{"id":455884,"date":"2026-02-05T17:27:30","date_gmt":"2026-02-05T17:27:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/455884\/"},"modified":"2026-02-05T17:27:30","modified_gmt":"2026-02-05T17:27:30","slug":"the-weekly-briefing-broadcast-dialogue-3","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/455884\/","title":{"rendered":"The Weekly Briefing – Broadcast Dialogue"},"content":{"rendered":"

REVOLVING DOOR:
\n\"\"Claude Galipeau<\/p>\n

Claude Galipeau, CBC\/Radio-Canada\u2019s Vice-President of Corporate Development, has been elected as the new president of the Public Media Alliance<\/a> (PMA). Galipeau takes over from Paul Thompson, RNZ CEO and Editor-in-Chief, who did not stand for re-election, but will remain on the board.<\/p>\n

\"\"Ian MacArthur<\/p>\n

Ian MacArthur has moved on from Bell Media in Halifax where he\u2019d been part of the sales team since 1998. His almost three decades with the network, included serving as General Sales Manager for Bell Media Radio and CTV Atlantic.<\/p>\n

\"\"Andrew Dawson<\/p>\n

Andrew Dawson has parted ways with Harvard Media. Based in Regina, Dawson had been the Director of News and Information programming since 2023 and with the company since 2022. Prior to that, he spent 14 years with Rawlco Radio\u2019s CJME Newstalk 980 Regina.<\/p>\n

\"\"Jennifer Harkness<\/p>\n

Jennifer Harkness has been appointed Senior Vice President, Global Development and Partnerships at Muse Entertainment. Based in the company\u2019s L.A. office, Harkness will focus on the development of documentary and unscripted content while cultivating strategic partnerships with Canadian, U.S., and international broadcasters, streamers, and platforms. Harkness joins Muse from Blue Ant Studios, where she served as SVP, Development and Production, with recent credits including Ghosting (CBC\/Peacock), Prince Andrew: Banished (Peacock), Evil by Design: Surviving Peter Nyg\u00e5rd (CBC\/Starz), and Comedy Punks: The Kids in the Hall (Amazon Prime Video).<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"Seamus O\u2019Regan<\/p>\n

Seamus O\u2019Regan is joining Global Public Affairs as Strategic Counsel, providing senior advice on strategic communications and federal and provincial political strategy. The former Canada AM host and MP for St. John\u2019s South-Mount Pearl in Newfoundland and Labrador, has served in several senior cabinet roles including Minister of Natural Resources, Minister of Veterans Affairs, Minister of Indigenous Services, Minister of Labour, and Minister of Seniors. He currently serves as Senior Business Advisor with Stewart McKelvey and is Chair of the CoIC Innovation Centre in St John\u2019s.<\/p>\n

\"\"Josafat Guerrero Jordan<\/p>\n

Josafat Guerrero Jordan has been named VP of Product Development at Orban Labs. He joined Orban in 2022 as an Applications Developer and progressed to the role of Project Manager in 2024.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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RADIO & PODCAST:<\/p>\n

https:\/\/t.co\/oYpkKqpNmQ<\/a>@sidseixeiroshow<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/Fu7DYfTiZo<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Sid Seixeiro (@Sid_Seixeiro) February 2, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

Sid Seixeiro is set to debut The Sid Seixeiro Show on Feb. 9, marking a return to media after a year-long absence following his release<\/a> by Citytv\u2019s Breakfast Television last February. Streaming live Monday to Friday at noon ET, the podcast promises Sid\u2019s \u201cunfiltered takes, big opinions, and high-energy breakdowns on everything Toronto sports.\u201d The podcast is powered by Montreal-headquartered The Sick Podcast Network<\/a>, founded by Sammy Cavallaro, whose roster includes The Sick Podcast with Tony Marinaro, alongside shows dedicated to CF Montreal, the Cincinnati Bengals, Chicago Bears, and more. Read more here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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\"\"Erica Ehm is the latest Canadian to lend her voice to The Pro Bono Group\u2019s<\/a> Pro Canada Project. The former MuchMusic VJ\u2019s message amplifies her support for Canadian artists. Radio stations, podcasters and music streamers are encouraged to add the PSA to their Pro Canada rotation.\u00a0<\/p>\n

