Darrel Janz, 83, on Nov. 2. Janz grew up in the small town of Main Centre, SK, initially pursuing teaching as a career, but after just one year landed at CFAM Radio in Altona, MB where he kicked off six decades in broadcasting in 1962. From there, he moved on to CHAB-TV & Radio in Moose Jaw and then CFQC-TV Saskatoon. By the late 1960s, he was anchoring and reporting on Montreal’s CFCF-TV. A brief stint anchoring in London, ON at CFPL-TV followed, before Janz joined CFCN-TV (now CTV Calgary), where he signed a five-year contract, but stayed for the next 50 years. Janz anchored the 6 p.m. and 11:30 p.m. newscasts from 1973-87, and then co-anchored the 6 p.m. cast From 1987 to 2010, 21 of those years with Barb Higgins. After Higgins left CTV to run for mayor in 2010, Janz returned to reporting, launching the weekly “Inspired” series that profiled exceptional Albertans and ran for 13 years. In addition to his work on television, Janz was a broadcast journalism instructor at SAIT for 11 years and at Mount Royal College for 15. He retired from CTV at the end of 2023 and had been hosting interview show” Legacy Makers,” alongside Bill Clements, on YES TV for the last year and a half, continuing to come into the studio up until just a month before his passing. Among the accolades Janz was presented with over the years were numerous RTNDA Awards, including the RTNDA Lifetime Achievement Award in 2006; the Western Association of Broadcasters (WAB) Hall of Fame Award; an Honorary Bachelor of Communications – Journalism Degree from Mount Royal College; Honorary Bachelor of Applied Technology Degree from SAIT; the Heart of Calgary Award recognizing volunteer efforts; and the City of Calgary Award for Community Activism.
