REVOLVING DOOR:
First Peoples Radio, the not-for-profit operating 95.7 ELMNT FM (CFPO-FM) Ottawa and 106.5 ELMNT FM (CFPT-FM) Toronto, has made layoffs citing significant challenges compounded by the pandemic. Among those impacted are Toronto morning show team Mark Strong and Jemeni, who were picked up by ELMNT FM in January following their release from the former G98.7 (CKFG-FM), in addition to Wake Up, Ottawa hosts Jay Herrington and Aiden Wolf. Toronto midday host Al Lewis and Toronto station manager Andrew Johnson are also casualties. The ELMNT stations will move forward with “minimal” announcer intervention. Matthew Bisson will now oversee both stations and host an abbreviated morning show from 8 – 10 a.m., while Patrick LeGrow will continue to host afternoon drive, and Cody Coyote on evenings, with those shows now airing in both markets. Julian Taylor’s Jukebox will continue to air on both stations, but Taylor will now be independent. Read more here.
Jim Richards has returned to the Newstalk 1010 (CFRB-AM) airwaves in the 7 – 11 p.m. ET time slot, following a leave of absence. Richards is hosting Newstalk Tonight in the evening time slot. Most recently, he’d been helming a syndicated overnight show on the Bell Media talk network which is now hosted by NYC-based David Cooper.
Rob Snow has moved to weekday mornings on CityNews 101.1 (CIWW-FM) Ottawa, debuting Wake Up with Rob Snow on Oct. 17. Now heard from 6 to 9 a.m., Snow was formerly heard in the 10 a.m. time slot, with The Rob Snow Show also airing on Rogers tv. Snow will be accompanied on the morning show by anchor Andrew Boyle, traffic reporter Gord Taylor and meteorologist Jill Taylor. The Sam Laprade Show moves to the 10 a.m. time slot and can also be seen on Rogers tv.
John Biggs and Lisa MacNeill are hosting new LITE 92 (CKPC-FM) Brantford, ON morning show, The Wake Up with John and Lisa, from 5:30 – 9 a.m. Biggs moves up from afternoon drive with the retirement of longtime morning host Ed McMahon. MacNeill has been an announcer for the past 15 years, recently relocating to Paris, ON from Victoria, BC.
Kelly Latremouille has replaced Danny Mags as afternoon drive host on Vancouver’s WAVE 98.3 (CIWV-FM). Up until March 2021, Latremouille spent seven years in mornings at Stingray’s 104.3 The Breeze (CHLG-FM) Vancouver. Prior to that, the coast-to-coast radio vet was heard on 104.9 FUN FM (CKKS-FM) and JACK FM (CJAX-FM) Vancouver.
Rob Daniels is assuming weekend duties at WAVE 98.3 (CIWV-FM). Daniels, who started his career in the early ‘80s on CKDA Victoria and CHEK TV’s “The Beat Goes On”, has previously been heard in the market at CFOX and CFMI. He also served as music director at 97 KISS FM.
A dream come true. I’m so grateful to be home and part of the incredible team at @CBCVancouver to tell stories that matter most to British Columbians. pic.twitter.com/CIRJ0BSNXM
— Michelle Morton (@MichelleEMorton) October 14, 2022
Michelle Morton, who recently departed 680 News (CFTR-AM) Toronto, is joining CBC Vancouver. Prior to moving to Toronto in 2020, Morton was a reporter and anchor at 980 CKNW and a contributor to Daily Hive.
Toby Kerr has announced he’s leaving the industry. Kerr’s final shift at 980 CKNW Vancouver was on Oct. 15. He joined the station in March 2021 after getting caught up in layoffs at CityNews 1130 (CKWX-AM) Vancouver. He had previously worked at Rogers Sports & Media sister station 680 News (CFTR-AM) Toronto.
Tony Do, a veteran broadcast engineer in the Vancouver market, has announced his departure from the industry. With Corus Radio Vancouver since March of last year, Do has previously worked with Bell Media, Newcap Radio, Astral Media, and Rogers Sports & Media in the market. His last day with Corus is Oct. 28.
