TORONTO — Winnipeg-based broadcaster Ismaila Alfa is the new host of CBC Radio One's "Metro Morning."
The public broadcaster says the Nigerian-born journalist and musician will start helming the Toronto morning show beginning Aug. 24.
Alfa has been working with CBC Radio since 2008, most recently as host of Winnipeg's afternoon current affairs program "Up to Speed."
He has also been a guest host on "Metro Morning" since Matt Galloway's departure in January.
Galloway left his nearly 10-year hosting job at "Metro Morning" to take over CBC Radio's flagship national show "The Current."
The CBC says it plans to search for a new host of "Up to Speed" right away.
Alfa was raised in Nigeria and Pipestone, Mba., and studied civil engineering at the University of Manitoba.
He toured Canada and the United States as a hip-hop musician for almost a decade before joining CBC Radio in Winnipeg, where he started hosting "Up to Speed" in June 2013.
"It's a great honour and a huge responsibility to be hosting the show of record in Canada's largest city, and to participate in the conversation in such a diverse and complex place," Alfa said in a statement.
"I've wanted to live in Toronto for years, since touring as a musician. I feel like I have a lot in common with many of the people who live here, many of whom came from somewhere else. I will be learning about my new home with curiosity and affection."
Tim Richards, director of journalism and programming at CBC Toronto, said Alfa "will bring new energy and a fresh perspective to Toronto audiences."
"As a guest host on 'Metro Morning' during the early days of the pandemic and recent events focused on anti-Black racism, Ismaila has already sparked a bond with Toronto listeners by navigating through this remarkable moment in history with empathy and steadiness and the strong journalism he has brought to Winnipeg listeners for years."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 7, 2020.
The Canadian Press
