No Station, No Problem

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On February 9, 2021, after wrapping up their daily show on TSN 1290, Andrew “Hustler” Paterson and Michael Remis received a text inviting them to an unexpected and alarming conference call. Bell Media notified them that they were making cuts, their station no longer existed, and they were unemployed. Paterson had recently returned to work after recovering from a rare spinal condition called cauda equina syndrome, which limited his mobility. Remis had just become a father. They had both worked at TSN for over a decade. After reaching an agreement, Bell Media thanked them for their service and provided them with severance packages. 

Winnipeg’s only all-sports radio station, which had aired daily to thousands of listeners across the city for over ten years, was no more. “It’s not like our product wasn’t good enough. They just turned the lights out on us,” said Paterson. The two didn’t even get to say goodbye to their loyal fanbase on the air.

Bell Media layoffs

In a statement about the layoffs, Bell Media said, “The realities of the quickly evolving broadcast media landscape in Canada have made this change unavoidable.” In October 2020, TSN 1290 lost the rights to broadcast Winnipeg Jets games, which also played a role in these layoffs. Along with TSN 1290, Bell Media cut stations in Vancouver and Hamilton, leaving many in the radio industry caught off guard. 

“It’s not like the numbers weren’t there,” said Paterson.

Remis and Paterson weren’t the only recognized voices to lose their jobs in these layoffs. Brent Wallace, a reporter for the Ottawa Senators, Dan O’Toole, who co-hosted Jay and Dan, and Natasha Staniszewski, a host on SportsCentre, also lost their jobs. “The entire office was shocked,” said Brenda McDonald-Thenhaus, a former Bell Media employee.

According to an article by Canada’s largest union for private sector workers, Unifor, Bell Media terminated 1,300 media jobs in June 2023. The layoffs didn’t stop there. By February 2024, they axed another 4,800 employees and cut more than 6,000 jobs in nine months. Bell Media cancelled nearly every CTV weekday noon newscast and sold 45 radio stations. A 2024 report from Yahoo Finance claims Bell Media’s stock dropped nearly 30 per cent in the past year — their biggest decline ever.

When the news broke in February 2021 that Bell Media was replacing TSN 1290 with a comedy station, the TSN community and fellow media workers rallied in support of the unemployed TSN employees on social media, including notable media figures, such as Paul Bissonnette and Elliotte Friedman.

The comeback

When TSN 1290 got cut, Paterson called Remis to discuss their future in the radio industry. “I knew he’d be a good yin to my yang. I just always enjoyed talking to him,” said Paterson. The following day, Paterson declined a position at one of Bell Media’s competitors, Sportsnet. “With an opportunity like that, I thought I would have been all over that. There are only two players in this business,” he said. But Paterson needed time to decide what he wanted to do with his career. 

Winnipeg was without a radio sports talk station. Paterson and Remis began discussing the possibility of a podcast. Receiving severance pay from Bell Media meant they had some flexibility to see where their idea could go. They released the first episode within a few weeks. 

Remis, who graduated with a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of Manitoba, had gained some valuable podcasting and streaming experience as a producer for TSN 1290. “I didn’t know what I was doing for the first show. I wasn’t sure if it would even work,” said Remis. With 7,600 views on their first daily YouTube stream, they knew they were on to something.

Like many new businesses, Paterson and Remis needed to find an identity and a strategy for their podcast. “Let’s call it exactly what it is, ‘Winnipeg Sports Talk,’” said Paterson enthusiastically. Paterson wanted a name that was direct and had room for a broader scope. He did not want the show to be named after him. “Once we had the name and logo, it felt like a real thing,” said Remis. Following the branding, Remis and Paterson started creating social media accounts for their new podcast.

The game plan

“Our biggest strategy was to take advantage of our social media following,” said Paterson. Since Paterson managed the social media accounts for his old TSN 1290 show, he rebranded them to Winnipeg Sports Talk accounts. This allowed them to reach a large audience instantly and gave them an edge most new businesses do not have. 

During the pandemic, Remis found himself on parental leave, bored, and watching people stream video games through Twitch. He thought, “I can do that too.” He dove into a maze of YouTube tutorials, streaming tests, and trial and error. Remis suggested to Paterson they start streaming their shows. “I was only thinking audio. Are we going to have ten tweeners in the chat? I didn’t grasp the potential of our community,” said Paterson. In the first week of Winnipeg Sports Talk, they gained over 3,000 YouTube subscribers. Leveraging their social media following, Paterson’s popularity, and engaging with their former TSN 1290 community made this a reality. They now have over 12,000 YouTube subscribers and over 1.5 million podcast downloads. 

This strong following and community didn’t happen overnight. With his time at TSN, Paterson grew to be the face of Winnipeg sports media. “Hustler was easily the most recognizable and most popular voice in Winnipeg media,” said Jeff Hamilton, a reporter for the Winnipeg Free Press and co-host of the podcast CFL 110.

