Broadcast Dialogue will announce the winners of the 2025 Canadian Radio Awards during a special livestream at noon ET/9 a.m. PT this Friday, Nov. 28. The livestream will be carried on Broadcast Dialogue’s LinkedIn and Facebook pages, as well as the Sound Off Media Company YouTube channel.
We’ll be joined by some of this year’s winners, those who nominated them, and members of our jury as we celebrate the best of Canadian radio. Learn more about this year’s jury and listen to audio from past winners at CanadianRadioAwards.com.
REVOLVING DOOR:
John Oakley is signing off from 640 Toronto (CFIQ-AM), concluding a 46-year career. His final broadcast of The John Oakley Show, which has been heard in afternoon drive from 3 – 6 p.m. ET, will air on Friday, Nov. 28. Oakley has been with 640 for more than two decades. After a summer hosting on University of Waterloo campus station, Radio Waterloo (CKMS-FM), Oakley started his career in 1980 on the overnight show at Orillia’s CFOR. He went on to join CJCL Toronto as a host, and then Montreal stations CJAD and CFCF. He landed at CFRB (Now Newstalk 1010) Toronto in 1991, moving over to AM 640 in 2003, anchoring mornings for 13 years and later hosting afternoons. Read more here.
Jay Richardson has crossed the street from Corus Entertainment’s Power 97 (CJKR-FM) Winnipeg to join Pattison Media’s ALT 94.3 (CHNW-FM). Richardson had been with Power 97 for the last six and a half years and heard in mornings since 2023. He joins ALT 94.3 as music director and is set to occupy the afternoon drive time slot, starting in mid-December, at which time Aaron Penman will move to evenings. Read more here.
Emily Szabo
Emily Szabo, network midday host on Rogers Sports & Media’s Country branded stations, is stepping away from radio to focus on her family. Szabo, whose show originated from Country 106.7 (CIKZ-FM) Kitchener, had been with the station the last five years.
Luana Ann Church
Luana Ann Church has been appointed Vice President, Development, Acquisitions & Distribution at Quebecor. She’ll be responsible for content acquisition and distribution, as well as international development for Quebecor Content, Incendo and TVA Films. Since joining the company in 2011, Church has served as Senior Legal Director with Quebecor’s Legal Affairs department, primarily responsible for files relating to intellectual property and international content partnerships. She succeeds Yann Paquet, who announced his departure in the spring.
FYI, a life update. I’m getting my (second) hip replaced next week and I’ll be off your TVs for a couple months! I’ll be extra annoying here, if that’s even possible. You can keep up with what’s going on through Instagram, if you want – https://t.co/JkrgbEn6xO pic.twitter.com/g57bvmyD60
— Faizal Khamisa (@FaizalKhamisa) November 19, 2025
Faizal Khamisa is on leave from Sportsnet recovering from a hip replacement, his second. The anchor expects to be off for a couple of months.
Lindsay Dunn
Lindsay Dunn is leaving her role at CityNews after eight years. Dunn, who had primarily contributed as a sports and music reporter, will continue as a sideline reporter for Raptors 905, in addition to co-hosting The Nation Network baseball podcast, 6ix Inning Stretch.
Richard Zussman
Richard Zussman, who left Global BC earlier in November, has joined global PR firm, Burson, as Vice President, Public Affairs, British Columbia. Zussman had been a Legislative Reporter with Global BC since 2018.
JP Wright
JP Wright has joined Creative Display Technologies (CDT) as a Partner, leading the Ontario-based Out-Of-Home (OOH) advertising provider’s expansion across Western Canada. Wright was previously with Bell Media for 37 years, most recently as Director of Local Sales for Canada.
Jasmyn Rowley
Jasmyn Rowley has been promoted to the role of Chief Marketing Officer at Village Media. Rowley had previously served as Director of Marketing & Communications since 2013.
Kadon Douglas
Kadon Douglas has been named the inaugural Executive Director of OYA Black Arts Coalition, the not-for-profit dedicated to training and mentorship for Black creatives. Douglas previously held the same role at BIPOC TV & Film and is a past Chair of the Board of Directors of Reelworld Film Festival.
Jasmina Vignjević
Jasmina Vignjević has been promoted to Head of Sales & Acquisitions for Verità Films, Syndicado Film Sales’ newly-rebranded banner. Vignjević, who has been with the company since 2016, previously oversaw the Toronto sales and production company’s festival strategy and relations.
