REVOLVING DOOR:
Sean Cohan will assume leadership of Bell Media and join BCE as an executive officer on Nov. 1, following the retirement of Wade Oosterman. Oosterman, who has served as Bell Group President since 2015 and Vice Chair since 2018, assumed operational leadership of Bell Media in January 2021, following the departure of division president Randy Lennox. He had been with Bell since 2006, joining the company as President of Bell Mobility and Chief Brand Officer. He’ll remain in his role as Vice Chair until early January. Cohan joins Bell Media from Nielsen, where he was Chief Growth Officer & President, International, up until last February. He spent 15 years with A+E Networks in numerous executive roles, ending his tenure there as President, International and Digital Media. Read more here.
Michel Bissonnette, CBC/Radio-Canada’s Executive Vice-President of French Services, has left the public broadcaster. Bissonnette had been in the role since January 2017, overseeing all of the public broadcaster’s French-language programming services. Dany Meloul, General Manager, Television for Radio-Canada, has been appointed acting EVP of French Services, while the corporation undertakes a search for a permanent successor.
David Common has been named the new host of CBC Toronto morning radio show, Metro Morning. His first day in the host chair will be Oct. 16. He steps into the role vacated by Ismaila Alfa this spring when he left Metro Morning to take over Ontario weekend morning program, Fresh Air. Common, has most recently been hosting long-running investigative consumer program, Marketplace. Read more here.
Diana Swain has announced her departure from CBC News. Swain has been with the network for 33 years, starting as a local reporter in Winnipeg in 1990. She’s most recently served as Managing Editor of Investigative Journalism and prior to that was Executive Producer of The Fifth Estate. Swain was also notably the anchor of CBC Toronto’s 6 p.m. newscast for six years, starting in 2004.
Harry Forestell has announced that after 13 years hosting CBC New Brunswick’s supper hour newscast, he’ll be handing the baton to Rachel Cave. Forestell wrote in a social media post that Parkinson’s “is tightening its grip” on his voice, but he’ll be continuing to work with the public broadcaster. The former foreign correspondent took time off earlier this year to undergo deep brain stimulation (DBS), which he detailed in a first person report.
Alisha Crawford has taken on the role of Senior Manager, Marketing, Communications and Brand for the Ontario Region with CBC. Crawford has previously worked with the public broadcaster as Manager, Communications, Marketing and Brand with CBC Calgary and Senior Communications Officer with CBC Saskatoon.
Cindy Sherwin is moving on from CTV Montreal after 26 years. Sherwin, 57, has been with the station since 1997 as a reporter and fill-in anchor. She started her career at CJAD and Mix 96 (CJFM-FM) Montreal.
Brady Lang is leaving CTV Yorkton for a new opportunity outside journalism. Lang had been a multimedia journalist with the station for the past two years. He’s previously worked with Rawlco Radio’s stations in Saskatoon and Pattison Media in North Battleford.
Carly Agro has left Sportsnet Central to continue pursuing law studies at Toronto Metropolitan University’s Lincoln Alexander School of Law. Agro had been with the network since 2014. Prior to that, she was a host and reporter for CBC Sports.
Sophall Duch has joined Global News as a producer with The West Block. Duch was most recently a chase producer with CTV political program, Power Play. He also worked with CPAC for a decade as a producer.
Caroline O’Neill has left CTV’s Power Play where she’s been a chase producer for the last three years. Prior to joining CTV, O’Neill was the morning reporter on 95.7 ELMNT FM (CFPO-FM) Ottawa.
Charmaine de Silva, former Director of the CityNews teams in Vancouver and Calgary, is joining Hill+Knowlton Strategies as a Senior Account Director. de Silva first joined Rogers Sports & Media as News Director for CityNews 1130 (CKWX-AM) in 2018. Prior to that, she held roles with 980 CKNW, CBC Vancouver, and Astral Media Kelowna.
“Tarzan Dan” Freeman is the newest on-air personality at Stingray’s boom 97.3 (CHBM-FM) Toronto, who’ll be heard doing weekend middays, 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. ET, starting in mid-October. Best known as the host of national countdown show The Hit List on YTV throughout most of the ‘90s, Freeman was heard on Corus’ Q107 (CFGQ-FM) Calgary in afternoon drive, up until a format flip early this year. He’s been most recently filling-in as a host on XL103 (CFXL-FM) Calgary.
Graham Mosimann is the new imaging voice for Big 101 (CIQB-FM) Barrie. Mosimann is also heard on Corus Entertainment’s Chuck 92.5 Edmonton where he serves as Assistant Program Director.
Marykate O’Neill has joined OZ FM (CHOZ-FM) St. John’s, NL morning show, Mornings with Stephen and Hugh, from 6 – 9 a.m. weekdays. The new role is in addition to her reporting work with NTV.
