Bruce Hogle, 95, on March 29. Hogle followed his father into journalism, starting out at the Prescott Journal and the Sudbury Star where his dad was editor, as well as the local radio station in Sudbury. The family moved to Medicine Hat in the late 1940s where he once again went to work for his father as a sports editor with the Medicine Hat News. He went on to join the Winnipeg Bureau of the Canadian Press as a staff writer, serve as editor of the Trail Daily Times, and then news director for CKRM Radio in Regina. In 1965, Hogle’s father passed away after moving to Edmonton to set up the newsroom for Sunwapta Broadcasting’s new television station. He was asked to step in at CFRN-TV and take over his father’s role as Manager of News, Sports and Public Affairs. Throughout his 30-year career with Sunwapta, Hogle produced thousands of radio and TV editorials, particularly drawn to injustice and fighting for society’s underdogs. In 1967, he produced the documentary “What About the Victim,” detailing issues faced by victims of crime. It prompted the creation of the Alberta Crimes Compensation Board, the first of its kind in Canada. His investigative work in the 1970s exposed landlords taking advantage of renters during economic boom times, leading to rent controls. In 1973, he initiated opening up Alberta’s legislative proceedings to live television coverage. In 1981, he also launched “Wednesday’s Child,” a regular feature to find families for difficult-to-adopt children with physical, mental and emotional handicaps. Hogle was also a supporter of women in broadcasting, instrumental in opening the door for Western Canada’s first female news anchor, Daphne Kuehn. He retired from the station in 1995. Hogle was inducted into the Alberta Order of Excellence in 2011, the Canadian Association of Broadcasters (CAB) Hall of Fame in 2007, and the Order of Canada in 1998.
“Big Don” Biefer, on March 29, following a long illness. “The Beef” was a mainstay on southern Ontario radio for two decades, starting in the late 1960s. Among his early stops were CKLB Oshawa, CJSS Cornwall, CHIC Brampton, and CKLC Kingston. By 1971, he had landed at CKFH Toronto to do overnights, the first of three stints at the Top 40 station. He left for two short-lived morning show stints in 1973, one at WOLF Syracuse, New York and the other at CHSJ Saint John, NB. He moved on from CKFH for good the following year to join CHAM Hamilton. The remainder of the ‘70s saw him split his time between CFTR Toronto and FM 108 (CING-FM) Burlington where he stayed until 1988. Following his radio career, Briefer owned and operated ProDJ, a Brampton-based disc jockey service.
