The Weekly Briefing

REVOLVING DOOR:

Catherine Tait’s appointment as President & CEO of CBC/Radio-Canada has been extended another 18 months, until Jan. 2, 2025. The former President & CEO of Salter Street Films and co-founder of NYC-based prodco Duopoly, Tait initially took up the appointment in July 2018, the first woman in the history of the public broadcaster to serve as President & CEO. Read more here.

Rob Keen has been promoted to Senior Vice President, Sales, Marketing and Canadian Content Development (CCD), at SiriusXM Canada. Keen joins the senior leadership team as Paul Cunningham, Senior Vice President, Sales, Marketing & CCD, retires after 18 years with the company. Keen first joined Sirius Canada in 2006 as a National Account Manager. Most recently, he’d held the position of Vice President of OEM Partnerships, Connected Services and Aftermarket, where he managed SiriusXM automotive partnerships along with the launch of product initiatives like in-car experience SiriusXM with 360L. Prior to joining SiriusXM, he held senior sales and marketing positions within Bell Canada. Read more here.

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We Need To Talk About JACK pic.twitter.com/2jrL6neV6T

— JACK 96.9 Calgary (@JACK969calgary) June 1, 2023

Marc Michaels has stepped into the morning time slot on JACK 96.9 (CJAQ-FM) Calgary as part of a lineup refresh at the station that Rogers Sports & Media says has yet to be finalized. He moves up from afternoon drive where he was co-hosting with Katlynn Millions, who is currently solo in her 2 – 6 p.m. time slot. Meredith Geddes, who recently joined JACK 96.9 (CJAX-FM) Vancouver, is now being heard in middays on both stations. More to come.

Paul Haysom is returning to CHEK News Victoria where he started his career, to anchor the station’s 6 p.m. newscast. Haysom departs Global BC after six years. He’d been with Global since leaving CHEK in 2013, initially as a producer with Global BC, before a three-year anchoring stint with Global Calgary, prior to returning to Vancouver.

Nathaniel Dove has announced his departure from Global Saskatoon to join Global’s Online National Breaking News team in Toronto. Dove has been a digital broadcast journalist with the station since 2019. Prior to that, he was a video journalist with CTV Yorkton.

Jasmine Bala has announced she’s leaving journalism. A 2019 Ryerson University grad, Bala had been a reporter and producer with Global BC for the past year. Prior to that, she was the weekend anchor and reporter at CHEK News Victoria.

Monika Coen and Marja Van Dyke have both been restructured from the Global News marketing team. Coen had been with Corus for the last eight years, most recently as Regional Senior Manager, Marketing & Promotions for Global BC, BC1 and Global Okanagan, while Van Dyke was Marketing Manager for Global Calgary.

Jessica Smith is joining CP24 as a weather specialist. Smith has been a weather forecaster and reporter with CTV Toronto since Dec. 2021. Prior to that, she was an anchor and reporter with the network in both Kitchener and Regina.

Tom Cooke, Revenue Manager for the Corus Radio London-Woodstock cluster of stations, has parted ways with the company. Cooke had been with Corus since 2014. Prior to that, he was the VP and General Manager of Astral Media’s radio stations in London, Hamilton, and St. Catherines-Niagara for 12 years, the final year under Bell Media. He’s also held GM positions with Standard Broadcasting and Telemedia.

Brian DePoe, General Sales Manager at Central Ontario Broadcasting for Barrie and Simcoe County, has announced he’ll retire Aug. 1. DePoe, who has been in his current role since 2013, is marking 41 years in broadcasting. Over that time, he’s worked as a programmer at stations across the country with Rogers Sports & Media, Standard Broadcasting, Bell Media and My Broadcasting Corporation.

Riley Phillips has departed CityNews 1130 (CKWX-AM) Vancouver to join DriveBC. Phillips had been an airborne reporter for the station since 2018.

