NOW and NEXT

Welcome In! This is NOW and NEXT : What’s happening NOW and how does that inform what’s happening NEXT? Veteran journalist and “Recovering News Director”, Dave Trafford hosts and produces this weekly news commentary podcast. It offers made-in-Canada, independent, unique analysis of the current stories and issues affecting your family, your business, your health, and your pocketbook. Based in Toronto, NOW and NEXT offers insights on local, provincial, national and international issues. Regular contributors include our bi-weekly RoundTable with the Now and Next C.A.S.T (Comms and Strategy Team!) Lindsay Broadhead brings her comms experience and insights base on her time leading teams in the private and public sectors. Bob Reid applies his earned experience as a major market journalist and a Senior Advisor to the Premier of Ontario to his analysis of the communications "Touchdowns and Fumbles". Anne Marie Aikins is a "media relations maven", a sought after pundit and speaker, and a strategic comms adviser specializing in public transit in Ontario. NOW: You’re up to date. NEXT : Subscribe to the podcast!

NOW and NEXT is a commentary podcast hosted by Unknown Host, with 416 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80. PitchCentric scores this show on Booking Probability, Listen Score, and live audience signals refreshed every 24 hours.

Unknown Host hosts NOW and NEXT, a commentary show with 416 episodes published.

Our AI reads these to draft pitches. Use them as grounding for a pitch that cites a real guest and a specific topic.

• 

  NOW and NEXT

  Lloyd Robertson Signs Off

  Aug 11, 202611 min

  Much has been written and said about Lloyd Robertson since we heard the news of his passing on August 4, 2026. He's renowned as the Most Trusted voice in Canadian jounalism, making his mark as the anchor or both the CBC and CTV national newscasts from 1970 to 2011. He was more than a mentor for thousands of journalists and broadcasters over the course of his career. Lloyd set the gold standard for anchorss, editors, and reporters with his calm, collected, balanced editorial presentation style. His ethic informed the expectations of his audience, the expectation that he and his team put his audience at the centre of his story, his lineup, his production and his newscast. That was foundational to his profile as the most trusted Canadian. I had the privilege of meeting Lloyd on a number of occassions during my 40 plus years in media. It was nerve wracking enough to learn that Lloyd listened to me!! He was a regular radio listener and I was oddly self conscious when he commented on reporting I had done on a recent story. It was even more of a privilege, (and all the more nerve wracking), when I got to interview Lloyd on my radio show. This edition of NOW and NEXT is an ARCHIVE highlight of one of those opportunities. I hope you enjoy hearing Lloyd in his own words. You can watch OR listen to this episode on our YouTube Channel (Be sure to subscribe!) Follow Dave on Facebook , Instagram , LinkedIn and X And you can leave us a voice comment here ! For more information go to Dave's website .

