Ismaila Alfa is the new host of Toronto’s top-rated morning radio show, METRO MORNING, beginning Monday, August 24. Alfa has been a CBC Radio broadcaster and journalist since 2008 and most recently the host of Winnipeg’s #1 afternoon radio current affairs program Up to Speed. He has also served as a popular guest host on Metro Morning since Matt Galloway’s departure to host The Current. Alfa will say goodbye to Winnipeg listeners this month, and the search for a new host of Up to Speed begins right away.
“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,” said Tim Richards, Director, Journalism, Programming, CBC Toronto. “In this country’s most diverse city, Ismaila will bring new energy and a fresh perspective to Toronto audiences.”
“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,” said Alfa. “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.”
Born in Nigeria to a Nigerian father and Canadian mother and raised in Nigeria and Pipestone, Manitoba, Alfa studied civil engineering at the University of Manitoba and toured Canada and the United States as a hip hop musician for almost a decade before joining CBC Radio in Winnipeg in 2008. In June 2013, Alfa took the helm as the host of Up to Speed, taking the show to #1 in the Winnipeg afternoon radio market.
CBC Radio was recently honoured with the 2020 Broadcaster of the Year award at the 2020 New York Festivals® Radio Awards. METRO MORNING, Toronto’s top-rated morning radio show, keeps listeners informed about what’s going on in the city. It is Toronto’s faces, places, voices and stories. Listen weekdays from 5:30 a.m – 8:30 a.m. ET on CBC Radio One 99.1 FM or on the CBC Listen app. Join the conversation @metromorning.