Angela Amato has left The Canadian Press (CP) Edmonton bureau to join the Regina Leader Post. She had been with CP for the last year. Prior that, she worked as a communications officer and researcher with CBC Edmonton.

Michael Traikos has been named Managing Editor of Team Sites for The Hockey News. He’ll lead all 32 NHL team sites, in addition to those dedicated to Women’s Hockey and betting. Traikos has been with Postmedia for the last two decades as a sports reporter for the National Post and National Hockey Writer for the Postmedia Network.

Martijn Bakx is the new CEO of MEDIAPRO Canada, replacing Oscar López. Bakx will relocate to Toronto with his family after working for over 12 years as a senior executive in the sports media rights department at GRUP MEDIAPRO in Barcelona, Spain. A Dutch national, Bakx has a Masters in Communications from the University of Leuven in Belgium and in Media Studies from the University of Amsterdam. In recent years, he was responsible for the international expansion and media distribution of LaLiga, Spain’s top-tier men’s soccer league. In 2018, he was actively involved in bringing MEDIAPRO to Canada via a media rights agreement with Canadian Soccer Business.

Nick Meyer is stepping down as President of Film at Entertainment One (eOne) at the end of June, telling employees in a memo that “as eOne’s relationship with Hasbro moves to its next chapter, I have decided to end my tenure as eOne’s President of Film when my contract ends next month.” Meyer’s departure comes as Hasbro, which acquired eOne in 2019 for $3.8B, explores a sale of the company’s film and TV production and distribution unit.

Boat Rocker has made updates to the roles of several key senior executives reporting into studio co-chairmen Ivan Schneeberg and David Fortier. Jon Rutherford, formerly President, Kids & Family and Rights, Boat Rocker Studios, is taking on the new role of President, Global Rights, Franchise, and Content Strategy. Nick Nantell, formerly EVP, Creative Affairs, Boat Rocker Studios, Scripted is taking on the role of EVP, Head of Scripted Creative, leading all scripted endeavours across the studio, while Kerry Appleyard, formerly, SVP, Creative Affairs, Scripted is taking on the expanded role of SVP, Head of Scripted Canada. Michael McGahey has joined Boat Rocker as VP, Content, Kids & Family Live Action. He joins the L.A. office from Mindshow where he was Head of Creative Development and Sales. Jill Danton, EVP, Head of Production, is adding oversight of unscripted and kids and family (scripted and animated) production to her remit. Hameed Ahmed, SVP, Finance & Operations, Boat Rocker Media is adding Head of Finance to his title, leading finance across all studio divisions.

Jim Hammond has joined DJB Radio Software (DJB) and its Canadian subsidiary, Ron Paley Broadcast (RPB), as Vice President of Sales & Business Development for DJB Radio. With more than a quarter century in broadcast automation sales, Hammond saw Scott Studios through its acquisition of DCS and the company’s subsequent acquisition by Google. For the last 11 years, Hammond was in sales with WideOrbit. He’ll make his debut with DJB at Radiodays North America in Toronto, June 8-9.

 

 

RADIO & PODCAST:

Numeris’ Spring PPM ratings reflect the 13-week period from Feb. 27 to May 28. In Toronto, CBC Radio One is #1, A12+, delivering a 12.6% share, followed by boom 97.3 at 10.8%. CHUM-FM is #1 with women 25-54 with a 11.2% share. CKNW claimed #1, A12+, in Vancouver with a 12.5% share of hours tuned. Taking the top spot for F25-54 is 94.5 Virgin Radio with 19.2%, also holding the lead for M25-54 listeners (12.0%). In Edmonton, CISN Country takes #1, A12+, posting a 9.6% share. 102.3 NOW! holds top spot for F25-54, delivering a 18.2% share (up from 14.9%). NOW Radio! is #1 with M25-54 with a 11.9% share. CBC Radio One leads the way in Calgary for A12+ with a 10.0%. C97.7 is popular with women, taking #1 for F25-54, delivering a 10.3% share, while X92.9 rules with M25-54 at 12.9% (down from 14.7%). In Montreal, CHMP 98.5 FM is #1, A12+ (Franco), with a 23.5% share. For A12+ (Anglo), CJAD 800 is #1 with a 23.7%. For F25-54 (Anglo), The Beat 92.5 is way out in front with a 38.8 % share (up from 32.5%) and #1 M25-54 (Anglo) at 21.2%. Read David Bray’s breakdown here.

