Bill Inkol, 92, on March 15. Inkol was hired at CJCS Stratford in 1951 and quickly ascended to the position of sports director, before moving into TV in London in 1962. He went on to join CKCO-TV Kitchener as sports director in 1967 (now CTV Kitchener) where he would spend the rest of his career, up until his retirement in 1994. Among other programs, Inkol was known for co-hosting “Blue Jays Banter” and “Bowling for Dollars.” He also contributed to CTV national sports broadcasts and covered five Olympic Games, in addition to many other events.
Norm Wright, 82, on March 15. Wright’s career began in 1957 when he was hired at age 17 as an announcer at CFCO Radio in Chatham. He went on to work at CFJR Brockville, CKSF Cornwall and then mornings at CFRA Ottawa. In 1961, he moved into television at CKMI-TV Quebec City as a news anchor and host of the popular “Teen Club” show – a precursor to American Bandstand. In the early 1970s, he became owner and operator of CFOM Quebec City, while also earning agency experience as a Marketing Director with Pierre Tremblay Publicitee. Wright and his wife moved to Otty Lake just outside of Perth, ON in 1974 after being invited to join the faculty of Algonquin College’s Media Division in Ottawa, where he taught for 25 years in the Radio and Television Broadcasting program. While there, he also worked as a news, sports and weather anchor at the Ottawa CBC affiliate, CBOT-TV, from 1979 until 1992. Wright and business partner Brian Perkin, went on to secure a broadcast licence for Perth, founding Lake 88.1 (CHLK-FM) radio and teaming up with news announcers Michael O’Brien and later Ian Sutton to host Lake 88’s morning show in the early days of the station. Wright retired in 2014.
Donnie Verge, 80, on March 15. Hailing from Halifax, Verge began his television career with ATV (now CTV Atlantic) in 1966. In 1988, he moved over to Global Television as Operations Manager, until his retirement in 2005. Alongside his broadcast career, Verge was a Certified Master Guide and avid sportsman.