REVOLVING DOOR:
Melissa Williams has been named the new Chair of the Board of Directors at Numeris and Nlogic. Williams, who has served on the board for the last six years, is Senior Director, Media at CIBC, leading media strategy, planning and channel investments within CIBC Marketing, focused on measuring media performance and evolving media investment strategy. She succeeds Perry Macdonald, who departed Bell Media earlier this year and his position as Vice-President, Advertising Sales and Partnerships. Read more here.
Anushka Kurian has announced her departure from Rogers Communications where she’s been Senior Manager, Government Relations since early 2024. Kurian is now serving as Senior Policy Advisor to the Federal Min. of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Innovation, Evan Solomon.
Marc Carnes, who has served as Chief Executive Officer of CKUA Edmonton since 2017, is leaving the not-for-profit station. During a transition period, CKUA’s Chief Operating Officer, Adam Mitchell, will serve as acting CEO and continue to lead the organization.
Tara McCarthy is taking on the new role of host of CBC Radio’s Edmonton AM. McCarthy is no stranger to filling in as host during her six-and-a-half years as a traffic, weather and community reporter for the morning show. She joined the CBC Edmonton newsroom and Edmonton AM team at the start of 2019 after backfilling as a host the previous summer. McCarthy previously spent a decade working at CBC Yukon in Whitehorse as a casual reporter, producer and host and served as Managing Editor for North of Ordinary Media, where she produced several magazines. She got her start as a reporter with Northern Native Broadcasting in Yukon.
Alex Hindmarch is set to take on Music Director duties at Stingray’s boom 97.3 (CHBM-FM) Toronto, succeeding Wayne Webster, who is retiring this month after nearly five decades in radio. Hindmarch, who additionally assumes the title of Brand & Content Lead for Classic Hits Stingray, will also continue hosting the morning show and serving as Program Director at Sudbury’s Rewind 103.9 (CHNO-FM), where he’s been since 2018. Read more here.
Emma Foose is the new morning show co-host, alongside Dub Craig, at Moose FM (CKFU-FM) Fort St. John, BC, in addition to taking on the role of Radio Social Media Manager. The NAIT graduate spent the summer as the Moose FM Summer Cruiser host. She steps in for Catarina Martins Pacheco Costa, who is now co-hosting mornings on Acadia Broadcasting’s 91.9 The Bend (CKNI-FM) Moncton.
Jett “Black” Schwaier has joined the newsroom at Pattison Media Medicine Hat as a reporter, contributing to Wild 94.5 (CHAT-FM), MY96 (CFMY-FM), in addition to Real Country 104.9 (CHFI-FM) Hinton. Schwaier is a recent graduate of the Western Academy Broadcasting College in Saskatoon.
Veronica Low has joined JAZZ.FM91 (CJRT-FM) Toronto as Business Development Executive. Low has been working in radio sales since the mid-1990s, including stints as Director, Business Development at Astral Media and Canadian Broadcast Sales (CBS) Quebec. She also served as General Sales Manager for Evanov’s stations in Toronto, Barrie and South Georgian Bay.
Stacey Commer, who was caught up in May layoffs with Stingray’s closure of CKSA-TV and CITL-TV in Lloydminster, has joined Project Five as a public speaking instructor. Commer, who had been the Director of News and Television Operations for the stations for the last 13 years and prior to that, News Director for Newcap Television, remains based out of Lloydminster and will also offer programs for students and corporate employees in all of Saskatchewan. Project Five was founded by former CTV Edmonton journalist Carmen Leibel.
RADIO & PODCAST:
Numeris has released the Summer 2025 PPM release breaking down radio ratings during the 14-week period covering May 26 – Aug. 31. Check out David Bray’s breakdown for Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, Calgary & Edmonton here. Overall, English commercial radio in the metered markets saw a 3.2% year-over-year increase in average weekly listeners aged 25-54, growing to almost 5.5 million. The sector also saw substantial growth in key demos, including a 6.5% increase with women 25-54 and a 7.3% increase with listeners 18-34.
Corus Entertainment’s radio talk network has added The Vassy Kapelos Show to its weekend lineup. Corus’ talk stations pick up the political show via a partnership with Orbyt Media. The show already airs nationally Monday to Friday across Bell Media’s talk network of stations and iHeartRadio app. The syndicated weekend version of the show is airing on Corus stations in Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary, London, Toronto and Winnipeg in various dayparts. Read more here.
TSN weekday sports talk show OVERDRIVE is expanding across all of the network’s platforms, while moving from a three- to two-hour format. OVERDRIVE Presented by FanDuel is now live weekdays from 4 – 6 p.m. ET on TSN, TSN Radio 1050 (CHUM-AM) in Toronto, TSN.ca, the TSN app, and YouTube, as well as iHeart.com, and the iHeartRadio Canada app, where the OVERDRIVE podcast is also available. OVERDRIVE expands its reach with more content available across TSN’s social media accounts, as well as the daily 6 p.m. ET edition of Sportscentre. The hosts will also have an increased presence, reacting live across TSN platforms when major sports news breaks. Led by Bryan Hayes, Jamie “Noodles” McLennan, and Jeff “O-Dog” O’Neill, the hosts take the show on the road with a series of live, on-location specials, beginning with an on-site broadcast from BMO Field ahead of TSN’s Friday Night Football game featuring the Toronto Argonauts v. Montreal Alouettes on Sept. 19.