Jim Deane assumes the role of board chair of CPAC (Cable Public Affairs Channel). A representative of Access Communications in Regina, Deane served as Access CEO from 2000 until his retirement earlier this year and has been a CPAC director for over 20 years. Pam Dinsmore, Vice President, Regulatory – Cable at Rogers Communications, joins the board as vice-chair, while Paul Beaudry, Vice President, Regulatory and Government Affairs at Cogeco, joins the board as a director. They join existing CPAC board directors Jad Barsoum, Vice President Institutional Affairs at Québecor, and Marielle Wilson, Vice President, Regulatory at Eastlink.
Damon D’Oliveira of Conquering Lion Pictures is the new Chair of the Board of Directors of the Canadian Media Producers Association (CMPA) for the 2023-25 term. New board members include Steven Thibault (Screen Siren Pictures, BC); Anand Ramayya (Karma Film Inc., Sask.); new Ontario members Elysse Goldman (Shaftesbury); Nelson Kuo-Lee (Blink49 Studios); and Kate Sangster-Poole (eOne); Marc Tetreault (Shut Up & Colour Pictures, Atlantic); and Quebec directors Archita Ghosh (Amaxis) and Sébastien Pigeon (Sphere Media).
Patrick Jutras has been appointed President of Quebecor-owned film and television production services provider MELS. Jutras’ new responsibilities will be in addition to those he’s held since 2019 as Chief Advertising Officer of Quebecor Media and TVA Group.
Katrina Kowalski has been upped at Paramount to SVP, Content Programming and Acquisitions, International, Pluto TV International. Kowalski has been in the role of Vice-President, Content, Paramount+ and Pluto TV Canada for the last year and a half. Prior to that she was Senior Director, Content Programming and Strategy with ViacomCBS and spent 20 years in various roles with Bell Media.
Jason Simms has been appointed to the newly-created role of Managing Director at Connect3 Media (C3 Media), part of the Cineflix Media group of companies. Working closely with C3 President, Pablo Salzman, Simms will focus on growing the company’s slate. Simms will join C3 in early November, from Sky Studios, where he held the role of Director, International Scripted Programming. He previously served as Director of Drama and Comedy for Sky Vision, and before that was Senior Vice President, Global Acquisitions, Fox Network Group, closing deals for marquee series such as The Walking Dead, Dexter, The Wire, and Breaking Bad.
Robin Hays has joined the Vancouver-based Wind Sun Sky content team in the newly-created role of Vice President, Creative, Kids. Hays is an independent filmmaker, directing, writing and producing short and long-form films, including Anthem starring Juliette Lewis, and her animated film Post No Bills.
RADIO & PODCAST:
The Roy Hennessy Achievement Award for Excellence in Broadcasting has been established at BCIT, in memory of the late broadcaster who passed away in June of last year. The annual award will recognize the top student in BCIT’s Broadcast Radio program (based on academic standing, leadership, service and all-round achievement) with a $1,000 scholarship. Hennessy is best known for his 12-year run in mornings at CKLG Vancouver, serving as General Manager at CKY/CITI FM Winnipeg, CKXL and CHFM Calgary, and his work with Standard Broadcasting in the early ’90s, helping transition CFRB 1010 Toronto to an all-news format. He went on to form radio advertising agency RadioWorks with David Bray, before becoming part of the ownership group that launched Shore 104 (CHHR-FM) Vancouver. Click here to make your tax deductible donation to “The Hennessy.”
🎉WINNER🎉
Lisa Somers of Orangeville has WON it ALL 🤯 $195,500 (counting the last voice she cracked) with the CHFI Secret Voices contest! She got ALL 5 voices right and WON….BIG! 💰 Brand new chance for you to play TOMORROW morning at 7a 📻🙌#Winner #CHFI #SecretVoices pic.twitter.com/iNuffwKqJl
— 98.1 CHFI (@981CHFI) September 27, 2023
CHFI Toronto has given away $195,000 to one lucky listener. Lisa Somers of Orangeville cracked the CHFI Secret Voices, guessing all five of the famous voices saying “CHFI – Toronto’s Perfect Music Mix.”
SiriusXM has announced that seven-time Grammy winner John Mayer will launch an exclusive year-round channel, Life With John Mayer, in November. Mayer is curating a channel defined not by genre, but by the time of day, as well as day of the week, promising to be a musical experience hand-selected by the guitarist and songwriter featuring his own classics, collaborations and never-before-heard material blended with the music he loves. The channel will be available to subscribers across North America on channel 14 or via the SiriusXM app.
LISTEN: On the latest Sound Off Podcast, podcast marketer Jeremy Enns. In this episode, he shares insights on developing a focused approach to podcast marketing, why your podcast should be listenable, with no noticeable audio issues, and tips on using (or not using) YouTube.
SIGN OFFS:
Zelda Young, 73, on Sept. 27, following a courageous battle with cancer. Young was the host of “The Zelda Show” on Toronto’s CHIN Radio, starting in 1976, following in her father Sam Yuchtman’s footsteps, one of Toronto’s early Jewish radio producers and the first on Johnny Lombardi’s newly-licenced multicultural station when it launched in 1966. Young went on to helm the longest-running Jewish radio program in Canada for more than 30 years, a variety show featuring guest interviews, and news from Israel and around the world. Her radio show went on to be syndicated to stations in Vancouver and Florida until 2000. Young also hosted a television show on Citytv called “Tapestry” (later renamed The Zelda Young Show) from 1986 to 1993.
TV & FILM:
Wolfwalker Productions has announced the second season of original series AMPLIFY, produced by Shane Belcourt and Jason Ryle, premiering on APTN beginning Friday, Oct. 13. The new season will expand into additional locations across Canada and features a roster of emerging and established Indigenous musicians, including Snotty Nose Rez Kids, Jason Camp & The Posers, Thea May, JB The First Lady, and Sadie Buck. The series also has a strong focus on Indigenous talent behind the camera and features 12 Indigenous directors, filmed with a 100% Indigenous production crew.
ONLINE & DIGITAL MEDIA:
Similarweb has released new data that shows traffic referrals to the top global news sites from Facebook and X (the app formerly known as Twitter) have collapsed over the past year. An Axios breakdown says Facebook referrals to news websites have declined by around 80% since September 2020, while X traffic has shrunk by around 60% in the same period. Link views on Facebook are down 50% over the past two years, according to Meta’s own data, as social platforms follow TikTok’s lead and lean into AI-based content recommendations, while X has moved to limit link views to encourage more direct posting on the app.
REGULATORY, TELECOM & MEDIA:
Canadian Media Guild (CMG) employees at TVO in their seventh week of strike action have voted to reject the Ontario public broadcaster’s so-called “final offer.” The offer included a 7.7% wage increase over three years, including 3.0% in the first year, a 2.75% increase in year two, and a 1.75% increase in the final year. TVO says the offer would have brought the average salary for a unionized employee with more than five years of service (excluding The Agenda host Steve Paikin) to approximately $89,000, with Canadian Media Guild (CMG) members in their first five years of employment with TVO continuing to be eligible for annual “step” increases, which the broadcaster says average 4.3% per year, on top of the proposed annual wage hike. Union leaders said in a statement Monday that the offer still amounts to a wage cut after inflation and that binding arbitration appears to be the only path forward. Read more here.
RTDNA Canada has announced this year’s National Lifetime Achievement Award winners, presented to individuals who have distinguished themselves through outstanding service and continued excellence during the course of their career in broadcast and digital journalism. This year’s honourees include former CBC foreign correspondent Carol Off, the longtime host of CBC Radio One’s As It Happens, who stepped away from the show last year; Dave Budge, the retired VP of News and Information at Rogers Sports & Media, and past News Director at CBC Calgary and Global Calgary; and Rose Kingdon, Director of Broadcast News at The Canadian Press (CP). RTDNA will also present a posthumous award to former CTV Senior Director Allan Myers, who passed away suddenly in August 2022. Read more here.
RTDNA Canada is recognizing Joanne McPherson with its 2023 Distinguished Service Award, presented to a member who has played a major role in the continuing success of the organization. McPherson, the Managing Editor for Program and Content Strategies for CBC News, currently sits on the RTDNA board overseeing sponsorship for the organization. Her resume with the public broadcaster includes stops as an associate producer with CBC’s Washington bureau; acting as a producer on Joe Schlesinger’s program, Foreign Assignment; serving as assignment editor for the Ontario region; and working for CBC Newsworld (now CBC News Network) as a line up and control room producer and executive producer of Morning Live. Read more here.
CBC/Radio-Canada will host its Annual Public Meeting on Nov. 2 at 4 p.m. ET. This year, journalists including Thomas Deshaies, ICI Estrie; Avneet Dhillon, Producer, CBC News; Alexane Drolet, Digital Reporter, ICI Québec; Farrah Merali, Reporter, CBC Toronto; Wildinette Paul, Journalist, RDI Vancouver; Pascal Raiche-Nogue, Journalist, ICI Acadie; and Juanita Taylor, Host and Reporter, CBC North will answer questions about their roles, the challenges they encounter, and CBC/Radio-Canada’s commitment to deliver responsible and trustworthy news content. The virtual event will be broadcast on CBC/Radio-Canada’s corporate website and YouTube channel.
Rogers Communications has turned on 5G service for transit riders in the busiest sections of the TTC subway system. As of this week, customers of all major Canadian wireless carriers can connect to 5G and talk, text and stream in the TTC subway system in all stations and tunnels in the Downtown U; plus Spadina and Dupont stations and 13 stations from Keele to Castle Frank, in addition to the tunnels between St. George and Yonge stations. In April, Rogers acquired the cellular network in the TTC from previous operator BAI Canada and committed to invest hundreds of millions to roll out 5G service and more reliable 9-1-1 access across all 75 subway stations and nearly 80 kilometres of track.
BROADCAST TECH & ENGINEERING:
