Introducing our 2026 Broadcast Dialogue Canadian Radio Awards jury:

The 2026 awards officially open to submissions on Monday. Learn more about this year’s jury here and check out this year’s award categories here. New: Apart from Campus & Community stations, stations from sponsoring radio groups, and entries for Young Broadcaster of the Year, the awards will be accompanied by a fee per entry. Read more here.

REVOLVING DOOR:

Chantal Desjardins has joined Evanov’s ENERGY 106 (CHWE-FM) Winnipeg as the station’s new afternoon drive host. Originally from Winnipeg, Desjardins has spent the past 20 years in Montreal, where she most recently co-hosted mornings on CHOM 97.7 from 2022-24. She was also seen on Sportsnet as the network’s Montreal Canadiens studio host and served as a sports anchor at CJAD 800, among other freelance work. Read more here.

David Corey has announced he’s formally retiring from radio. Corey spent the last two years as co-host of The Marilyn Denis Show on CHUM-FM Toronto, up until Denis’ retirement in June. Formerly VP of Radio Programming at Bell Media from 2006-17, Corey also spent a decade with Kiss 108 (WXKS-FM) Boston, among other stations stateside.

Monika Platek has a new role at CBC/Radio-Canada as Executive Producer, Digital Video at CBC Sports. Platek has been working with the public broadcaster since 2013, starting out producing social media content for Hockey Night in Canada. Since 2022, she’s served as Senior Producer, Content and Publishing, Digital and Social, for CBC Sports and the Olympics.

Scott Schiffner has joined TSN as an Account Executive, Brand Partnerships. Schiffner joins the network from WPP Media, where he’s been Associate Director of Partnership Marketing with the agency’s sports and media team for the past eight months. 

Tracey Moore is leaving Corus Entertainment after a decade. Most recently Director of Audience Development, Moore initially joined the company in 2016 as a Digital Coordinator for Global TV.

Logan Strauss has been promoted to Sales Manager at Blackburn Media in Wingham. Strauss has been an Account Executive with the company since 2014.

Will Robertson has joined Stingray’s Connected TV Advertising Technology team. He arrives from TELUS where served as Manager, Technology Architecture – Advanced Advertising & Data Monetization. Robertson previously worked with Bell in numerous technical roles for nearly a decade. 

Roma Kojima has moved into the role of National Director, Head of AI & Data, at CBC/Radio-Canada. Kojima joined the public broadcaster from Rogers Communications in 2017 as Senior Director, OTT Video. She most recently held the title of Senior Director, Enterprise Audience Data & AI.

Iman Janmohamed has left CBC Edmonton to join the Toronto Star as a reporter on a one-year internship. Janmohamed had been a digital-focused reporter and editor with CBC for the last eight months.

Kaile Jaggard has been promoted to Program Director at Dougall Media’s Rock 94 (CJSD-FM) Thunder Bay. Jaggard, who has been with the company for 15 years, will continue to host The Breakfast Bender with Kaile and Ted on Rock 94. Meanwhile, Brad Hilgers returns to a familiar role as PD for 91-5 CKPR. Hilgers will also continue to be heard on the morning show.

Sydnee Hayes is joining Moose Media in Fort St. John full-time as afternoon host and reporter. The recent SAIT grad had been working with 100.1 Moose FM (CKFU-FM) as a summer cruiser host since July.

Katrina Squazzin has joined the broadcast team for the Oshawa FireWolves of the National Lacrosse League, alongside Scott Arnold and her husband Dan Malta, a longtime host and producer at YourTV Peterborough. Squazzin is a former Sportsnet host and reporter, who also spent several years with Global Peterborough. She’s also served as a colour commentator for the Peterborough Petes.

Alan Black has joined academic podcast production house, Cited Media, as Director of Operations and Development. Black formerly worked with Canadaland as Chief Operating Officer after a decade as Director of Operations for Hot Docs Festival and Managing Director of Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema. He went on to found his own production studio, Left Of Dial Media, in early 2025. Read more here.

