities over the next three years. They include shaping the NFB for future generations by enlisting emerging storytellers and engaging new audiences; fostering a culture of creativity and innovation; elevating awareness of the NFB; and expanding and understanding NFB audiences by developing audience insights to evolve programming and increase engagement.
Bow Valley College in Calgary has unveiled its new 3,560 sq. ft. Digital Entertainment Nexus Production Hub at its downtown campus. Film and television producers can now access the studio, which includes a volume wall allowing characters to interact with virtual environments, in addition to motion capture (mocap), a post-production/incubation space, and an immersive audio sound room. The Digital Entertainment Nexus, including the Production Hub and Calgary’s first Esports Arena and Indie Ignition Business Accelerator, was supported by the Opportunity Calgary Investment Fund (OCIF) with a $5.5 million grant.
ONLINE & DIGITAL MEDIA:
Live Nation Entertainment’s VEEPS platform for live-streamed concerts and entertainment, has announced a strategic relationship with Postmedia Studios to bring VEEPS All Access to Canada for the first time, its music subscription service offering unlimited viewing of concerts and live music entertainment. As part of the launch, VEEPS and Postmedia Studios will host a special livestream event featuring Metric, performing live from Toronto’s Budweiser Stage on June 6. As part of the collaboration, Postmedia has launched a new music coverage channel on Canoe, which was recently rebranded as an entertainment, lifestyle, shopping and commerce site. VEEPS content is available via veeps.com and apps on Apple TV, Roku, iOS, Samsung, and Android.
QYOU Media has completed the sale of its India free-to-air broadcast channel, Q TV, to Oscar Media Pvt. Ltd. Oscar Media operates multiple channels across India in a variety of local languages. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. QYOU, which is headquartered in Toronto and Mumbai, says the sale of the broadcast channel asset marks another step forward to focus resources and strategic efforts on high-growth segments within the global digital creator economy and social media marketing. The company also continues to move ahead to publicly list Chatterbox Technologies (Chtrbox), its India based influencer marketing and creator economy driven business, on the BSE (Bombay Stock Exchange). This will create the first publicly listed social media and influencer marketing business in India and will be led by Raj Mishra, former Country Manager of TikTok India.
REGULATORY, TELECOM & MEDIA:
Rogers Sports & Media President Colette Watson told the CRTC’s The Path Forward hearing on modernizing the definition of “Canadian program” that broadcasters and the regulator “have to evolve” to meet audiences where they are. Watson’s comment arose during discussion about at-risk programs – specifically children’s and youth television programming. Rogers maintains that children are being well-served by Canadian content, but that viewing has moved outside traditional channels. Rogers is proposing a framework for supporting Canadian programming that establishes a single financial contribution for each broadcasting ownership group. For Rogers, that would entail a single financial commitment on behalf of both its media and distribution businesses of no more than 5% of total combined BDU and media revenues. Read more here.
The Canadian Association of Journalists (CAJ) is launching the Canadian News Industry Peer Support program (CNIPS), an industry-wide mental health support initiative to combat stress, burnout and trauma exposure. The pilot program will see 20 trained volunteers offer confidential colleague-to-colleague support, similar to programs being adopted by major news organizations around the globe like Reuters, BBC, NPR and CBC. The initial cohort includes journalists like Global Vancouver reporter/anchor Alissa Thibault, CBC Thunder Bay reporter Michelle Allan, and The Globe and Mail investigative reporter Tom Cardoso. Available to assist any news industry professional, the program has an eye to expanding to 100 trained volunteers by the end of 2026. Read more here.
The Michener Awards Foundation (MAF) is awarding Robert Fife with its prestigious Michener-Baxter Award for exceptional service to Canadian public service journalism. The Michener-Baxter Award was established in 1983 and is presented at the discretion of the foundation’s board of directors. The award is named for Clive Baxter, who received the first Michener Award in 1971 from then-Governor General Roland Michener. Fife is The Globe and Mail’s Ottawa Bureau Chief and former Ottawa Bureau Chief of the National Post, CTV National News and host of CTV’s Question Period. He is being recognized for consistent excellence over four decades as a reporter who continues to shed light on issues and stories Canadians need to know. He is also being honoured for his enduring work as a mentor and leader in newsrooms across the country. The award will be presented at a ceremony in Ottawa on June 5 at Rideau Hall, hosted by Governor General Mary Simon. Read more here.
The Michener Awards and Rideau Hall Foundations have announced they are awarding the inaugural Norman Webster Fellowships to Yellowknife-based digital news outlet Cabin Radio and Le Droit, covering Eastern Ontario and the Outaouais. Valued at $125,000, each fellowship will provide the winning news organizations with the opportunity to produce a groundbreaking story, while offering early career journalists a chance to hone their craft. Read more here.
The Canadian Journalism Foundation (CJF) has announced Anishnaabe journalist Lenard Monkman as the inaugural recipient of the CJF Indigenous Health Journalism Fellowship in partnership with the Canadian Medical Association (CMA). This is the first year of the three-year initiative, aimed at fostering expert reporting on critical health issues affecting Indigenous communities. Open to Indigenous journalists with a minimum of five years of professional experience, the fellowship provides an annual research stipend of $100,000 plus expenses. Monkman will collaborate with CBC Indigenous to research and produce an interactive journalistic piece, along with an accompanying video documentary, by the end of 2026 on HIV rates among Indigenous people in Western Canada.
The Canadian Journalism Foundation (CJF) has announced that Alexa Toguri-Laurin, a student at Concordia University in Montreal, will receive the 2025 CJF Bursary for BIPOC Student Journalists. Funded by Media Profile, an independent Canadian public relations firm, the $5,000 bursary aims to support racialized journalism students, a group historically underrepresented in the industry.
The Jack Webster Foundation is now accepting submissions for the 2025 Webster Awards, recognizing excellence in B.C. journalism, published or broadcast between June 1, 2024 and May 31, 2025. Journalists across B.C. can now submit their stories across 16 categories. Finalists will be announced this fall with the winner in each category announced during the Nov. 3 Webster Awards gala at the Hyatt Regency in Vancouver. The deadline to submit is July 27.
BROADCAST TECH & ENGINEERING:
ADVERTORIAL: At AdCellerant, we see broadcasters as more than traditional media companies. You’re community builders, audience experts, and trusted voices. And with the right tools, you can also be full-spectrum advertising providers. That’s the mindset shift that underpins our partnership model. We don’t replace your traditional offerings—we enhance them with white-labeled digital advertising products that can be sold under your brand. Think of it as adding Streaming TV, Digital Out-of-Home (DOOH), Programmatic Display, and social media advertising to your toolkit—without having to build the infrastructure yourself. Read more here.
Bell Canada has announced Bell AI Fabric, a major investment that will create the country’s largest artificial intelligence (AI) compute project. Bell AI Fabric promises to create a national network, starting with a data centre supercluster in B.C., that aims to provide upwards of 500 MW of hydro-electric powered AI compute capacity across six facilities. Read more here.
COLUMN: “If working for the [Winnipeg] Jets has taught me anything, it’s that everyone loves an underdog story,” writes WABE President Tessa Potter in her May column. “Everyone secretly roots for the little guy. And everyone knows that if the small fry wins—we all win. It means things are possible. That possibility still exists in our industry in Canada.” Read more here.
