Closer Look - Insightful, credible, unfiltered conversations that matter
In cities and towns across Ontario — and at Queen’s Park and Parliament Hill — our journalists work for you. Their mission is to dig for answers and tell you what they find. This new podcast from Village Media — ‘Closer Look’ — is all about the stories we tell. Every weeknight, hosts Michael Friscolanti and Scott Sexsmith go beyond the headlines with insightful, in-depth conversations featuring our reporters and editors, leading experts, key stakeholders and big newsmakers.
- Update frequency
- every 8 days
- Average duration
- 31 minutes
- Episodes
- 139
- Years Active
- 2022 - 2025
Stop the presses: The demise of Metroland’s community newspapers
This week on Inside the Village: a dark day for local journalism in Ontario. Toronto Star publisher Nordstar Capital LP placed its regional newspaper business, Metroland Media Group, in…
Why Northern Ontario is ground zero for the opioid crisis
The overdose epidemic has hit Northern Ontario harder than any other region in the province, with fatal drug poisonings consistently higher year after year. Yet it’s in the north where …
Kids are wasting their youth on cell phones
After a couple weeks of holidays, Frisco and Scott return to the studio to answer a controversial question: When is the right time to give your kid a smartphone? (Spoiler alert: postpon…
The ‘green’ in Greenbelt
This week on Inside the Village, Scott and Frisco unpack the recent bombshell report from Ontario’s auditor-general, who found that Doug Ford’s government gave “preferential treatment”…
Meet Gurdeep Pandher, the happiest man in the world
His online dancing videos have garnered more than 100 million views around the world. This week, Gurdeep Pandher spreads his message of joy, hope and positivity with Scott and Frisco o…
‘The insanity of this place has been escalating’
Parliament has adjourned for the summer, which means a much-needed break for the man whose primary job is to make sure everyone behaves inside the House of Commons. Anthony Rota — the M…
Break a leg? The show must go on
This week on Inside the Village — the weekly podcast where all news is local and no topic is off-limits — Frisco and Scott tell the story of Barrie native Mike Haggith: the guitar playe…
Help! I’ve fallen into debt and can’t get up
This week on Inside the Village: broke and broken. A new MNP consumer debt index shows that the largest-ever portion of Ontarians can’t make ends meet — and there’s little relief in sig…
Are ‘best before’ dates past their prime?
On this week’s episode of Inside the Village, Frisco and Scott talk groceries. More specifically, do best before dates lead to more food waste? A new report on grocery affordability fro…
From street hockey dreams to the Stanley Cup reality
This week on Inside the Village, Frisco and Scott welcome Stanley Cup Champion Michael Amadio of the Vegas Golden Knights. The Sault Ste. Marie native takes the guys through the thrill …
Faceblocked: Bill C-18 is devastating news for local journalism
On this week’s episode of Inside the Village, Frisco and Scott dissect Bill C-18 and the damage it will do to local journalism — not just at Village Media, but in newsrooms across the c…
Hot take: As forest fires rage, we answer all your burning questions
On this week’s episode of Inside the Village, Frisco and Scott burn a little airtime talking about the wildfires scorching across Canada — the most damaging forest fire season of the ce…
Breaking news: Cigarettes are designed to kill you
On this week’s episode of Inside the Village, Frisco and Scott take a closer look at new Health Canada guidelines that will see warning messages added to individual cigarettes — not jus…
The doctor is out: Why one small town was forced to shut down its emergency room
A doctor shortage forced the emergency department in small-town Thessalon, Ont., to lock its doors for 48 hours. After “exhausting all options,” the North Shore Health Network said it h…
Vic Fedeli and the 800-pound gorilla
Frisco and Scott are back for another week of Inside the Village with a special guest: Vic Fedeli, Ontario’s Minister of Economic Development. The timing couldn’t be better, as there is…
Sundown: Saying goodbye to Gordon Lightfoot
Canadian music icon Gordon Lightfoot was laid to rest earlier this week in Orillia. With almost 4 million albums sold, 16 Juno Awards and four #1 hits, Lightfoot left an indelible mark …
Ron MacLean talks hockey, sports gambling — and Don Cherry
The NHL playoffs are underway, and who better to talk about hockey than Ron MacLean? The iconic host of Hockey Night in Canada joins Frisco and Scott for a wide-ranging conversation tha…
King of the castle: Charles’ coronation
This weekend, the eldest son of the late Queen Elizabeth II will officially be crowned King of England when his coronation takes place at Westminster Abbey. King Charles’ wife, Camilla,…
Court battle looms over Doug Ford’s controversial nursing home law
Frisco and Scott celebrate the one-year anniversary of the podcast with a brief trip down memory lane. Then it’s on to more serious news: a looming court challenge over a Ford governmen…
Fake love: How an Ontario grandmother fell victim to an online romance scam — twice
On the latest episode of Inside the Village, Scott and Frisco dig into a scary story that continues to generate headlines. Suzana Thayer, a grandmother of six from Barrie, Ont., has bee…