Satinderpal Sidhwan and Navi Sidhu have been recognized by Evanov Communications President & CEO Paul Evanov, marking 25 years hosting Punjabi Lehran Radio on GTA multicultural station, CHLO/AM 530. Sidhwan launched Punjabi Lehran Radio in 1995, anchoring, producing and directing the show. He has since passed day-to-day operations to his son, Navi. The hosts were presented with a plaque recognizing their programming dedicated to the South Asian/Punjabi community and service to audiences across CHLO platforms.
Orbyt Media is launching new two-hour weekend show, Nothin’ but the 90s with Jason McCoy. Hosted by the Canadian country superstar, Nothin’ but the 90s promises to deliver “a high-energy, feel-good ride through the songs and stories that defined a generation of country fans.” McCoy first hit the airwaves in the ’90s, racking up chart-topping hits and JUNO Awards as a solo artist before founding country-rock band The Road Hammers. The show is now available to stations nationwide for cash or barter.
CBC Podcasts has announced its fall slate of original podcasts, highlighted by an exploration of Elon Musk’s origins, a deep dive into 1980s phenomenon “Satanic Panic,” and a look back at messy Canadian courtroom dramas. The lineup also includes two true crime offerings, including Uncover: Dirtbag Climber – a five-part series exploring the unsolved murder of Squamish, BC rock climber and con artist “Jesse James,” while Siksika artist Adrian Stimson hosts Forged, a six-part series into the underworld of art forgery focused on Norval Morrisseau, widely considered the godfather of contemporary Indigenous art. Read more about the full lineup of fall debuts here.
AMI (Accessible Media Inc.) has announced its AMI-audio lineup for the upcoming broadcast season, highlighted by the debut of new podcast Disability Rights, and Wrongs: The David Lepodcast with disability rights advocate David Lepofsky, and the return of daily technology program Double Tap, hosted by Steven Scott and Shaun Preece. Read more here.
Sounds Profitable’s latest Podcast Landscape report indicates the podcast industry is entering a new phase of maturity, with a marked slowdown in organic growth. This year’s report is billed as the largest publicly-available study of podcast consumption in the U.S., with a sample of over 5,000 Americans, 18+. It highlights a slowdown in overall growth, with the percentage of Americans who have “ever consumed” a podcast increasing only slightly from 72% to 75% over a three-year period. The data reveals that growth seen over the last year has been primarily driven by multicultural audiences. The average weekly time spent with podcasts has risen from 6 to 6.3 hours, directly linked to video consumption. YouTube has become the top platform for podcast consumption, with 40% of users naming it their go-to. Read more here.
LISTEN: Blubrry Podcasting Founder & CEO Todd Cochrane passed away unexpectedly on Sept. 8 at the age of 61. The Sound Off Podcast pays tribute to the host of The New Media Show, with a compilation of Cochrane’s discussions about podcasting from past appearances.
SIGN OFFS:
Fred Merritt, 83, on Aug. 21. Merritt spent more than 50 years in radio at stations around Ontario, starting in Orillia in 1960 at the age of 19. From there, he was on-air at CFCO Chatham, before moving over to CKKW-AM Kitchener in 1966 and sister station CFCA-FM when it began broadcasting the following year, hosting a daily live show and taping a late night easy listening program called “Night Flight.” He was among those caught up in layoffs following CFCA’s acquisition by CHUM Limited in 1994, but resurfaced a year later, hosting “Merritt in Stereo” on 98.5 CKWR-FM. Merritt retired from the station in January 2011 at age 69.
TV & FILM:
Unifor has confirmed that 45 of its members at Global News have been subjected to layoffs. According to the union, the cuts have impacted members in B.C. and Alberta, with one member in the Eastern bargaining unit. Of the 46 jobs impacted, 26 are journalists. Read more here.
Global News has announced that Ben Mulroney will host the upcoming season of its political affairs program, The West Block, when it returns for a 15th season on Sept. 14. Mulroney, who also hosts his own show across the Corus Radio talk network, steps in for Ottawa Bureau Chief Mercedes Stephenson, who is on parental leave this season. Read more here.
The Canadian Media Producers Association (CMPA) has announced the winners of the 2025 Indiescreen Awards, celebrating excellence in Canadian independent media production. Announced at a ceremony on the opening night of TIFF, Winnipeg-headquartered prodco Frantic Films was named the recipient of the inaugural TV Producer Indiescreen Award. Paula Devonshire was the recipient of the 2025 Feature Film Producer Indiescreen Award, while Vancouver-based producer Leena Minifie received the 2025 Kevin Tierney Emerging Producer Indiescreen Award. Read more here.
