Gail Smith (journalist)

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Gail Smith (born September 4, 1955) [1] [2] is a former Canadian television journalist and news anchor. From Trenton, Ontario, [3] Smith received her bachelor's degree in mathematics [2] [3] from the University of Western Ontario [2] and a master's degree in journalism from Carleton University. [4]

Her broadcasting career started in 1978, [5] as a television news reporter, [2] producer [2] and news anchor [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] for BCTV in Vancouver, British Columbia. [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] Smith moved to Toronto, Ontario, and joined CFTO in February 1982 [2] as a television news reporter. [2] [4] Her career advancement at CFTO occurred at a time when the television news networks in Toronto competed to hire women as news anchors and attract larger audiences. [9] [10]

On September 4, 1982, [11] Smith became the first female weekend news anchor at CFTO. [3] [4] After the television ratings for the weekend news program climbed 55 per cent, [3] she became the station's first female late night news anchor on Night Beat News the following year. [4] On August 20, 1984, [12] she was the co-anchor of the early evening news program, World Beat News, [4] [12] [13] the station's top-ranked newscast at the time. [4] [12]

After a decade-long career in television news, [5] [7] [14] which included six years in Toronto, [5] [14] Smith resigned from CFTO. [5] [6] [7] [14] Her final broadcast on World Beat News aired on October 21, 1988. [5] [7] [13] After an absence of nearly five years, [15] Smith returned to television briefly as an afternoon news anchor for CKVR in Barrie, Ontario, [15] [16] on March 3, 1993. [15]

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References

  1. ↑ "Friends, Beagles, Countrymen ...". Globe and Mail. 27 March 1986. p. E11.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Zyvatkauskas, Betty (27 November 1982). "More than just a TV face that reads". Broadcast Week Magazine. p. 101.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Smith, Diane (28 May 1983). "Grace under pressure". Starweek Magazine. p. 63.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Hume, Christopher (19 November 1988). "Clearing the air". Starweek Magazine. p. 6.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Quill, Greg (26 October 1988). "TV anchor Gail Smith says it was time to move on". Toronto Star. p. E1.
  6. 1 2 3 "Gail Smith quits Night Beat News". Toronto Star. 25 October 1988. p. B1.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 "Ex-BCTV anchor quits Toronto job". Vancouver Sun. 27 October 1988. p. D8.
  8. ↑ Wilson, Peter (11 September 1981). "TV News". Vancouver Sun. p. L4. Retrieved 9 March 2024.
  9. ↑ McLean, Ross (3 September 1983). "Anchorwomen have looks and smarts but will they stand the test of time?". Globe and Mail. p. D10.
  10. ↑ Taylor, Bill (2 March 1985). "News Wars". Starweek Magazine. pp. 4, 6.
  11. ↑ Adilman, Sid (26 August 1982). "TV blurbs". Toronto Star. p. E6.
  12. 1 2 3 Bawden, Jim (3 August 1984). "More news on local news overhauls". Toronto Star. p. C1.
  13. 1 2 "CFTO-DT". History of Canadian Broadcasting. Archived from the original on 7 June 2023. Retrieved 28 February 2015.
  14. 1 2 3 "Smith leaves CFTO anchor desk". Globe and Mail. 25 October 1988. p. A27.
  15. 1 2 3 Quill, Greg (28 February 1993). "Teens talking to Street Cents". Toronto Star. p. C6.
  16. ↑ Christensen, Howard (April 1993). "People/Stations..." (PDF). Broadcast Technology. 18 (7): 13. Retrieved 7 March 2024.
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