Alex Paterson has a new title at YouTube Canada as Head of Civics, News & Podcasts, Canada. Paterson has been with Google since 2021 and a Civics Lead with YouTube since 2022, most recently as Youth & Podcast Lead for Canada.

Sean Edwards is joining the National Film Board (NFB) as a Producer with the Western Documentary Unit. Based in Vancouver, Edwards is a Chinese-Canadian filmmaker, who joins the NFB after co-founding Ramble Films 12 years ago, where he produced a wide range of projects from music videos to branded content and independent shorts. 

Sandra Cardoso has started a new role at Bell Media’s Sphere Abacus as Senior Manager, Global Partner Marketing & Assets. Most recently Client Lead at Toronto’s Wavemaker, Cardoso previously worked with Bell Media from 2003-15 as Marketing Director, Comedy & Drama Specialty Group.

Patricia Bosch has been promoted at Pelmorex (The Weather Network/MeteoMedia) as Head of Marketing & Partnerships. Bosch has been with the company since 2015 and had been Director of Marketing since 2024.

Heidi Tao Yang is departing Hot Docs after 11 years. Yang joined the festival in 2015 as Industry Funds Manager, most recently serving as Managing Director for the last three years.

RADIO & PODCAST:

The Ontario Association of Broadcasters (OAB) Board of Directors has announced former Acadia Broadcasting President Chris Pearson as the 2026 OAB Hall of Fame Award recipient. While the radio sales and leadership veteran retired last December, he remains a strategic advisor to Acadia’s board, in addition to serving as the current president of OAB. He also sits on the Canadian Association of Broadcasters (CAB) CEO Radio Council, and is Interim Chair of the Commercial Radio News Fund. Read more here.

Shannon Ella, national midday host on Bell Media’s Pure Country network, came away from last weekend’s Canadian Country Music Awards(CCMAs) a double winner. Ella won both Country Personality of the Year and Country Music Program, Special, or Digital Feature of the Year for the Pure Country Top 50 Countdown with Lainey Wilson and Russell Dickerson. Stingray’s CFCW Edmonton captured the Radio Station of the Year (Large Market) honour for a third year in a row, while Starboard Communications’ Cool 100.1 (CHCQ-FM) Belleville, ON won in the Medium/Small Market category. Read more here.

SiriusXM Canada, in partnership with the Canadian Country Music Association (CCMA), has announced Blue Ridge Band as the winner of the $25,000 2026 SiriusXM Top of the Country competition. Shawnee Kish and Morgan Griffiths were named runners-up. The finale was broadcast live on SiriusXM’s Top of the Country Radio (Ch. 155).

Corus Entertainment’s 680 CJOB has renewed its radio broadcast partnership with the Winnipeg Jets for another three years. The multi-year deal for all pre-season, regular season and playoff games, sees Kelly Moore, Paul Edmonds and Mitchell Clinton helm on-air coverage. Under the agreement, CJOB will also continue to carry select games from the team’s American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, Manitoba Moose. Read more here.

The Vancouver Giants have a new multi-year broadcast partnership with Surrey’s 107.7 Pulse FM (CISF-FM) as the exclusive radio and streaming partner for the 2026–27 Western Hockey League (WHL) season. Play-by-play broadcaster Nathan Kanter will call all Giants games, with coverage including a half hour pre-game show.

Mike Halford and Jason Brough are joining The Nation Network’s Daily Faceoff Vancouver. The former Sportsnet 650 (CISL-AM) Vancouver morning duo will debut a new morning show on the Daily Faceoff Vancouver YouTube channel, starting Monday, Sept. 28. Streaming from 7 – 9 a.m. PT, the show will also be available via platforms like Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Amazon Music. Read more here.

What Happened to the Harrisons? is a new podcast from the Toronto Star examining the deaths of three people in a Mississauga home in 2009. Hosted by investigative reporter Amy Dempsey Raven, episodes are being released weekly or binge all episodes by subscribing via Apple Podcasts.