With Paterson and Remis now streaming on YouTube, people didn’t need to scream at their car’s radio to be heard. Paterson and Remis created an engaging environment by interacting with their audience through YouTube in a way they couldn’t at TSN 1290.

This community-driven approach incorporated a back-and-forth between the hosts and their viewers. “People feel like they are part of a team when they tune in to Winnipeg Sports Talk. You just want to cheer for them,” said Hamilton. This sense of belonging wouldn’t be possible without the enthusiasm Paterson and Remis bring to every show. “People like the underdog and someone they can root for,” said Hamilton, referring to Winnipeg Sports Talk’s comeback after TSN 1290 was replaced.

For big media companies like Bell Media, employees must follow strict protocols and professionalism guidelines that restrict their biases, personal opinions, and actions. Winnipeg Sports Talk offered Paterson and Remis more freedom. “They’ve allowed themselves to be themselves,” said Hamilton. 

Without Bell Media’s restrictions, Paterson and Remis became more flexible and creative with their content. At TSN 1290, Paterson and Remis covered the Winnipeg Jets and Winnipeg Blue Bombers. Now, they also cover gambling news and fantasy sports.

With their transition from radio to the digital world, Paterson and Remis now easily identify how their content performs and can provide these numbers to their sponsors. “It’s hilarious. We now have legitimate data to show our sponsors, unlike the stuff the radio industry is trying to sell,” said Paterson.

Paterson’s advice to aspiring podcasters and content creators is simple: “Be fully prepared before you go through with it. You need to have a clear idea of what you are talking about, how you are delivering it, and who your audience is. There is nothing as important as your consistency,” he said. 

Challenges

While their growth was rapid, it didn’t come easily. When Paterson and Remis started Winnipeg Sports Talk, they were the only employees. “Not having enough hours in the day was our biggest challenge,” said Paterson. Remis said they barely took any days off.

With their small team, consistently creating and posting content was difficult. They used cross-posting to share the same content over multiple social media platforms. For example, they clipped part of their interview with Winnipeg Jets goalie, Eric Comrie, and posted it on Instagram, Facebook, and X. “We needed to deliver our show every day and create content from that,” said Paterson.

Remis and Paterson needed to reach people who weren’t already following them on social media, so they decided to capitalize on YouTube’s algorithm. “People are always typing stuff on YouTube, and that stuck with me,” said Remis. YouTube is the second-largest search platform, so Remis taught himself to use search engine optimization to gain viewers and traction.

Paterson said many of the challenges at the beginning were on the technical side. “We laughed through it. It made it charming in a way,” said Paterson. Since Remis was the producer of Winnipeg Sports Talk, he went to YouTube to learn the technical skills he lacked.

Initially, they had issues where people couldn’t hear the stream or call into the show. Remis said it was a lot of troubleshooting and hard work that helped them overcome this. “I like to joke around and say this, but Remis went to the university of YouTube,” said a chuckling Paterson.

The numbers

Before introducing their next guest on Winnipeg Sports Talk Daily, Paterson smiles at the camera, leans into his microphone, and amplifies his enthusiastic voice as he reads an advertisement for one of their sponsors, Rolly’s Transfer. For most startup podcasts, acquiring sponsorships is a challenging task. This was not an issue for Winnipeg Sports Talk. Paterson drew upon his sales background, met with four businesses — three were former TSN 1290 sponsors — and secured four early sponsorships. 

“They were disappointed that the station had cancelled. They always liked being involved,” said Paterson. These businesses committed to a three-month partnership. After the first month of Winnipeg Sports Talk, Paterson said these sponsors were extremely satisfied and interested in continuing to advertise on their platform.

From here, more businesses and organizations wanted to work with Winnipeg Sports Talk. Three years later, they now have 20 sponsors. Paterson was the salesperson for these sponsorships, and his past connections played a key role in creating these partnerships. Paterson gained experience in sales during his time as a freelancing broadcaster. “The business plan was always going to be to deliver our content, get our sponsors, and advertise for them,” said Paterson. 

Some of these sponsors only market their products or services through Winnipeg Sports Talk during certain times of the year. They also tend to be local businesses. Sponsorships and advertisements generate the most revenue for Winnipeg Sports Talk. “For the pie chart of our revenue, most of it is on local sponsors doing local advertisements every month,” said Paterson. 

YouTube is another revenue stream for Winnipeg Sports Talk. “You have to be so big to be able to rely on YouTube,” said Paterson. Winnipeg Sports Talk is a part of the YouTube Partner Program (YPP). Content creators generate revenue through YPP by earning a share of the advertising revenue collected from their viewership.