Numeris’ Spring 2023 Diary release covers the period from May 2, 2022 to April 30, 2023. As David Bray notes in his breakdown, it’s worth mentioning that radio reached 84% of Adults 25-54. In Ottawa-Gatineau, CBC Radio One was out in front, delivering a 17.8% share, A12+, also #1 with women 25-54 with a 12.5% share, and men 25-54 (10.7%). In Winnipeg, CBC Radio One was #1, A12+, with a 15.4% share of hours tuned. Top spot for F25-54 goes to QX104 with a 13.3% share. For M25-54 listeners, 92 CITI-FM is #1 with an 11.8 %. CBC Radio One was also #1 in Halifax, posting an impressive 20.6% share of hours tuned. Move 100 takes top spot for F25-54, delivering a 12.8% share, while Q104 is tops with M25-54 with a 15.2% share and also takes the lead with M18-34 at 24.4%. For Hamilton originating stations, KX 94.7 leads the way, A12+, with a 7.1%, followed by Bounce 102.9 with 6.1%. KX 94.7 was #1 with F25-54, delivering an 11.1 % share and M25-54 with an 8.3% share as well as M18-34 (10.1%) and F18-34 (14.0%). In Victoria, CBC Radio One was #1, A12+, with a 19.6% share. Virgin Radio is tops with women, F25-54 (15.1%). For M25-54, The Q is on top at 20.0%. Read more here.

StatsRadio has released new survey data from markets in New Brunswick, Ontario and British Columbia where the Quebec-based audio insights company has client stations. Based on a web panel of 473 respondents, among the report’s insights are that 84% of AM/FM listeners are tuning on a traditional radio, 29% streaming radio via their cellphone, 20% listening on a desktop computer, 18% tuning via smart speaker, and another 16% through their television. In-car listening accounts for 76% of listening, compared to 29% at home and another 16% at work. When asked about their go-to local news source during a special event like a power outage, storm, or road closure, 67% of respondents answered “my local radio station and its website or social networks,” 26% said social media, 25% cited CBC and its platforms, and another 13% said their local newspaper. Read more here.

Stingray Radio stations across Canada are now available via Bell Media’s iHeartRadio Canada app. The partnership sees Stingray radio stations, including boom 97.3 (CHBM-FM) Toronto, Q104 (CFRQ-FM) Halifax, Z95.3 (CKZZ-FM) Vancouver, and K97 (CIRK-FM) Edmonton, join iHeartRadio Canada’s roster of stations and podcasts. The newly-added Stingray stations will promote iHeartRadio Canada on-air, while also continuing to stream on their respective websites and via other apps, including the Radioplayer Canada platform. Read more here.

SiriusXM Canada has announced the launch of its Black Music Month celebrations with limited-engagement channels including The 2PAC Channel, So So Def Radio, Billboard Top 500 R&B Countdown, and Hip Hop Top 500, in addition to specialty programming. Throughout June Mixtape: North (ch.164), the 24/7 Canadian Hip-Hop and R&B channel, will feature performances by LAVI$H, Savannah Ré and Boi-1da. PARTYNEXTDOOR will also hold an in-studio takeover June 23. Influence Franco (ch. 174) programming will include Montréal Hip-Hop artist and historian Kapois Lamort delving into the often-untold history of the impact of Black music on Québécois culture. Canada Talks (ch. 167) will also honour Black Music Month with a variety of feature interviews and special programming all month long.