A Day To Listen 2026, the sixth iteration of the cross-country broadcast in recognition of the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, will bring together hundreds of radio stations on Wednesday, Sept. 30. Produced by the Gord Downie & Chanie Wenjack Fund (DWF), in partnership with Orbyt Media, the 12-hour broadcast airs on radio stations throughout Canada on Wednesday, September 30, from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. (local time). JUNO Award-winning singer-songwriter William Prince takes the lead as host. Read more here.

LISTEN: Maria Palmer got her start in radio because iHeartMedia’s James Howard walked into a dive bar in Washington D.C., possibly ordered a whiskey, and witnessed talent in action. She was hired two weeks later. Now part of the Morning Mosh Pit on Chicago’s Rock 95.5, she’s built a significant online following. Palmer joins Matt Cundill on the Sound Off Podcast.

SIGN OFFS:

Paul Burke, 79, on Sept. 15. The former morning man on Vernon’s CICF AM radio (now The Ranch), Burke also served as a commentator for Vernon Vipers Junior ‘A’ hockey games. His voice was also well-known to listeners from his commercial work, including City Furniture in Vernon, which he long served as the voice for.

Robin Eriksson, 62, on Sept. 9 from cancer. Eriksson’s contribution to campus and community radio spanned more than two decades. She spent 12 years working and volunteering at the University of Winnipeg’s CKUW-FM, hosting a bluegrass program called “Hit the Big Wide Strum,” before moving to Simon Fraser University’s CJSF 90.1 FM in Vancouver, where she served as Programming Coordinator from 2016-25. At CJSF, she also hosted “IntraVenus” and created “Triple Threat: Feminist, Fifty-ish & Fabulous.” Eriksson was heavily involved with the National Campus and Community Radio Association (NCRA/ANREC), serving on the Board of Directors, including as Vice-President, HR and Equity Officer. She was honoured in 2025 with the NCRA’s Community Radio Legend Award.

Margo Lane, on Sept. 4, of complications from colon cancer. Lane was a volunteer with University of Toronto campus and community station, CKUT, for more than 30 years, starting in 1987. She served as a longtime programmer, including her weekly show, “Adventures in Music.”

TV & FILM:

Canada Media Fund (CMF) has unveiled two initiatives aimed at strengthening Canadian and Indigenous screen-based media businesses, including the CMF Business Development Program and the second iteration of the Indigenous Company Impact Support program. Read more here.

Rogers Sports & Media has unveiled its fall 2026 premiere schedule featuring new and returning programming across Citytv, Bravo, HGTV, Food Network, Discovery, FX, Magnolia Network, and Investigation Discovery (ID). New series include law enforcement drama Line of Fire (Citytv); Home Town Takeover Canada and House Shock on HGTV; Sweet Deceit: Trick or Treat and Sweet Deceit: Holiday on Food Network; The Drop: A Snowfall Saga (FX); and Vegas 24/7, Last Frontier Cops and Monsters Inside Me: Evolved on Discovery. 

Top Chef Canada returns for a landmark 13th season. Last fall’s #1 Lifestyle specialty program, according to data supplied by Corus Entertainment, the new season premieres Tuesday, Oct. 20 on Flavour Network and STACKTV. Top Chef Canada welcomes back chef, cookbook author, and longtime series host, Eden Grinshpan, along with a panel of returning judges: restaurateur Janet Zuccarini, chef and owner of The McEwan Group, Mark McEwan, and content creator and global food expert Mijune Pak, along with chef and author David Zilber who returns for the finale.

CTV and Crave have announced that nationwide casting is now underway for an all-new season of Big Brother Canada, with production to get underway next spring. Canadians ready to put their strategy and social gameplay to the test can apply at BigBrotherCanadaCasting.ca.

TVO debuts original docuseries Stress Test on Tuesday, Oct. 6. Hosted by actor and comedian Rodrigo Fernandez-Stoll and created by Adam Cook and Daniel AM Rosenberg, it explores the many sources of daily stress, testing remedies ranging from the conventional to the fringes of science. New episodes premiere weekly through Nov. 10 on TVO and on the TVO Docs YouTube channel, website and Smart TV app.

