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] [14] the station's top-ranked newscast at the time. [4] [12] [14]

Smith was a member the National Association of Broadcast Employees and Technicians, [5] [15] the union that represented newsroom and television studio workers at CFTO. [15] [16] [17] During the 12-week lockout at the television station in the summer of 1988, [13] [17] [18] Smith was criticized by the union for crossing the picket line and anchoring the news throughout the dispute. [15] [16] [17] She resigned from CFTO in October 1988, [5] [6] [7] [19] ending a decade-long career in television news [5] [7] [19] that included six years in Toronto. [5] [19] Her final broadcast on World Beat News aired on October 21, 1988. [5] [7] [13] Following an absence of nearly five years, [20] Smith returned to television briefly as an afternoon news anchor for CKVR in Barrie, Ontario, [20] [21] on March 3, 1993. [20]

References

  1. ↑ "Friends, Beagles, Countrymen ...". Globe and Mail . March 27, 1986. p. E11.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Zyvatkauskas, Betty (November 27, 1982). "More than just a TV face that reads". Broadcast Week Magazine. p. 101.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Smith, Diane (May 28, 1983). "Grace under pressure". Starweek Magazine. p. 63.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Hume, Christopher (November 19, 1988). "Clearing the air". Starweek Magazine. p. 6.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Quill, Greg (October 26, 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. October 25, 1988. p. B1.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 "Ex-BCTV anchor quits Toronto job". Vancouver Sun . October 27, 1988. p. D8.
  8. ↑ Wilson, Peter (September 11, 1981). "TV News". Vancouver Sun. p. L4. Retrieved March 9, 2024.
  9. ↑ McLean, Ross (September 3, 1983). "Anchorwomen have looks and smarts but will they stand the test of time?". Globe and Mail. p. D10.
  10. ↑ Taylor, Bill (March 2, 1985). "News Wars". Starweek Magazine. pp. 4, 6.
  11. ↑ Adilman, Sid (August 26, 1982). "TV blurbs". Toronto Star. p. E6.
  12. 1 2 3 Bawden, Jim (August 3, 1984). "More news on local news overhauls". Toronto Star. p. C1.
  13. 1 2 3 "CFTO-DT". History of Canadian Broadcasting. Archived from the original on June 7, 2023. Retrieved February 28, 2015.
  14. 1 2 Bonner, Susan (Spring 1985). "The Right Staff". Ryerson Review of Journalism . Archived from the original on March 8, 2016. Retrieved August 21, 2025.
  15. 1 2 3 Edwards, Peter (July 17, 1988). "The lockout at CFTO: Death of a union local?". Toronto Star. pp. B1, B4.
  16. 1 2 Wong, Tony (June 8, 1988). "Locked-out CFTO workers threaten to push for viewer boycott of station". Toronto Star. p. A23.
  17. 1 2 3 Chadha, Ena (Spring 1989). "Sins of Omission". Ryerson Review of Journalism. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved August 21, 2025.
  18. ↑ Platiel, Rudy; MacLeod, Robert (September 1, 1988). "Deal struck in lockout dispute at CFTO". Globe and Mail. p. A17.
  19. 1 2 3 "Smith leaves CFTO anchor desk". Globe and Mail. October 25, 1988. p. A27.
  20. 1 2 3 Quill, Greg (February 28, 1993). "Teens talking to Street Cents". Toronto Star. p. C6.
  21. ↑ Christensen, Howard (April 1993). "People/Stations..." (PDF). Broadcast Technology. 18 (7): 13. Retrieved March 7, 2024.
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