SIGN-OFFS:
Kenneth Haslam, Nov. 17, in Warkworth, ON. Remembered by his colleagues as the CBC “language god” who would rap broadcasters’ knuckles for bad grammar, Haslam began his radio career with CBC at age 19 in his hometown of Montréal. In 1953, he joined the English Language Division of Radio Nederland in Hilversum, the Netherlands, as a news reader. He eventually returned to CBC Toronto where he was a familiar staple on both the network news desk and the original host of the long-running show “Ideas,” which began airing in 1965. A passionate fan of jazz and the classics, Ken also took a turn at hosting “Afternoon Concert” and “Symphony Hall.” As Broadcast Language Counsellor in Toronto, he coached other CBC news readers and broadcasters on proper pronunciation and other presentation errors that left a lasting legacy beyond his retirement from the public broadcaster in 1990.