Canadaland has initiated an open call for pitches, actively seeking original podcast ideas from across Canada and globally, to fund, produce, and release. The podcast network, which is entering its second decade, says for a series to spark its interest “it needs to be unique, surprising, and instantly compelling.” While known for its longform investigations, Canadaland says it’s also interested in new formats and genres, including comedy, considering concepts for both limited and ongoing series. As previously reported, the network recently signed a multi-year first-look deal with Entertainment One (eOne) to develop its journalism for scripted and unscripted television series and documentaries.

Cumulus Media and Signal Hill Insights have released the Spring 2023 Podcast Download Report, diving in to the listening habits of weekly podcast consumers in the U.S. One of this year’s key findings is that podcast consumers have embraced YouTube as the number one podcast platform, particularly for podcast discovery. Podcast Download found listeners spend nearly as much time on YouTube listening to podcasts without visuals as they do while watching. It also found podcast advertising, which the report indicates is up 16 points year-over-year, captures hard-to-reach, ad-free video streamers, noting that weekly podcast consumers are also heavy viewers of ad-free video streaming services. Read more here.

LISTEN: Rick Cummings, President, Programming Radio at Emmis Communications, is on the Sound Off Podcast. In this episode, Cummings talks about his favourite mistakes, how Emmis accidentally purchased a top-ranked radio station in WLOL-AM in the Twin Cities, and his experiences working with great talent from David Letterman to syndicated radio host, Big Boy. Listen on your favourite podcast app or here:

SIGN OFFS:

Egbert Gaye, 67, on June 4, following a heart attack. Gaye was best known as a longtime commentator on CJAD Montreal where he had a reputation for jousting with host Tommy Schnurmacher on the station’s Gang of Four segment, and more recently, The Elias Makos Show. Gaye was the founder of Montreal Community Contact, a newspaper dedicated to covering the city’s Black and Caribbean community, which he continued to helm as Managing Editor after 31 years. A graduate of Concordia University, he had also been a contributing columnist for the Montreal Gazette in the past and served on the Gazette Board of Contributors.

TV & FILM:

CBC has announced plans to launch two new free ad-supported streaming (FAST) channels this fall. Following the launch of CBC News Explore last November, the public broadcaster will introduce CBC Comedy, featuring CBC original comedy series like Run the Burbs, Son of a Critch and Sort Of, in addition to standup specials. CBC News BC will broadcast the biggest stories of the day from Canada’s West Coast, with additional local CBC News streaming channels to be made available on connected TVs, the CBC News App and its CBC Gem streaming platform in the New Year. CBC’s 2023-24 programming slate for CBC TV and CBC Gem features over 40 new and returning original series and more than 4,000 hours of new programming, including expanded series versions of feature films Blackberry and Bones of Crows. Read more here.

Citytv has unveiled its primetime lineups for 2023/24. Joining the 18 returning series and special events on its primetime schedule this fall are three all-new shows and one new-to-Citytv series. Anchoring Mondays is new high-stakes drama The Irrational, starring Jesse L. Martin (Law & Order, Rent), followed by highly-anticipated Bachelor Nation spinoff, The Golden Bachelor, featuring a bachelor “in search of a partner with whom to share the sunset years of life.” Thursdays feature new missing-persons drama Found, starring Shanola Hampton (Shameless). Premiering on OMNI Television on June 11 are two new original series, comedy Our Big Punjabi Family and five-part documentary series Katiba Banat: Sisters in Arms, in addition to a new season of Filipino sketch comedy ABROAD.

Citytv has announced that Toronto is getting its own dedicated Law & Order spinoff, set to debut on the network next Spring. One-hour crime drama Law & Order Toronto: Criminal Intent will be an adaptation of the legendary TV franchise. Citytv says the series will showcase original Canadian stories, written, produced by, and starring Canadians, following “an elite squad of detectives who investigate high-profile crime and corruption in metro Toronto.” Produced by Lark Productions and Cameron Pictures, in association with Citytv, 10 one-hour episodes have been ordered, with production to get underway this fall in Toronto. Read more here.

