REVOLVING DOOR:
Ian Lurie has been appointed to the Board of Directors of Stingray Group, in addition to retaining his current role as Executive Chairman of Stingray Radio. Frédéric Lavoie has resigned from the board, but will continue to serve as special advisor.
John White has been named Vista Radio’s new National Director of News. With a background that includes both local journalism and digital media, White was most recently the editor of Ottawa-based social finance newsletter, Future for Good and fintech website Fintech Nexus. His resume includes stints as a regional editor for Black Press in B.C.’s Kootenay Region; working with the Edmonton Journal as a digital news editor; and serving as a deputy editor for online at the Winnipeg Free Press. He steps into the position vacated by Wendy Gray, who departed the company after 16 years, earlier this year. In addition to White, Vista has welcomed several new hires in recent months, including Kate Brown, News Director – Kootenay Region; Paul Cluff, News Director – Southern Ontario; and Justin Goulet, an Editor and Senior Reporter in Lethbridge. Read more here.
Lochlin Cross is rejoining Edmonton’s 100.3 The Bear (CFBR-FM) as a fill-in host. The former host of afternoon drive on the station from 2010-15, Cross returns to The Bear after being released from “The Locker Room” morning show on Harvard Media’s 95.7 CRUZ FM (CKEA-FM) in March.
Angie Seth has joined CBC as a Toronto-based anchor and reporter. Seth was an anchor with CTV News Channel for the past six years, up until February when she was caught up in a round of layoffs at Bell Media.
Jayson Baxter has signed off from CTV Atlantic after 25 years, telling viewers it’s time to pursue new opportunities. Baxter originally joined the station as a sports and news reporter in 1998. He went on to co-host Live at 5 with Maria Panopalis and work as a show producer.
Dani Paradis has left APTN, where she’s been the network’s western correspondent, based in Edmonton. Paradis is leaving to take an Assistant Professor position at McEwan University.
Robyn Crawford has announced she’s leaving CityNews 1130 (CKWX-AM) Vancouver. Crawford has been with the station since 2021 and Assistant News Director since early 2022. She’s accepted a position as Manager of Communications and Government Relations with the City of White Rock.
Congratulations and best wishes to our @lkennedy49, who is moving on after 21 years at @FAN590! Thanks to LK for over two decades of excellence at the station ❤️ pic.twitter.com/Ljevet0ol9
— Sportsnet 590 The FAN (@FAN590) June 21, 2024
Lance Kennedy is moving on from Sportsnet The Fan 590 (CJCL-AM). Kennedy had been a technical producer and board operator with the station for the past 21 years.
Paul Larsen, the former CEO of Clear Sky Radio, has joined Creatorade Media as an investor and board member. Co-founded by former Golden West Broadcasting executives Carter Friesen and Doug Campbell, the influencer marketing agency is now operating in Lethbridge, Kenora, and Saskatoon, working with local digital content creators.
Stéphane Cardin is departing Netflix Canada where he’s served as Director of Public Policy for Canada for the last six years. His last day with the streamer is July 5. Prior to joining Netflix in 2018, Cardin was VP, Industry and Public Affairs with the Canada Media Fund (CMF) for eight and a half years.
Caroline Tyre has left WildBrain to join Spin Master as Vice President of Global Content Distribution. Tyre had been with WildBrain since 2020 as VP, Global Sales & Rights Strategy. She’ll continue to be based in Toronto.
RADIO & PODCAST:
Corus Entertainment has pulled the plug on two of its AM radio formats in Vancouver and Edmonton, and laid off staff. 880 News (CHQT-AM) Edmonton, a sister station to 630 CHED, had been owned by Corus since 2000 and re-launched as an all-news station in 2008. AM 730 (CKGO-AM) Vancouver, a sister station to 980 CKNW, was formerly branded as Mojo Sports Radio, prior to the launch of what was billed as North America’s only “all-traffic” station in 2006. Corus says as part of an ongoing efficiency review across the company, it has made “the difficult decision” to reduce AM radio programming in both markets. While not divulging whether it will return the licences to the CRTC or if it is seeking a buyer, the company told Broadcast Dialogue that following a period of simulcasting CKNW and CHED programming on the respective stations, “Corus will only operate one AM news-talk station in each of Vancouver and Edmonton.” Read more here.
