REVOLVING DOOR:
Travis Dhanraj has officially exited the CBC, blasting the public broadcaster on his way out the door, saying he has been “systematically sidelined, retaliated against, and denied the editorial access and institutional support necessary to fulfill my public service role.” Dhanraj quietly disappeared from CBC News Network and his show Canada Tonight with Travis Dhanraj – which launched in January 2024 – last year. In an open letter to CBC leadership, entitled “Resignation Under Duress – CBC Leadership Has Left Me No Choice,” Dhanraj wrote that the involuntary resignation comes “because the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation has made it impossible for me to continue my work with integrity.” Read more here.
Bob McKenzie has retired from TSN after 48 years in sports media. McKenzie, who will turn 69 in August, has been semi-retired for the last five years, continuing to host the World Junior Championships, Free Agent Frenzy and NHL Draft Rankings, among other broadcasts. In addition to TSN, McKenzie has worked with The Sault Star, The Globe and Mail, The Hockey News, Toronto Star, and ESPN.
Paul Bagnell has announced his retirement from BNN Bloomberg, effective July 18. Bagnell’s journalism career has spanned 40 years, including 24 as an anchor and reporter with BNN Bloomberg. Before joining the channel, Bagnell was a reporter at the Financial Post and a correspondent in Ottawa and Washington for Thomson Newspapers.
David Topping is Zoomer Digital Network’s new Chief Content Officer, overseeing editorial and audience strategy across blogTO, Daily Hive, and Curiocity Group. He joins Zoomer from Torstar, where he served as Newsletters Director for the last seven years. He’s also former Editor-in-Chief of First Up, the Star’s flagship morning newsletter.
Vanessa Lee has been named Director, Communications and Media Relations, for the Canadian Olympic Committee (COC). Lee’s nearly 25-year journalism career included spending a decade as a correspondent for CTV National News, in addition to stops at Global and CBC. She also covered Basketball and Wheelchair Basketball during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games for Olympic Broadcasting Services.
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Jessica Dickie has joined the morning show at Ocean 100 (CHTN-FM) Charlottetown as a co-host, alongside Darcy Campbell and Scott Chapman. Dickie, also known as “Jess on the East Coast” is a popular PEI content creators.
Tamara Munroe is the new Sales Manager for Stingray’s Rewind 89.3 (CIJK-FM) Kentville, NS. Munroe has been a Media Sales Strategist with Stingray Halifax since 2017. She succeeds Karen Corey, who has retired after nearly a decade with the company. Corey was previously GSM of MBS’ AVR (CKEN-FM) and Magic 94.9 (CKWM-FM) from 1987-2007.
Matthew Di Nicolantonio has parted ways with The Weather Network after six years. Di Nicolantonio had been a video presenter and content creator with the channel since 2019.
Ellis Jacob, the longtime President & CEO of Cineplex, will retire from the company on Dec. 31, 2026. In the interim, Jacob will continue to lead Cineplex and assist the transition to a new leadership structure. Involved in the theatre business since 1987, the Galaxy Entertainment founder assumed the role of President & CEO of Cineplex Galaxy in 2003. Jacob was the recent recipient of the Canadian Academy Tribute Award at the 2025 Canadian Screen Awards.
Joel Bradley has been promoted to President of Atomic Cartoons, the animation arm of Thunderbird Entertainment Group. Bradley will report to Jennifer Twiner McCarron, who will continue to serve as CEO of Atomic and Thunderbird Entertainment, as well as Chair of Thunderbird’s Board of Directors. In his new role, Bradley will lead the business development and production departments across Atomic and continue to be responsible for day-to-day operations, overseeing a team of close to 1,000 creative and production staff. Bradley first joined Atomic in 2013 from Pixar Canada as a production coordinator.
