Broadcast Dialogue - The Podcast

Bill Welychka is best known for his time at MuchMusic , but what you might not know is that after his 13 years with the channel, he chose to go into local news, culminating in spending more than a decade at CKWS-TV in Kingston where he was part of cutbacks at Corus Entertainment last year and ultimately chose to walk away from media. Welychka has since published the second edition of his memoir, A Happy Has Been: Exciting Times and Lessons Learned. He joins Broadcast Dialogue - The Podcast to talk about his media journey, the aftermath of major downsizing in the Kingston market, his love affair with the city, and what he's up to now. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

Inside the CCSA Conference – Where Telecoms Exchange Ideas and Gain the Collective Scale to Win In this episode of Broadcast Dialogue – The Podcast we take a deep dive into the vital role of the Canadian Communication Systems Alliance (CCSA) and its CONNECT Conference in supporting independent broadcast and telecom operators. We look at how the CCSA serves as a critical lifeline and a powerful collective brain trust, enabling members to secure essential content deals, forge strategic technology partnerships, and compete credibly with larger national carriers. Highlighting the conference’s unique environment of complete transparency and shared best practices, this episode emphasizes the association’s mission to future-proof its members by encouraging them to stop working in the business and start working on it, particularly by addressing the exponential challenges and opportunities posed by AI and focusing on long-term resilience and community service. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

Deepa Prashad , one-half of the Daryn & Deepa show on Virgin Radio (CKFM-FM) Toronto, has been named the 2025 Young Broadcaster of the Year . Presented annually in memory of late programmer Steve Young , the award is voted on by past honourees and was handed out this year alongside Broadcast Dialogue's Canadian Radio Awards . Deepa joins Broadcast Dialogue - The Podcast to talk about her meteoric rise in radio, developing her passion for what's essentially her second full-time job - content creation, representing her West Indian heritage, and more. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

For more than 80 years, Dielectric has earned their reputation for providing the most sophisticated antenna signal transmission solutions. Their unique processes help their clients get it right with an up-front design ethos, monitor and predict failures, even respond to and recover from catastrophic weather events in record time. Keith Pelletier is President of Dielectric and he’s here to provide an update on how they’re doing it! See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

The 2025 Canadian Radio Awards were hosted by Connie Thiessen (Broadcast Dialogue) and Matt Cundill (The Sound Off Podcast) on Friday November 28, 2025. You can watch the entire show on the Broadcast Dialogue YouTube and Linked In Pages. A full list of winners can be found here. By station, Stingray Radio’s boom 97.3 (CHBM-FM) Toronto won three awards, including Program Director of the Year for Troy McCallum , On-Air (solo) Host of the Year for morning man Stu Jeffries , and Music Director of the Year for Wayne Webster . boom 97.3 was also the runner-up for Station of the Year (Large Market) , with Pattison Media’s 102.3 NOW! Radio (CKNO-FM) Edmonton taking the honour for a second year in a row. Other stations picking up multiple wins included Northern Native Broadcasting’s CFNR Terrace, BC. The not-for-profit station earned the Best Campus or Community Station honour, while Matt Fisher was named Program Director of the Year (Small Market). Independent station Moose FM (CKFU-FM) in Fort St. John, BC also earned two awards – Station of the Year (Small Market) and Best Podcast (Small Market). By radio group, Rogers Sports & Media came away with a leading five awards, followed by Vista Radio (4), Bell Media (3), and Stingray Radio (3). Other groups recognized include Evanov Communications , Harvard Media, Pattison Media, Whiteoaks Communications Group, Golden West Broadcasting, Novacast Media , and Newfoundland Broadcasting , in addition to not-for-profit creative collective, the Pro Bono Group . See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

While there was little in the recent federal budget for commercial radio and television broadcasters, Canadian Association of Broadcasters (CAB) President Kevin Desjardins believes there's still reason for optimism in the sector. We welcome Desjardins back to Broadcast Dialogue - The Podcast to talk about the CAB's ongoing lobby efforts to help set private broadcasters up for success, the current climate on Parliament Hill, and more. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

Peter Bissonnette's memoir Count On Me reflects on the retired telecom executive's decades in the cable, internet and media industry - from humble beginnings to rising to the position of President of Shaw Communications . Bissonnette joins Broadcast Dialogue - The Podcast to share his personal and professional journey, informed by values of integrity, empathy and fairness. He also shares his ethos on the importance of belief in oneself, the power of visualization and affirmations, and takes us behind-the-scenes of some of the most transformative deals in Canadian telecom and broadcast history. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

