RTDNA President Ian Koenigsfest says, “The 8 winners of the 2024 RTDNA Canada Lifetime Achievement award symbolise the rich history and tradition of Canada’s electronic broadcast industry. Each recipient has made a lasting and memorable mark on their community and the country as a whole.” Koenigsfest added, “Their contribution and commitment to a strong media in Canada helps to define the excellence of journalism in this country.”
Atlantic
Gary MacDonald has had a storied career, working from one end of the country to the other. A long time news director and talk show host, he spent years toiling the airwaves at CHSJ and CFBC.. Most of his career has been in New Brunswick, but he spent a brief stint in Kelowna, BC. Gary retires at the end of the year as Director of News at Acadia Broadcasting. He has mentored many journalists, and was always eager to help other news directors with his knowledge of the latest equipment and trends. Gary was very active in RTDNA, hosting several regional conferences in the 80’s and 90’s.
Allan Rowe will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award posthumously. The former broadcaster and politician passed away last year at the age of 58. Rowe was born in Hamilton, Ontario and had a broadcast journalism career that spanned 31 years. He started in radio in Ontario before moving to CJYQ in St. John’s. He started in television with the Atlantic Satellite Network (ASN) in Newfoundland and moved to the main ATV & ASN station in Halifax, Nova Scotia, where he worked as a reporter for several years. Rowe joined Global Maritimes in 1995 and during his 17 years there he worked as assignment editor, reporter, producer and acting station manager. He was News Director in his last five years at Global. He retired from broadcasting in 2024 and was elected as a Liberal MLA in the 2024 Nova Scotia general election. He suffered an aneurysm February 20, 2024 and passed away the following month.
Central
Peter Mansbridge has spent over four decades at the CBC, 27 years as anchor and has become the trusted journalist that Canadians turn to for analysis during elections, clarity during national emergencies and of course, nightly excellence on The National. Over that time, Mansbridge estimates that he has conducted over 15,000 interviews and has spoken to countless Canadian and international leaders. He remains the only Canadian journalist to have interviewed U.S. President Barack Obama. He has devoted himself to excellence, to his craft and to public service for the people of Canada. In 2024 he became the longest-serving active anchor among the big three networks in Canada. Mansbridge won the RTDNA’s President’s Award in 2024.
Tom Clark has witnessed and written about history-making events in Canada and around the world for more than 40 years. He has interviewed every prime minister since Lester B. Pearson and covered every federal election campaign since 1974. He was the CTV bureau chief in Beijing during the early 1980’s, and spent five years as CTV’s bureau chief in Washington DC. In that posting, he interviewed President George Bush, the first time an American president had conducted a formal, sit-down interview with a Canadian network. In 2024 Tom joined Global News as the network’s chief political correspondent.
Prairie
Murray Wood is celebrating 35 years with Rawlco Radio in a storied career that has seen him in a variety of roles both on and off the air. Starting at 17 as a reporter and anchor in North Battleford, Murray also worked in Calgary and Ottawa before returning to Regina as News Director. In 1998, CJME became a news talk format evolving into the station we know it today. In 2024 he became news director for both CJME and CKOM. Throughout his time on news talk he has continued his on-air presence with The Wood File. A minute-long commentary touching on everything from news and life. Murray has over 35 RTNDA regional and national awards along with the Canadian Association of Broadcasters Gold Ribbon Award.
Gord Steinke career in broadcasting reflects a lifetime of remarkable achievement. He began at CBC radio in Regina in 1985. He moved into television at CBC Regina and it was clear his development as a major on-air talent was happening quickly. In 1989, he was recruited by KSTP in Minneapolis to become one of the first anchors at an all news cable channel that was just being launched in the United States. He signed on at CITV, now Global Edmonton, where he continues to anchor the 5 pm and 6 pm newscasts every weekday. He’s very well known in Edmonton and across Northern Alberta for his community work. In particular, Kids with Cancer. This charity and the children it serves have become a passion for Gord. He’s also been active with “Mothers against Drunk Drivers” after an impaired driver killed his sister in 1996.
BC
Clive Jackson has been a large part of the B.C. broadcasting community for 35 years. His career in journalism began in London’s Fleet Street tabloids in the early 1970s. Clive was a seasoned newsman by the time he arrived in Vancouver in the late ’70s. In 1980 Clive was hired as a reporter for BCTV (now Global BC). For a decade he covered the most important stories including the Clifford Olsen case and Expo 86. In 1990 he became an Assignment Editor and continued in that role for the rest of his career. Most of that time was spent at Global BC. He was lured away for a short time in the late ’90’s by the newly established CTV BC station. However Global BC was his true home and in 2024 he returned and worked there until his retirement in August 2024. Teamed with such broadcasting legends as Ray Peters, Cameron Bell, and Keith Bradbury – Clive was an integral part of the group that made the BCTV News Hour the ratings and journalistic success it continues to be to this day.
Frank Stanford is a 44-year veteran of the radio news industry. He’s spent over 30 years of that time at Victoria’s C-FAX 1070, where he’s served as a beat reporter, morning news anchor, news director, talk show host, and mentor to generations of young broadcasters who have come through the C-FAX door. Frank is above all a reporter. He continues, after decades, to generate local news using his extensive contacts and deep understanding of his community. He’s a driving force behind the news gathering operations at C-FAX and breaks stories in Victoria as a matter of routine. Frank has a unique view of the world, which provides the basis of his daily editorial commentary. His first on-air job was in his hometown of Powell River at CHQB in 1971. He’s also been a voice in Red Deer, Alberta; CFSL Weyburn, Saskatchewan; CKOV Kelowna and Vancouver’s CJOR.
The RTDNA Lifetime Achievement Award is one of the highest honours bestowed by RTDNA Canada. It is presented to individuals who have distinguished themselves through outstanding service and continued excellence during the course of their career in broadcast journalism. The award is for lifetime achievement rather for a single contribution. Nominees should have a minimum of 30 years of distinguished service to broadcast journalism.
The Atlantic Region awards will be presented April 16, 2024 at Nova Scotia Community College, Dartmouth, NS. The BC Region awards will be present April 23, 2024 at the Pan Pacific Hotel, Vancouver, BC. The Prairie awards will be presented on April 23, 2024 at Desert Blue Country Club, Medicine Hat, AB. The Central awards will be presented June 3, 2024 at Shangri-La Hotel, Toronto, ON.
Have your say: