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.

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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.

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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.”

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“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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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