CBC News today announced that Prasanna Rajagopalan has been appointed the new Senior Managing Director for CBC’s Ontario Region. Most recently the Director of Journalism and Programming for CBC Toronto, he will begin in his new role on Monday, March 10. As the Senior Managing Director for Ontario, Rajagopalan will work closely with managing editors and the next CBC Toronto leader to oversee all strategy, programs, teams and stations across the province in Hamilton, London, Ottawa, Sudbury, Thunder Bay, Toronto, Kitchener, Waterloo and Windsor, as well as community locations and future operations in St. Catharines, Oshawa and Sault Ste. Marie.
*Prasanna Rajagopalan headshot*
“Prasanna brings to this important job a genuine appreciation of the value of local journalism and community engagement in Ontario, and a vision for how best to serve future audiences in our dynamic media ecosystem,” said Brodie Fenlon, General Manager and Editor in Chief of CBC News.
“Journalism has always been about evolving to meet the needs of audiences, and CBC News is meeting these changing needs in Ontario,” said Rajagopalan. “Our commitment to robust public service journalism is evident in the coming launch of three new bureaus to serve the communities of Oshawa, St. Catharines, and Sault Ste. Marie, as well as the recent launch of three new streaming channels serving the Greater Toronto Area, Ottawa and Windsor. I’m grateful for the opportunity to continue to represent and collaborate with communities across Ontario.”
Rajagopalan began his career at CBC as a video encoder in Toronto working weekend nights, before becoming a CBC Toronto web writer where he helped cover Rob Ford’s mayoralty. He left the city in 2013 to become the first executive producer of the then-new CBC Kitchener-Waterloo station, and returned to Toronto to oversee its digital transformation. He then spent four years working closely with CBC’s Digital Strategy and Product department, where he honed a data-driven approach to breaking down complex challenges and leading through influence across a diverse array of teams.
As the Director of Journalism and Programming for CBC Toronto, in recent months Rajagopalan and his team launched one of CBC News’ first local streaming channels, CBC NEWS TORONTO; maintained the No. 1 weekday morning radio program in the city (METRO MORNING) and the No. 1 weekend morning radio program in the province (FRESH AIR); significantly increased morning video production; and scaled up audience listening to ensure more representative journalism, as well as the strategic deployment of community bureaus.
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About CBC/Radio-Canada
CBC/Radio-Canada is Canada’s national public broadcaster. Through our mandate to inform, enlighten and entertain, we play a central role in strengthening Canadian culture. As Canada’s trusted news source, we offer a uniquely Canadian perspective on news, current affairs and world affairs. Our distinctively homegrown entertainment programming draws audiences from across the country. Deeply rooted in communities, CBC/Radio-Canada offers diverse content in English, French and eight Indigenous languages. We also deliver content in Spanish, Arabic, Chinese, Punjabi and Tagalog, as well as both official languages, through Radio Canada International (RCI). We are leading the transformation to meet the needs of Canadians in a digital world.
For media inquiries, contact:
Tanya Koivusalo, CBC PR
