REVOLVING DOOR:
Global News has named Kevin Gallagher as the network’s new weekend news anchor, seen from the Maritimes to Saskatchewan, beginning Saturday, May 30. In addition to anchoring, Gallagher will appear on Global Toronto’s late newscast every Friday and report one day a week for Global News at 5 and 6. Gallagher was formerly with CTV News for almost 13 years – as a reporter at CTV Montreal and more recently as a Parliamentary Correspondent in Ottawa. After getting caught up in layoffs at Bell Media in early 2024, he’s been working as a video content creator at the Legislative Assembly of Ontario since last fall. Read more here.
Joanna Brewer has announced she’s retiring at the end of June after 37 years with CBC and 14 as the host of Information Morning Moncton. Brewer has been with CBC since 1988, starting as an editorial assistant in the national radio newsroom in Toronto.
Alexander Panetta has announced he’s taking a two-year break from journalism and Washington, D.C., where he’s been CBC’s U.S. correspondent since 2019. Panetta will be returning to school to pursue a Master’s in Artificial Intelligence Policy, while his wife takes a diplomatic assignment in Turkey.
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Shalinda Kirby has announced she’s leaving the Philly, Joe & Kirby morning show at Winnipeg’s 92.1 CITI and the radio industry as a whole. Kirby had been with the station since November 2021, the first member of the former Power 97 (CJKR-FM) morning show to cross the street from Corus Entertainment to Rogers Sports & Media. Phil Aubrey and Joe Aiello followed, with the show reunited on CITI in January 2023.
Forman (aka Andrew Gordon) is now the afternoon host and APD for Corus Entertainment’s Country 104 (CKDK-FM) London, in addition to being heard in mornings on Country 99 (CFPG-FM) Winnipeg. He arrives from 104.7 Heart FM (CIHR-FM) Woodstock where he’d been afternoon host and promotions manager for the past year. Forman is also a host of the Due to Underwhelming Demand podcast, his collaboration with former BX93 / Pure Country 93 co-hosts Dave Collins and Rachel Gilbert, which now boasts 100 episodes and nearly 140,000 downloads.
Ben Kerr has joined Broadcast Services International (BSI) full-time as a Broadcast Engineer. Kerr was formerly the Engineer in Charge at MEDIAPRO Canada, where he held various roles over the last five years. He’s also worked as a camera operator with Dome Productions and Shaw TV in Victoria.
RADIO & PODCAST:
Radio communautaire Cornwall-Alexandria has rebranded Evanov Communications stations CHRC-FM Clarence-Rockland and CKHK-FM Hawkesbury, under a temporary management agreement pending transfer of ownership. Following six hours of stunting by playing “Bye Bye Mon Cowboy” by Mitsou on May 12, the BIG-FM Adult Hits format was introduced with “Welcome To The Jungle” by Guns N Roses. The format on both stations will feature a large library blending ‘90s Alternative, Pop, and Classic Rock. The non-profit announced last fall it was acquiring the stations, which Evanov had slated for closure.
Radiodays North America heard there is a growing sense of urgency around the need for improved radio audience measurement. A panel, moderated by Sarah Thompson of Mantis Group, featured Canadian Broadcast Sales President Gerry MacKrell, Cumulus Media / Westwood One Chief Insights Officer Pierre Bouvard, Numeris Chief Research and Operations Officer Derrick Gray, and Krystal Seymour, VP of Buying at Jungle Media. Globally, audio accounts for 25% of media, but just eight per cent of advertising revenue, with the vast majority of ad dollars going to Google and Meta. A central theme of the panel was the challenge radio faces in proving its value to advertisers compared to digital media. Read more here.
FEATURE: From its humble, random beginning in an office cubicle to a global cultural phenomenon, NPR’s Tiny Desk Concerts have redefined intimate musical performance. At the heart of that transformation is Bobby Carter, the series producer and host, who recently offered a candid look during Departure Festival / Radiodays North America into the journey and unseen battles fought behind-the-scenes to evolve Tiny Desk into the diverse and influential platform it is today. In a conversation with CBC Radio host Elamin Abdelmahmoud, Carter told the audience that what sets Tiny Desk apart is its unparalleled intimacy. Read more here.