https:\/\/broadcastdialogue.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/PRO-CANADA-ERICA-EHM-30Sec-Eng-Full-Mix-Radio-Digital-112825.wav<\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"CBC Podcasts has issued a call for pitches<\/a>. Open until April 1, at this time the public broadcaster is only accepting ideas under the umbrella of its true crime podcast Uncover<\/a>; memoirs and personal stories for Personally<\/a>; tales of scams, catfishing and con artists for The Con<\/a>; and pop culture pitches for Split Screen<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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LISTEN: Brittany Grunig is on the Sound Off Podcast talking about her radio journey from Ocean 100 (CHTN-FM), K-Rock (CKQK-FM) and CFCY Charlottetown to New Country 94 (CKKL-FM) Ottawa, and her rapid evolution from on-air host to Music Director and eventually Regional Program Director at Bell Media. Currently with My Broadcast Corporation (MBC) in Kingston, her optimism about fiercely local, community-first radio will make you rethink what\u2019s possible for the next decade of audio.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

SIGN OFFS:<\/p>\n

\"\"Peter Young, 79, on Feb. 2. Young is best known for his two decades with CTV, going from sports director at CKY-TV Winnipeg to network broadcaster, supplying play-by-play and commentary for the NHL, CFL, international tennis, international hockey, numerous Olympic Games, and contributing to more than 100 episodes of Wide World of Sports. He went on to serve as Sports Director at MTN (Manitoba Television Network) from 1995-98, before moving into a career in sport management, holding positions with the Orlando Seals Hockey Club, Arizona Winter League, and New York City-based management and consulting firm, Liberty Sports Group. Originally from Thunder Bay, ON, Young\u2019s introduction to sports journalism started in his teens, covering the Lakehead Senior Fastball League for the Fort William Times-Journal. From there, he held positions at CJLX and CKPR Port Arthur. He concurrently managed to complete a degree at Lakehead University, going on to teach and coach football at the local high school while co-hosting the morning show on 580 CKPR with Don Percy before classes. Young landed in Winnipeg in 1974, pursuing Masters courses at the University of Manitoba and working part-time at CKY-TV. He was quickly asked to join the station full-time as sports director, going on to handle play-by-play duties for the Winnipeg Jets during their run in the World Hockey Association (WHA) and later NHL. He also appeared on Winnipeg Blue Bombers broadcasts, and was part of the original Winnipeg Goldeyes radio broadcast team. Young was named to the Manitoba Sportswriters and Sportscasters Media Roll of Honour at the Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame last year and was invested by the Northwestern Ontario Sport Hall of Fame in 2023 as a Builder. He was named ACTRA Sportscaster of the Year in 1983. Read more here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"\"Catherine O\u2019Hara, 71, on Jan. 30. Born and raised in Toronto, O\u2019Hara began her comedy career at Toronto\u2019s Second City and went on to help create iconic sketch comedy show SCTV, which earned her four Emmy nominations and one win for Outstanding Writing in a Variety or Music Program. Over her 50-year career, she amassed a long list of film and television credits including Beetlejuice, Home Alone, Home Alone 2: Lost in New York, Waiting for Guffman, Best in Show, A Mighty Wind, For Your Consideration, HBO miniseries Temple Grandin, and Six Feet Under, among many other productions. She\u2019s arguably best known for her role as Moira Rose on Schitt\u2019s Creek from 2015-20, which earned her six Canadian Screen Awards for Best Lead Actress in a Comedy Series, a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series, a Golden Globe for Best Actress \u2013 Television Series Musical or Comedy, a Television Critics Association Award for Individual Achievement in Comedy, a Critics\u2019 Choice Television Award for Best Actress in a Comedy Series and a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series. ACTRA Toronto presented her with its Outstanding Performance honour in 2016 and recognized her with the ACTRA National Award of Excellence in 2020. The Canadian Academy presented O\u201dHara with their Icon Award in 2023 and she accepted the Norman Jewison Career Achievement Award at TIFF 2025. She was invested as an Officer of the Order of Canada in 2018. Read more here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"\"Grant Hoffman<\/p>\n