Marlo Miazga is departing Sphere Media as President and Executive Producer, Unscripted and Kids and Family. Miazga was initially with Bristow Global Media (BGM) as Head of Content and Production and then CEO, before Sphere Media acquired BGM in 2020 when she took on the role of President of English Unscripted, Documentaries and Kids & Family. The Kids & Family division will continue to be overseen by Judith Beauchemin, Executive Vice President, Operations.
Insight Productions has announced a series of internal promotions that see Top Chef Canada showrunner Eric Abboud appointed Senior Vice President. The changes additionally bump 20-year Insight veteran Tanya Low to Chief Development Officer and Jessica Brunton (also a 20-year employee) to Chief Production Officer. On the business side, Alex Kitz and Greg Milo have been elevated to Chief Business Officer and Director of Operations, respectively. Read more here.
Anita Damiani has been appointed National Director, Feature Films – French Market for a five-year term at Telefilm. Damiani has held various positions at Telefilm over the last 19 years, across distribution and marketing, as well as serving as regional director of funding for feature film projects for Quebec’s French-language market. She succeeds outgoing National Director Marie-France Godbout.
Adnaan Wasey has been appointed the City of Calgary’s new Film Commissioner. Born in Toronto and currently residing in New York City, the Emmy-winning producer brings over two decades of leadership in the media and non-profit sectors, including roles at PBS, Disney, The New York Times and The Gotham.
Kristy Fletcher has been appointed Chief Operating Officer (COO) of the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (CARAS). She’ll also continue in her role as president of MusicCounts.
Jean Charest, former Premier of Québec and Deputy Prime Minister, has been nominated for election to Stingray’s Board of Directors at its upcoming Annual General Meeting on Aug. 6. François-Charles Sirois, a co-founder of Stingray and a director since 2007, will not stand for re-election. Charest is a partner and strategic advisor at the law firm Therrien Couture Joli-Coeur L.L.P and serves on the boards of The Rideau Hall Foundation, Ondine Biomedical, Historica Canada, and is Chairman of the Advisory Board for Dunham House.
Bill Roberts has been named Chair of The Board of Trustees of WPBS-TV, the PBS affiliate serving Northern New York and Eastern Ontario. Roberts has served as a director since 2019. From 2000-12, he was President and CEO of VisionTV, in addition to almost a decade as Senior Director General of TVOntario (1988–96). He’s also served in senior leadership roles with the Canadian Association of Broadcasters (CAB) and the CRTC.
RADIO & PODCAST:
TPX (The Podcast Exchange), the Toronto-based podcast advertising reseller and branded content producer, has sent a letter to creditors notifying them that the company plans to file a Notice of Intention (NOI) under the Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act. The NOI buys the company – which Stingray holds a 30% stake in – time to develop a proposal to its creditors as it works to stabilize the business, giving it an initial 30-day stay of proceedings as it works to ensure suppliers are paid so it can continue operating. Former Rogers Sports & Media and Torstar executive Pary Bell, who was brought in as CEO in February 2024, told creditors last week that “the business has faced sustained financial challenges for some time.” Read more here.
Triton Digital’s 2025 Canadian Podcast Trends Report indicates podcasts are now reaching 39% of Canadians, a three-point year-over-year increase. According to the report, which incorporates findings from the Canadian Podcast Listener survey, podcast listening in Canada continued its upward trajectory driven primarily by English-speaking audiences, whose monthly listening rose four points to 42%, from 38% the previous year. In a major platform shift, YouTube overtook Spotify as the most-used app for podcast listening (35%), up from 29% last year. Read more here.
The CRTC has approved a series of ownership changes, including GO BIG Radio Group’s acquisition of CKHK-FM Hawkesbury and CHRC-FM Clarence-Rockland from Evanov Communications. Torres Media also acquires CITM-FM Ottawa from Evanov, while My Broadcasting Corporation (MBC) acquires former Rogers Sports & Media stations CKOT-FM and CJDL-FM Tilsonburg as well as CJET-FM Smiths Falls.