Bell Media has announced new series set to join CTV and its specialty channels for the 2023/24 season, in advance of its upfront presentation June 8. Coming to CTV are: Snake Oil, a game show hosted and produced by comedian David Spade and executive-produced by Will Arnett via his Electric Avenue Productions; Tracker, based on the bestselling novel The Never Game by Jeffery Deaver, starring Justin Hartley (This Is Us) as lone-wolf survivalist Colter Shaw, who roams the country using his expert tracking skills to solve mysteries; Rescue: Hi-Surf, a Hawaii-set lifeguard drama from executive producer/director John Wells (Shameless); High Potential, written by Drew Goddard (The Good Place) and based on popular French series Haut Potentiel Intellectuel, starring Kaitlin Olson (It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia) and Daniel Sunjata (#FREERAYSHAWN); and Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test, a quasi-military training reality series.

TSN has announced its CFL ON TSN broadcast schedule, featuring live coverage of every regular season and playoff game, in addition to the 110th Grey Cup, live from Hamilton on Sunday, Nov. 19. The 2023 CFL season kicks off June 8 with the BC Lions taking on the Calgary Stampeders at 9 p.m. ET. CFL ON TSN’s coverage is led by host Kate Beirness alongside CFL Hall of Famers Matt Dunigan and Milt Stegall, sports betting analyst Davis Sanchez, and featuring former CFL head coaches Jim Barker and Paul LaPolice; TSN’s play-by-play broadcast team, including Rod Smith, Dustin Nielson, Marshall Ferguson, Glen Suitor, Duane Forde, Farhan Lalji, and Dunigan; TSN Football Insiders Dave Naylor and Lalji delivering news and analysis from around the league; reporters Matthew Scianitti, Claire Hanna, and Kenzie Lalonde with the latest news in the East Division, while Lalji, Ryan Rishaug, Brit Dort, and John Lu focus on the West Division.

Bell Media has acquired a minority stake in Montreal-based producer Sphere Media. whose original series include CBC/HBO Max co-pro Sort Of, medical drama Transplant, which airs on CTV and NBC, and CBC/BET+ period drama The Porter. Terms of the deal, which reportedly closed in March, have not been disclosed.

Sparkly Frog Clan Productions and Brightlight Pictures have announced the return of reality business competition Bears’ Lair to APTN. Indigenous entrepreneurs are invited to apply to be on Season 2, June 15 at BearsLairTV.com. Selected contestants will pitch their ideas to the panel of Bears and guest judges, competing for their share of approximately $160,000 in cash prizes. Season 2 will feature both new and familiar faces with Indigenous business moguls Geena Jackson, Tabatha Bull and Dave Tuccaro returning as Bears, in addition to new judge Clint Davis, former President and CEO of Nunasi Corporation in Nunatsiavut. 

The IWK Foundation has made the decision to reschedule its annual IWK Telethon for Children on CTV until later this summer, due to the devastating wildfires in the Halifax region. The 39-year Maritime tradition usually takes place the first weekend of June. This year’s theme is Stronger Than You Know, highlighting the sheer strength and resilience of patients and families, which the organization says it had no way of knowing how relevant and meaningful that would be.

Youth Media Alliance (YMA) has announced the winners of the 2023 Awards of Excellence during a live gala May 31 at CBC’s Glenn Gould Studio. The evening’s big winner was TVOKids’ sports competition series All-Round Champion, which won the Grand Prize, in addition to its cast securing the Award of Excellence for Outstanding Youth Performer or Ensemble. Picture Box Distribution founder Marilyn Kynaston was recognized with the Outstanding Achievement Award, given for a distinguished career in youth production in Canada. Joan Digba received the Emerging Talent Award, given to a rising star in children’s programming. Since 2020, Digba has been an associate producer for Sinking Ship Entertainment, writing for Aunty B’s House (CBC Kids, Headspinner Productions), Jane (Apple TV, Sinking Ship Entertainment), and Beyond Black Beauty (Amazon, Sinking Ship Entertainment).