The CRTC has approved Radio Huronne-Wyandot’s application for a broadcasting licence to operate an Indigenous (Type B) FM radio station in Wendake, Que. Radio Huronne-Wyandot was originally granted a broadcast licence for a low-power station in 1984 and subsequently a new licence for an Indigenous FM radio station (CIHW-FM) in 2018. That licence was administratively renewed in 2019 and expired in 2022. The FM station would operate at 100.3 MHz (channel 262A) with an average effective radiated power (ERP) of 239 watts, airing 126 hours of local programming each broadcast week, including six hours of programming devoted to spoken word and 120 hours of musical content, consisting of pop, rock, dance, country and Indigenous; 102 hours of French-language programming and 24 hours in various Indigenous languages (Wendat, Innu and Atikamekw).
Triton Digital has released the latest Canada Podcast Ranker for the May 2024 reporting period (April 29 – June 2), as measured by Triton’s Podcast Metrics measurement service. Top ranked podcast debuts included MrBallen’s Medical Mysteries (Wondery Network) for the top podcasts, Split Screen: Kid Nation (CBC/Radio-Canada) for the Canada originated English-language podcasts, and Broomgate: A Curling Scandal (CBC/Radio-Canada) for both the top ranked podcasts and the Canada originated English-language podcasts.
A GoFundMe has been organized in support of Deborah Birmingham, one of the former voices on the OZFM Dawn Patrol on OZFM (CHOZ-FM) St. John’s, NL. Birmingham has been diagnosed with B cell follicular lymphoma and is recovering from surgery to remove melanoma from her leg.
LISTEN: David Farrell was honoured with a Lifetime Achievement Award during Canadian Music Week (CMW) recognizing his more than five-decade career covering the music and broadcast industry. Farrell published industry publication The Record for 20 years, before co-founding FYI Music News, which was acquired by Billboard Canada last year. He joins Broadcast Dialogue – The Podcast to talk about the ups and downs of writing about radio and records, the state of music journalism, and more.
LISTEN: On the latest Sound Off Podcast, Jeremy Sinon shares how his tech-savvy background led him to a pivotal role at Clear Channel and later Hubbard Radio. He discusses the evolution of digital departments, the importance of strategic content repurposing, and the potential impact of AI on the industry.
The Pro Bono Group is launching a new PSA for the Canadian Alliance to End Homelessness (CAEH) titled “Camping.” It replaces the current spot available to stations, “Uncomfortable.” Pro Bono Group will release new creative in six weeks time.
SIGN OFFS:
Donald Sutherland, 88, on June 20. Before his foray onto stage and screen, Sutherland was an aspiring broadcaster, landing a job at CKBW Bridgewater, NS where his family relocated to from New Brunswick. Sutherland started working at the station at age 15 reading news and acting a disc jockey, prior to attending Victoria University in Toronto and subsequently leaving Canada to study at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art. Sutherland’s breakout film role came in 1967 with WWII film The Dirty Dozen. He went on to land the lead in 1970 feature film M*A*S*H as Captain Benjamin Franklin “Hawkeye” Pierce, earning him the first of nine Golden Globe nominations. An eclectic range of roles in nearly 200 film and television productions followed from 1971’s Klute (1971) to Ordinary People (1980), Backdraft (1991), Disclosure (1994), A Time to Kill (1996), Fallen (1998), Pride & Prejudice (2005), and The Hunger Games franchise (2012-15). His numerous accolades include a Genie (1983), Emmy (1995), two Golden Globes (1995, 2002), the Governor General’s Performing Arts Award for Lifetime Artistic Achievement (2000), and an Honorary Oscar from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (2017), in addition to stars on Canada’s Walk of Fame (2000) and the Hollywood Walk of Fame (2011). He was named a Companion of the Order of Canada in 2019, and a Commandeur of France’s Ordre des Arts et des Lettres in 2012.