Grant \u201cGrantly\u201d Hoffman, 88, on Jan. 24. A lifelong Kitchener resident, Hoffman was a host on CKKW Radio before he made a name for himself as the host of CKCO-TV\u2019s \u201cCanadian Bandstand,\u201d credited with revitalizing the teen program that became simply known as \u201cBandstand.\u201d Known by his nickname \u201cGrantly,\u201d Hoffman also owned and operated local record store, Colonial Records, in the 1960s. Beyond his broadcast career, he went to serve as manager of Conestoga Golf and Country Club and later spent 17 years managing the Kitchener Memorial Auditorium Box Office.<\/p>\n

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TV & FILM:
\n\"\"Prime Minister Mark Carney & \u2018Heated Rivalry\u2019 star Hudson Williams (Photo credit: George Pimentel for CMPA)<\/p>\n

Prime Minister Mark Carney made a surprise appearance at the Canadian Media Producers Association\u2019s Prime Time, taking\u00a0part in a conversation sponsored by the Canada Media Fund (CMF) on the success of global Canadian hit Heated Rivalry and hamming it up on the red carpet with star Hudson Williams. The Prime Minister addressed the audience ahead of the In Conversation With\u2026 event, praising the series about two rising hockey stars who fall for each other at a time when \u201cthe hard-fought rights of the 2SLGBTQI+ community are under threat, including in many of the countries where the show has record-setting audiences.\u201d In addition to Williams, the panel featured co-star Sophie N\u00e9lisse (Rose); Creator, Writer, Director and Executive Producer Jacob Tierney; Executive Producer Brendan Brady, and moderator Lainey Lui from CTV\u2019s etalk. Read more here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"\"Blue Ant Media has unveiled a strategic repositioning of\u00a0Blue Ant Studios, introducing what it\u2019s calling \u201ca genre-based operating model,\u201d in addition to streamlined studio branding, and a restructured senior leadership team. The changes follow Blue Ant\u2019s recent acquisitions of\u00a0Thunderbird Entertainment\u00a0<\/a>and\u00a0Boat Rocker Studios<\/a>. Blue Ant Studios will continue to be led by Co-Presidents\u00a0Mark Bishop\u00a0and\u00a0Matt Hornburg, with Hornburg overseeing content strategy, development, and production, and Bishop leading content monetization, rights, and commercial strategy. Read more here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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\"\"The Directors Guild of Canada (DGC) has released its fourth annual DGC Census Report<\/a> revealing that BIPOC members now make up over one fifth of DGC membership, increasing from 19.9% in 2024, to 20.7% in 2025. The highest BIPOC participation in the recent survey was from Black (9.23%), Latin American (6.3%) and Chinese (4.8%) identifying members. DGC Members with some form of Caucasian\/White ancestry still earned 80.1% of the total income generated in 2025.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"Eight-time Canadian Screen Award winner Andrew Phung is set to host the 2026 Canadian Screen Awards.<\/p>\n

The Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television (the Canadian Academy) has announced a landmark partnership that will see Bell Media, Corus Entertainment and CBC come together to simulcast the 2026 Canadian Screen Awards. Happening on May 31 at the CBC Broadcast Centre in Toronto, the annual celebration of Canadian film and television will be broadcast and streamed at 8 p.m. ET on CBC, CBC Gem, Crave, CTV, Global, and STACKTV. The show will be hosted by eight-time Canadian Screen Award winner Andrew Phung. Read more here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"\"The Black Academy and Bay Mills Studios have announced the four honourees featured in The Legacy Lounge, a four-part series streaming on CBC Gem. Hosted by The Black Academy founders Shamier Anderson and Stephan James, those featured include actor and producer Amanda Brugel (Dark Matter, The Handmaid\u2019s Tale); Nathaniel James, Kadeem Hemmings and Nicholas McDonald of viral TikTok dance trio, Basement Gang; multi-platinum recording artist Fefe Dobson; and, Founder and CEO of Kingsdale Advisors and Dragon\u2019s Den investor Wes Hall. The series will also be available during Black History Month on CBC\u2019s YouTube channel<\/a> with weekly episodes beginning Monday, Feb. 2; and on CBC TV on Fridays beginning Feb. 27.<\/p>\n

\"\"CBC Sports has announced a streaming and broadcast partnership with Rock League<\/a>, the new professional mixed-gender curling league. Made up of six global franchises, Rock League\u2019s inaugural, condensed preview season will take place April 6-12 at the TMU Mattamy Athletic Centre in Toronto. The partnership with CBC will bring more than 40 hours of live streaming coverage to CBC Sports\u2019 digital platforms, including CBC Gem<\/a>, cbcsports.ca<\/a>, and the CBC Sports YouTube channel<\/a>. Additionally, coverage of playoffs, semifinals, and championship matches \u2013 three games in total \u2013 will broadcast nationally on CBC TV. Read more here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"\"CBC\/Radio-Canada is teaming up with local libraries, hosting free Milano Cortina 2026 watch parties in both English and French at more than 800 locations<\/a> from Feb. 6-22 (The Winter Olympics) and March 6-15 (The Paralympics). This is the latest initiative of Collab<\/a>, CBC\/Radio-Canada\u2019s library partnerships program.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"TSN, CTV, RDS and Crave will carry coverage of Super Bowl LX as the AFC champion New England Patriots take on the NFC champion Seattle Seahawks on Sunday, Feb. 8 at 6 p.m. ET from Levi\u2019s Stadium in Santa Clara, CA with 4K coverage available for TSN subscribers in Canada. Bell Media says it\u2019s seen exceptional advertising demand for the big game, with all planned commercial inventory sold out. FanDuel and Expedia return as broadcast sponsors, alongside ad partners including A&W Canada, Leon\u2019s Furniture, Manmade, No Frills, President\u2019s Choice, and TD. Phoenix Health is also debuting new creative, while Bud Light returns as the sponsor of Sportscentre\u2019s daily Super Bowl segments.<\/p>\n

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\"\"Stingray has announced an agreement with Experience Hendrix, LLC to release an extensive collection of concert films and documentaries from the iconic guitarist Jimi Hendrix. In celebration of Black History Month, the collection is now streaming on The Coda Collection. Titles will also be progressively released on Qello Concerts in the coming months. Additional Black History Month programming includes performances and docs from Ray Charles, Bo Diddley, James Brown, B.B. King, Aretha Franklin, Nina Simone, Luther Vandross, Tina Turner, Beyonc\u00e9, Al Green, Prince, and Chuck Berry.<\/p>\n

\"\"Corus Entertainment has announced<\/a> the greenlight of new Home Network series Property Pursuit and Season 2 of Beer Budget Reno, as well as a new A+E Global Media co-production, Countdown to Zero Hour for The HISTORY Channel. In Property Pursuit (20\u00d760), homeowners level up from cramped condos and starter homes, following everyday people chasing their next big move up the property ladder. Property Pursuit is produced by MEM in association with Corus Studios for Home Network. Countdown to Zero Hour unravels the sequence of events that transforms ordinary days into catastrophes, both natural and man-made. Each episode plunges viewers into the heart of volcanic eruptions, nuclear meltdowns, plane crashes, bridge failures, floods, infernos and earthquakes.<\/p>\n