Telefilm Canada has announced a $19.4M funding commitment to 32 feature-length films, with 25 projects in the English market and seven in the French market, under the lower budget stream of the Production Program for fiscal 2023-24. Among the low budget features approved for funding are Chandler Levack comedy Anglophone; drama Lakeview from Nova Scotia director/screenwriter Tara Thorne; and historical drama Chopping Boy from directors and screenwriters Adam Belanger and David Lafontaine.

The Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television (the Canadian Academy) has announced the return of Women in Post, its development program designed to address barriers to entry and advancement for women and non-binary professionals working in the post-production industry. It’s now accepting applications for its third cohort here through July 4. Building on the success of the first two years of the program, the third year will expand to support up to 12 participants, thanks to an additional funding commitment from Netflix. Participants will partake in a curated observer/mentorship placement aligned with their specific area(s) of interest in post-production. 

VIDAA, the smart TV operating system powering Hisense, Toshiba, and other leading regional OEM brands, and Paramount, have announced a new partnership to bring Paramount+ to smart TVs powered by VIDAA in Canada and Latin America. VIDAA viewers in Canada, Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay, and Venezuela can now access the Paramount+ library of original content, movies, live sports, and more on their smart TVs. The expanded partnership builds on VIDAA’s initial launch of Paramount+ on VIDAA devices in the U.S. in May 2022.

ONLINE & DIGITAL MEDIA:

Meta says content from news outlets, including news publishers and broadcasters, will not be available on Facebook and Instagram in Canada if Bill C-18, the Online News Act, is passed into law. The company says it’s testing a solution to end news availability in Canada as defined by Bill C-18, which is currently making its way through the Senate and anticipated to become law by the end of the month. During the testing period, which will run for several weeks, a small percentage of Canadian users enrolled in testing will be notified if they attempt to share news content. News outlets will continue to have access to their accounts and Pages, and post news links and content, however, some of that content will not be viewable in Canada, including short-form video posted to Reels and Stories. Read more here.

The Digital Publishing Awards have announced this year’s winners across 24 categories. The Narwhal captured eight awards, including Gold for Ontario reporter Emma McIntosh in the Emerging Excellence category. CBC Podcasts’ Welcome to Paradise took Gold in the Best Podcast: Arts, Culture & Society category, while Kuper Island claimed the honour for Best Podcast: Current Affairs. Other multiple award winners included The Globe & Mail, CBC News, Radio-Canada, La Presse, and Hazlitt.

Narcity Media Group has outlined its AI-driven, go-forward strategy in a press release titled “Re-envisioning our content for the future.” Among its initiatives are moving toward a membership model that would provide unlimited access to the publication’s “AI Valet” reading experience. Narcity says it also plans to double down on its Travel, Eat & Drink, Money and Lifestyle verticals. “This powerful tool isn’t replacing our human touch — it’s amplifying it, enabling us to streamline our processes and concentrate on what truly matters: telling more genuine, voice-led stories,” writes CEO Chuck Lapointe. “We’re harnessing AI to bring you the unique narratives and perspectives that shape our communities. It’s our mission to deliver not just content, but experiences that resonate with our readers on a deeper, more personal level.”

Unifor says in a historic vote last week, 220 Metroland Media union members overwhelmingly voted to move forward with consolidation of their newspaper collective agreements. The process to achieve the Memorandum of Agreement began in early February when Torstar approached the union to help ease its financial situation by converting all organized Metroland units into a single group. The deal moves 12 smaller collective agreements under one main agreement, which will see members across Ontario come together as one large group. Unit chairs will meet over the next few weeks to formulate that main agreement. Unifor Local 87-M represents 220 members at Metroland Media and 1,500 media workers across Ontario, including the Toronto Star, Globe and Mail and Toronto Sun.