Jeff Woods
Jeff Woods is set to undergo surgery for prostate cancer on Dec. 5. A GoFundMe campaign set up for the longtime broadcaster, podcaster and programmer has raised more than $29,000 toward a goal of $33,000, covering the cost of the procedure and downtime.
RADIO & PODCAST:
The Podcast Exchange (TPX), has been acquired by mobile advertising provider, Native Touch. This past July, the pioneer in the Canadian podcast advertising space sent a letter to creditors notifying them that the company planned to file a Notice of Intention (NOI) under the Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act, buying it time to come up with a proposal to creditors as it worked to stabilize the business after facing what CEO Pary Bell termed “sustained financial challenges for some time.” Under terms of the acquisition, TPX continues to operate as a standalone brand. Read more here.
Stingray Radio has entered into an agreement to acquire CHUP-FM, currently branded as Hot AC format C97.7, in Calgary from Rawlco Radio, subject to approval from the CRTC. CHUP-FM would join Stingray stations 90.3 AMP Radio (CKMP-FM) and XL 103 (CFXL-FM) in the Calgary market, which are among the 33 radio licenses the company operates in Alberta. Read more here.
Rawlco Radio intends to acquire 92.9 The Bull (CKBL-FM) Saskatoon from Saskatoon Media Group. 92.9 The Bull, which currently carries a Country format, would join Rawlco’s three other stations in the Saskatoon market – C95 FM (CFMC-FM), which airs a Hot AC format; Active Rocker ROCK 102 FM (CJDJ-FM); and news/talk/sports station 650 CKOM (CKOM-AM), in addition to Regina signals Z99 FM (CIZL-FM), which also carries Hot AC; JACK 94.5 FM (CKCK-FM), which airs a mix of Classic Rock and Classic Hits; and CKOM sister station, 980 CJME (CJME-AM). If approved, the transaction will leave Saskatoon Media Group with just two stations, 98COOL (CJMK-FM) and Country 600 CJWW. Read more here.
Arsenal Media has reached an agreement with Gregory Charles’ Groupe Musique Greg to acquire Radio Classique CJSQ 92.7 FM in Quebec City. The announcement comes just a week after Arsenal revealed it had made a bid to acquire French-language sports network BPM Sports from RNC Media. Subject to CRTC approval, and successful closure of the deal announced last week, Arsenal Media would own 30 stations across the province. The transaction is also subject to approval of a licence amendment application to convert CJSQ from its Orchestral/Jazz/Chanson format. Read more here.
The CRTC has approved an application by FAB Broadcasting Corp. (FAB) to change the ownership of English-language commercial station CHLP-FM Listowel, ON, currently branded as Country format The Ranch. Following the transaction, FAB’s parent company, London Publishing Corp., will acquire GregRadio Corp.’s shares of FAB. At close, Raymond Stanton will exercise effective control of the station. The commission also approved an application by Lakeside Radio Broadcasting to change ownership and control of CIYN-FM (Shoreline FM) Kincardine, and its transmitters CIYN-FM-1 Goderich and CIYN-FM-2 Port Elgin, ON. Via the transaction, Lakeside’s parent company, London Publishing Corp., will also acquire Gregory Hetherington’s shares of Lakeside.
Critical Mass Insights has released a U.S. study that finds 96% of Americans cite built-in AM/FM radio as important in a new car, agreeing across all demographics that radio access is key. It indicates 97% of Americans think it’s important to have completely free entertainment options available in their cars. Of those surveyed, 96% said they would miss the radio if it were removed from cars, while 89% said the absence of a radio in a new car would probably keep them from purchasing. Read more here.
Moose FM (CKFU-FM) Fort St. John, BC helped raise over $160,000 for the Fort St. John Hospital Foundation through this year’s Light a Moose Radiothon, Nov. 19-21. With this year’s total, cumulative fundraising since the first radiothon (now in its 22nd year) has surpassed $1.5 million. In 2025 alone, Moose FM has raised more than $370,000 in support of various charities and organizations throughout the community.
