Dean Blundell
Dean Blundell | |
|---|---|
| Occupations | radio personality, podcaster |
| Years active | 1990s–present |
| Known for | The Dean Blundell Show (CFNY-FM, 2001–2014), Dean Blundell & Co. (CJCL, 2015–2017) |
| Website | deanblundell |
Dean Blundell is a former Canadian radio personality and current X commentator. Best known as a longtime "shock jock" morning host on CFNY-FM (The Edge) in Toronto, Ontario,[1] in 2015 he was named the new morning host on sports radio station CJCL (Sportsnet 590 The Fan).[2] His show on Sportsnet was cancelled in February 2017.[3]
Blundell worked for CJOK-FM in Fort McMurray[4] and CIMX-FM in Windsor, Ontario before joining CFNY in 2001.[5] His self-titled show on CFNY debuted soon after Corus Entertainment reassigned his longtime predecessors Humble and Fred to talk radio sister station CFMJ.[6]
The Dean Blundell Show
[edit]Ratings and recognition
[edit]The program achieved significant commercial performance and market dominance in the Toronto radio market during the 2000s and early 2010s. By 2004, media reports noted that the program had established itself as the number-one rated morning show in Toronto within the core 18–34 adult demographic, drawing approximately one million daily listeners and consistently outpacing traditional market competitors.[7] The strong audience attachment to the program was reflected in post-cancellation metrics; following the show's abrupt termination in early 2014, CFNY-FM experienced an immediate and sharp decline in its morning drive-time ratings along with a documented listener exodus, illustrating the program's role as the station's primary economic and ratings driver.[8][9]
Alongside its ratings performance, the program maintained an active footprint in local community fundraising and charitable initiatives, which station management noted were often overshadowed in media reports by its shock-jock reputation.[7] Blundell personally organized and hosted an annual charity golf tournament that successfully raised over $300,000 for Ronald McDonald House Charities, with the show's hosts directly managing the logistical and promotional operations of the event.[7]
The program also received local industry recognition for its market footprint, securing the Top Choice Award for "Top Radio Program (Morning Show)" in the Greater Toronto Area consecutively in 2011 and 2012.[10][11] Additionally, the show hosted major promotional events for the station, including emceeing the annual CASBY Music Awards and establishing "Sausagefest," a recurring summer concert and backyard-barbecue event held at the Sound Academy that attracted several thousand alternative rock fans annually until its final iteration in 2012.[12][13]
On-air segments and comedic bits
[edit]The program's daily broadcast relied heavily on a structured rotation of recurring satirical segments, listener call-in games, and mock programming ironies. A central feature of the show's daily format was "The Edge Files," a recurring morning segment where host Dean Blundell read or described unusual, absurd, or grotesque international news stories, using them as a template for unfiltered, irreverent commentary alongside co-hosts Todd Shapiro and Derek Welsman.[14]
Controversy
[edit]During Blundell's stint on CFNY, his program frequently faced complaints to the Canadian Broadcast Standards Council regarding offensive content.
These included complaints about sexually explicit discussion,[15] vulgar terminology used in a comment on the sexuality of Justin Bieber,[16] derogatory comments about women,[17] and comments that appeared to support violence against women.[18]
The program received a one-day suspension following a 2004 appearance by Jackass cast member Steve-O, in which Steve-O urinated on the studio floor, used several profanities, and performed a stunt that involved wrapping duct tape around his penis.[19]
In 2009, he was sued for defamation by Linda Jackson, the mayor of Vaughan, after reportedly calling her a "fraudster" and a "fat pig" on the air.[20]
In 2011, he granted an interview to Shirley Phelps-Roper in exchange for the Westboro Baptist Church dropping its controversial plan to picket the funeral of 2011 Tucson shooting victim Christina Taylor Green.[21]
In 2013, he was widely criticized for comments that appeared to mock the death of hockey player Kristiāns Pelšs, suggesting that Pelšs (whose death was accidental) had committed suicide because that was preferable to living in Edmonton.[22]
Through 2012 and 2013, Blundell's show was the subject of nine separate complaints to the Canadian Broadcast Standards Council,[8] and was formally censured six times.[8]
2013 suspension and subsequent legal review
[edit]Blundell was indefinitely suspended from CFNY in December 2013,[23] following reports that he and cohost Derek Welsman had discussed on the air a jury trial in which Welsman was the foreman.[24] The trial concerned a sexual assault charge against a client of a gay bathhouse,[24] and Blundell and Welsman's commentary about it was criticized both for homophobia and for potentially causing a mistrial by publicly discussing the jury deliberations.[24] The program's cancellation was announced in January 2014.[25]
