Alan Black would like his newly-founded venture Left of Dial Media to be for podcasting what Criterion is for film. In a world of popular podcasts like The Joe Rogan Experience, Call Her Daddy and Theo Von, Black is on a mission to champion the things that are strange, new, weird, trailblazing and genre-defying - shows that will be remembered a dec…

Veteran Toronto music director and longtime boom 97.3 (CHBM-FM) music programmer Wayne Webster joins Broadcast Dialogue - The Podcast ahead of his retirement at the end of the summer. Often credited with helping shape the sound of Toronto radio, the Broadcast Hall of Famer takes us behind the scenes of his 48-year career. See Privacy Policy at http…

Dielectric is a world leader in the design, fabrication, and installation of antenna systems. With renewed focus on its FM radio business, the company has named two new partners - SCMS in the U.S. and Pippin Technical Service in Canada. Dielectric President Keith Pelletier joins this special, sponsored episode of Broadcast Dialogue - The Podcast to…

Since 2019, the MADE | NOUS initiative has been putting the spotlight on Canadian talent in film, TV, gaming, and digital entertainment, aiming to shift the perception of Canadian content both at home and abroad. The industry effort - largely fueled by the Canada Media Fund (CMF) and Telefilm - is taking its message on the road this summer, led by …

Broadcast archives and the original tech they were recorded on is the kind of material collectors Barry Silverthorn and Hamza 'Betamax,' as he's known, are on a mission to preserve as part of their project, Mediatheque: The Museum of Broadcast Technology. Currently located in Belleville, Ontario, we welcome Barry and Hamza to Broadcast Dialogue - T…

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 …

The saying goes that you haven't worked in radio, until you've worked in Winnipeg. Personalities like Brother Jake Edwards, Terry DiMonte, Don Percy, and many others gathered June 12-14 for the Winnipeg Radio Reunion. It saw colleagues who’ve worked in the market, both past and present, reminisce and reconnect. Broadcast Dialogue caught up with org…

This week on Broadcast Dialogue – The Podcast, we’re joined by Jeffrey Maddox, President of Nokia Canada, as the company marks 40 years in Canada and the 100th anniversary of Nokia Bell Labs. Maddox reflects on the legacy of Bell Labs, from the invention of the transistor in 1947 to its foundational role in shaping modern communications and why he …

“Tarzan Dan” Freeman has announced that he’ll be taking another leave of absence from his Bounce Radio midday show to undergo a stem cell bone marrow transplant. Freeman, who went public with his cancer diagnosis last September, has been undergoing treatment for multiple myeloma. Broadcast Dialogue caught up with Dan this week as he underwent a pla…

June is National Indigenous History Month. There are few audio programs that capture the spirit of the month more than Words and Culture, the Community Radio Fund of Canada-backed radio show and podcast, diving into Indigenous languages by sharing the stories of both knowledge keepers and those trying to reclaim their language and culture. Now in i…

Scott Fybush of NorthEast Radio Watch and the Top of the Tower Podcast in Rochester, New York joins this special crossover episode of Broadcast Dialogue - The Podcast. Fybush and I discuss our takeaways from Radiodays North America in Toronto, regulatory happenings on both sides of the border, and our mutual appreciation for the moment Alt Rock is …

Departure Festival + Conference gets set to launch its debut edition May 6 - 11, in Toronto, a "reimagined" Canadian Music Week at the intersection of music, comedy, arts and tech. Randy Lennox, the co-founder and CEO of Loft Entertainment, joins Broadcast Dialogue - The Podcast on the eve of the inaugural event to talk about their new venture with…

We last spoke with Vista Radio President Bryan Edwards in February 2024 as the company announced it was set to acquire 21 stations from Bell Media in British Columbia as part of BCE's divestiture of 45 radio stations. More than one year later, Vista is now operating those stations, officially becoming the second largest radio group in the country. …

Gill Deacon's new Substack and podcast, A Love Affair with the Unknown, is all about saying yes to uncertainty. The former host of CBC Toronto afternoon show, Here and Now, who stepped away from radio last fall, joins this episode of Broadcast Dialogue - The Podcast to talk about her journey to embracing uncertainty - something many of us in the me…

When Bell Media announced a little more than one year ago that it was divesting 45 of its radio properties, some people were uncomfortable positioning the move as a positive shift for the industry, but family-owned and operated Whiteoaks Communications Group - which is acquiring four of the stations - is already presenting strong evidence that is t…

NAB Show returns to the Las Vegas Convention Centre, April 5-9, with this year's event bringing an expanded focus on hot topics like Artificial Intelligence (AI) and its impact on media and entertainment. On this episode of Broadcast Dialogue - The Podcast, we speak with the National Association of Broadcasters' EVP of Global Connections & Events, …

CBC News is launching a new primetime program in the midst of an unprecedented news cycle that has sparked a surge in demand for Canadian news. Veteran anchor Ian Hanomansing will helm Hanomansing Tonight - live from the West Coast - from 7 - 9 p.m. ET on CBC News Network and CBC Gem. Ian joins this episode of Broadcast Dialogue - The Podcast to gi…