The Pro Bono Group has enlisted Santa Claus as the newest spokesperson for The Pro Canada Project. To quote Santa’s Pro Canada testimonial: “I travel everywhere, but I choose to LIVE in the Canadian part of the North Pole. Canada is a most precious place! So buy Canadian. Shop as if your country depends on it.” “Pro Canada-Santa” can air immediately, on its own or in rotation with other Pro Canada messages. The new PSA features veteran voice actor Dave Crichton, with the spot brought to life by audio producers Adam Karch and Maciej Pilinski.
https://broadcastdialogue.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/PRO-CANADA-SANTA-CLAUS-30-SEC-ENG-WAV.wav
Spotify Canada is marking its 11th anniversary, choosing to highlight artists self-reporting from Quebec. Royalties generated by self-reporting Quebec artists on the platform grew over 20% year-over-year in 2024, according to data provided by the streamer, with francophone music streams in Quebec up 16%, outpacing global growth of francophone music for the year (+15%). Altogether, Quebecers streamed 7.8B minutes of francophone music in 2025.
LISTEN: Jennifer Moroz, host of new podcast Fur Ball Confidential, is on the Sound Off Podcast talking about her start, segueing from anthropology to journalism, including her time at the Philadelphia Inquirer and CBC. She highlights her role in rebranding CBC Radio’s “Q” after the departure of Jian Ghomeshi and shares insights on podcasting, including her new show exploring the relationships between pets and their owners.
SIGN OFFS:
Colleen Jones, 65, on Nov. 25 after a battle with cancer. Jones began her broadcasting career in radio sports with CHUM Halifax in 1982. She transitioned into television with CTV in 1984, before signing on with CBC Nova Scotia in 1986 as a sportscaster on First Edition with Jim Nunn and Susan Ormiston. Concurrently, she made history in 1982 as the youngest skip, at age 22, to win the Canadian Women’s Curling Championship. She joined Don Wittman and Don Duguid on CBC Sports curling broadcasts a few years later. She went on to win a record six Canadian Curling Championships, in addition to two World Women’s Curling Championships. In 1993, she signed on with CBC Newsworld as the early morning weather presenter and sports reporter. She covered a total of 11 Olympic Games for the public broadcaster and served as a curling commentator for NBC during the 2010 Winter Olympics. In 2012, she joined CBC Nova Scotia as a reporter, carving out a niche as a local storyteller. She retired after 37 years with CBC in April 2023. Jones was named to Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame in 2016, and appointed to the Order of Canada in 2022. Read more here.
Bruce Martin
Bruce Martin, 88, on Nov. 16. Martin’s early career saw him work with CKCO-TV Kitchener in the early 1960s, before joining CFTO-TV Toronto. In 1969, Martin relocated to the West Coast, joining CHEK-TV Victoria as a producer and director. Following his television career, he worked for BC Ferries, and later ran his own appliance repair company.
Bill Brady
Bill Brady, 93, on Nov. 16. Born in Windsor, ON, Brady established himself as a broadcast legend in London, starting at CKSL-AM, before hosting the mid-morning time slot on CFPL-AM and then an open-line format radio show in the 1970s. He was also a fixture on local TV. Brady once stayed on-air for 30 hours straight during a historic 1978 blizzard, passing along news and information. In 1993, he was named president of Blackburn Radio and later helmed operations for the Blackburn Group. As a volunteer, he served as Chair of the London Health Association Board of Directors, and on the boards of Robarts Research Institute and London Centre for Juvenile Diabetes Research. In the 1980s, he co-founded Transplant International (Canada), helping spread the word about organ donation. He received an honorary doctorate from Western University in 1990, was made a Member of the Order of Canada in 1991, and received the Sovereign Medal for Volunteer Service in 2021.
TV & FILM:
Blue Ant Media is set to acquire Thunderbird Entertainment Group for approximately $89M CDN. The transaction is expected to close in Q1 2026, subject to conditions including approvals from the courts, Competition Bureau of Canada, Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX), and Thunderbird shareholders. Blue Ant says the acquisition will bolster its production and studio business by adding production capacity in unscripted, animation, and kids and young adult. Upon close, Thunderbird CEO and Chair Jennifer Twiner McCarron will join Blue Ant to oversee a combined kids, young adult and animation business under Blue Ant Studios. Read more here.
The Racial Equity Media Collective (REMC) has released the results of a landmark national survey on racial equity in Canada’s screen sector, finding that a lack of data is preventing meaningful progress. The survey, conducted by Nordicity, collected data from over 30 of Canada’s national funders, provincial agencies, and broadcasters, including Corus Entertainment, Rogers Sports & Media, Bell Media, CBC/Radio-Canada, Knowledge Network, TVO, TVA Group, Télé-Québec, TFO and TV5/Unis TV. Looking at how funding reaches creators who are Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour (BIPOC), it found that while broadcasters move the most money, they provide the least racial equity data. Read more here.