Larry Updike, 69, on June 20. Performing in public from the time he was a child in Southern Ontario as part of a family singing group, Updike was an ordained minister prior to his radio career, which he began to supplement his income. Updike is best known as one-half of “Tom and Larry,” the morning show he hosted alongside Tom McGouran, initially on Power 97 (CJKR-FM) from 1982 to 1988 and then on 92 CITI for another six years. The highly-rated duo were lured to Vancouver’s Rock 101 (CFMI-FM) in 1994, but the show did not translate to the new market and they were released after less than a year. Updike later resurfaced on 680 CJOB in 1995, where he went on to host the morning show from 2000-09. In 2009, he signed on with Winnipeg’s Siloam Mission as the not-for-profit organization’s Senior Communications Spokesperson. He was inducted into the Manitoba Broadcasters Hall of Fame that same year. He went on to host “Up to Speed,” the afternoon show on CBC Radio One, from 2010-13. In 2014, he published My Word! The Larry Updike Story, chronicling his journey from Pentecostal minister to rock radio and talk show host. Read more here.
I don’t know what Mark’s job description was. To those of us who relied on him he was a wizard. He always answered our calls for help,always had our backs. I told him many times, including the night before he died, that I never wanted to go on the road without him. RIP my friend https://t.co/k3pxOAnfx5
— Dawna Friesen (@DFriesenGlobal) June 20, 2024
Mark Blanchard, 55, suddenly of a heart attack, on June 19. Blanchard had worked with Global News since 2001 as Manager of the Network Resources Desk, helping field crews with tech, logistics and newsgathering. In an on-air tribute, Global National anchor Dawna Friesen called him “a technical, logistical wizard, who solved problems and made news happen…he demanded excellence and was a master at overcoming obstacles.” Blanchard started his journalism career in print in Halifax, prior to pursuing radio and television news, including a stint at CTV Atlantic.
Kim (Irvine) Kuhn, 48, on June 18, following a battle with cancer. A 1996 BCIT Television Production graduate, Kuhn had been a director with Global BC for the last 25 years. She concurrently compiled a long list of broadcast producer and director credits, specializing in live production and multi-camera events, including Vancouver Giants hockey, the Variety Show of Hearts Telethon, the 2010 and 2015 Olympic Opening and Closing Ceremonies, and numerous Grey Cup, Canada Day, and New Year’s Eve specials. She also worked on events abroad, including the Jubilee Arts International Talent Showcase in Lisbon.
TV & FILM:
Sportsnet’s Stanley Cup Final broadcast is the network’s most-watched broadcast ever with an average minute audience of 7.55 million across Sportsnet, Citytv and CBC, according to Numeris data released by Rogers Sports & Media. The Game 7 broadcast, which saw the Florida Panthers defeat the Edmonton Oilers 2-1, is also the second most-watched NHL game ever in Canada (behind the Vancouver Canucks’ Game 7 defeat at the hands of the Boston Bruins in 2011), based on data collected since 2009. Monday night’s broadcast reached 15 million Canadians or 39% of the population. It additionally set a record as the most-watched program ever on Sportsnet+, reaching 1.93 million streamers. Read more here.
Media Technology Monitor (MTM) has released its Spring 2024 Sneak Peek Report looking at evolving trends in Canadian media consumption, highlighted by an increase in canceled subscriptions and usage of Connected TVs, as well as sports viewership driven by the “Taylor Swift Effect.” While men have historically been the primary viewers of television sports, MTM found a notable shift last fall when Taylor Swift began attending Kansas City Chiefs’ football games. The report says Gen Z women were more than twice as likely to watch sports on TV during that period than they were in Spring 2023, with viewership rising to 33%. Interest returned to normal levels in Spring 2024. The Spring report also indicates three quarters of all Canadians now own a TV set connected to the internet. Read more here.
Numeris has released household viewing data for Spring 2024. While Netflix leads viewing minutes in Quebec Franco (16.4%), Amazon Prime is out in front with Western Canadians at 14.9%. Amazon Prime is second-most popular with Franco Quebecers (13.9%). It also leads in Ontario (13.6%), followed by Netflix at 12.5%. Disney+ is third overall, performing better in Western Canada (4.3%) with almost three times the viewership compared to Atlantic/Montreal Anglo (1.4%). Paramount+ is particularly popular in Eastern Canada, capturing 1.1% of raw viewing minutes.
Rogers is continuing its drive to win on content, making the ad-supported version of Disney+ available to Rogers TV customers at no additional cost. The move to add the Disney+ Standard with Ads package to Rogers TV bundles marks the continuation of an aggressive content campaign by the cable provider, evidenced earlier this month by the announcement that it’s acquired the brand and content licensing rights in Canada to Warner Bros. Discovery’s suite of English-language U.S. lifestyle and factual brands. Read more here.
OUTtv is launching a channel on Apple TV+ (UK), available as an add-on for Apple TV+ subscribers. Branded OUTflix across the UK, the launch is an extension of OUTtv’s partnership with Apple TV+ in the U.S. and Canada, where it has been available as a channel since 2021. In addition, OUTtv has secured a partnership with global AVoD platform wedotv for a pop-up channel in celebration of Pride Month. Expanding upon its strong slate of UK original content, OUTtv has also commissioned new UK docuseries Building Betty & Joan’s, from the producers of Live at the Queer Comedy Club and Stand Up Specials London, that goes behind the scenes of the grand opening of the renowned London Queer Comedy Club’s new home.
Abacus Media Rights is set to be acquired by Canada’s Sphere Media for $24.6M, following the company’s sale by Amcomri Entertainment. Sphere Media is partnering in the transaction with Bell Media, with the deal expected to close in mid-August, subject to conditions. Once closed, Abacus Media Rights will become a Sphere Media Company operating under the name of Sphere Abacus Media Rights. Its sales and acquisitions teams will remain based in the UK and continue to report to Managing Director Jonathan Ford, who will join the Sphere Media executive team reporting to Sphere Media CEO Bruno Dubé.
Farpoint Distribution, a division of Winnipeg’s Farpoint Films, has acquired Toronto-based 10Star Media. The deal will see all 10Star Media properties fall under the Farpoint Distribution banner. 10Star Media’s managing partner Craig McGillivray will take the lead as a partner and president of Farpoint Distribution.
The acquisition brings 10Star Media series like Departures, Descending, Into the Rising Sun, and Mantracker into the Farpoint Distribution library, which already includes series like Ghosts off Grid, An Hour to Kill, Fishing for History and the features Aberdeen, Wintertide and Menorca.
CBC and Massey Hall, in collaboration with the Gordon Lightfoot Estate, are presenting Celebrating Gordon Lightfoot on July 1 at 12 p.m. (12:30 NT) on CBC Radio One and CBC Listen, 4 p.m. (4:30 NT) and available to stream on CBC Gem and CBC Music’s YouTube channel. Recorded live from Massey Hall’s Allan Slaight Stage in Toronto this spring, the special features Blue Rodeo and The Gordon Lightfoot Band as house bands, welcoming guests including Allison Russell, Aysanabee, Burton Cummings, Caroline Wiles and Bob Doidge, City and Colour, Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson, The Good Brothers, Julian Taylor, Kathleen Edwards, Meredith Moon, Murray McLauchlan, Serena Ryder, Sylvia Tyson, Tom Cochrane, Tom Wilson and William Prince. Also airing July 1 is Canada Day: Feel The Rhythm at 8 p.m. local time (9 AT, 9:30 NT) on CBC TV and CBC Gem, hosted by Isabelle Racicot and featuring performances by Chromeo, Corneille, FouKi, Kanen, Kiesza, Maestro Fresh Wes, Metric, Neon Dreams, Qattuu, Sara Dufour and Willows.
