Thursday, October 23, 2014

A pair of Prince Rupert connections to CBC retirement announcement

Change will be coming to the radio in 2015, as the CBC Radio British Columbia announced a programming change for the new year, one which has a pair of Prince Rupert connections.

After thirty years, Mark Forsythe, currently the host of BC Almanac, a program he has hosted for eighteen years, will step away from the microphone, his pending retirement announced on Tuesday afternoon.

Mr. Forsythe, once was found at the local CBC studios, back in their full service days, hosting a variety of shifts, most famously as the morning host prior to his departure for greater glory with the national broadcaster.

He has been a fixture on the Vancouver based mid-day BC Almanac show for a number of years, yet has returned to the North Coast on occasion, focusing on a number of issues that have been important to the region.

In a Globe and Mail interview of Tuesday, Mr. Forsythe pointed towards ongoing funding concerns at the CBC as one of the factors that led to his decision to step down from the CBC after thirty years.

His final broadcast will be on Christmas eve, after which he will turn his attention to other pursuits, including writing.

As he steps aside from his studio, another familiar name to Prince Rupert will slide into the chair, with Gloria Macarenko named as the new host of the program starting in 2015.

Her story is of course also quite familiar to residents of the North Coast, her rise from radio work in the area eventually taking her to hosting duties at CBC Television, most recently as one of the hosts of the evening news.

She will taking on expanded duties with the CBC with her new appointment, as she also will continue to host a pair of other CBC programs based out of Vancouver.

She will bring her knowledge of British Columbia issues and news makers to the BC Almanac program, and perhaps like Forsythe, make the odd trip to the Northwest.  Though in her case, those journey's would be trips back home, looking to explore more of the issues of the North Coast and relay the to the wider audience across the province.

The Globe and Mail review of Mr. Forsythe's work and reaction from CBC management appeared yesterday, you can review it here.

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