CTV has announced premiere dates for its fall 2025 lineup. New series coming to the network include the latest iteration of the “9-1-1” universe, 9-1-1: Nashville (Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET/PT, beginning Oct. 9) starring Chris O’Donnell, Jessica Capshaw, Kimberly Williams-Paisley, LeAnn Rimes, Hailey Kilgore, Michael Provost, Juani Feliz, and Hunter McVey. An expansion of long-running drama Blue Bloods also joins the lineup, Boston Blue (Fridays at 10 p.m. ET/PT, beginning Oct. 17), which sees Donnie Wahlberg reprise his role as NYPD detective Danny Reagan. New game shows on tap include Rob Lowe-hosted quiz series The Floor (Wednesday at 8 p.m. ET/PT, beginning Sept. 24), and Celebrity Weakest Link, hosted by Jane Lynch (Tuesday, Sept. 16 at 8 p.m. ET/PT before moving to its regular timeslot, Mondays at 10 p.m. on Sept. 22).
Bell Media’s partnership with Shopsense AI has been expanded to include TSN, allowing viewers to scan an on-screen QR code to browse and buy merchandise, including wardrobe worn by network personalities. The new TSN Shop delivers a curated shopping experience for TSN viewers through Shopsense AI’s shoppable TV technology, kicking off with CFL on TSN’s Friday Night Football. The network says the TSN Shop will expand into additional sport properties over the coming year, offering unique opportunities for brands to connect directly to fans. Read more here.
The Black Screen Office (BSO) has launched the world’s first Anti-Black Racism Policy Framework for Canada’s Cultural Industries. Developed over two years through consultation with Black artists, leaders, and cultural workers, the framework sets out 25 adaptable policy considerations that tackle hiring, leadership, authority, accountability, and representation. Across Canada’s arts and culture sector, Black professionals hold only 2% of cultural board seats despite making up 4.3% of the population. In music, 98% have never applied for grants, and nearly nine in 10 who did were denied. In the screen industries, fewer than 3% occupy top creative roles like showrunner or executive producer.
Linda Schuyler, the co-creator and producer of the “Degrassi” franchise, is suing to attempt to stop Saturday’s world premiere of a new documentary about the Canadian series. Schuyler is claiming in a notice of action filed in Ontario Superior Court on Monday that the documentary, Degrassi: Whatever It Takes – set to debut at TIFF – includes “defamatory statements and innuendo” leading viewers to believe she enriched herself through the creation of an “empire” at the expense of child actors, two of whom alleged they made only $50 per day. The documentary, co-produced by defendants Peacock Alley Entertainment and WildBrain, includes interviews with stars, including Aubrey Drake Graham. Read more in our sister publication, CARTT.ca, here (paywalled).
REGULATORY, TELECOM & MEDIA:
Bell has officially launched Bell Cyber, a new brand complementing its growing AI-powered tech solutions business, alongside Ateko and Bell AI Fabric. Announced at the inaugural Bell Cybersecurity Summit in Toronto, Bell says Bell Cyber helps advance its goal of becoming the country’s “most trusted Managed Security Services Provider (MSSP).” The new brand promises to offer next generation Security-as-a-Service (SECaaS), “combining Bell’s internal security platforms, telco-grade infrastructure and resiliency DNA with real-time threat detection and advanced Security Operations Centre (SOC) capabilities.” Read more here.
Jacobs Media and the Ten-Minute Trainer Network have announced a partnership that will see Jacobs Media’s Jacobs DR (Digital Revenue) program integrated into the network. Together, they’ll launch courses aimed at sales teams, covering digital marketing fundamentals, audience targeting, SEO/SEM, social media, video and audio strategies, OTT, campaign attribution, and bridging traditional and digital media.
The Jack Webster Foundation has announced the 2025 Legal Issues Masterclass. Offered in-person or online, the free course is open to journalists, journalism educators and students. This year’s theme is the Responsible Communication Defence and the Public Interest: what the law says and what journalists should do to protect against defamation claims Set to be held Oct. 21, learn more about registering here.
BROADCAST TECH & ENGINEERING:
Quickplay has unveiled Quickplay AI Studio, a production-ready platform aimed at helping broadcasters and streamers transform their content libraries into short-form assets at scale. The solution leverages generative AI to pinpoint and extract key moments from archives, automating short-form workflows to enable delivery of a steady feed of clips that engage audiences across owned and social platforms, including TikTok, YouTube and Meta. Toronto-headquartered Quickplay says the demand for short-form content continues to surge, with social algorithms prioritizing frequency and consistency, citing Ampere Analysis indicating nearly two-thirds of the global online population consumes “swiping” short-form video content on TikTok, YouTube Shorts, Instagram Reels, and other platforms daily, compared to 47% who watch broadcast TV and 46% watching streaming services.
Flightpath, the Hamilton-headquartered predictive analytics platform for on-demand media, has announced a partnership with Austin-based content creator brand development and monetization firm, Backyard Ventures. The collaboration is aimed at providing Backyard Ventures’ revenue team with more accurate insights for scaling growth. With a client roster reaching 25 million monthly podcast downloads, 600 million monthly YouTube views, eight million newsletter subscribers, and 40 million social followers, Backyard Ventures’ clients include British author and podcaster Jay Shetty’s newsletter and the Noah Kagan Presents podcast.