The CRTC will put off making decisions on requests by CPAC, TV5, and Canal M to increase their mandatory per-subscriber monthly wholesale fees until it completes a larger policy review. CPAC filed an application to increase its mandatory per subscriber rate from $0.13 to $0.16; TV5 for its TV5/UNIS TV service from $0.28 to $0.30 in French-language markets and from $0.24 to $0.26 in English-language markets; and Vues & Voix for an increase for its Canal M service from $0.04 to $0.07.
The CRTC has approved an application from Mondo Globo, as Canadian sponsor, to add non-Canadian services Al Hadath, Asharq News, Al Araby1 News, Syria TV, Al Araby 2, Al Mashhad, Lebanese Broadcasting Corporation International (LBCI), Murr TV Lebanon (Murr TV), and OTV Lebanon to the List of non-Canadian programming services and stations authorized for distribution. The commission did not receive any interventions. Also approved is Tugo TV’s application to add Spanish-language news service Tele Centro to the list.
CBC has unveiled winter premiere dates, highlighted by the Season 2 return of drama series Saint-Pierre (Jan. 5), menopause comedy Small Achievable Goals, and Season 11 of Still Standing (Jan. 6). Immersive docuseries Cirque Life, which goes inside the big top of Cirque du Soleil in Montreal, premieres March 19.
The Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (CARAS) and CBC have announced the lineup of honourees and performers for the 55th Annual JUNO Awards on Sunday, March 29, live from TD Coliseum in Hamilton and nationwide on CBC and CBC Gem. This year’s celebration will honour Joni Mitchell with the Lifetime Achievement Award, while 10-time JUNO winner Nelly Furtado will be inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame. The broadcast will also feature live performances by Hamilton hometown legends, Arkells and The Beaches.
Arrow Media and Cantina Media, a Serial Maven Studios production company, have wrapped production on Toronto Airport Uncovered, a new 10×60’ factual series, offering unprecedented access inside Toronto Pearson International Airport. The UK/Canada co-production has been commissioned by National Geographic for the U.S. and EMEA, and Corus Entertainment for Canada, with SBS Australia boarding as a presale partner. For the first time, the airport granted a documentary team full access to film its 24/7 operation. Shot across two seasons, it captures rare access to over 30 operational zones, including emergency response, winter operations, and security intelligence.
Sinking Ship Entertainment (SSE) has announced a new round of international sales across its kids’ and family slate. Domestically, CBC has licensed Dino Dana, Seasons 1 and 2, and Odd Squad: Mobile Unit for CBC Gem. Both titles were originally commissioned by TVOkids. ABC Australia has acquired animated comedy series Superbuns, set to debut in Q1 2026 on ABC Kids and ABC iview. ABC has also acquired tween media literacy series, Media Stamped. In Europe, RTL Netherlands has picked up tween/teen series Phoenix Rise, bringing the school drama to Dutch audiences for the first time, while Prime Video Germany has acquired Dino Dex.
Bell Media has unveiled changes to its Crave streaming service, offering direct access to live programming from CTV and its French-language network Noovo, including select sports and entertainment events like the Oscars, Emmy Awards, Formula 1, and the CFL. The revamped platform has also undergone user experience and interface improvements, including a Top 10 list, enhanced personalization recommendations, language preference features, a more dynamic advertising experience, and a redesigned Connected TV interface.
Crave Original series Slaycation heads to the Canadian Rockies for its six-episode second season, debuting Friday, Dec. 12 with the first two episodes. Two new episodes drop on subsequent Fridays. The series, an original format from Crave, World of Wonder, and Blue Ant Studios, is available on Crave in Canada and World of Wonder’s SVOD platform WOW Presents Plus in the U.S. and 190 territories worldwide. It follows six queens from across the international Drag Race family as they vacation together at a Canadian winter cabin, culminating in a show-stopping performance for the local community.
Crave Original comedy series SHORESY returns for its fifth season, Christmas Day. Two episodes drop Thursday, Dec. 25 on Crave, followed by one new episode on subsequent Thursdays. Created by and starring Jared Keeso as Shoresy, and produced by New Metric Media in association with Play Fun Games, Season 5 sees Shoresy and the Bulldogs fight to protect the North American game.
