REVOLVING DOOR:
Jeffrey Orridge, CEO of TVO, is leaving the Ontario public broadcaster on Aug. 15 for another opportunity. Chief Operating Officer Jennifer Hinshelwood will assume the role of Acting CEO. Orridge, a former CFL commissioner and CBC executive, took up the role in late 2020. Read more here.
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Vicki Shae has departed Corus Entertainment’s Country 99 (CFPG-FM) Winnipeg, posting that she’s leaving for a yet-to-be revealed opportunity. She had been helming afternoons on the station since October of last year when Corus moved to rebrand Power 97 (CJKR-FM) as Winnipeg’s Iconic Alternative. She was formerly heard on Power Mornings alongside Jay Richardson.
Tia Rodgers has joined Stingray Halifax as a Media Sales Strategist. Rodgers previously worked with Bell Media for 23 years in the market, holding roles from Traffic Coordinator and Commercial Producer to Advertising Sales.
David Akin, Global News’ Chief Political Correspondent, is now acting Ottawa Bureau Chief while Mercedes Stephenson is on maternity leave. Stephenson, 44, is expecting her first child in September.
Bob Kane has announced his departure from Libsyn Ads, where he’s been Country Manager for Canada for the last three years. Prior to Libsyn, Kane served as VP of Sales at The Podcast Exchange (TPX) and was Senior Manager of Brand Partnerships for CBC. Kane says he’s seeking “new partnerships to help podcast creators make money.”
Matt Hird has been upped to Vice President at Signal Hill Insights. Hird has been with the audience insights company as Senior Research Director since 2023 and prior to that worked with the company from 2017 to 2022 as an Insights Consultant. He’s also held research and audience development roles with CBC, Pacific Content, Rogers Sports & Media and Bell Media.
Lori Rosenberg succeeds Carol Cooper as head of the Canadian Retransmission Commission. Cooper, who had led the organization for 33 years, remains in an advisory capacity during a transitional period. Rosenberg is a Toronto-based media and content consultant, who most recently served as Vice President, Contracts for the Canadian Communication Systems Alliance (CCSA). She also sits on the board of directors for Friends of Canadian Media and CTAM Canada.
Laura Crowson has been hired as Senior Vice President of Global Development for Great Pacific Media (GPM), the unscripted arm of Thunderbird Entertainment Group. Reporting to GPM CEO David Way, she’ll be based in L.A. Crowson arrives from Warner Bros. Discovery, where she served as VP of Development and oversaw series and specials for Discovery Channel, Science Channel, Animal Planet, and Max.
RADIO & PODCAST:
SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITY: As we prepare for the annual Broadcast Dialogue Canadian Radio Awards, we invite you to join us in 2025 in acknowledging and supporting this vibrant industry. Your involvement is more than just a marketing opportunity; it’s a statement of support for an industry integral to the cultural and social fabric of our country. Read more from Rob Brimacombe, our VP, Sales + Partnerships, here.
The Canadian Country Music Association (CCMA) has unveiled the official nominees for the 2025 CCMA Awards. Edmonton’s CFCW goes into the awards with three nominations, including Radio Station of the Year (Large Market), Country Music Program or Special of the Year for Heartstrings & Honky Tonks and a Country Personalities of the Year nod for morning show duo Dan Davidson and Stella Stevens. Pure Country 106 (CICX-FM) Orillia earned two nominations – Radio Station of the Year, Medium or Small Market, and Country Personality of the Year for Jason McCoy. The syndicated Pure Country Top 50 Countdown also received a nomination. Read more here.
SiriusXM Canada has confirmed the satellite radio provider’s ad-supported subscription tier, announced by the company’s U.S. counterpart last week, will be available on this side of the border. SiriusXM Play marks the introduction of the company’s first low-cost, ad-supported subscription package, available for $7 USD/month, significantly less than its other tiers which range from $14.99 to $24.98 stateside. Similar plans in Canada, currently run $16.80 to $28.80 monthly, with an app-only subscription priced at $9.99/month. SiriusXM said in its U.S. announcement that ads would be “limited” (half the ad-load of traditional radio at launch). Read more here.
Amazon Alexa users in Canada are invited to join a proposed national class action to recover compensation for Amazon’s (alleged) misuse of data collected from Alexa users. If you live in Canada and had a user account with Amazon’s Alexa between 2014 and July 19, 2023, you may be eligible for the class action. The claim alleges that Amazon’s Alexa products and services collected significantly more personal information about users than was disclosed, retained that information indefinitely, even after users attempted to delete it, and then used that information for Amazon’s profit to train algorithms, AI and machine learning software.