Bob Kronbauer has built a career on his knowledge of B.C. history. The former publisher of Vancouver is Awesome, who struck out on his own as an independent content creator last year, is now the host of the newest addition to CHEK-TV's local programming lineup, Now You Know BC. Kronbauer, known to his followers as “BC Bob,” joins Broadcast Dialogue…

Matt Hird, Senior Research Director at Signal Hill Insights, joins Broadcast Dialogue - The Podcast to share findings from the latest Canadian Podcast Listener survey. In his first-ever podcast appearance, Matt joins us to talk about the shifting listening landscape - from YouTube's epic growth as a podcast destination to the gender listening gap, …

CBC News General Manager and Editor-in-Chief Brodie Fenlon joins Broadcast Dialogue - The Podcast to talk about the public broadcaster's recently-announced resource expansion that will see up to 30 new journalists hired, set to be deployed to 22 communities - like St. Catherines, Banff, Fort McMurray, and B.C.'s North Island - where CBC currently d…

On this year-end episode of Broadcast Dialogue - The Podcast, we sit down with our publisher Shawn Smith, the president of Momentum Media, to reflect on 2024 and his thoughts on the challenges and opportunities that lay ahead for the broadcast industry in 2025. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https:/…

2024 Canadian Radio Awards Winners - Connie Thiessen and Matt Cundill host the 2024 Canadian Radio Awards livestream. Thanks to our 2024 Category Sponsors - David Kaye, Kayeman Productions | leanStream | Community Radio Fund of Canada | Benztown | MusicMaster | Validate | Burli | vcreative | Broadcast Dialogue | Momentum Media See Privacy Policy at…

Radio is still a cornerstone of many national media buys in Canada, but let’s be frank - it doesn’t deliver metrics that digital-first marketers are asking for. We gathered a group of heavy hitters from Canada’s biggest agencies to talk about the state of national radio ad sales and the challenges and opportunities for clients and broadcasters alik…

Arshy Mann and Jordan Cornish are among the Canadian journalists betting on themselves in the current media climate. Best known as the producers behind Canadaland’s COMMONS for the last six years and 13 seasons, Cornish and Mann are striking out on their own with new project, The Hatchet, a weekly podcast and newsletter launched on Substack, dedica…

The radio industry has a measurement and attribution problem. Hundreds of millions of dollars have left broadcast for platforms owned by digital giants like Meta, Google, and Amazon, among others. Our publisher Shawn Smith hosts this special episode of Broadcast Dialogue - The Podcast featuring Warren Kurtzman, President of Coleman Insights, the ne…

Creative professionals, including those of us in media, have become accustomed to hearing that our jobs may soon be replaced by artificial intelligence. Ronit Novak's new podcast The Grain is encouraging honest conversations in the creative community - from filmmakers to those in advertising, design and photography - about the impact of AI on their…

$20 million dollars. That's how much in annual funding the Community Radio Fund of Canada (CRFC) is lobbying for, making the case that in the wake of so much misinformation and under-resourced commercial stations, there's never been a better time to prop up the community radio sector. Executive Director Alex Freedman joins this episode of Broadcast…

On Nov. 2, 1954, a 250-watt radio station signed on in Alberta, destined to become Canada's first full-time country music station. The C and the W in CFCW stood for Camrose-Wetaskiwin, which were encompassed in its 25-mile broadcasting radius. Now associated with Edmonton, as much as its rural listening stronghold, Alberta's Country Legend is celeb…

Tchadas Leo became the first Coast Salish journalist to anchor a news program on Coast Salish territory earlier this year. Leo, the winner of this year's RTDNA Canada Emerging Journalist Award, has been working with Victoria's CHEK Media since 2021, hosting the award-winning podcast and now television series Our Native Land, which explores all thin…

Village Media is getting into the business of social networking with the upcoming launch of Spaces, the digital publisher's localized community social platform that aims to give users a place to gather to discuss shared topics of interest from local sports to community history. On this episode of Broadcast Dialogue - The Podcast, Spaces Community M…

"Forging Ahead in Media's New Landscape" is the very timely theme of the upcoming Western Association of Broadcast Engineers (WABE) media and entertainment technology convention in Edmonton this month. WABE President Tessa Potter joins Broadcast Dialogue - The Podcast to talk about what's in store for this year's gathering, her tech takeaways from …

Canadaland Chief Operating Officer Alan Black makes his podcast guesting debut on the latest episode of Broadcast Dialogue - The Podcast. The former Managing Director of Hot Docs joins us to talk about his transition to podcasting, bringing more third-party content under the Canadaland umbrella, monetization, and why the organization wants to help …

"Canada vs. California: How Ottawa took on Netflix and the streaming giants" is Howard Law's recently-released deep dive into the story of the Online Streaming Act. The media policy blogger and contributor to our sister publication CARTT.ca, joins Broadcast Dialogue - The Podcast, to talk about his new book; why he's worried about the survival of C…

Kolter Bouchard has undergone a reinvention this year, leaving his afternoon gig on 102.1 The Edge (CFNY-FM) in Toronto to move forward as a digital content creator, often in collaboration with his wife Dominque, amassing a following of more than 730,000 on TikTok alone. Kolter joins this episode of Broadcast Dialogue - The Podcast, opening up abou…