\"\"Canadian Soccer Business (CSB) has announced a new partnership with STACKTV, Corus Entertainment\u2019s streaming platform that will see STACKTV featured as the front of kit sponsor for Inter Toronto, alongside digital content integrations across Canadian Premier League (CPL) and OneSoccer platforms. Fan engagement and contesting opportunities designed to connect with supporters will also be rolled out throughout the season. The collaboration extends Canadian soccer visibility across Corus\u2019 owned media portfolio, including ads on both Global TV and Corus radio stations across all key markets in Canada, and digital placements on STACKTV.<\/p>\n

\"\"Paul Shaffer & David Letterman<\/p>\n

David Letterman and his company Worldwide Pants have signed on as Executive Producer on feature documentary, Say Hello to Our Good Friend Paul Shaffer. Also joining as Executive Producer is Tom Keaney, Emmy-winning Executive Producer of Letterman\u2019s My Next Guest Needs No Introduction for Netflix, and EP of Academy Award-shortlisted doc ENO. The doc will explore the musical and personal journey of the Canadian-born band leader, musician, and producer, following him from his musical roots in Thunder Bay to his break as musical director on the 1972 Toronto production of Godspell, which led to his work on Broadway, Saturday Night Live and Late Night\/The Late Show with David Letterman. The production team is led by Canadian production companies, Grace Street Media, Ballinran Entertainment, and White Pine Pictures.<\/p>\n

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ONLINE & DIGITAL MEDIA:<\/p>\n

\"\"Media Technology Monitor (MTM) has released highlights from its latest report, Canadian Viewing Profiles, indicating a majority of Canadians (34%) are now Online First viewers. Online First viewers now represent the largest share of media consumers, spending 90% or more of their time with online platforms and SVOD services like Netflix and YouTube. Once the dominant group, Traditionals account for just 12% of the population, characterized by an older demographic with an average age of 69. Read more here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

REGULATORY, TELECOM & MEDIA:<\/p>\n

\"\"Bell Media\u00a0has laid off roughly five dozen employees, including 20\u00a0Unifor\u00a0members, according to a union release. The union says 11 journalists are among the layoffs \u2013 five of those newly-unionized\u00a0CTV National News members from Unifor Local 79-M in Toronto. Journalists in North Bay, Halifax, and Calgary were also impacted. Unifor says traffic coordinators, schedulers, and promotional coordinators from Locals 723-M and 79-M in Toronto were also caught up in the cuts. Read more here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"\"Corus Entertainment will still pursue court approval for its proposed recapitalization transaction<\/a>, despite a vote by Class B shareholders falling short of the required numbers. The arrangement is poised to save the beleaguered media company up to $40 million in annual cash interest payments and shave its third-party debt and other liabilities by over $500 million. Voting saw strong overall support for the arrangement, with 99.9% of votes cast by Senior Noteholders (in the principal amount of $750M) in favour, alongside 99.7% of Class A shareholders. Class B shareholders voted just 61.2% in favour. At least two-thirds (66\u2154%) of votes cast by the holders of Class B Non-Voting Shares was required to pass the resolution. Read more here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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\"\"Rogers delivered strong Q4 financial results<\/a> with total service revenue up 16% to $5.3 billion and adjusted EBITDA up 6% to $2.7 billion. Total revenue increased by 13% and total service revenue by 16% in the quarter as a result of revenue growth in Media, which increased by 126%, driven by revenue from MLSE following the July 1 closing<\/a> of its purchase of Bell\u2019s ownership stake, postseason success of the Toronto Blue Jays, and higher ad and subscriber revenue related to the launch of the Warner Bros. Discovery suite of channels. Wireless service revenue this quarter was in line with the prior year, while Wireless equipment revenue decreased by 1%, primarily as a result of a decrease in new subscribers purchasing devices. Cable service revenue was in line with the prior year.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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\"CRTC\"The CRTC has issued a call for comments<\/a> on the wording of proposed Regulations Prescribing Canadian Programs and proposed amendments to the Television Broadcasting Regulations, the Broadcasting Distribution Regulations, and the Discretionary Services Regulations. The deadline for interventions is April 3.<\/p>\n

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