Matt Di Nicolantonio has worked his last on-air shift with The Weather Network as he moves to a full-time position within the company as a video presenter and curator. Di Nicolantonio has been with the network for the last three years as an on-call presenter and content creator.
MJ aka Marissa Lyons is joining Calgary’s Country 105 (CKRY-FM) as its new midday host. Lyons announced her departure from The Casey Clarke Show, Stingray’s regional morning show in the B.C. Interior, in September.
Catherine Pope and Peter Meiszner, both former Global BC reporters, won council seats in Metro Vancouver’s municipal elections. Pope, who was with Global for 16 years up until 2012, won a seat in the District of North Vancouver. Meiszner, who most recently has been publishing real estate news startup urbanYVR.com, was elected in Vancouver. Former Global News anchor Steve Darling was also re-elected to a second term in Port Coquitlam.
Judy Adam has joined Boat Rocker Media as its new Chief Financial Officer (CFO). Adam joins Boat Rocker from cannabis retailer Fire and Flower where she served as CFO. She previously served as Corus Entertainment’s SVP, Finance for two decades and prior to that, was with WIC (Western International Communications) for five years, ending her time there as Director of Finance. Adam joins Boat Rocker on Nov. 21. After six years with the company, Boat Rocker’s current CFO, Michelle Abbott, has decided to transition out of her role. She’ll remain with the company through the end of November.
RADIO & PODCAST:
Canadian Music Week (CMW) and Radiodays Europe have announced Radiodays North America, a joint event set to take place in Toronto, June 8-9. Radiodays North America will take place over two days during the weeklong Canadian Music Week Festival, bringing keynote speakers and panelists from around the globe to Toronto to discuss all facets of over-the-air and digital broadcasting and podcasting from executive leadership and workplace diversity to innovation, technology, talent, programming, marketing and revenue growth. The meeting point for radio, podcasting and audio, Radiodays Europe will host its 13th edition in Prague, Czech Republic, March 26-28. The event now draws over 1,600 participants from 62 countries online and in-person. Read more here.
The CRTC has approved an application from United Christian Broadcasters (UCB) to acquire three un-launched radio stations in Kelowna, Saskatoon, and Scarborough from International Harvesters for Christ Evangelical Association. Dr. J. Lutes, the president and Chief Executive Officer of International Harvesters, passed away in July 2021. International Harvesters and its board of directors have decided that without his expertise they do not have the capacity to launch the stations without causing undue financial hardship on their existing operations. UCBC is proposing the same parameters for the three radio stations as International Harvesters did in its original applications.
United Christian Broadcasters (UCB) Canadian Radio Network raised over $300,000 during its fall four-day pledge drive. In partnership with Food Banks Canada and Mackay Insurance, the network helped release 23,000 meals during the event to help combat food insecurity across the country. For every $40/month+ (or $480+) gift made to UCB Canada, Mackay Insurance donated the equivalent of 100 meals to Food Banks Canada, up to a maximum of 30,000 meals.
The CKNX Healthcare Heroes Radiothon raised over $364K on Oct. 15. Broadcast on CKNX AM 920 Wingham with updates on 101.7 The One (CKNX-FM) and Cool 94.5 (CIBU-FM), listeners across Midwestern Ontario were urged to phone in and make a donation to any one of the eight hospital foundations participating. When the Radiothon went off the air at 4 p.m., the grand total was $364,559 and expected to grow with the foundations continue to accept donations until the end of the year. This year’s Radiothon benefitted Clinton Hospital Foundation, Hanover & District Hospital Foundation, Listowel Memorial Hospital Foundation, Mount Forest Louise Marshall Hospital Foundation, Palmerston and District Hospital Foundation, Seaforth Community Hospital Foundation, Walkerton and District Hospital Foundation, and Wingham & District Hospital Foundation. Since its inception in 2002, the Radiothon has raised more than $13,589,000 in support of rural area hospitals.