Muse Entertainment has unveiled the official trailer for Doula: A True Crime, a new three-part docuseries from filmmaker Nathalie Bibeau (The Walrus and the Whistleblower, The Unsolved Murder of Beverly Lynn Smith), featuring the first-ever interview with Kaitlyn Braun, the Canadian woman at the centre of an extraordinary case involving more than 40 doulas. Originally commissioned by CBC, the 3 x 60 series will premiere Wednesday, Oct. 7 on CBC and CBC Gem . Boat Rocker Studios holds international distribution rights and will bring the series to buyers at MIPCOM in October.

ONLINE & DIGITAL MEDIA:

YouTube Canada unveiled a slate of nine Canadian Creator Shows this week at its YouTube Features showcase in Toronto, headlined by new projects from Tessa Virtue, Matty Matheson, Sarah Nurse, and Susur Lee. YouTube also shared new features coming to the Canadian market, including Creator Partnerships Boost, which enables brands to promote Creator videos as ads in their AI-powered ad campaigns; and Buy with Google Pay, allowing viewers to complete purchases directly on their connected TVs, which is set to arrive in Canada by Q4. Read more here.

Thinktv and Ipsos have released the fourth edition of their Ad Nation report, which  suggests assumptions about consumer behaviour continue to be influenced by the industry’s own media habits, highlighting a persistent divide between how marketers believe Canadians consume media and what everyday households report doing. TikTok is cited as the clearest example, which was reportedly used by 30% of Canadians in the past month. Industry professionals estimated that percentage at 89% — a 59 percentage point gap. The report found similar patterns across streaming services, digital platforms, and artificial intelligence tools. Read more here.

REGULATORY, TELECOM & MEDIA:

The CRTC has approved a major debt-for-equity recapitalization plan for Corus Entertainment, transferring 99% ownership of the company to its lenders to avert further financial pressure. The regulatory approval allows newly-created parent company, NewCo, to acquire Corus and its broadcast assets, ending control by the Shaw Family Living Trust. Under terms of the transaction, lenders will exchange approximately $500 million in debt for equity, with Richmond Hill’s Canso Investment Counsel Ltd. emerging as the single largest shareholder with roughly 44% of the voting interest. Read more here.

World News Day takes place one week from today on Sept. 28, bringing more than 1,000 news organizations and support agencies from more than 100 countries together to promote the value of journalism. Newsrooms are encouraged to register to gain access to campaign materials, including campaign assets in 20+ languages, social media graphics and more. Read more here.

OP-ED: “Every month that passes means fewer resources for local journalism and programming,” writes Pattison Media President Rod Schween as he reflects on the year that has passed since appearing at the CRTC’s “The Path Forward” hearings. Read more here.

The Canadian Association of Journalists (CAJ) has announced a new journalism fellowship for in-depth reporting on local, provincial or territorial issues. The Geoffrey Stevens Fellowship for Political Reporting will offer one journalist or small team $3,500 to assist the production of a significant project focused on a region that gets little to no coverage, or subject areas that deserve greater scrutiny. Applications are now open until Oct. 15.

The Canadian Journalism Foundation (CJF) has unveiled a new iteration of the Toronto Star Black Journalism Fellowship. Renamed the CJF John Honderich Black Journalism Fellowship at the Toronto Star, the 2026 six-month fellowship has been made possible through a generous donation from Robin and Emily Honderich in memory of their father, John Honderich, who served both as the Star‘s editor and later as its publisher for a decade. The fellowship is awarded this year to Francisca Oppong, a Toronto-based video journalist and sports reporter, who started her career as a video journalist with CityNews Winnipeg.

Radio-Canada’s Multiplatform Reporter Program (MRP) is back. For its next cohort from May to August 2027, 16 recruits will be accepted. Applications for the spring cohort open via Radio-Canada’s job site starting Jan. 12.

BROADCAST TECH & ENGINEERING:

The 76th WABE Media & Entertainment Technology Conference kicks off in Vancouver Oct. 5-7. There is still time to secure your spot; full conference passes are available for $175 and grant you access to all of our educational sessions, or you can register for a free exhibit hall pass. Learn more here.