Don Shafer

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Don Shafer is a Canadian broadcaster, journalist, academic, and community activist. After a five-decade career in North American radio as a host and media executive, he turned to public scholarship focused on dialogue, climate communication, and polarization. He created The Conversation Lab, earned a PhD from the University of British Columbia, and lives on Bowen Island, British Columbia.

Early life
Shafer was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on May 25, 1947. He served in the U.S. military from 1965 to 1969 as a communications specialist.

Broadcast career
Shafer began his radio career at WEEP AM in Pittsburgh, then worked at KNAC FM in Long Beach, California, and KPPC FM in Pasadena, California. In 1970 he moved to Canada, where he appeared on CHOM-FM in Montreal (1970–1972), CHUM-FM in Toronto (1972–1976), and The Fox in Vancouver (1976–1986). He held leadership roles including Program Director at The Fox (1980) and later positions at Rock 101 in Vancouver, CILQ-FM in Toronto, and Pelmorex Radio Network in Ontario (1992–1997).

In 1997 he joined Torstar Media Group as Vice President and General Manager, working on developing Toronto Star TV. He then served as Vice President and Regional Manager at SUN FM/AM1150/CILK FM in the British Columbia Interior (2003–2013). He spent 2013–2014 as interim General Manager at Q104 and FAB 94 in Winnipeg, overseeing 22 radio stations and two TV stations with Standard Media. In 2014 he co-founded Roundhouse Radio in Vancouver and became its President and CEO; in 2015 he joined a local ownership group for 98.3 Roundhouse Radio Vancouver.

Community service and honors
Shafer has served on boards and committees for the Canadian Association of Broadcasters, the Radio Marketing Bureau, the Television Marketing Bureau, the Small Market Independent Television Group, the British Columbia Association of Broadcasters, FACTOR, and he is a past President of the Ontario Association of Broadcasters. He has also supported Variety the Children’s Charity, the Canadian Red Cross, the Kelowna General Hospital Foundation, and other community organizations. In 2014 he received the British Columbia Association of Broadcasters 50 Year Certificate of Service and was inducted into the Canadian Broadcast Hall of Fame. In 2015 he received the Allan Waters Broadcast Lifetime Achievement Award.

Education and research
A lifelong learner, Shafer earned a Master of Arts from Simon Fraser University in 2018. He was invited to join the Social Justice Institute’s PhD program at the University of British Columbia in 2019, achieving candidacy in 2023 and receiving his doctorate in 2025. His research explores how language, power, and identity shape polarization in families, communities, and society, and how compassionate, intentional dialogue can repair relationships, foster belonging, and strengthen democracy.

Publications and presentations
Shafer’s writing focuses on dialogue, media, climate communication, and social justice. His published work includes co-authoring "Dialogue, Discourse, Disjunctures: Building Critically Affirmative Politics in Radio" and a master’s thesis, "Climate Change and the Many Faces of Denial." He has presented research at conferences in Canada and the United States, covering topics from climate communication to podcast studies and public dialogue.