Sean Shapiro, the Toronto Police Traffic Operations officer who is the face and voice of the department’s TikTok account (aka “The TikTok Cop”), is the lone Canadian contestant remaining in the RadioStar ‘22 international radio talent search. Shapiro is already immensely popular with his online audience, in addition to contributing on-air segments at Zoomer Radio (CFZM-AM) and NewsTalk 1010 (CFRB-AM) Toronto. The winner will be announced next month following the contest’s final challenge.
The 33rd SOCAN Awards honoured Tom Cochrane and Lighthouse, among other music creators and publishers this week. Cochrane was presented with the SOCAN Cultural Impact Award for his iconic “Life Is A Highway,” while Ralph Cole, Paul Hoffert, Bob McBride, and Skip Prokop of Canadian jazz-rock group Lighthouse were inducted into the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame. Hosted by the CBC’s Amanda Parris, the gala at Sheraton Centre Toronto also featured performances from Snotty Nose Rez Kids and rapper Drezus, recipients of the first-ever Vince Fontaine Indigenous Song Award. Additional SOCAN firsts included the SOCAN Breakout Songwriter Award – Francophone presented to La Zarra, the SOCAN Breakout Composer Award awarded to up-and-coming screen composer, Evan MacDonald, as well as the first-ever SOCAN Reproduction Right award awarded to Editions Studio V. Drake was named SOCAN Songwriter of the Year – Performer, also picking up two SOCAN Rap Music Awards for “Wants and Needs” and “Way 2 Sexy.” Find a complete list of winners here.
LISTEN: Clayton Kroeker, morning show co-host at Harvard Media’s Cruz 96.3 (CFWD-FM) Saskatoon, is on the latest Sound Off Podcast. Listen on your favourite podcast app or here:
The Canadian Radio Awards submission deadline has been extended to Friday, Oct. 21 at noon PT. Self-nominate or submit your station’s best radio across on-air, creative, news, sales, and promotions. Listen to the winning audio from past years and learn more about this year’s categories at CanadianRadioAwards.com. We’ll be announcing the winners on Nov. 10.
SIGN OFFS:
Jeff Barnaby, 46, after a year-long battle with cancer. Born and raised on the Listuguj Reserve in Quebec, Barnaby studied film at both Dawson College and Concordia University. Heavily influenced by horror and sci-fi, he began directing short films, including 2004’s From Cherry English and 2010 Genie-nominated dystopian short, File Under Miscellaneous. Barnaby’s first feature film, 2013’s Rhymes for Young Ghouls had its premiere at TIFF and was given independent release in both Canada and the U.S. A residential schools abuse revenge story told through the story of its main character Aila, the film inspired the creation of “The Aila Test“, a litmus test named after the strong protagonist played by Devery Jacobs, used to analyze representation of Indigenous female characters. Barnaby received a Best Canadian Director nod for the film from the Vancouver Film Critics Circle. His sophomore feature, Indigenous horror film Blood Quantum – depicting a zombie uprising on a First Nations reserve – premiered at TIFF in 2019 and was named second runner-up for the Grolsch People’s Choice Midnight Madness Award. The film garnered 10 nominations and seven wins at the 2021 Canadian Screen Awards, including a Best Editing nod for Barnaby. Read more here.
TV & FILM:
JOIN TV (Just One Incredible Network) is set to launch Jan. 1, 2023. The Toronto-headquartered F.A.S.T. channel and A.V.O.D network is founded by Warren Campbell and Gordon Weiske. The network says it’s already secured thousands of hours of programming for its array of channels that include a dedicated Fashion Channel, Travel Channel, Music Channel, Documentary Channel, Animation Channel, Crypto News Channel, World Sports Channel, Indigenous Peoples Channel, LGBTQ2S+ Channel and a top Trending Channel showcasing the best shows, films, and programming from around the world. It also has plans to begin producing its own programming for additional channels to be launched in the months following that of the official JOIN TV Network.
The Canadian Stunt Hall of Fame (CANSHOF) has named its inaugural round of inductees. They include John (Frenchie) Berger, Celine Fournier, Charles Fournier, Marcel Fournier, Tom Glass, Alex Green, Robert (Bobby) Hannah, Dwayne McLean, David Rigby, Jacob Rupp, John Scott, Jerome Thibergien, Betty Thomas, John Thomas, John Wardlow, and Keith Wardlow. CANSHOF formally pays tribute to the groundbreaking work and dedication of Canada’s stunt professionals. In addition to the inductees, members of the community will be posthumously honoured in the Hall of Fame’s ‘In Memoriam’ section. The Canadian Stunt Hall of Fame Committee, which includes Rick Skene, Colin Decker, Mike Scherer, Steve ‘Shack’ Shackleton, Ana Shepherd, Lori Stewart and Amy Szoke, has also established a website serving as an online historical archive celebrating inductees’ body of work.
Crave Original series Canada’s Drag Race: Canada vs. The World will premiere Nov. 18. After three successful seasons of Canada’s Drag Race, the new six-part series will see nine, world-renowned drag artists, including four former Canada’s Drag Race contestants, compete. With Canada acting as host nation, resident Canada’s Drag Race judges Brooke Lynn Hytes, Brad Goreski, and Traci Melchor bring their judging expertise, joined by guest judges and special guests to be announced throughout the season.
Corus Studios is adding new paranormal investigation series Repossessed (8×60) to its catalogue for international distribution. The new Corus Studios original series is led by paranormal investigator Moe Sargi, psychic medium Leitreanna Brown and researcher Marika Simón, as they travel across North America in search of the most haunted objects and the owners requiring their help. The series will air on HISTORY Channel and joins the new season of Crime Beat as part of the paranormal and crime offerings available at MIPCOM. As a lead up to MIPCOM, new deals include multiple international sales for the highly-anticipated Pamela’s Garden of Eden (8×60), starring Pamela Anderson, ahead of its Canadian premiere, Nov. 3 on HGTV Canada. In addition to the previously announced first pre-sale of Pamela’s Garden of Eden to Hulu in the U.S., sales are also confirmed to Foxtel in Australia, M6 GROUP (Paris Premiere and 6ter channels) in France, Italy’s Sky Italia, Talpa TV in the Netherlands, Portugal’s SIC, Poland’s Zoom TV, and Talit in Israel.
Molly Parker, Brian J. Smith, Stephen McHattie, Finlay Wojtak-Hissong, and Kevin Durand lead the cast of Essex County (5×60). Based on Jeff Lemire’s graphic novel, Essex County is a limited series that follows the intertwining lives of two families in a rural community. ITV Studios and Media Musketeer Studios will launch the show internationally at MIPCOM. The limited series premieres in Canada on CBC and CBC Gem in Winter 2023.
Blackfoot Nation Films’ latest project Tales from the Rez, from writer/director Trevor Solway, has gone to camera in Siksika, AB. The horror-comedy anthology series, set to air on APTN Lumi, adapts popular Blackfoot traditional tales and urban legends for the screen. The film features a cast of Indigenous talent including Eugene Brave Rock (Dark Winds, Wonder Woman), Shane Ghostkeeper (Parallel Minds), Shayla Stonechild (Siren), Michelle Thrush (Prey), Joel Oulette (Trickster), Nathan Alexis (Trickster), Cody Lightning (Echo, Four Sheets to the Wind) and introducing Charles Duck Chief. The initial season takes place in the traditional territories of the Blackfoot confederacy in Southern Alberta. Subsequent seasons will travel to other Indigenous communities around the globe.
Lopii Productions has announced its sixth original series, Bestest Day Ever With My Best Friend! Made in partnership with CBC Kids, Bestest Day Ever is a 20 x 7-minute live-action series set to launch in 2023 targeted at preschoolers and celebrating the cherished relationships children have with their pets. Lopii Productions is casting for kids, siblings and families (ages 4-12) with deserving pets to apply to be part of the show to be filmed in January/February 2023. Lopii Productions was one of 19 recipients of Canada Media Fund’s Pilot Program for Racialized Communities (PPRC), a new fund designed to support the growth of English- and French-language audiovisual production by underrepresented creators.