REGULATORY, TELECOM & MEDIA:

Quebecor is asking the CRTC for regulatory relief on its local programming requirements, saying if that doesn’t happen, it will be faced with making “difficult choices” related to TVA programming. TVA is currently under a requirement to broadcast 18 hours of local programming per week, noting that other stations in the region are subject to fewer hours, including CBC/Radio-Canada. Quebecor is requesting that the CRTC immediately reduce its obligation to 16 hours of local programming per week. It is also asking the commission for relief from requirements to produce two newscasts during the weekend and at least 5.5 hours of newscasts produced in Quebec, as well as 3.5 hours of other programs reflecting Quebec.

OCAD University is presenting Rogers Communications’ Vice-Chair Phil Lind with an honourary degree on June 9. Lind is one of five “changemakers” being recognized, both as one of the founders of Rogers and for his philanthropy work. Among the institutions Lind has supported are The Power Plant Contemporary Art Gallery, where he served as Chair; Art Gallery of Ontario; Vancouver Art Gallery; and the Sierra Club of Ontario, which he founded.

 

The Canadian Public Relations Society (CPRS) has announced veteran broadcaster Lisa LaFlamme as the winner of its President’s Award for outstanding public relations and communications management. LaFlamme was revealed as this year’s recipient at the CPRS annual conference in Whistler, June 4-6. Bestowed by the CPRS Board of Directors, the award is not intended for a professional communicator but, rather, someone who has been thrust into the spotlight for a particular reason and who has excelled at telling their story and engaging the public through their efforts. The board of directors says LaFlamme demonstrated “the highest level of effective messaging around discrimination that many Canadians face. The issues raised by her speaking out resonated with Canadians coast-to-coast and raised awareness on matters that can only benefit Canadian society at large.”

The #RogersShawConcert at Calgary’s Saddledome on June 1 raised $100,00 in support of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Calgary & area. The free concert featuring Darius Rucker, The Reklaws, Kyle McKearney, and host Lindsay Ell, was both a fundraiser and customer appreciation event for Rogers and Shaw customers. Rogers donated $10 for every ticket scanned at the event, in addition to topping up their donation by an additional $30,000 to reach the evening’s $100,000 fundraising goal. 

BROADCAST TECH & ENGINEERING:

Bell has completed its acquisition of FX Innovation, a Montréal-based provider of cloud-focused managed and professional services and workflow automation solutions. Announced last month, Bell says the acquisition will combine FX Innovation’s agility, start-up culture, and cloud services expertise with Bell’s next-generation fibre and 5G networks, resources, and scale to deliver leading-edge technology solutions for Canadian businesses backed by its network. FX Innovation will continue to operate independently under the leadership of Guillaume Bazinet.

FEATURE: ”Long gone are the days of the Winnipeg Press Club and less often are the after work gatherings since the pandemic, so WABE’s May Monday Media Meetup at the Saddlery this past month was warmly welcomed. Thirty locals showed up to reconnect, meet a few new folks, and hopefully plant a seed of something we can grow,” writes WABE President Tesssa Potter, in her monthly column. “It gave me hope that in Vancouver this fall, we can use what we learned at the meetup to create some of the same connections that leave participants excited about the future of media, engaged with the industry we spend so much time working in, and connected to people that will help them fill roles in their companies. Somedays, the only notable things about working behind the scenes in media and entertainment are easy access to coffee and endless to-do lists. Whether it’s a live show, an onsite production, a news program, or an early morning on-air with radio, as employees, we need access to events that show we are not alone in our struggles at work. They help us see that we are part of a larger industry experiencing similar challenges and there are opportunities waiting for us that we might not know about.” Read more here.