JAZZ.FM91 (CJRT-FM) Toronto is presenting the fifth season of Discover Women in Jazz, in collaboration with the Pat and Tony Adams Freedom Fund for the Arts and the Brian Facey and Julie Soloway Fund for the Arts. The concert series features five artists from the Greater Toronto Area, with this year’s cohort including Micaela Rae, Racha Moukalled, Grace ‘JiJi’ Gayle, Aretha Tillotson and Madeleine Ertel. One concert will be broadcast live to air and live-streamed to YouTube each week from Thursday, July 31 through Thursday, Aug. 28. Listeners can also tune in to Jazzology every Wednesday at 9 p.m. and Sunday at 8 a.m. ET to get to know more about this year’s artists leading up to their concerts.
The Pro Bono Group’s Pro Radio Project is ongoing, with its latest PSA “Kick” affirming research that social media advertising used in combination with radio ads gets better results for businesses than social ads alone. Pro Bono Group says the goal with “Kick” is to change the conversation from “Digital OR Radio” to “Digital AND Radio.” Stations can air the new PSA in conjunction with other spots under the Pro Radio Project. Learn more here.
Just For Laughs organizers have confirmed the Handsome Podcast, hosted by Tig Notaro, Fortune Feimster, and Canadian comedian Mae Martin, will receive the Podcast of the Year Award at the Just For Laughs Awards Show on July 25 as part of ComedyPRO 2025. Comedian, writer and actress Sabrina Jalees will present the award.
LISTEN: Jon Pole, President of My Broadcasting Corporation, believes some of radio’s best days are still ahead. The second-generation broadcaster joins Broadcast Dialogue – The Podcast to talk about MBC’s continued growth, now positioning the company as one of the biggest independent radio operators in Ontario. We also get into the Canadian content debate and regulatory burden on stations, and why Pole says his radio group is bucking downward sales trends.
LISTEN: Paul Ferguson, VP of Programming and Operations at Starboard Communications in Belleville, ON is on the Sound Off Podcast, discussing radio in a very unique market – one free from corporate ownership. Paul and Matt Cundill talk about how they keep radio relevant by focusing on local content, like the “Good News in Quinte” newsletter and a robust news website that keeps listeners informed and engaged. They also discuss the challenges of adapting to new radio regulations and why it’s crucial to own digital platforms to stay connected with audiences.
TV & FILM:
Prime Monday Night Hockey is back this fall with a national spotlight on Canada’s biggest hockey cities. The 2025–26 season begins with a late afternoon game on Thanksgiving (Monday, Oct. 13) when the Toronto Maple Leafs host the Detroit Red Wings at 4 p.m. ET, before moving west for the second matchup of a doubleheader, with the Vancouver Canucks taking on the St. Louis Blues at 7:30 p.m. ET. Canadian matchups take centre stage on multiple nights, including an all-Canadian tilt between Ottawa and Winnipeg on Dec. 15, a primetime faceoff between Vancouver and Montreal on Jan. 12, and a Battle of Alberta on March 30. Prime Monday Night Hockey will also host a marquee Atlantic Division rivalry between the Leafs and Tampa Bay Lightning on Dec. 8.
SwearNet, the Trailer Park Boys’ video streaming site, has been rebranded as TrailerParkBoys+. The Trailer Park Boys (Mike Smith, Robb Wells and John Paul Tremblay) previously teased the move more than a year ago. The trio initially launched the service in March 2013, featuring content from the Trailer Park Boys universe.
MEM (McGillivray Entertainment Media), in association with Corus Studios, will begin principal photography on Season 3 of Home Network’s Renovation Resort in Ontario this August. This time, Scott McGillivray and Bryan Baeumler head to the lake, to turn a long-neglected resort into a vacation destination. They enlist four all-new contractor-designer duos to battle it out and create one-of-a-kind vacation homes in just eight weeks, with the winning pair receiving a $100,000 prize and the coveted title of Renovation Resort Champions. Season 3 is slated to premiere in spring 2026.
Crave all-new original docuseries, The Christine Jessop Story, debuts Friday, Aug. 8 with all three episodes available to stream. Produced in partnership with Alibi Entertainment, the one-hour true-crime series explores the decades-long case of nine-year-old Christine Jessop, who was tragically murdered in a small, rural Ontario town in 1984.