Across the U.S., broadcasters are proving what radio has always known that it drives real results. In this episode of Broadcast Dialogue - The Podcast , our U.S. partner Warren Kurtzman of Coleman Insights sits down to talk about how Cox Media Group is using Validate to show advertisers the measurable impact of their campaigns, connecting streaming and broadcast listening to actual website visits and conversions. As radio faces growing pressure for accountability and attribution, Validate is giving the medium the same kind of data confidence that digital has enjoyed for years. If you’re in Canadian radio, this is your cue. The tools are here, the proof is here and the stations using them are already winning the ROI conversation. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

Veteran broadcaster Dini Petty has stepped back in front of the camera after a 25-year absence from television with Trailblazing Talks with Dini Petty , a new series airing Monday nights on The News Forum. Launched with a one-hour special on Thanksgiving Monday, the series promises conversations about resilience, courage, and leadership, with a goal in Petty's words - who is now age 80 - to remind viewers "it's never too late to step forward with purpose." Petty joins Broadcast Dialogue - The Podcast , taking us from her days as a child actor and delivering traffic reports to Toronto radio listeners from a pink helicopter, through her other creative ventures, including the new memoir she's working on. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

WABE , the Western Association of Broadcast Engineers , wrapped up the organization's 75th anniversary convention on Oct. 1, setting all-time attendance records. In a time when many media and entertainment-related industry associations are struggling for membership and co-locating their events, WABE has defied the odds, expanding its reach to build a community of broadcast technicians spanning radio, TV, film, content creation, manufacturing & more. We caught up with outgoing President Tessa Potter and Vice-President Cameron Thomson at the close of WABE's milestone conference, to talk about bridging the past and building the future. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

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 decade from now. The problem is unlike film, podcasting doesn't have a canon. That's why he's created the Essential Listening Poll , a rundown of the Top 100 Greatest Podcasts of all time, curated by a cross-section of leading audio makers, journalists and academics that's been unveiled at Podcast Movement, with the support of Amazon Music. We welcome Alan Black back to Broadcast Dialogue - The Podcast to talk about discoverability, the broken economics of podcasting, and why he believes there needs to be more tastemaking in the audio space. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

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 https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

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 talk about the evolution of the industry and the importance of broadcast industry partnerships. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

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 ambassador and veteran broadcaster George Stroumboulopoulos . Already underway, the tour is making stops in Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary, Montreal, Saint John, Moncton, P.E.I., and Nunavut, before wrapping up in Toronto in September - collecting stories along the way on how Canadian film and television has shaped Canadian culture and continues to inspire future generations. Mathieu Chantelois of the Canada Media Fund joins Broadcast Dialogue - The Podcast to talk about the MADE | NOUS campaign and why there's never been a better time to celebrate Canadian storytellers. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

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 - The Podcast to talk about fostering their shared passion for nostalgia and raising awareness of the importance of preserving Canada's broadcast heritage. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

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 bucking downward sales trends. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

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 organizer Ralph “Racoon” Carney – an alum of CKRC and 1290 AM (CFRW-AM) Winnipeg, among other stations - to talk about bringing the event to life. He shares some weekend highlights, alongside Paul Graham, Courtney James, Jim Goddard , and Don Percy . See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

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 calls Nokia “the company that built Silicon Valley.” See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

“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 plasma transfusion to boost his immune system ahead of the transplant. He candidly shares the ups and downs of his cancer journey, which as you'll hear, includes willing himself to come back physically. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

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 its second season, Kim Wheeler is the show's executive producer. If you don't know Kim, you know her writing and producing work, which includes the A Day to Listen radio specials, the JUNO Awards , and the Auntie UP! podcast. We welcome Kim to Broadcast Dialogue - The Podcast to talk about Words and Culture, how she's feeling about the current state of Indigenous representation in Canadian media, and her recent Canadian Screen Award. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

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 having, among other news from the world of broadcast. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

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 Oak View Group , and building on the CMW legacy, as Departure sets out to super-serve Canada's creative community. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

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. We welcome Bryan Edwards back to the podcast to talk about the ownership transition and major rebrand effort as those stations and their employees join Vista, as well as his continued optimism about radio's viability. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

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 media business can relate to, her Long COVID diagnosis and recovery, life at mid-life, and her advice to other broadcasters living in uncertain times. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

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 the case. Whiteoaks, which is acquiring CKLH-FM Hamilton and CHRE-FM , CHTZ-FM and CKTB St. Catharines, is on a major hiring push in advance of the take over. On this episode of Broadcast Dialogue - The Podcast, we speak with Whiteoaks President Matt Caine , a third generation broadcaster, Station Manager Hollie Taylor, and Bell Media Regional PD Lisa Vinc , who will join Whiteoaks as part of the transition, to talk about the handover, radio's much maligned viability, the future of the AM band, and more. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .