Lenny Lombardi
Lenny Lombardi is President and CEO of CHIN Radio/Tv International, Canada, which broadcasts in over 50 languages on four frequencies, AM 1540 FM 91.9 and FM 100.7 in Toronto and FM 97.9 in Ottawa. He is Executive Producer of all international television programming content produced at CHIN TV and is broadcast on various tv stations in Canada and the USA . He is one of Canada’s most active concert promoters dedicated to presenting Italian artists in a range of musical genres, from Folk to Pop to Opera to Rock.
A York University graduate, Lenny has been involved in broadcasting for over forty years with CHIN Radio/TV International and has developed and expanded on ethnic radio and television broadcasting in Canada under the expert guidance and inspiration of his late father and founder, Johnny Lombardi. CHIN RADIO now celebrating over 50 years of broadcasting, employs over 75 people in Toronto and Ottawa.
As a young man, Lenny grew up working in the family food business which was one of the first Italian supermarkets in Toronto that carried imported products from Italy. He did it all as stock and delivery boy, service counter, butcher and cashier, however, the Lombardi family business soon moved into media and in particular, radio. Lenny’s first influences began with the nightly gathering around the dinner table experiencing the great Italian singing artists of the era blaring from the kitchen radio, listening to his father’s radio program, the “Johnny Lombardi Italian show”. In June 1966 his father started CHIN RADIO and Lenny knew where his future was headed. At CHIN, he worked his way through all the various departments and showed particular talent for radio and television programming production and live concert and event production. By 1970 he was the producer and event manager for all CHIN concerts. Most famous is the CHIN International Picnic, a multicultural music festival that attracted over 250,000 people over 4 days and featured international artists from around the world as well as hundreds of local artists. The CHIN Picnic reflected the diversity of cultures in Toronto but what made it special is that all communities participated and celebrated together under the umbrella of CHIN RADIO.
As executive producer of all programming on CHIN Radio, he oversees the production of over 600 hours of weekly multilingual programming in Toronto and Ottawa. Now celebrating over 50 years of broadcasting, CHIN is Canada’s foremost media outlet carrying locally produced programming reflective of the multicultural communities it serves. CHIN RADIO, dedicated to the preservation and celebration of our unique cultural diversity in Canada produces programming that includes, current and regional musical formats, cultural features, current affairs and news and views all in the mother tongue of our listeners and viewers.
Lenny Lombardi is also a leader in Italian concert promotion and presentation in Canada dating back to the 1950’s through his father Johnny Lombardi, and through to today. The name Lombardi and CHIN RADIO are synonymous with Italian musical entertainment and Italian artists performing in Canada. For five decades, generations of Italo Canadians have been entertained by a multitude of Italian artists presented by CHIN RADIO and Lenny Lombardi. From Modugno and Villa to Eros and Pausini, Italian music has been a part of the Italo-Canadian cultural experience through CHIN.
Lenny's Awards and Community Engagement
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Chair of the Little Italy BIA on College Street and co-founder of the "Taste of Little Italy", street festival that attracts over 500,000 people
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Board member of the Italian Contemporary Film Festival (ICFF)
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Executive Producer of "Festival Italiano" broadcast on CityTv and "Ora Qui News Hour" broadcast of OMNI 1.
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Fiercely proud of his Southern Italian heritage (Sicily & Basilicata) he travelled to his grandfather’s home town of Pisticci to cut the ribbon on the inauguration of Piazza Lombardi built and named in honour of his father by the municipality of Pisticci.
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He and his family established the Johnny Lombardi Creative Endowment, a $250,000 scholarship fund at Ryerson University that encourages multicultural studies in journalism, music and broadcasting.
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Awards:
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"Business Excellence Award" presented by the Italian Chamber of Commerce of Ontario (ICCO)
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“Il Certificato di Riconiscimento” awarded by the North American Sicilian Confederation.
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"Order of Merit" for distinguished service to his community, presented by the National Congress of Italian Canadians (NCIC).
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""Presidents Award presented by the Canadian Italian Business and Professional Association (CIBPA).
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"Ordine della Stella D'Italia" presented by the Government of Italy
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Queens Diamond Jubilee medal.
Lenny continues his dedication and commitment to ethnic broadcasting working alongside his sister Theresa Lombardi and his wife Grace Lombardi, with a focus on innovative initiatives directed to the ethno-cultural communities served on CHIN RADIO/Tv International.