SiriusXM Canada has launched its first-ever 24/7 channel dedicated to professional wrestling. Pro Wrestling Nation 24/7 takes over channel 156, expanding on the success of SiriusXM’s daily wrestling show “Busted Open,” hosted by Dave LaGreca with wrestling legends Bully Ray, Mark Henry and Tommy Dreamer. “Busted Open” will kick off each programming day with a live episode airing from 9 a.m. to noon ET, seven days a week. It will anchor a daily lineup that will feature several new live shows, including “Off the Ropes,” hosted by veteran wrestling broadcaster Jonathan Coachman. Wrestling superstar Natalya, a member of wrestling’s famous Hart family, will host her new SiriusXM segment, “The Hart Beat with Natalya,” every Thursday from 11 a.m. to noon ET.
The Pro Bono Group has released the latest spot under its Pro Canada Project featuring Hockey Night in Canada play-by-play commentator Chris Cuthbert. The new spot can be added to the rotation of previous Pro Canada PSAs. The Pro Bono Group is also rolling out new Feed Ontario PSA “FOMO” voiced by Montreal-born voice actor Paul Miller, which replaces “Locked.” Feed Ontario continues to support over 1,200 food banks and hunger relief organizations in the province. Access the Pro Bono Group’s PSA archive here.
After 19 seasons of The Agenda and more than 4000 shows, Steve Paikin has a brand new gig – with a very original name. Launching soon: The Paikin Podcast.
“I hope you’ll give it a chance.”
Subscribe at Apple: https://t.co/FE4qaDk5Hv
Spotify: https://t.co/IoSJ6RZmjR pic.twitter.com/0lymFWYMBF
— The Paikin Podcast (@ThePaikinPod) July 14, 2025
Steve Paikin is launching The Paikin Podcast, following the recent announcement that his TVO political affairs show The Agenda with Steve Paikin has come to an end after 19 seasons and more than 4,000 shows. The first episode, which is set to drop on Thursday, will tackle national unity and the threat of Alberta separation.
Gloves Off is a new podcast launched on Canada Day, hosted by journalist Stephen Marche, author of The Next Civil War. The eight-part series explores threats to Canada’s sovereignty, described as “a practical rather than a virtuous approach to national affairs.” Executive produced by Jennifer Ouano, guests so far include Canadian producer and former ex-pat Bob Ezrin, Montreal journalist Francine Pelletier, Chief Rodger Redman, and Jon Shell, Chair of Social Capital Partners.
Ed the Sock’s All-Night Show is still going strong on Durham Radio’s 94.9 The Rock (CKGE-FM) Oshawa with the unveiling of a new billboard and station vehicle treatment. Launched in 2023, Ed the Sock (aka Steven Kerzner) tells Broadcast Dialogue that the show continues to grow in the number of callers and texters with a highly-engaged audience of “Nighttime Neighbours.”
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Chris Scheetz, the retired CISN Country host turned podcaster, will board the ferris wheel at Edmonton’s KDays on July 21 and attempt to ride for 54 hours straight, surpassing the previous amusement park ride record of 53 hours. Scheetz’s effort will support the Alberta Dreams organization with a goal to raise $54,000.
LISTEN: Rachel Gilbert, co-host of the Due to Underwhelming Demand podcast (alongside her former Pure Country 93 morning co-host Dave Collins and Andrew Forman), is on the Sound Off Podcast as she and Matt Cundill connect to discuss her perpetual reinvention in the world of audio. This episode features an honest conversation about the challenges—like the decline of radio schools and the uncertainty of media jobs. She also shares her insights on AI in voiceover work.
