TORONTO — CBC Radio announced today Ismaila Alfa (pictured) will be the new host of Toronto’s morning radio show, Metro Morning, starting on Monday, August 24.
Alfa has been a CBC Radio broadcaster and journalist since 2008, and he is currently the host of Winnipeg’s afternoon radio current affairs program Up to Speed. He has also been a guest host on Metro Morning since Matt Galloway’s departure at the end of last year to host The Current.
Alfa will say goodbye to Winnipeg listeners this month, and the search for a new host of Up to Speed starts right away, says the news release.
Born in Nigeria to a Nigerian father and Canadian mother and raised in Nigeria and Pipestone, Manitoba, Alfa studied civil engineering at the University of Manitoba and toured Canada and the United States as a hip-hop musician for almost a decade before joining CBC Radio in Winnipeg in 2008. In June 2013, Alfa took the helm as the host of Up to Speed, taking the show to number one in the Winnipeg afternoon radio market.
“As a guest host on Metro Morning during the early days of the pandemic and recent events focused on anti-Black racism, Ismaila has already sparked a bond with Toronto listeners by navigating through this remarkable moment in history with empathy and steadiness and the strong journalism he has brought to Winnipeg listeners for years,” said Tim Richards, director, journalism, programming, CBC Toronto, in the release. “In this country’s most diverse city, Ismaila will bring new energy and a fresh perspective to Toronto audiences.”
“It’s a great honour and a huge responsibility to be hosting the show of record in Canada’s largest city, and to participate in the conversation in such a diverse and complex place,” added Alfa. “I’ve wanted to live in Toronto for years, since touring as a musician. I feel like I have a lot in common with many of the people who live here, many of whom came from somewhere else. I will be learning about my new home with curiosity and affection.”
