Sign Offs

Don Jackson, on July 12 of cancer. Jackson was a longtime broadcaster and host of syndicated evening radio show “Lovers and Other Strangers” which aired across Canada and later in the U.S. Of her late colleague, Erin Davis told Broadcast Dialogue “He was a longtime staple of CHFI’s lineup, gracing the evening airwaves with a combination of poetry, wisdom and song, all woven together with a deft and artistic touch that I think has been unparalleled since.” Jackson’s most recent project involved producing inspirational webcasts under the “Heartbeat of the Internet” banner.

Michael McCabe, 82, on June 27 in Hanoi, Vietnam. McCabe started his political career as an executive assistant to former Liberal Finance Min. Mitchell Sharp, running his unsuccessful 1968 leadership campaign. He went on to hold many senior government positions, including Assistant Deputy Minister of Consumer and Corporate Affairs; Chairman of Policy Research for Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation; and Executive Director of the Canadian Film Development Corporation (which became Telefilm Canada). He was appointed President and CEO of the Canadian Association of Broadcasters (CAB) in 1988 serving as a powerful voice for the industry and championing numerous initiatives, including the Canadian Broadcast Standards Council (CBSC), the Radio Starmaker Fund and Fonds RadioStar, and Canadian Women in Communications, among others. Upon his retirement in 2001, he was inducted into the Canadian Broadcast Hall of Fame. He concluded his career as resident director of the CIDA-funded Policy Implementation Assistance Project in Hanoi, as an advisor to both the Office of the Prime Minister and senior committees of the National Assembly of Vietnam. Read Broadcast Dialogue Publisher Emeritus Howard Christensen’s tribute to McCabe, here.

Lawrence “Larry” Stout, 81, on June 27, following a battle with Alzheimer’s. Stout’s career in journalism started at CKOC Hamilton in 1960. He moved on to CKEY Toronto the following year, and then the Toronto Star, going on to work for CBC in 1964. Among the world events he covered for the public broadcaster were the 1973 Chilean coup, civil wars in Nicaragua, El Salvador, and Lebanon, among other conflicts, and Prince Charles wedding to Lady Diana Spencer. He also hosted CBC’s coverage of Pope John Paul II’s 1984 Papal Tour of Canada. After a brief foray into public relations, Larry joined CTV in 1989 as Toronto Bureau Chief and senior writer, also contributing to radio, CTV News and CTV Newsnet. He retired in 2005.

Gerri Barrer, 73, on June 23. Barrer was CBC Montreal’s longtime health reporter and a mainstay on the station for nearly three decades, starting in 1981. She retired in 2009. Watch one of Barrer’s 1991 reports, exploring Montreal’s Metro, here.

Garth Dawley, 86, on June 1 of ALS. Dawley was best known as the longtime anchor of CBC Winnipeg’s “24 Hours” supper hour newscast from 1970 to 1983. He started his career at CKX-AM Brandon in 1952, ascending to the role of news director and later joining CKX-TV when it launched in 1955. He moved to CKCK-TV Regina in 1957. Dawley joined CBC Winnipeg in 1966. In 1988, he took a leave from the public broadcaster to run as the PC candidate in Winnipeg South Centre. Unsuccessful in his attempt to enter politics, he returned to the CBC until the Mulroney government appointed him to the CRTC in the early 1990s as the first regional commissioner for Manitoba and Saskatchewan. He retired in 1998.