Vividata’s Cross-Media Update, featuring data from its spring 2025 Study of the Canadian Consumer, highlights the value of niche content that comes with lower reach, but higher engagement. Vividata’s research finds about one-quarter of weekly audio listeners (5.5M Canadians 14+) are weekly podcast listeners, with genres like Fashion & Beauty, Games & Hobbies, Kids & Families and Jobs & Careers attracting younger audiences (75% under 50). Podcast listeners, 50+, have the largest proportion of listeners in genres like News & Politics, Home & Garden, and True Crime.
Adam Wylde & Jax Irwin have been doing the media rounds after soft-launching their podcast Adam Wylde and Jax in March. The former 99.9 Virgin Radio (CKFM-FM) Toronto morning duo walked away from radio in 2023 when Wylde left to devote more of his time to the SDPN podcast network, alongside co-founders Steve Dangle and Jesse Blake. The duo’s “Left on Read” segment, featuring viewer stories about getting ghosted, has gone viral on TikTok, where they’ve amassed more than 1.5M likes and over 120K followers.
CBC Podcasts’ Other People’s Problems is back after a four-year hiatus. This season offers a look at therapy using psychedelics and psychoactive drugs. Listen to the first few episodes here.
Radio-Canada OHdio’s Avortement: Un Pays Pas Comme Les Autres (Abortion: A country like no other) is nominated for an International Women’s Podcast Award. The podcast is a nominee in the Moment of Podcasting Panache in a Language Other Than English category. Find the full shortlist here.
Spotify DJ now takes requests. Users can now ask the AI-powered DJ to update their personalized listening session based on what they want to hear at that moment. DJ can handle a combination of genre, mood, artist, or activity-related requests, taking requests like “Surprise me with some indie tracks I’ve never heard before,” or “Give me some electronic beats for a midday run.” DJ requests will be available in English for Premium listeners in more than 60 markets where DJ is currently available.
LISTEN: Steve Jones, President of Stingray Radio, is on the latest Sound Off Podcast. If you’ve been following him on Linked In, you’ve been presented with many wild examples of what qualifies as Canadian content on radio. We all have our favourites. Mine are the collection of songs circa 1991 like Rod Stewart’s Rhythm of my Heart and Bonnie Raitt’s Something to Talk About qualifying as Cancon, while the entire Bryan Adams’ Waking Up The Neighbours album is not. Jones recognizes the lack of Canadian content recognition on streaming platforms and calls for a collaborative approach to modernize Canadian content rules.
SIGN OFFS:
Lea Carpenter, 63, on Feb. 16. Hailing from West Vancouver, Carpenter studied Business and Communications at Simon Fraser University, before joining Vancouver’s CFUN in 1982 as Promotions Coordinator. After detouring from radio to join the Vancouver International Film Festival in publicity, she joined JR FM as Promotions Director from 1989-91, before moving into sales. Carpenter went on to found her own events company, producing numerous events around B.C.’s Lower Mainland. She also worked in media relations for the B.C. Lions Society for Children with Disabilities, Easter Seals BC, Metro Vancouver, and most recently SOMA Public Relations.
TV & FILM:
Shaw Rocket Fund has announced the Rocket Distributor Program – a one-time, $3M program to support Canadian producers in response to the Canada Media Fund (CMF) announcement of an increased CMF Distributor Program budget to $26.897M, 40% of that allocated to Children’s and Youth content. The program is designed to support Canadian producers in accessing CMF funding for Children’s and Youth programming by contributing towards the distribution advance through the distributor. Full guidelines will be released the week of May 26, with final funding decisions to be made by Aug. 15.
The Guild of Music Supervisors, Canada handed out the 2025 Canadian Sync Awards earlier this month in Toronto. CBC/APTN/Netflix series North of North picked up two awards: Best Sync – Scene, Episodic Series and Best Sync – Soundtrack, Comedy TV Series, under the direction of Music Supervisor Michael Perlmutter. Charlotte Cardin was named Sync Artist/Songwriter of the Year. Find the full list of winners here.