Longhope Media is collaborating with Fubar creator Dave Lawrence on TNT Fubar, described as “a dynamic reimagining of classic hoser comedy, bringing Lawrence’s unique comedic vision to a new generation.” Created by and starring Lawrence, and written and co-directed by Immanuela Lawrence, TNT Fubar follows working-class Alberta everyman Terry Cahill (Lawrence) and his fiery on-and-off-again wife Trish, played by Canadian Screen Award nominee Terra Hazelton (Fubar II, Orphan Black). The series will be shot entirely on location in Calgary
Cannot sing the praises of @robgermain and the @CHEK_media team loudly enough. So proud to have been building along with them for these last 30 months. (A whirlwind of learning.) Absolute props to the team at @ohboyprod /1 pic.twitter.com/QgH8VsqWMW
— Jody Vance (@jodyvance) June 22, 2024
Steele and Vance, the weekly talk show hosted by veteran broadcasters Lynda Steele and Jody Vance, has come to an end after two years on Victoria’s CHEK TV. In a post to LinkedIn, Steele wrote that “new projects await.” Neither host has divulged future plans.
The Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television (Canadian Academy) has opened applications for the Women in Post program, offering industry access and professional development for emerging to mid-level women-identifying and non-binary creatives working in all areas of post production. Applications close July 17.
ONLINE & DIGITAL MEDIA:
ZoomerMedia has announced it’s acquiring tech news publication MobileSyrup from Blue Ant Media for $950,000. MobileSyrup publishes tech news and reviews, including streaming, gaming, AI, and consumer guides, boasting two million monthly average users. ZoomerMedia’s eighth acquisition in two years, it follows the company’s purchase of Alberta-based digipub Curiocity, and Owen Sound’s CJOS 92.3FM. The company now encompasses 18 media properties including blogTO, Daily Hive, Curiocity, The Peak, LudwigVan, and EverythingZoomer.com, plus ZoomerMedia’s legacy television, radio, and print brands and their websites.
Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism and the University of Oxford have released the 13th edition of their Digital News Report, based on data from six continents and 47 markets. This year’s report documents the scale and impact of “platform resets” with TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube on the rise, as consumers embrace more video consumption. It also cautions publishers adopting AI to proceed carefully as the report finds the public generally wants humans in the driving seat at all times. The report finds news use across online platforms is fragmenting, with six networks now reaching at least 10% of respondents, compared with just two a decade ago. YouTube is used for news by almost a third (31%) of the report’s global sample each week, WhatsApp by around a fifth (21%), while TikTok (13%) has overtaken Twitter (10%), now rebranded X, for the first time. Short news videos are accessed by two-thirds (66%) of the sample each week, with longer formats attracting around half (51%). The main locus of news video consumption is online platforms (72%), rather than publisher websites (22%). Find Canadian market data here.
REGULATORY, TELECOM & MEDIA:
The CRTC is launching two public consultations, as it continues implementation of the Online Streaming Act, to help ensure broadcasters and online streaming services offer programming accessible to persons with disabilities. The CRTC is seeking feedback on how broadcasters and online streaming services can better meet the needs of Canadians who use closed captioning and described video services to enjoy programming. The commission is now accepting comments until Aug. 19 and Aug. 26, respectively.