BBC Earth has reimagined its landmark 1999 docuseries, Walking with Dinosaurs, premiering Tuesday, Aug. 26 in Canada. The six-part, one-hour series will take viewers on a journey back through time bringing to life the dramatic story of an individual dinosaur whose remains are being unearthed by leading dinosaur experts, including Alberta-based paleontologists Emily Bamforth and Mark Powers.
The Big Up Kids Incubators & Producer Residency is accepting applications until Aug. 8. The program is seeking Black women-identifying producers working in kids & family content who are pitch-ready. The residency includes $5,000 CAD in pitch deck development funding, mentorship from industry professionals, strategy sessions and masterclasses, travel to the Ottawa International Animation Festival, MIPJunior (Cannes), and the Kidscreen Summit (California), and the opportunity to pitch to global buyers and broadcasters. The residency is powered by Black Women Film & Media and made possible through the support of the Canada Media Fund and Telefilm Canada.
WIFT+ Toronto members are invited to nominate exceptional leaders in their sphere with a minimum of 10 years of experience in the screen-based industry for a 2025 Crystal Award. Award categories include: Creative Excellence, Innovation Trailblazer, International Achievement, Mentorship, Outstanding Achievement In Business, and the Special Jury Award of Distinction (as chosen by the jury). The deadline for nominations is Aug. 29.
ONLINE & DIGITAL MEDIA:
The Line is soft launching its first provincial bureau, The Line: Alberta. The online commentary and opinion site has created a standalone platform that will focus explicitly on Alberta stories, columns, and podcasts. Calgary-based broadcaster Rob Breakenridge – best known for his 20 years as a talk-show host with Corus Radio and 17 years as a columnist with the Calgary Herald – will continue to write columns for The Line, and will also host the new The Line: Alberta Podcast.
Village Media has launched its 27th local news site, DundasToday.com. DundasToday is being helmed by longtime Flamborough Review Editor Brenda Jefferies, who has been working with Village Media since 2022. Joining Jefferies are reporters Cara Nickerson and Reagan Spencer.
Bell Media has introduced new YouTube channel, Much Rewind, featuring classic MuchMusic content from the channel’s tape archive. Content will include full interviews from the ‘80s, ‘90s, and 2000s, with the initial videos posted featuring Noel Gallagher, Eminem, Aaliyah, and Christina Aguilera.
REGULATORY, TELECOM & MEDIA:
Rogers Communications has announced unaudited financial and operating results for the second quarter ended June 30. Total revenue and total service revenue increased by 2%, with service revenue growth across all businesses. Wireless service revenue increased by 1% primarily as a result of continued subscriber growth, while Wireless equipment revenue increased by 13% as a result of higher device sales to existing customers. Cable service revenue increased 1%, primarily as a result of retail internet subscriber growth. Media revenue increased by 10%, primarily as a result of higher sports-related revenue due to the success of the NHL playoffs and the launch of the Warner Bros. Discovery suite of television channels. Media adjusted EBITDA increased by $5 million, primarily due to higher revenue, partially offset by higher programming costs and Toronto Blue Jays expenses.
CBC/Radio-Canada has confirmed it’s been asked to participate in a federal government expenditure review that would require the public broadcaster to cut up to 15% of its total budget over the next three years. A CBC/Radio-Canada spokesperson told Broadcast Dialogue that the efficiency exercise is separate from Prime Minister Mark Carney’s commitment to invest an additional $150 million in the public broadcaster. Read more here.
OP-ED: Broadcast news veteran Tina Cortese, now Academic Chair of the School of Media at Seneca Polytechnic, reflects on the challenges journalism faces and why journalism education is still crucial as many institutions shutter their media programs. “Journalism schools are no longer just training grounds — they are incubators of civic literacy, ethical reasoning, and inclusive storytelling,” writes Cortese. Read more here.
The Trebek Initiative, a partnership between the Royal Canadian Geographical Society and the National Geographic Society, has announced six new recipients of its 2025 grants supporting research and storytelling projects in Canada. This year’s grantees include scientists, filmmakers, conservationists, and photographers examining some of the most pressing environmental issues across Canada.
BROADCAST TECH & ENGINEERING:
NLogic has announced a new partnership with Denmark-headquartered AudienceProject that will see the introduction of a new cross-platform campaign measurement solution in Canada. Built on the AudienceReport platform, which is currently active in multiple European countries, the solution will be integrated with NLogic tools like Video Planner with a goal to helping advertisers assess digital campaign performance and make better-informed planning and optimization decisions. Read more here.