The Trailer Park Boys are coming to Crave, starting Friday, May 30 with all 12 seasons of the series joining the streamer. Crave will also become the exclusive streaming home of feature film, Standing on the Shoulders of Kitties: The Bubbles and The Shitrockers Story. Premiering June 6, which sees Bubbles and his band land a European tour opening for Billy Bob Thornton and the Boxmasters, before getting kicked off the tour and having to busk to survive.
Melanie Scrofano (Wyonna Earp) is back on CTV Sci-Fi Channel with new original series REVIVAL, Thursdays at 10 p.m. ET on CTV Sci-Fi, CTV.ca, and the CTV app beginning June 12, and streaming next day on Crave. Based on the best-selling Image Comics series, the hour-long, 10-episode series follows Dana Cypress (Scrofano), a crass, down on her luck police officer and single mother who finds herself thrust into a murder mystery. Created by Aaron B. Koontz and Luke Boyce, who serve as showrunners and executive producers, REVIVAL is produced by Blue Ice Pictures and Hemmings Films in association with Bell Media, Dynamic Television, and SYFY.
Ryan Reynolds’ Maximum Effort, in collaboration with Score G Productions, Fennessey Films, Super Channel, and OEG Sports & Entertainment, have announced the start of production of The Great Ones, an in-depth, five-part docuseries that delves into the journey of the Edmonton Oilers during their dominant era in the 1980s, featuring a cast of NHL legends, including the Hall of Fame players who defined the Oilers dynasty, in addition to rivals, broadcasters, managers, and other characters behind the scenes. Directed by Emmy Award winner Austin Andrews, The Great Ones is set to premiere on Super Channel in Winter 2027.
The Snake, Jenna MacMillan’s feature-length directorial debut, has begun shooting in Charlottetown. The dark comedy stars Susan Kent (This Hour Has 22 Minutes, The Trades, Trailer Park Boys) who wrote the screenplay and serves as an executive producer. Kent plays Jamie, a down-on-her-luck, ungovernable woman in her forties who, after getting dumped by her boyfriend and evicted by her mother, copes by seducing her best friend’s husband. The feature also stars Robin Duke (SCTV, Saturday Night Live, Schitt’s Creek), Jonathan Torrens (Trailer Park Boys, Mr. D), Dan Petronijevic (Letterkenny; 19-2; Pretty Hard Cases), and Emma Hunter (The Beaverton, Moonshine).
Love Nature’s new four-part series Bugs That Rule the World explores the unseen and rapidly changing lives of insects, and how they play a critical role in sustaining life on Earth. Premiering Saturday, June 14, viewers are introduced in Episode 1 to Edmonton-based macro photographer Dara Ojo, whose imagery magnifies the vibrant, charismatic features of bugs and reveals their beauty and complexity.
County Blooms, the digital lifestyle series from creator and host Jen Pogue, returns for Season 2 on Bell Fibe TV1 on May 29. Season 1, now available on YouTube, was first released on Bell Fibe TV1 in 2023 as a regional series rooted in Peterborough County. Its Season 2 return spotlights flower-loving creatives across Ontario and Québec.
National Film Board (NFB) feature doc Parade: Queer Acts of Love & Resistance begins a national rollout in May. The look at activism that sparked the rise of Canada’s 2SLGBTQI+ movement from Winnipeg director Noam Gonick and Toronto producer Justine Pimlott is confirmed for over 15 Canadian community and festival screenings, with more cities to come. Pride Month in June will also feature broadcast and online premieres on TVO and NFB platforms. The film recently opened Hot Docs, where it was voted a top ten audience favourite.
Rogers Xfinity TV has added more than 150 international channels in over 20 languages. Customers can access more than 480 channels. Rogers newly-expanded international TV channel offering is available with Rogers Xfinity TV packages in Free Preview through June 17.