  ListenShow Notes
• 

  NOW and NEXT

  Finding Grace - A Journey of Self Discovery with Rocco Rossi

  Aug 6, 202655 min

  What happens when you step away from the noise, the deadlines and the relentless pursuit of “what’s next” long enough to ask what actually matters? Dave Trafford sits down with Rocco Rossi to explore Finding Grace , Rossi’s first novel and a story shaped by more than two decades of walking the Camino de Santiago. Rossi has completed 24 Caminos and roughly 15,000 kilometres of pilgrimage since his first journey in 2002. Their conversation moves between the remarkable history of the Camino and the deeply personal questions at the centre of Rossi’s novel. Finding Grace follows Tony Bird — Anthony Aucello — a successful corporate executive whose life is shattered by tragedy. When an unexpected act of kindness connects him to the Camino, he begins a journey that forces him to reconsider success, loss, identity, relationships and what he wants from the rest of his life. Rossi explains why the Camino remains powerful in an age of smartphones, doomscrolling and constant distraction. Long-distance walking creates something increasingly scarce: stillness. For Rossi, the Camino isn’t magical in itself. Rather, it creates the time and space for people to rediscover what may already exist within them. The discussion also explores the Camino tradition of Vicarie Pro — walking on behalf of another person — and the real-life experience that helped inspire Rossi’s relationship with that tradition. Ultimately, this is a conversation about pilgrimage as a metaphor for life: stripping away distractions, recognizing the grace already around us and figuring out how to carry those lessons home. Chapters 00:00 — Introduction: Rocco Rossi, Finding Grace and 24 Caminos Dave introduces Rossi, his new novel and his extraordinary history walking the Camino de Santiago. 05:42 — Chipping Away What Isn’t You The Camino as a process of stripping away distraction and rediscovering the authentic self. 15:05 — Why the Camino Matters in the Age of Doomscrolling Rossi discusses the dramatic growth of Camino pilgrimage and why people increasingly seek stillness and disconnection. 23:35 — Finding Grace and Walking for Someone Else The novel’s central characters lead into the centuries-old Vicari Pro tradition of walking the Camino on behalf of others. 32:17 — The Real-Life Story Behind Rossi’s Camino Journey Rossi recounts Mary Catherine Kempton’s death on the Camino and why he returned to walk in her name. 41:45 — The Camino Begins When the Camino Ends Re-entry, resilience, finding direction without signposts and why Rossi chose fiction rather than memoir. You can watch OR listen to this episode on our YouTube Channel (Be sure to subscribe!) Follow Dave on Facebook , Instagram , LinkedIn and X And you can leave us a voice comment here ! For more information go to Dave's website .

  ListenShow Notes
• 

  NOW and NEXT

  Can Toronto Sell the World Cup? Plus Recession Politics and Alberta’s Growing Frustration

  Jun 10, 202653 minS0

  Toronto is preparing to host one of the biggest sporting events in the world, but are Canadians buying into the vision?<br /><br />This week on Now and Next, Dave Trafford is joined by the C.A.S.T. (Communications and Strategy Team), Lindsay Broadhead, Anne Marie Aikins and Bob Reid for a wide-ranging discussion about the stories shaping public opinion across Canada.<br /><br />The panel examines the communications challenge surrounding the FIFA World Cup as Toronto and Vancouver prepare to welcome the world. With costs exceeding a billion dollars, have organizers done enough to explain the long-term benefits...

  ListenShow Notes
• 

  NOW and NEXT

  Does the Toronto Police Service face a Trust Crisis

  May 29, 202653 minS0

  Is the Toronto Police Service facing a Trust Crisis.<br /><br />Can you separate Danielle Smith - the Federalist from Danielle Smith the Sovereigntist?<br /><br />Doug Ford’s “gravy plane.” is still a THING.<br /><br />And somehow… flip phones and Pizza Pizza nostalgia are trending.<br />.<br />This week on Now and Next, Dave Trafford is joined by the C.A.S.T. roundtable (The Comms And Strategy Team) — Lindsay Broadhead, Anne Marie Aikins, and Bob Reid — for a wide-ranging conversation about trust, leadership, and the power of political storytelling.<br /><br />The panel breaks down the growing reputational...

  ListenShow Notes
• 

  NOW and NEXT

  How AI and Project Based Learning Can Save our Education System

  May 25, 202646 minS0

  What should school look like in an age of AI, anxiety, disengagement, and rapid social change?<br /><br />In this episode of NOW and NEXT, Dave Trafford speaks with educator and author Dr. Cinde Lock about redesigning education for a generation that needs more than standardized testing and rigid curriculum structures.<br /><br />Drawing on innovative programs developed at Pickering College, Dr. Lock explains how schools can connect academics to purpose, community engagement, entrepreneurship, creativity, and real-world problem solving.<br /><br />The conversation explores why traditional education models are struggling to keep students engaged, how AI could help personalize learning...

  ListenShow Notes

Recent guests on NOW and NEXT. Study who booked and why before you pitch.

Based on semantic analysis of episode topics and host coverage, this show is a strong guest fit for executives in:

Industry fit is computed by PitchCentric using vector embeddings of the show's episode catalog.