Pamela Wallin

Pamela Wallin, OC, SOM (born 2 January 1953) is a Canadian television journalist and diplomat of Swedish descent. She was born in Wadena, Saskatchewan.

After obtaining a degree in psychology and political science from the University of Saskatchewan, Regina Campus (now the University of Regina), she began her career as a social worker at the Saskatchewan Federal Penitentiary. The following year, she began her career in journalism, joining CBC Radio's news division.

In 1979, she joined the Ottawa bureau of the "Toronto Star". In 1981, she joined CTV and became cohost, with Norm Perry, of "Canada AM". In 1985, CTV named her its Ottawa bureau chief. She later rejoined "Canada AM", hosting alongside J.D. Roberts.

In 1992, the CBC hired Wallin in a highly publicized move. For many years, "The National" had been followed by a 40-minute nightly newsmagazine, hosted by Barbara Frum, called "The Journal". However, as a result of Frum's death in February 1992, the CBC wanted to revamp and reposition its entire approach to news programming.

In the fall of that year, Wallin and Peter Mansbridge debuted as the cohosts of "Prime Time News". Instead of the old segregation of Mansbridge reading the news on "The National", followed by Frum introducing documentary and current affairs features and interviewing newsmakers on "The Journal", the new show featured Wallin and Mansbridge as equal hosts of the whole package. As well, the new show aired at 9 p.m., one hour earlier than the old "National"/"Journal" tandem.

The show fared poorly in the ratings, and by 1994, had returned to its old format and time slot, with Mansbridge reading the news, followed by Wallin hosting a magazine segment which eventually took on the name "The National Magazine".

In 1995, Wallin was replaced as host of "The Magazine" by Hana Gartner. Following her dismissal from CBC News, Wallin created her own production company, and launched a daily interview series called "Pamela Wallin Live". Airing on CBC Newsworld (and, in some years, on the CBC's main network as well), "Pamela Wallin Live" was a highly successful series which featured Wallin interviewing newsmakers, celebrities and other interesting personalities in a manner similar to CNN's "Larry King Live". Wallin was regarded as an excellent interviewer, and the show ran for four years before Wallin moved to the cable network TalkTV.

In 2000, Wallin hosted the Canadian edition of "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?". She was criticized by some observers for compromising her journalistic integrity, but noted in response that as an interviewer and television producer, she was no longer working as a journalist in the traditional sense of the word.

In 2001, Wallin, along with then-Foreign Affairs Minister John Manley, was one of the organizers of the "Canada Loves New York" rally for Canadians to show their support after the September 11, 2001 attacks (Manley ran in the New York City Marathon in 2001, a contributing factor to organize the rally). In 2003, Wallin and Senator Jerry Grafstein were honored by the [http://www.canadian-society.com/gallery/gala2003/ Canadian Society of New York] for their ongoing commitment to strengthening the ties between Canada and the United States. (See: [http://www.canadian-society.com/gallery/gala2003/speeches/wallin.pdf Wallin's acceptance speech] ) In 2001, Wallin spoke publicly about her battle with colon cancer.

On June 25, 2002, Wallin's television career came to an end when Prime Minister Jean Chrétien appointed her to a four-year term as Canada's Consul General in New York City, her first diplomatic posting. After she became a senior adviser to the president of the Americas Society and the Council of the Americas in New York. In March 2007, she was appointed the seventh Chancellor of the University of Guelph and will be installed in June 2007. [cite web |url=http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/March2007/06/c7784.html |title=Pamela Wallin Named University of Guelph Chancellor |accessdate=2008-08-11 |work=CNW Newswire |publisher=CNW Newswire |date=2007-03-06 ] She is also now a corporate director of CTVglobemedia.

Wallin was appointed to the Panel on Canada's Future Role in Afghanistan, chaired by former cabinet minister John Manley.

Wallin has also published two books, "Since You Asked" (ISBN 978-0679310082) and "Speaking of Success" (ISBN 1552633705), and has made cameo appearances on the Canadian comedy series "Royal Canadian Air Farce" and "Corner Gas".

Honours

In 1994, her home town of Wadena, Saskatchewan named its major street "Pamela Wallin Drive" in her honour. In 1999, she was awarded the Saskatchewan Order of Merit. In 2007, she was made an Officer of the Order of Canada. [cite web |url=http://www.gg.ca/media/doc.asp?lang=e&DocID=5131 |title=Governor General Announces New Appointments to the Order of Canada |accessdate=2008-08-11 |work=Website of the Governor General of Canada |publisher=Governor General of Canada |date=2007-06-29 ] In 2008, Toastmasters International announced that Wallin would be that year's winner of their "Golden Gavel" award, to be presented at their annual conference in August. [cite web |url=http://www.j-source.ca/english_new/detail.php?id=2640 |title=Wallin wins Golden Gavel award |accessdate=2008-08-11 |work=J-Source |publisher=The Canadian Journalism Project |date=2008-07-14 |author=Ray, Regan]

Pamela Wallin has received 13 honorary degrees, including from Athabasca University, the University of Lethbridge and the University of Windsor.

Notes and References

External links

* [http://www.pamelawallin.com Official web site]

s-ttl|title=Chancellor of the University of Guelph
years=June 2007-