Two days ago we held our RPM get together for radio and television professionals at the White Spot on Georgia Street. Today I got confirmation that one of the stalwarts of TV in our town had passed away at the age of 76.

Mike Winlaw was an important part of our community. He spent 13 years with CBC Vancouver as a news anchor and then a regular on the CBC-TV show Hourglass. When he left CBC he said he wanted to try other things and moved to CKVU (now CITY-TV) as one of the three hosts on the experimental Vancouver Show with Pia Shandel and Laurier LaPierre. This was a show that could not possibly succeed due to its length… eventually you run out of material. However, it was a true showcase of Vancouver and the varied talent the city provided then and now.

I worked with Mike on a few occasions and found him to be a true professional and decent human being with a lot of heart. In the late 80s he retired from CKVU, and to most of us disappeared. It was our loss from the television landscape then and our big loss now that he has passed. He will be remembered for his professionalism and million dollar smile. Farewell, Mike!

This from Dean Mailey:

“As you may know, I spent a year on the Vancouver Show writing and segment producing – worked with Mike, Pia, Terry David Mulligan, Laurier and Fotheringham – wow what a lot of talent.

You may also remember the story that Wasserman ran. When Mike cashed out his CBC pension he took the funds down to the local Porsche store and bought a car. He was so proud of that car – one day I was admiring it and he flipped me the keys and let me take us for a ride. Testimony to the generous, happy guy he was.

You’re so right Red – he has been and will be missed.”