SIGN OFFS:
Phil Reimer, 84, on July 16, after a short stay in Vancouver General Hospital. Originally from Winnipeg, Reimer moved to Victoria at age 14. He started his broadcasting career at CKDA Victoria in 1958, leaving school in Grade 10 to take up the position of all-night disc jockey where the first record he spun was Elvis Presley’s “Don’t Be Cruel.” He quickly moved into an on-air and production role at CHEK-TV, before relocating back to Winnipeg in 1960 where he worked at CJAY-TV, covering sports and infamously playing one game with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers as an embedded sports reporter. He moved over to CBC Sports in Winnipeg from 1965-69, before taking a seven-year break from media. During that time he worked for the federal cabinet in Ottawa, in addition to pursuing his love of travel, running tours to Elvis concerts from 1973-77 and attending 125 shows. He resurfaced in Vancouver in 1977, following Elvis’ untimely death, taking up the role of weatherman at CBC, where he was a fixture until 1995 when he moved over to the same role at CKNW. He retired from the station in 2006, following his 65th birthday. Upon his retirement, he estimated that he’d delivered about 75,000 newscasts. Read more here.
Simon Crouch, 67, on July 12. Crouch started his four-decade journalism career in 1976 after attending Loyalist College. Best known for his work in the Chatham-Kent area covering agriculture issues, Crouch’s stops included serving as News Director and later Farm News Director at Bea-Ver Communications and Blackburn Radio. He also served as a reporter and Bureau Chief at CKCO-TV Kitchener, in addition to freelance work for CBC, among other outlets. Crouch was recognized with the Friend of Agriculture Award from the Chatham-Kent Chamber of Commerce in 2015. He retired from Blackburn Radio in 2016.
Debbie Nightingale, 71, on July 10, following a recurrence of cancer. Nightingale, along with Paul Jay, was instrumental in 1993 in founding the documentary showcase that would eventually become Hot Docs. She helped to raise the initial $100,000 that got Hot Docs Festival off the ground, and served as its first festival manager and later executive director. She began working in film and television in 1979, producing features, series, and documentaries, in addition to events, including managing the industry centre at the Toronto International Film Festival, and later Festival of Festivals. She most recently had executive produced the documentary Quality Balls: The David Steinberg Story in 2013, in addition to comedy series Living in Your Car and The Line.
TV & FILM:
Thinktv has released its Total TV & Streaming Viewership report for spring 2025. Key takeaways include that very few Canadians are “only streamers” with most watching TV and streaming services. Total TV surpasses YouTube and the combined viewership of all streaming services across all key demos (A18+, A25-54, and A18-34), with TV’s percentage of time spent with video going up over the past year, while YouTube went down. The report also emphasizes that Canadians stream differently than Americans. Streaming is far more prevalent in the U.S., where streaming makes up 50% of viewing on a TV set. In Canada, that number is just 21%, with almost 80% going to linear TV, a viewing pattern that is similar to the UK.
Corus Entertainment is set to pull the plug on five of its children’s channels, effective Sept. 1. Corus has told distributors that Disney XD, Disney Jr., Disney French (La Chaine Disney), Nickelodeon, and ABC Spark will be pulled at the start of the new broadcast year. Corus will continue to operate Disney Channel, Teletoon, Nelvana, Boomerang, YTV, Treehouse, and the Cartoon Network. Read more in our sister publication CARTT.ca (paywalled).
The Canadian Country Music Association (CCMA) has announced that Tom Green will host the 2025 CCMA Awards presented by TD, broadcasting live for the first time ever from Prospera Place in Kelowna on Saturday, Sept. 13 on CTV, CTV.ca, and the CTV app. The show will also be available to stream next day on Crave, marking the finale to Country Music Week 2025, running from Sept.10-13.
Super Channel has a new online look at superchannel.ca where audiences can explore Super Channel brands: Fuse, Heart & Home, Quest, Vault, as well as FAST Channels Hearties and Uncovered. Subscribers can also explore the popular Christmas in July lineup and TV expert Teri Hart’s Super Picks. The website prominently features Super Channel tagline, “Canadian, Always.” This month, Super Channel is programming a majority of Canadian content, with Heart & Home featuring 78% Canadian content; Super Channel Fuse 59% Cancon; and Super Channel Vault 35%; while 100% of Super Channel Quest’s programming is Canadian.
Just for Laughs has announced $20 million in broadcast deals for 2025, with more than 50 hours of television content set to be broadcast around the globe. Broadcast partners include Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, France Télévisions, RTL Belgium, Canal+, CBC, ABC, CTV, Crave, ICI Télé, TV5, and TV5Unis. Among the deals, CBC has negotiated rights for the Just For Laughs Galas (Roy Wood Jr., Michelle Buteau, Fortune Feimster, Mikey Day), while Netflix will create a special from Gerry Dee’s July 27 set at Espace St-Denis.
New Metric Media, in association with Bay Mills Studios, has announced supporting cast for upcoming satirical miniseries Hate the Player: The Ben Johnson Story, set to debut on Anthem Sports & Entertainment’s GameTV and Paramount+ in Canada in 2026. Social media star and actor Andrew Bachelor, better known as King Bach, is taking on the role of U.S. sprinter Carl Lewis, opposite previously-announced series star Shamier Anderson, who plays Johnson. Mark McKinney will recur in the role of lawyer Walter F. Essanpee, while Karen Robinson (Law & Order Toronto, Schitt’s Creek) is playing Ben’s mom Gloria, and Ennis Esmer (Children Ruin Everything, The Madness) portraying Ben’s doctor. Kristian Bruun (The Recruit, Orphan Black) joins the cast as Ben’s coach, with Malaika Hennie Hamadi (Bria Mack Gets A Life), Ryan Belleville (Workin’ Moms), Darryl Hinds (Second City), Lisa Horner (Kim’s Convenience), Emma Hunter (Mr. D, Letterkenny), Suresh John (Mr. D, Last Frontier), Jonathan Langdon (Trap), Gita Miller (Workin’ Moms), Andrew Phung (Kim’s Convenience, Run the Burbs) and Dewshane Williams (Hello Tomorrow) rounding out the cast.
Rogers Sports & Media has informed Sportsnet+ subscribers that annual premium plans are increasing, effective Sept. 9, on the heels of its new 12-year, $11B NHL rights deal. Premium subscriptions will rise from $249.99 annually to $324.99. The Basic package has gone up $50 to $199.99.
The 78th Locarno Film Festival will spotlight Canada with four feature-length films and three short films all world premiering at the festival. In addition, Joana Hadjithomas and Khalil Joreige’s Memory Box (France/Lebanon/Canada/Qatar coproduction) is featured in Histoire(s) du Cinéma and will receive the prestigious Raimondo Rezzonico Award. Alongside the films in selection, Canada is the focus country at the 14th edition of First Look, an industry initiative that serves as a key post-production platform for international arthouse projects.
ONLINE & DIGITAL MEDIA:
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Notorious Cree, aka James Jones, and Inuk throat singer Shina Novalinga are among the Canadians named to the inaugural Time 100 Creators list. Hailing from the Tallcree First Nation in Northern Alberta, and Montreal, respectively, Cree and Novalinga (the daughter of professional throat singer Caroline Novalinga), were both named to the list of influential digital voices in the Catalyst category. Moroccan-Canadian creator Imane Anys, aka Pokimane, is also on the list, who rose to fame playing Fortnite, League of Legends, and Valorant on Twitch, where her audience of 9.4 million makes her the platform’s most-followed female streamer and one of the top 20 most-followed overall.
TikTok is pulling its arts sponsorships in Canada, including its sponsorship of TIFF and the JUNO Awards, as it prepares to heed a federal order to shut down Canadian operations over national security concerns. The order, while not impacting Canadians’ ability to use the app, requires the subsidiary of Beijing-headquartered ByteDance to wind-up its business and cease all operations in Canada. TikTok filed a notice of application in federal court in December to challenge the government order, however Steve de Eyre, TikTok Canada’s Director of Public Policy and Government Affairs, told The Canadian Press the government is now enforcing that order.
INW (Indigenous News Wire) is a new digital platform providing news and information about Indigenous communities across Quebec. An initiative of Kahnawake community newspaper, The Eastern Door, INW has established a shared press centre or hub where individuals, journalists and organizations can access and link to content about Indigenous communities. The INW goal is to address the news and information void about Indigenous communities, due to the absence of mainstream coverage.
Acadia Broadcasting Corporation has launched YourThunderBay.ca, powered by its radio stations 99.9 The Bay (CJUK-FM) and Country 105 (CKTG-FM). The site promises to be a go-to destination for everything Thunder Bay.
REGULATORY, TELECOM & MEDIA:
Reelworld Screen Institute founder Tonya Williams and former Astral Media executive Jacques Parisien are among the newly-announced appointees to the Order of Canada. A longtime actor and advocate, Williams was named an Officer of the Order. Appointed as a Member of the Order, Parisien was Executive Vice-President and COO of Astral Media, prior to its acquisition by Bell Media in 2013. Read more here.
The Jack Webster Foundation has announced its special award recipients. Global BC journalist Keith Baldrey is the 2025 Bruce Hutchison Lifetime Achievement Award recipient; journalist and journalism educator Sean Holman is the 2025 Bill Good Award recipient; and broadcaster/podcaster Laura Palmer is the 2025 Shelley Fralic Award recipient. The awards will be presented at the Webster Awards gala on Nov. 3.
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The BC Association of Broadcasters (BCAB) has announced Matt “Sutto” Sutton of Stingray’s Z9.3 (CKZZ-FM) Vancouver as the BCAB Broadcast Performer of the Year. Julie Winter, Vista Radio’s National Traffic Manager and Sales Director & GM of 89.7 SUN FM (CJSU-FM) Duncan, BC, is the 2024 Broadcaster of the Year, while the BCAB Friend of the Industry Award winner is David St. Laurent, founder of Vancouver-based Western Media Group.
OP-ED: Manitoba’s Special Legislative Committee on Local Journalism has undertaken a public hearing process that could reshape how local news is supported across the province. Among the organizations presenting was U Multicultural, Manitoba’s only ethnocultural community TV and radio broadcaster licensed by the CRTC. Founder and Executive Director Taya Rtichsheva delivered a message, calling on the province to direct more of its advertising budget toward small, local, and community-run outlets that reflect Manitoba’s full diversity. Read more here.
The CRTC is launching a public consultation to help improve the National Public Alerting System (NPAS). A shared responsibility between federal, provincial, and territorial governments and agencies, the CRTC plays a supporting role by requiring cellphone, cable and satellite television providers, and radio and TV broadcasters to distribute emergency alerts to the public. The goal of the consultation is to improve the accessibility of alerts, considering whether they should be distributed in languages that reflect local communities. The CRTC is accepting comments until Oct. 14.
Rogers Satellite has launched, a new satellite-to-mobile text messaging service that the telco says now covers over 5.4 million sq. kilometres. Canadians can sign up for the Rogers Satellite beta trial at no cost, which will initially support text messaging and text-to-911 and then expand to support apps, data and voice services, including 911 voice services. Once the beta trial ends in October, Rogers Satellite will be included at no additional cost to customers on the Rogers Ultimate Plan and available to all Canadians for $15/month.
The Canadian Telecommunications Association is marking the 40th anniversary of mobile wireless services in Canada with the launch of connectedanniversary.ca, a new website showcasing how far wireless has come. The new campaign highlights a timeline of wireless evolution from 1G to 5G, a look back at how much our devices and connected lives have changed, and a quiz inviting Canadians to remember their first cell phone.
BROADCAST TECH & ENGINEERING:
WABE is looking for award nominations ahead of its 75th conference at the Calgary Telus Convention Centre, Sept. 29 to Oct. 1. If there’s a Canadian technical team that has completed a project you think deserves recognition, this is a great opportunity to highlight people who are often unrecognized for their hard work. Check out President Tessa Potter’s July column here.