The legal consequences of the broadcast were finalized in October 2016, when the Court of Appeal for Ontario unanimously overturned the convictions in R. v. Dowholis, ordering a new trial due to a reasonable apprehension of bias.[26] The 51-page appellate decision focused its legal findings specifically on the conduct of Welsman (referred to as Juror #12), noting that as a sworn juror, he alone held the distinct statutory obligation to maintain impartiality and protect jury secrecy.[26] While media coverage frequently attributed the controversy to the program as a whole, court transcripts cited in the decision outlined a specific division of roles among the show's participants. The ruling noted that Welsman actively initiated the discussion of the trial, and that the inflammatory remarks regarding prison showers and the lifestyle of the trial participants were voiced by Welsman and co-host Billie Holiday, while a psychic guest was asked by Welsman to predict the eventual verdict.[26] Transcripts indicated that Blundell's involvement in these specific segments consisted of laughing and participating in the overall banter rather than originating the inflammatory commentary.[26] Because Blundell was a private citizen and not a member of the jury, he was not subject to judicial duties or court sanctions, and his removal from the station remained a corporate decision by Corus Entertainment.[26] In January 2017, the Crown permanently stayed all charges against the accused, ending the legal proceedings.[27]
Subsequent career
[edit]Following his departure from CFNY, Blundell launched a podcast, and announced plans to launch his own Internet radio stream.[28] He guest hosted an episode of Fan 590's Jeff Blair Show in May 2014[1] and was named to the station's permanent new lineup in 2015.[2]
Rogers Radio executive Scott Moore expressed confidence that Blundell's controversial history would not detract from the station's brand, noting that "He knows that this is a very different show. His mandate at the Edge was to be edgy and he knows a) that's not what we’re asking for and b) it would be unacceptable."[2] He was dropped from Fan 590 in February 2017.[3]
In May 2018, Blundell briefly returned to regional terrestrial radio, joining Durham Region rock station 94.9 The Rock as an ongoing contributor to their morning program, Rock Mornings with Craig Venn & Lucky.[29] Around this time, Blundell publicly stated that he regretted the on-air controversies from his previous tenure at CFNY-FM.[30]
Blundell subsequently shifted his focus toward independent digital media ownership. He initially launched the digital content and podcast hub DeanBlundell.com, which aggregated over 60 independent creators, before officially rebranding the venture as Crier Media in early 2023.[31] The network hosted several regional sports and lifestyle podcasts, including Footy Prime and The Walkoff.[31] In late 2024, Blundell announced he would wind down the publishing and distribution side of Crier Media in early 2025, citing the changing landscape of digital monetization and compliance challenges under Canadian regulatory policies like the Online Streaming Act (Bill C-11) and the Online News Act (Bill C-18), opting instead to focus on backend corporate consulting and brand development.[31]
References
[edit]- ^ a b "Dean Blundell to hit the airwaves for first time since ouster from 102.1 The Edge". The Globe and Mail, May 21, 2014.
- ^ a b c "Dean Blundell takes over morning show on Sportsnet 590 The Fan". Toronto Star, January 20, 2015.
- ^ a b "Dean Blundell axed in 590 The FAN morning show reboot". Toronto Star, February 8, 2017.
- ^ Thomas, Russell (January 1, 2013). "40 YEARS OF YMM RADIO". Middle Age Bulge.
- ^ "Roll call". Windsor Star, April 21, 2001.
- ^ "Morning mayhem: Toronto's morning FM radio market offers gags, opinion, even news, weather and traffic". National Post, April 23, 2002.
- ^ a b c "Fewer shocks from the jocks at 102.1 The Edge". The Globe and Mail, March 27, 2004. Available via The Globe and Mail Archive via Free Radical.
- ^ a b c "The second coming of Dean Blundell". The Globe and Mail, May 16, 2014.
- ^ "Edge morning show replacement lacks edge". Toronto Star, April 10, 2014.
- ^ "The Dean Blundell Show - Top Radio Program (Morning Show) - Top Choice Awards 2011". Top Choice Awards. October 7, 2011.
- ^ "The Dean Blundell Show - Top Radio Morning Show of 2012 in Toronto - Top Choice Awards". Top Choice Awards. November 15, 2012.
- ^ "Sausagefest - CFNY-FM Events". Edge.ca. August 2012.
- ^ "Edge 102.1 wraps up successful summer concert series". National Post, August 24, 2012.
- ^ "CFNY-FM re The Dean Blundell Show (Edge Files)". Canadian Broadcast Standards Council, February 22, 2013. Archived from the original on February 22, 2013.
- ^ "Edge 102 rapped for 'sexually explicit' morning act". Toronto Star, July 17, 2002.
- ^ "Une station de radio est réprimandée pour des commentaires sur Justin Bieber". Canadian Press, October 20, 2010.
- ^ "Edge 102.1 rebuked for female comments". Toronto Star, January 19, 2012.
- ^ "Dean Blundell loses longtime sidekick after latest shock jock wrist-slap" Archived 2015-02-03 at the Wayback Machine. canada.com, July 24, 2013.
- ^ "Pushing the Edge too far". The Globe and Mail, March 27, 2004.
- ^ "Vaughan mayor sues CFNY over 'pig' insult; Lawsuit says Jackson called 'fraudster' on-air". Toronto Star, April 25, 2009.
- ^ "Church drops protest, gets airtime: 102.1 FM airs 'lunatic' views of extremist family to stop picket of girl's Arizona funeral". Toronto Star, January 14, 2011.
- ^ "Shock jocks cross line from funny to offensive". Toronto Star, June 19, 2013.
- ^ "Radio show suspended after jokes about trial: Shock jocks had apologized for 'homophobic' remarks". Toronto Star, December 2013.
- ^ a b c "Jury foreman's jokes spark call for judicial review: Radio producer joins in mocking gays on broadcast after accused is convicted of sex assault of three men". Toronto Star, December 8, 2013.
- ^ "Corus axes Blundell radio show". National Post, January 7, 2014.
- ^ a b c d e R. v. Dowholis, 2016 ONCA 801 (Court of Appeal for Ontario October 31, 2016).
- ^ Perkel, Colin (January 30, 2017). "Crown drops sex-assault charges against Toronto man after shock-jock juror ruined case". The Globe and Mail.
- ^ "The second coming of Dean Blundell". The Globe and Mail, May 16, 2014.
- ^ "Revolving Door". Broadcast Dialogue, May 3, 2018.
- ^ Szklarski, Cassandra (July 20, 2018). "Dean Blundell says he regrets shock-jock antics". The Toronto Sun. Retrieved 2022-08-15.
- ^ a b c "Dean Blundell pressing pause on podcast network". Broadcast Dialogue, November 27, 2024.
