By Connie Thiessen
Rogers Sports and Media has made changes to its radio and television management structure that see Amber LeBlanc promoted to a national programming role, expanded duties for OMNI and CityNews Director Amar Sodhi, and CityNews Vancouver Director Charmaine de Silva part ways with the company.
The changes come as Dave Budge, vice president of news and information, retires after a decade with Rogers Sports and Media and five in broadcast news. Prior to his retirement last month, both radio and television news reported to Budge.
The company has now reorganized its TV and radio news operations separately with a Rogers Sports and Media spokesperson telling Broadcast Dialogue that the decision was made with an eye to better supporting its tv and audio businesses, respectively.
Amber LeBlanc gains the title of national programmer of News and Talk in an expanded role leading all CityNews news and talk radio stations in all markets, while still running the day-to-day of CityNews 680 (CFTR-AM) Toronto.
On the TV side, Amar Sodhi, who oversees OMNI News and the CityNews newscasts in Montreal, Winnipeg and Edmonton, is adding CityNews Vancouver and Calgary to his oversight, with all local supervising producers now reporting to him.
Charmaine de Silva, who had been with Rogers since 2018 and news director of both CityNews 1130 (CKWX-AM) and the Vancouver television newsroom since 2020, adding Calgary in 2021, has decided to leave the company.
Additionally, Mark Day has been hired as the local news director for CityNews 660 (CFFR-AM) Calgary. Currently covering a mat leave at CityNews Ottawa (CJET-FM), Day will transition over to the new role in a few months.
This story first appeared in Broadcast Dialogue and is reprinted with permission. Photo of Amar Sodhi and Amber LeBlanc.