Boat Rocker has renewed preschool animated series Dino Ranch for a third season. Season 3 (52 x 11′) will air on Disney Junior and Disney+ in the U.S in Fall 2023, followed by an international rollout on Disney Junior in Latin America and Disney+ in the UK, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. The show has seen international sales in over 160 countries worldwide.
Eastlink, in partnership with the Black Cultural Centre for Nova Scotia and the Delmore Buddy Daye Learning Institute, has launched Season 3 of weekly series Black Films that Teach. Hosted by Eastlink Community TV producer Morgan Jessome, the series showcases curated films from across the country as told through the lens of Black trailblazers, civil rights activists and groups, and community leaders. Season 3 kicks off with Academy Award-winning short The Queen of Basketball by Ben Proudfoot. Other films include Still Here: A Journey to Triumph by Wanda Taylor, Michaëlle Jean: A Woman of Purpose by Jean-Daniel Lafond, and Same Movie Different Cinema by Harmony Adesola.
Super Channel begins broadcasting its annual Heart & Home Christmas holiday movie programming event Nov. 4. Beginning Nov. 18, a new festive title will air every Friday, Saturday and Sunday night until Dec. 23. This season’s offering includes 23 Canadian-made features, including five Super Channel Heart & Home Original productions (making their Canadian premieres), including Christmas on Mistletoe Lake from Chesler Perlmutter; Baking All the Way from Vortex Media; Sappy Holiday from Defiant Empire; Christmas by the Book from Chaos; and Faith Heist: A Christmas Caper, the sequel to the Canadian Screen Award-winning Faith Heist, from No Equal Entertainment. Also premiering are two pre-licensed titles from Brain Power Studios produced in association with Super Channel, Country Roads Christmas and Christmas in Wolf Creek. The slate also includes 17 titles acquired from All Canadian Ent., 15 of which are Canadian made titles. All holiday movies will air commercial-free and will be available on Super Channel On Demand.
The 118th Original Santa Claus Parade will air Saturday, Dec. 3 at 7 p.m. ET/PT exclusively on CTV, CTV.ca, and the CTV app. The largest children’s parade in North America makes its return on Nov. 20. Bell Media is promising additional broadcast details at a later date.
ONLINE & DIGITAL MEDIA:
Netflix has announced it’s launching its lower-priced ad-supported “Basic with Ads” plan in Canada in November. Basic with Ads will be rolled out in 12 countries, including the U.S., UK, Australia, Brazil, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Korea, Mexico, and Spain. Starting Nov. 1, Canadian consumers can access the cheaper tier at $5.99 a month. The streamer’s Basic, Standard and Premium plans will remain ad-free. Netflix says Basic with Ads offers all the features of its Basic plan, with a few differences, including an average of four to five minutes of ads per hour and no ability to download titles. A limited number of movies and TV shows won’t be available on the Basic with Ads offering due to licensing restrictions. Netflix has also announced it’s boosting resolution on its Basic and Basic with Ads plans from 480p to 720p/HD. Read more here.
OneSoccer, the dedicated soccer channel operated by MEDIAPRO Canada, has acquired exclusive rights in Canada to Manchester City TV, the Premier League club’s premium TV programming; the Eredivisie, the top-tier men’s professional soccer league of the Netherlands; and the Chinese Super League, China’s first division men’s soccer league, as a first step in expanding the broadcaster’s portfolio of international leagues and tournaments. Fans across Canada will be able to watch the matches through the OneSoccer app and website via connected devices; while subscribers to TELUS Optik TV have access to OneSoccer as a linear channel in the More Sports bundle. Additionally, FuboTV Canada carries OneSoccer alongside a range of other sports streaming offerings, including Premier League and Serie A channels.