For a second year in a row, NAB Show organizers chose a Sustainability Donation Honouree, an award singling out an outstanding not-for-profit. This year’s Honouree was the Canadian-based Sustainable Entertainment Society — the powerhouse behind the Sustainable Production Forum (SPF). Zena Harris, founder of the SPF, whose organization Green Spark G…

David Farrell was honoured with a Lifetime Achievement Award during Canadian Music Week (CMW) recognizing his more than five-decade career covering the music and broadcast industry. Farrell published industry publication The Record for 20 years, before co-founding FYI Music News, which was acquired by Billboard Canada last year. He joins Broadcast …

With Radiodays North America 2024 behind us, sometimes it's the events around a conference that reflect ongoing confidence and optimism in the industry. The word "viability" has been thrown around a lot this year in regards to radio, but the first annual Pat Grierson Sales Person Award recipient is proof that success is possible even in a soft adve…

Dave Charles is marking 60 years in radio, a career filled with highlights that include the launch of Toronto's Q107 (CILQ-FM), consulting at stations around the globe, and helping emerging artists - like a young Celine Dion - get airplay. Charles, who continues to consult under the banner of Media RESULTS Inc., was recognized at the Radiodays Nort…

Luke Rodriguez has been named the 2024 Allan Waters Young Broadcaster of the Year. Currently the host of afternoon drive on Edmonton's 104.9 Virgin Radio (CFMG-FM) and the station's Assistant Program Director, he'll be recognized at Radiodays North America during Canadian Music Week. He joins us to talk about his broadcast journey thus far, chasing…

Yann Legarson, CEO of Radioplayer Worldwide, and Paul Kaye, Board Chair for Radioplayer Canada and Head of Audio for Rogers Sports & Media, join Broadcast Dialogue publisher and Radioplayer Country Manager Shawn Smith to talk about the organization's latest developments and tease their upcoming panel at Radiodays North America in Toronto. See Priva…

Veteran radio programmer Ronnie Stanton joins this episode of Broadcast Dialogue - The Podcast to talk about his new gig as Virgin Radio International's Chief Content Officer and why it's reinvigorated his optimism about the future of radio. Ronnie also teases two upcoming sessions he'll host at Radiodays North America in Toronto, June 2-4, highlig…

The Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television is recognizing broadcast veteran Marilyn Denis with a Lifetime Achievement Award, honouring a Canadian for a lifetime of work that has had a profound impact on the media industry at home or abroad. Currently the long-running co-host of mornings on Toronto's CHUM 104.5, Marilyn Denis joins Broadcast Dialog…

Omayra Issa has been recognized by the World Economic Forum as a Young Global Leader, chosen from thousands of applicants under 40 from around the world. Born in Morocco and raised in Niger and Saskatchewan, she joined CPAC (Cable Public Affairs Channel) earlier this year after a decade with CBC/Radio-Canada, filing across television, radio and dig…

Stolen: Surviving St. Michael's, the second season of Connie Walker's podcast for Gimlet Media, delved into her own family's history with residential school abuse, marking a breakthrough for the investigative journalist who has been recognized with a Pulitzer Prize and Peabody Award, among other accolades, including making the Time 100 list of most…

After helming afternoon drive on Calgary's Q107 for six years, Tarzan Dan Freeman was unexpectedly laid off less than 10 days before Christmas in 2022, followed by what he says was one of his hardest years ever convinced his radio career was most likely over. But like every good comeback story, Freeman now finds himself with a new coast-to-coast sh…

Roz & Mocha will celebrate 15 years on-air together this August. Originating from Toronto's KiSS 92.5 (CKIS-FM) and heard across Rogers Sports & Media's KiSS radio network, we welcome the morning duo to Broadcast Dialogue - The Podcast to talk about The History of Roz & Mocha - a new audio docuseries exploring their origin story. Among other topics…

Analytics represent another area of explosive technological growth as broadcast manufacturers embrace descriptive analytics. That includes Dielectric, which is sprinkling in a pinch of predictive modelling to make systemic changes to its design and production process for antennas. Dielectric President Keith Pelletier joins this special, sponsored e…

Yellowknife online radio station Cabin Radio was denied an FM licence last year. But then, last summer's wildfires threatened the community of 20,000. That's prompted the CRTC to announce that it is re-opening applications to serve the market after Cabin Radio's appeal for an exception. Ollie Williams, the editor of Cabin Radio, joins Broadcast Dia…

"Murphy's Logic" is the title of longtime CTV Atlantic anchorman Steve Murphy's latest book, the name of his long-running opinion segment on CTV Atlantic News at Six. Murphy joins us on Broadcast Dialogue - The Podcast to share his insights after 45 years in the news business, including his takes on media bias, the future of journalism, and more. S…

Just in time for International Women's Day, Canadian media personality, producer, and host Sarah Burke, has announced the launch of the Women In Media Network, a new home for women and gender-diverse podcasters. Burke joins us on Broadcast Dialogue - The Podcast to talk about why she feels it's time to shake up the Canadian podcast landscape and st…