There is good news in Canadian radio, if you know where to listen. But corporate cutbacks and challenges from tech giants make the medium’s future anything but clear
by Ben Kaplan
The Globe and Mail
February 12, 2025
As a teenager, Backstreet Boys fan Shannon Burns won tickets to their concert for her and her sister on Virgin Radio. Today, she hosts Virgin Radio’s nationally syndicated midday show, and relived her excitement when she gave away tickets to a Backstreet Boys concert.
In a decade, the listener has become the host. Burns, with her melodious drawl, a voice that smiles and 759,000 followers on TikTok, is bridging the gap between Canadian radio’s past and present.
She grew up and came out on the radio, and represents a new kind of DJ in Canada who not only knows how to play the hits, but livestreams herself while she does it.
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