REGULATORY, TELECOM & MEDIA:
The Ontario Association of Broadcasters (OAB) handed out their annual awards Wednesday afternoon in Mississauga, highlighted by the posthumous induction of Evanov Communications founder Bill Evanov into the OAB Hall of Fame. The award was accepted by his children, son Paul, who is now President & CEO of the company, and daughter Kristina, Special Projects Director. Other award winners included Toronto’s JAZZ.FM (CJRT-FM), which picked up the award for Station Promotion (Large Market) for its Lifting Up of Others campaign, and a Community Service Award for its annual Holiday Heroes Instrument Drive. 97.7 Moose FM (CHMS-FM) Bancroft, ON won the Community Service Award in the Small Market category for the We’re All Heart Radiothon, while Peterborough’s Fresh Radio 100.5 (CKRU-FM) and 101.5 The Wolf (CKWF-FM) won the Small Market Station Promotion Award for its Staycay Triple Play. Aili Beare of Zoomer Radio (CFZM-FM) was recognized with the Best in Class Sales Award for the Lemonwood Styles Sessions campaign. Creative Awards went to Z103.5 (CIDC-FM) Toronto’s Cinco de Mayo campaign (Large Market), while the Small Market winner was Vista Radio for Constable Towing and Auto Recycling “Locked Out of the Final Frontier.” Read more here. More OAB coverage to come.
The CRTC has issued parameters around mobile virtual network operators (MVNOs), it says will enhance the ability of regional wireless providers to offer more competition and choice. The new measures govern the relationships between regional providers and Bell Mobility, Rogers Communications, Telus and SaskTel. Among other measures, the CRTC is opening the door for more companies, in particular smaller regional wireless providers in more rural areas, to access the wireless networks of Canada’s largest providers, ensuring that calls and data sessions of MVNO subscribers do not drop when they move between coverage zones. The commission is also denying several provisions that would restrict or make MVNO access difficult to use by regional wireless providers, and preventing provisions that would restrict regional providers from reselling their wholesale access to other MVNOs. The CRTC says large wireless providers must now begin accepting requests for access to their networks and enter negotiations with regional providers to agree on wholesale MVNO rates.
The CRTC has launched an internal review of the criteria for cost awards after funding awarded to the Community Media Advocacy Centre (CMAC) and its senior consultant Laith Marouf was questioned. Back in August, the federal government cut the funding it awarded to the organization to develop an anti-racism strategy after it was brought to the attention of several cabinet ministers that Marouf had been posting racist sentiments on Twitter. After the funding was revoked, questions arose about the funding CMAC and Marouf have received for their participation in CRTC hearings.
FRIENDS (formerly FRIENDS of Canadian Broadcasting) has opened submissions for the 2023 Dalton Camp Award. The $10,000 prize for the best essay on the link between media and democracy is presented annually in memory of Dalton Camp, a commentator on Canadian public affairs. There are no entry fees and any Canadian citizen or permanent resident of Canada, regardless of age, student or professional status may enter. Students enrolled in a recognized post-secondary institution are also eligible for the $2,500 Student Prize. The deadline to submit is Jan. 6, 2023. Learn more here.
BROADCAST TECH & ENGINEERING:
Dejero supported Quality, joint host broadcaster for the XII South American Games in Asunción, Paraguay, as they made television history with the first ever all-remote multi-sport production. The XII South American Games, which ran from Oct. 1-15, involved 4,526 athletes and 53 sports. Quality deployed more than 90 cameras to capture live sports in various arenas and other locations across the city with each camera connected to a Dejero EnGo LTE mobile transmitter that dynamically manages fluctuating bandwidth, packet loss, and latency differences in real-time to simultaneously combined multiple IP connections.
SMPTE has announced the results of its 2022 Society Elections and introduced the board officers and regional governors who will begin serving terms in January 2023. Renard T. Jenkins of Warner Bros. Discovery has been elected SMPTE president, Richard Welsh of Deluxe Media Inc. as SMPTE executive vice president, Michael Zink of Warner Bros. Discovery as SMPTE education vice president, and Lisa Hobbs of MediaKind as SMPTE secretary/treasurer, all for two-year terms. They join 2022-23 officers Hans Hoffmann (past president), Sally Hattori (standards vice president), Paul Stechly (finance vice president), and Rose Lockwood (membership vice president). New SMPTE Regional Governors for the two-year 2023-24 term include Canada Region representative François Bourdua, Consultant, VS-Tek, Strategies & Technologies. Read more here.