ONLINE & DIGITAL MEDIA:
Media Technology Monitor (MTM) has released two new reports on how Canadians are engaging with news, finding traditional news brands remain a key destination for online news. MTM says when anglophones look for news online, over half still turn to the websites of established broadcasters like CBC, BBC, CTV, and CNN, while nearly 20% get their online news from the website of a major daily Canadian newspaper. More than half of French-speakers say they turn to the websites of broadcasters like Radio-Canada, TVA Nouvelles, and MétéoMédia, with three in seven mentioning newspaper websites like La Presse and the La Presse+ app. Read more here.
REGULATORY, TELECOM & MEDIA:
The CRTC’s The Path Forward hearing, looking at redefining what constitutes a “Canadian program” continues. The National Film Board (NFB) argued last week for the need to incorporate a “cultural test.” NFB maintains that Canada should draw inspiration from other countries – like the UK, Netherlands, Italy, New Zealand, France, Spain, Germany and Australia – where public funding is conditional on cultural criteria. The issue was also raised during Corus Entertainment’s presentation, which was challenged on the “Canadian-ness” of some of its lifestyle programming. Corus is urging the commission to de-prioritze PNI program requirements to remove – as Co-CEO Troy Reeb put it – “those kinds of overly prescriptive handcuffs.” Read more here.
CBC/Radio-Canada’s Board of Directors has announced it’s discontinuing executive performance bonuses, following an independent review. The executive bonus structure, known as the Short-Term Incentive Plan, sparked outrage in late 2023 when the Canadian Taxpayers Federation released data indicating that in 2022, the CBC paid out more than $16 million in bonuses in the face of a looming $125 million budget shortfall. In a statement issued last week, the board said while performance pay is focused on short-term competitive targets like generating revenue or annual digital reach, arguably progress on longer-term public service goals – like improving CBC/Radio-Canada’s value to all citizens and strengthening Canadian culture – “are in many ways a more effective measure of success.” Read more here.
Bell and Zoom have announced a partnership to offer Workplace from Bell and Zoom, an open collaboration platform with AI Companion. Launching exclusively for Canadian customers, Bell says Workplace will complement its existing services, offering a cutting-edge collaboration platform designed to boost productivity and collaboration. It’s set to launch nationally sometime this year.
BROADCAST TECH & ENGINEERING:
NLogic is partnering with Kinetiq, the AI-powered media intelligence platform, to provide TV advertising data to power NLogic’s Spots offerings, including Spots Monitor—a new tool providing real-time, customizable insights into commercial activity across Canadian television. Spots Monitor allows users to track and analyze commercial airings across channels, offering a view into who is advertising, and when and where their ads appear. NLogic says the Kinetiq integration will deliver unprecedented visibility into ad placements, flighting patterns, and competitive behaviour, equipping clients with data to make faster, smarter, and more strategic media decisions. The partnership is expected to expand beyond ad airings to include qualitative creative scoring, earned media and sponsorship data. Read more here.
Google I/O 2025, the digital giant’s annual developer conference, took place this week featuring announcements like Veo 3, a new state-of-the-art video generation model, that improves on the quality of Veo 2, but for the first time, can also generate videos with audio — traffic noises in the background of a city street scene, birds singing in a park, even dialogue between characters. Google also announced Flow, an AI filmmaking tool creating cinematic clips, scenes and stories by bringing together Google DeepMind’s most advanced models: Veo, Imagen and Gemini. Flow allows the use of natural language to describe shots and manage cast, locations, objects and styles to weave a narrative. Google also announced a partnership between Google DeepMind and Primordial Soup, dedicated to storytelling innovation founded by pioneering director Darren Aronofsky. Primordial Soup is producing three short films using Google DeepMind’s state-of-the-art generative AI models, with the first film, ANCESTRA, to premiere at the Tribeca Festival in June.
ATSC, The Broadcast Standards Association, has announced that Clarence Hau, Senior Vice President of Standards, Policy & Advanced Engineering at NBCUniversal, is being named the 2025 recipient of the Mark Richer Industry Leadership Medal. The annual award honours individuals or teams who demonstrate exemplary leadership in advancing ATSC’s mission and embody the vision, tenacity, and commitment that defined the legacy of former longtime ATSC President Mark Richer. The 2025 Richer Medal will be presented to Hau next month during the 2025 ATSC NextGen Broadcast Conference in Washington, June 12-13.