From the YouTube Partner Program, creators gain revenue based on the number of views they get from their videos. An article from IFTTT explains how YouTube pays between $0.01 to $0.03 for each view. So, if you receive 1,000 views on a video, you are paid between $10 to $30. Paterson also said Winnipeg Sports Talk makes money through YouTube Super Chat. When you stream on YouTube, viewers are offered the opportunity to have their message highlighted by donating to the content creator. The more money you donate corresponds to how prominent your message will be.

Winnipeg Sports Talk also collects revenue by streaming podcast episodes on Apple Podcasts and RSS.com. Apple’s version of YPP is the Apple Podcasters Program. After recording live on YouTube, Winnipeg Sports Talk transitions this content into a podcast format and uploads it to these podcasting platforms. Instead of views, the Apple Podcasters Program and RSS.com pay through advertisements and subscriptions.

Remis said he is also looking into Facebook’s Performance Bonus program. This program offers content creators the opportunity to gain revenue based on the number of reactions, comments, shares, and reach their posts receive. Finally, Winnipeg Sports Talk sells its own line of merchandise. “The merchandise was more of a marketing move for us, but it’s also an opportunity for our community to support us,” said Paterson. Fans can purchase their merchandise through their website or from their long-standing sponsor, Royal Sports.  

The next play

Paterson and Remis chose the name Winnipeg Sports Talk because of the potential for a wider range of content. Most recently, they launched WST Sunday Live, hosted by Alyssa Houde, Connor Hrabchak, and Jacob Stoller. The new show offers this younger crew a platform to voice their fresh perspectives on the Winnipeg Jets. “We wanted to establish our show first and then look to other options,” said Paterson. They are also looking to expand WST Sunday Live.

Summer is Winnipeg Sports Talk’s slow time since it’s the NHL offseason, so Paterson and Remis plan on continuing CFL 110. Hosted by Hamilton and Paterson, CFL 110 covers everything CFL during the summer. “I love the freedom Paterson gives us. I am looking forward to continuing building CFL 110,” said Hamilton.

Surrounded by his monitors, microphone, and branded backdrop, Paterson said he dreams of finding a physical home for Winnipeg Sports Talk one day. “I’d love to get to the point where we have our own studio.” Currently, Paterson works from his living room, and Remis works in a spare bedroom. According to a 2024 article by Quill, 70 per cent of viewers prefer to see the podcast hosts in a studio together. 

When Edmonton’s TSN 1260 shut down in June 2023, a platform similar to Winnipeg Sports Talk emerged: Edmonton Sports Talk. Dustin Nielson, the creator of Edmonton Sports Talk and a former Bell Media employee, teamed up with other former Bell Media employees to create the platform. Hearing of this news, Paterson called Nielson and said, “You guys should call it Edmonton Sports Talk and do the same thing.” 

Winnipeg Sports Talk and Edmonton Sports Talk weren’t the only two platforms emerging because of the changing sports media landscape. After Vancouver’s TSN 1040 shut down, former Bell Media employees — Matthew Sekeres and Blake Price — launched their own podcast, the Sekeres and Price Show. These platforms reflect the broader shift in how sports media is created and consumed. 

Edmonton Sports Talk has a similar layout to a radio station, where they stream all their shows on iHeartRadio from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. “We could eventually do that, but it’s a big undertaking,” said Paterson. Paterson and Nielson work together on one of Edmonton Sports Talk’s shows, The Lock Shop, which covers sports betting across all major sports leagues.

Remis and Paterson don’t want to get too far ahead of themselves. “We’ve seen other people try a big expansion and scale back. We don’t want to go through something like that,” said Remis. 

Come next fall, Paterson said he would not be surprised if Winnipeg Sports Talk were to expand its existing shows and add a couple of new ones.

Winnipeg Sports Talk will celebrate its fourth anniversary and one-thousandth episode in March 2025. “That’s a big day for us,” said Paterson. Winnipeg Sports Talk has a special show planned for both of those milestones.

A brand new game

The story of Winnipeg Sports Talk represents more than just a personal comeback. Remis and Paterson’s journey is part of the shift in the media landscape. “You look around, and all these big companies are laying people off. You can provide this content without needing a big company. You can just do it in your house,” said Remis. 

Podcasts and live streams offer viewers an engaging environment, the ability to listen whenever they want, and niche content, plus listeners can now provide instant feedback. Paterson and Remis reconnected to the TSN 1290 audience and expanded their reach.

“As long as I was working at TSN, I wasn’t able to do my own thing,” said Paterson. Now, there are no broadcast slots, set talking points, and content restrictions holding them back. 

Despite the radio industry turning its back on them, Paterson and Remis show that the leap from traditional radio to podcasting is very possible, very alive, and very profitable.

“We loved what we did, and we wanted to continue doing it,” said Paterson.