Phillip “Pip” Wedge, former Vice-President of Programming at CTV and a pioneer inductee of the Canadian Association of Broadcasters (CAB) Hall of Fame has passed away at the age of 98. Wedge died unexpectedly on April 15.
Born in London, England, Wedge started his career in the music business, serving as Publicity Manager for Philips Records and as Assistant Editor of the New Musical Express (NME), among other roles. He joined Associated-Rediffusion, the first commercial television station to go to air in the UK, in 1955. He set up and ran their Music Department, before moving into roles as Assistant Head of Light Entertainment, Acting Head of Light Entertainment and Manager of Children’s Programs.
Wedge arrived in Canada in 1964 to produce a Canadian adaptation of British game show “Double Your Money,“ which aired locally-produced versions on seven CTV affiliates across the country. That led to Wedge taking the job of Executive Producer in Montreal the following year, where he was responsible for series like “B.A. Musical Showcase,” ”It’s Your Move,“ “Words and Music” and “Fractured Phrases.“ He went on to become Executive Producer in Toronto, then Promotion Manager, and by 1970 was Director of Development, working alongside President Murray Chercover on the development and production of several co-productions broadcast on both on CTV and the U.S. He also launched CTV’s first foray into international program sales.
In May 1973, he was appointed Vice-President, Programming, a position he held until December 1993. He chaired the Network Program Committee, was responsible for acquisition of U.S, series, and handled integration of the network program schedule with the stations’ locally-acquired programs. Wedge retired from CTV in June 1994, but continued to consult for the network.
Outside his work with CTV, Wedge served on the Board of the Broadcast Executives’ Society and was one of the founding directors of the North American Broadcasters Association (NABA), serving as Chairman for a two-year term. He was also a longstanding adjudicator with the Canadian Broadcast Standards Council (CBSC).
He was also heavily involved with the Canadian Communications Foundation (CCF) for more than two decades – a Centennial Broadcast Museum project funded by the CAB – that among other projects, published a comprehensive database of radio and television station histories, ownership, networks, and programming, as well as research articles on broadcasting in Canada. Wedge went on to serve as the organizatin’s president in 2012 and Executive Director from 2015 to 2023 when CCF wrapped up its operations.
Wedge was inducted into the CAB Broadcast Hall of Fame in 2006.