The Racial Equity Media Collective (REMC) says it’s been told a CBC employee has been moved to a non-editorial role outside the documentary team after the group lodged a formal complaint. The complaint, which dates back to February, was referenced in an open letter published by REMC and the Documentary Organization of Canada earlier this month “to address an apparent pattern of anti-Palestinian bias, Islamophobia, and anti-Palestinian racism within the corporation’s news and documentary culture.” The letter alleged a documentary production executive had, between last October and March of this year, posted numerous discriminatory posts to social media about Muslims, Palestine, and Palestinians, in contravention of CBC’s Journalistic Standards and Practices. It was signed by more than 500 producers and filmmakers – including Sarah Polley, Frances-Anne Solomon, Avi Lewis, Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers and Jasmin Mozaffari, among many others. Read more here.
Han Dong, who has sat as an Independent Member of Parliament since March 2023, continues to call for a retraction of a series of Global News reports from early last year, alleging he advised the Chinese consul general in Toronto against the release of Canadians Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig. An Ontario Superior Court judge has found no documented evidence to support the allegations made against the former Liberal MP, rejecting an application from Corus Entertainment to throw out Dong’s $15M defamation suit against the network, saying it is in the public interest to hear the case. Among other concerns, the judge noted the Global reporter did not keep all of the notes used during the reporting process.
Pattison Media has awarded six Prairie Equity Scholarships, valued at $2,500 each, to students enrolled in journalism and/or broadcast studies at a Western Canadian institution. The successful recipients are: Minaal Adnan, Mount Royal College, School of Broadcast/Journalism; Marina Fries, SAIT, Broadcast Studies; Karla Jubaily, UBC School of Journalism; Solana Pasqual, UBC School of Journalism; Rebecca-Lynn Reeves, Grant MacEwan University School of Journalism; and Bridget Stringer-Holden, UBC School of Journalism.
RTDNA Canada is inviting nominations for the Emerging Journalist Award, recognizing the achievements and work of Canadian journalists who are at the beginning stages of their career. Inductees will include new leaders who are shaping the future, innovators who enhance news gathering, and people who maintain the highest standards of our craft. The deadline for submissions is Aug. 20. Find the nomination form and criteria here.
BROADCAST TECH & ENGINEERING:
CCBE (Central Canada Broadcast Engineers, Technologists & Technicians) will host their upcoming Career Development Conference, Aug. 22-24, at Kingsbridge Conference Centre. Some of the papers set to be presented include a talk on 5G broadcasting by Frank Capsidas of XGen Networks; Andrew Scaglione from Radio.Cloud will lead a Town Hall discussion on AI and Cloud Technology; while Eric Shen from Corus Entertainment will present on SMPTE 2110 in the Real World. CCBE is also accepting applications for its awards program, including the Bob Norton Ambassador of the Year, CCBE Lifetime Achievement, CCBE George McCurdy Bursary, and CCBE Engineering Excellence Awards.
Global News has announced the integration of Calrec’s Type R consoles into its facilities in Calgary, Edmonton, and Vancouver. The sale was handled by Calrec’s Canadian partner, True North A.V. The consoles replace Global’s old Calrec Omega desks, which had served its newsrooms for 15 years. The Calgary facility has one six-fader panel and one large soft panel, while the Edmonton facility has five six-fader panels and two large soft panels, and the Vancouver newsroom six six-fader panels and three large soft panels. The cores are largely controlled locally with ability to adjust levels and dynamics remotely using VPN and the Calrec Assist GUI. They’re connected to Viz Mosart, the automation system that allows one to two operators to control all aspects of news production, including cameras, playout, graphics, and audio.
Aiir Inc., the radio station software provider, has acquired RadioNewsAI, an AI tool used to create news, sports, weather and traffic, using AI and cloned voices. The acquisition marks New York-based Aiir’s first push into AI with the company known for its products like the PlayoutONE automation system.
WP Media has launched new feature, RCP Sidekick, to its suite of format-specific content products in the Radio Content Pro family. The AI-powered personal assistant is designed to assist DJs and on-air radio talent in customizing and personalizing content found on Radio Content Pro, including tailoring posts to reflect unique voice or brand, rewriting stories to match character and style, and localizing to sound like your market. RCP Sidekick is free for all Radio Content Pro subscribers.
