- Jack Webster
Jack Webster, CM, (
1915 -March 2 ,1999 ) was a Scottish-born Canadian journalist, radio and television personality.Life in the United Kingdom
Webster was born in
Glasgow , the son of a Clydeside ironturner. He worked in Glasgow and onFleet Street . WhenWorld War II broke out, Webster joined theBritish Army and rose to the rank ofMajor , with most of his six years' service in theMiddle East .Career in Canada
After the war's end, Webster emigrated to Canada. He covered the labor beat for the
Vancouver Sun newspaper. In 1953, he began to work on commercial radio in thetalk radio format (which had its origins inBritish Columbia before spreading to the US). Webster made his mark broadcasting shorthand transcripts of testimony during a probe into corruption on Vancouver's police force. His City Mike show onCJOR (AM) achieved some fame covering it.In 1963, prisoners at the BC Penitentiary were foiled in an escape attempt and took hostages. At the prisoners' request, Webster acted as a mediator between hostage-holding prisoners and the authorities and helped resolve the stand-off.
In 1979, at the age of 60, Webster moved his radio show to television where his familiar expression '9 am precisely' became the moniker for his show. An hour-long TV interview program which preceded the nightly news hour on BCTV and frequently dealt with
British Columbia politics .Recognition
In 1987, he was inducted into the Canadian News Hall of Fame. In 1988, he was made a Member of the
Order of Canada .Jack Webster Foundation
In 1986, more than 1,000 people attended a salute to Webster upon his retirement. This event resulted in the creation of the [http://www.jackwebster.com Jack Webster Foundation] to promote and honour excellence in journalism in British Columbia. Each year, journalists judged to have outstanding work receive a "Webster," a glass statue (and a cash prize) that have become the hallmark of journalistic excellence in British Columbia.
The awards have grown from a single "Reporter of the Year" in 1987 to 13 awards for: best news, best feature and best community news reporting (print, radio and TV awards in each of the three categories) as well as recognition for excellence in the categories of business reporting, science reporting, commentary, legal journalism, Chinese-language news, and the
Bruce Hutchison Lifetime Achievement Award. The Foundation also awards fellowships and six annual student reporting awards.Author
* 1990 - "Webster!: An Autobiography" ISBN 0888947062
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