It is difficult to believe that 20 years have passed since I began writing this column for TVWeek Magazine. I inherited the column upon the passing of CKNW announcer Earle Bradford, who wrote under the byline Earle’s Court. It was many months after his death from cancer that I took over the reins, out of respect for the man and his family. My concept was different. I identified 5 categories that I wished to concentrate on each week, radio, television, concerts, film and theatre. But it was most important that the stories be about the personalities in each of these disciplines. It was not to be a society or gossip column; I would leave that to others. The main thing was that the stories be local. I would write about visiting performers like Johnny Cash if there was a local angle or about a young promising singer such as Michael Bublé who was beginning to rise in his profession. The emphasis was always on Vancouver and the Lower Mainland and it was to be a column that contained all the local entertainment news. As the years passed it became more difficult to write about local personalities as there were fewer and fewer each year. In 1988 you could list over 100 local personalities whom most of the public knew. It has shrunk drastically to the point that today most of the radio and television personalities are in news, sports and weather and most of them from television.
“Click me – I talk!”
The radio star has almost disappeared, as most outlets do not promote them as they once did. This has meant that a familiar voice on radio may not register with you because there is no connection from other media where their faces might be exposed. The de-emphasis on personality in the media has caused this. Looking back over the past 20 years there have been many changes. If nothing else this column became a chronicle of the entertainment comings and goings for two decades. I have every column on file and it is fascinating to go down a list of familiar people and ask “Where Are They Now?”. Some have passed away or retired but most have moved on to other fields of endeavour. With this final column I would be remiss if I didn’t thank a few people who contributed to this page. I thank Rock Manager Bruce Allen, who was always ready to cover for me when I was away. Thanks also to editor Kim Mah who kept my syntax together. And to Brent Furdyk who respected the integrity of the column. Also thanks to former Canada Wide partner Neil Soper for his support over the years. To my friend Michael Godin who helped me meet the deadline each and every week, and he did this years before I bought a computer and had to transfer my words from a Remington typewriter. Special thanks to the Legge family for putting up with me, and above all to the multitude of media luminaries who provided me with material week after week. I will miss doing this but the only constant in life is change. And a special thanks to you for being here each week.