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tara mccarthy
a little bit about me...

now: I spend my days living in Edmonton, Alberta, as the community, traffic and weather reporter for Edmonton AM on CBC Radio One. I'm also a fill-in host, and spent a year (2020-2021) as host/producer of the CBC Edmonton podcast, The Loop. In 2017, I was selected as a jury member for the Polaris Music Prize and chosen to serve on the 2017 Polaris Grand Jury. I continue to contribute as a juror for Polaris, the Western Canadian Music Awards, and FACTOR. I have also served as an Alberta Magazine Awards juror for the past three years. In 2019, I was emcee for the Interstellar Rodeo music festival (Six Shooter Records). I have also presented workshops on podcasting and interviewing techniques as part of Nextfest and YEGPodFest. 

then: I was born in the early 1980s in that big ol' suburb of Mississauga, Ontario. After setting aside the dream of becoming a professional ballet dancer, I quickly realized a desire to transform my passion for writing into a career goal. The next step was getting a degree. Four years at Carleton University's School of Journalism did the trick, providing me with essential skills in print, broadcast, and new media. Over the years I have explored the written word through a variety of editorial positions at publications like What’s Up Yukon, How’s Business Yukon, Inside Mississauga, toronto.com, and FLARE magazine.

radio: The world of radio broadcast is a huge part of my life. It began when I scored a position as a radio teaching assistant at Carleton University. Then, in 2007, I said goodbye to Ontario and headed north to the Yukon to take the microphone at CHON FM as co-host of Cool Country Morning and work in the newsroom as a reporter and newsreader. Eventually, I created Homegrown, a two-hour arts and culture program that exclusively featured local and national content.

In 2008, I began working at CBC Yukon as a casual reporter. My years spent there have led to various opportunities including host of CBC North’s True North regional podcast, reporter/editor, backfill producer, and a six-month stint as host of the afternoon program Airplay. In 2015, I was offered a six-month contract as the national pop culture columnist for CBC Syndication. Each week, I spoke with afternoon show hosts across the country about various pop culture topics. I continue to fill-in as the national pop culture columnist when needed. Then, in 2018, I was invited to host Edmonton AM for two weeks on CBC Radio One in Edmonton, Alberta. In January 2019, I left the Yukon to begin a full-time position in Alberta.

print: In 2012, I took on the role as editor of Yukon, North of Ordinary, a quarterly publication that is the inflight magazine for Air North, Yukon's Airline, and available across Canada at Chapters/Indigo stores. During my time as editor, the publication grew in page count, developed a devoted readership, and won a variety of awards for its editorial content. I contributed as editor and managing editor for a number of client publications and supported various projects with North of Ordinary Media until 2018. ​I won GOLD in the Profiles category at the 2018 International Regional Magazine Association Awards for "Northern Haute Couture," which appeared in the Fall 2017 issue of Yukon, North of Ordinary.

​photo: gbpcreative.ca

what CBC listeners are saying...

"Her pace, her voice, so sincere. Nice giggle, understated, witty, kinda humble, kinda cool. So easy to listen to, she keeps me listening even when I'm not into the subject."

"
I've enjoyed listening to Tara. So many radio hosts cultivate a 'sweet' undertone to their voice, which drives me nuts. I like sardonic, which Tara kind of is. In a good way, of course."


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