Broadcast Dialogue – The Podcast dives deep into the ever-changing world of radio, television, and digital media. Each episode features interviews with industry leaders, innovators, and rising stars, exploring everything from the latest technological advancements to the ongoing impact of broadcasting on society.
Third generation broadcaster Matt Caine is among the independent radio group owners grappling with where the industry is headed. Caine is the president of Whiteoaks Communications , which recently moved two of the company's heritage AM stations to HD Radio to expand the reach of another heritage AM - CKTB St. Catharines - one of four stations it acquired in the Bell Media divestiture. Caine and longtime Pattison Media broadcast engineer Rob Brown join Broadcast Dialogue - The Podcast to talk about the realities of the AM band - both from a technical standpoint and the challenges of trying to meet listeners where they're at digitally. Among other things, we talk about the under-utilization of HD Radio in Canada, the lack of a digital transition plan for the industry, and we ask how much blame for the current state of the radio business is rooted in a lack of vision? See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .
Podcast listening is no longer a niche activity for Canadians, with Triton Digital's Canadian Podcast Report affirming that 46% of us are now listening monthly. Triton's Chief Revenue Officer Sharon Taylor joins Broadcast Dialogue - The Podcast to talk about that report and the state of podcasting in Canada, including the ongoing conversation around the shift to video, untapped opportunities, and her thoughts on the current podcast strategy of our commercial broadcasters. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .
Imagine the station you’ve dedicated years of your life to suddenly going completely dark. That’s the reality for 80 Rogers Sports & Media employees this week as the company shuttered six radio stations Tuesday and laid off a total of 230 staff across the media division. On this episode of the podcast, we’re holding space for the people who built these stations. We're joined by a lineup of Rogers Sports & Media alumni, including former 95.7 NewsRadio talk hosts Sheldon MacLeod and Lisa Blackburn from Halifax, and industry veterans Robert Linden and Amanda Wawryk , who both spent the bulk of their careers with Vancouver's 1130 NewsRadio . See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .
Josie Dye and Nat Hunter are making history as the first new morning show to launch on Toronto's legendary CHUM-FM in more than 40 years that doesn't include long-serving hosts Marilyn Denis or Roger Ashby . Nat & Josie joined Broadcast Dialogue - The Podcast , alongside CHUM 104.5 Program Director Christian Hall , ahead of their launch in the weekday morning time slot to talk about the monumental feat of prepping to follow a legacy show; how their decades of experience have prepared them for this moment; and why this is a great opportunity to bring more listeners back to radio. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .
Radio news veteran Craig Lester bet on himself in 2022, leaving his full-time job at Calgary's 660 News Radio to pursue his passion for agriculture media. Rural Roots Canada now reaches radio stations across Alberta and B.C. with both weather and daily features, in addition to providing communications support to the industry. Lester and Tim Parent join Broadcast Dialogue - The Podcast to talk about the startup, the importance of authenticity in storytelling, and they share their advice to other journalists thinking about going out on their own. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .
The theme of this year's Echo Podcast Summit is community. Returning to Halifax for a third year on June 18, founder and Podstarter Chief Creative & Partner Rhys Waters is on Broadcast Dialogue - The Podcast talking about what's in store for this year's event. He also shares his thoughts on setting realistic markers for a podcast's success, and discusses his Canada’s Best Podcasts Ranked project. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .
Radiodays North America was dominated by discussion of regulatory challenges , overcoming measurement hurdles, meaningfully reaching media buyers , and the impact of AI, among other timely topics. Listen to our audio recap of some of this year's RDNA highlights featuring Pattison Media President Rod Schween and Chief Innovation Officer Andrew Snook , Trailblazers Chair Nancy Brown Dacko , Paul Riismandel and Matt Hird of Signal Hill Insights, Barry Rooke , Executive Director of the National Campus & Community Radio Association (NCRA), and RDNA programming consultant Ross Davies . See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .
WideOrbit’s William “Dub” Irvin , Managing Director and VP of Radio Automation, and Jason Hancock , Senior Director of Global Sales, join Broadcast Dialogue – The Podcast to discuss the launch of WO Aurora and what cloud-based automation means for radio operators facing rising cost pressure, aging infrastructure, and shifting operational needs. The conversation covers the move from rooms full of equipment to browser-based contribution, remote live broadcasting, reduced dependence on codecs, VPNs, servers, and consoles, and the broader shift from capital-heavy technical infrastructure to more flexible operating models. They also explore how live log integration with WideOrbit Traffic can help stations reconcile spots faster, protect revenue, and streamline day-to-day See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .
The original mission of the Trailblazers hasn't changed, but as the media landscape continues to evolve, the advocacy organization for Canadian women in media is evolving with it, marking its most transformative year to date. Celebrating its 22nd year, Trailblazers is moving forward with a renewed focus, including the introduction of the Next Gen Trailblazer Awards , and the new Trailblazer Honours award - which this year will be presented to host, comedian and advocate Lilly Singh - as Trailblazers expands its boundaries beyond traditional broadcasting. Trailblazers chair Nancy Brown Dacko joins us on this episode of Broadcast Dialogue - The Podcast . See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .
In this episode of Broadcast Dialogue - The Podcast , Publisher Shawn Smith talks with MusicMaster , Director of Operation s, Jerry Parker about where radio programming technology is headed and how MusicMaster is evolving to meet it. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .
Combining engineering precision, faster delivery, and long-term reliability to help broadcasters modernize transmission infrastructure. In this episode of Broadcast Dialogue - The Podcast , Publisher Shawn Smith speaks with Dielectric President Keith Pelletier about how the company is using deep legacy knowledge, digital twin design, and strong industry partnerships to deliver faster, more reliable RF transmission solutions for broadcasters. Pelletier explains how Dielectric’s engineering approach has dramatically shortened time to market, why long-term reliability remains central to its design philosophy, and how the company is blending veteran expertise with younger technical talent to keep pushing innovation forward ahead of NAB. Visit Dielectric at NAB 2026 | April 18-22, 2026 | Las Vegas Convention Center Central Hall - C1446 - TV & Radio See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .
Some of the most influential voices in music, film, TV and media will gather in Toronto, May 4-10, as Departure Festival + Conference gears up for its second annual event. We welcome festival co-founder Kevin Barton to this episode of Broadcast Dialogue - The Podcast to tease this year's lineup and the event's evolution, including why the festival is much more than Canadian Music Week "reimagined." See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .
Erica Ehm has been doing a lot of reflection as she looks to add the title of author to her long list of credits. The MuchMusic icon, multi-platform host and entrepreneur joins Broadcast Dialogue - The Podcast to talk about the process of writing her forthcoming memoir, how the ongoing theme of reinvention continues to play out in her life, and the importance of supporting Canadian artists. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .
The new book, Track Changes, examines the rise of all that came with the internet and how it changed Canadian music from new media to message boards, fan sites, MP3 blogs, and more, diving into how legacy brands were forced to evolve, including major record labels, retailers, and of course the media and radio. Authored by Cam Gordon , Track Changes essentially chronicles the shared cultural history of music, technology and media in the 1990s and 2000s. He joins us on Broadcast Dialogue - The Podcast . See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .
CPAC President & CEO Christa Dickenson is sounding the alarm that the Cable Public Affairs Channel is running on fumes. The CRTC announced in November, it would put off making decisions on requests from CPAC, TV5 , and Canal M to increase their mandatory per-subscriber monthly wholesale fees until the commission completes a larger policy review. Dickenson says that's left CPAC in a critical position of uncertainty, at a time when Canadians' interest in democracy has never been greater. She joins us on Broadcast Dialogue - The Podcast . See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .
Rob Hopkins - aka "Radio Rob" has used his DIY ethos to become a pioneering force in community broadcasting and open-source innovation in Canada's North. He's the founder of Yukon community stations CJUC Whitehorse and the low-power CFET-FM in Tagish, Yukon, as well as OpenBroadcaster - a web-based, open-source system to run community radio and TV broadcast transmitters. He joins us on Broadcast Dialogue - The Podcast ahead of World Radio Day 2026 , with this year's theme " AI and radio ," underscored by the tagline "AI is a tool, not a voice." We talk to Hopkins - who was named to Yukon's Hall of Innovators last year - about his work with Indigenous communities, local radio's enduring ability to connect, and how OpenBroadcaster is using AI. OpenBroadcaster will host their World Radio Day online event - An Insightful Look at Radio & Artificial Intelligence - beginning at 2 p.m. Yukon time on Friday, Feb. 13. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .
Since its launch in 2017, Kristi Lee has built the Canadian True Crime podcast into a global hit with over 75 million downloads and a consistent chart presence. More impressive yet, the podcast has turned a profit, all while retaining its financial independence without the backing of a network. Lee joins us on Broadcast Dialogue - The Podcast as Canadian True Crime publishes its milestone 200th episode this month with a fresh look at the Robert Pickton case. She joins us to share the ups and downs of her podcasting journey, including managing burnout and perfectionism, the case that stays with her more than others, and her advice to other Canadian podcasters. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .
The Pro Bono Group's latest PSA is a call to action, asking Canadian advertisers to apply the "Buy Canadian" message to their media buying. A merging of the not-for-profit creative agency's Pro Canada Project - which has been running for the past year urging Canadians to "shop as if your country depends on it" - and their Pro Radio Project, promoting the value of radio, The Pro Bono Group has enlisted one of its founders Terry O’Reilly to make their case. O'Reilly, alongside The Pro Bono Group's creative leads Mike Occomore and Larry MacInnis join us on Broadcast Dialogue - The Podcast. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .
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 .