Alexandra Findlay
Omnifilm and Reality Distortion Field (RDF) have formalized an agreement to jointly develop and produce original scripted television projects. Across their shared slate, RDF will provide creative oversight while Omnifilm will provide physical production, post-production, administration and financing. Both companies will blend their scripted development slates with the support of consultant Alexandra Finlay, who was most recently VP, Scripted International Co-Productions for A&E, and previously worked with Shaftesbury as VP, Creative and Coproductions. RDF also announced the departure of Head of Creative Affairs, Bhavika Mantri, who will stay on as an executive producer for select projects.
ONLINE & DIGITAL MEDIA:
Harvard Media has acquired Canadian football news destination, 3DownNation. Founded in 2015 by Drew Edwards, the site was acquired by Torstar before being taken over by its main contributors. Edwards formally left his editorial and ownership role in 2019, with Justin Dunk taking over as the primary owner and managing editor. The website had most recently been owned by publicly-traded online gambling company, Catena Media. The site’s coverage of the CFL, U Sports, and Canadian football is led by Dunk, alongside editors and reporters John Hodge and J.C. Abbott, in addition to a slate of contributors. It boasts an annual Canadian audience of more than 2.5 million users. Read more here.
La Presse is the latest Canadian media company to file suit against OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, for unauthorized use of content protected by copyright. The lawsuit seeks acknowledgement of and compensation for the defendant’s use of thousands of La Presse articles to train its AI model, without consent or payment. The French-language digital news outlet says the commercial success of the ChatGPT platform is predicated on repeated acts of copyright infringement with no consideration for intellectual property rights.
REGULATORY, TELECOM & MEDIA:
BCE is reducing its workforce by nearly 700 positions, including 40 roles at Bell Media. As first reported by The Globe and Mail, the layoffs are part of a three-year strategy to focus on growth areas. The job cuts are said to encompass about 650 non-union management positions at Bell Canada, with another 40 roles eliminated at Bell Media. Read more here.
Unifor has welcomed 90 workers at Bell Media to its membership, who work on the CTV National News, CTV News Channel, and CTVnews.ca. Now represented by Unifor Local 79-M, the new unit includes writers, producers, chase producers, schedule coordinators, correspondents, reporters, bureau chiefs, assignment editors, production specialists, social media coordinators, researchers and freelancers.
Cogeco is alleging the CRTC did not adequately weigh the impact of Quebecor’s influence on editorial voices in Montreal when it allowed its internet station QUB Radio to continue operating on FM airwaves. Cogeco claims in a leave application to the Federal Court of Appeal that the regulator made an incomplete analysis when it determined QUB Radio could continue operating on Leclerc Communication’s 99.5 FM (CJPX-FM) via an agreement between the two companies. The commission ruled the arrangement didn’t require its approval because Leclerc still has full control of the station and therefore is not in violation of cross-media ownership rules, which forbid a single company from owning more than two of three media properties – radio, newspaper and television – in a single market. Read more in our sister publication, CARTT.ca here.
CBC’s annual Make the Season Kind holiday drive is back for another season in support of local food banks across the country. This year’s campaign builds on the public broadcaster’s legacy of holiday drives raising more than $64 million for food banks and other charities since 2012. All 66 CBC stations across the country will run charity drives throughout December, with community events kicking off Dec. 5.
BROADCAST TECH & ENGINEERING:
Media Pulse, the Blue Ant Media-owned connected TV (CTV) marketplace, has secured exclusive Canadian rights to 3Rock Global’s 3D and Augmented Reality (AR) advertising capabilities. Already employed by brands like Coca-Cola, Prada, and Bacardi, UK-based 3Rock Global will give Media Pulse clients direct access to the cutting-edge tech, which brings interactive visuals to life on standard TVs, mobile devices and 3D DOOH (digital-out-of-home) environments, without the need for specialty screens or 3D glasses. Backed by neuroscience-driven insights, 3Rock Global says the interactive features are proven to create emotional connections, build brand loyalty, and drive repeat purchases by heightening attention, boosting memory recall and delivering 2.5x higher ROI than traditional 2D advertising. Read more here.
FEATURE: In her November column for Broadcast Dialogue, WABE President Tessa Potter reflects on the industry and its future. Potter, who was recently honoured with the Distinguished Graduate Award from Red River Polytechnic, shares practical thoughts on what broadcast technicians and media and entertainment professionals can do to help minimize industry challenges like recruitment. Read more here.