Alfie Scopp, 101, on July 24. Scopp’s broadcast career started during WWII while part of the RCAF in Newfoundland at local station CBG-AM. After the war, he attended the Lorne Greene Academy of Radio Arts, alongside Gordie Tapp, Fred Davis and Leslie Nielsen. He went on to numerous television credits, including creating the Clarabelle the Clown character on the Canadian Howdy Doody TV show; voiced the Scarecrow in the 1960s animated version of Tales of the Wizard of Oz; and was part of the voice cast for iconic 1964 Christmas special Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. He also appeared in six feature films, including playing the part of Avram in Norm Jewison’s Fiddler on the Roof. Scopp went on to hold the role of Program Manager for Front Page Challenge, and helped writing partners Frank Peppiatt and John Aylward mount the Hee Haw series and Global’s Everything Goes, among other voice and acting roles.
Peter Trueman, 86, on July 23, after a brief battle with cancer. Trueman began his media career in Ottawa in the mid-1950’s at the Ottawa Journal and went on to become a columnist for the Montreal Star in New York and later the Toronto Star. He got his feet wet in broadcasting in 1970 as a producer for The National, notably during the FLQ crisis. In 1974, he was hired as the first Global News anchor, known for ending his nightly newscasts with “That is not news. But that, too, is reality.” Trueman briefly left Global in 1977 to work for CTV, but soon returned going on to anchor for the network for another decade. In semi-retirement, he hosted series for Vision TV and Discovery Channel, including “Great Canadian Parks,” and worked on several documentaries for History Channel. In 1980, he also penned Smoke and Mirrors: The Inside Story of Television News in Canada. Trueman was named an officer of the Order of Canada in 2001.
Donn Kirton, 87, on July 20. Kirton started his career in radio in 1951 with an eight-month stint at CFPA Port Arthur in Northwestern, ON after applying to an ad in the Winnipeg Free Press. Eager to get back to his hometown of Winnipeg, he joined CKY where he ended up hosting the morning show, alongside Jack Wells. Kirton took a detour to help launch new station, CFOB Fort Frances, bought by the owners of Winnipeg’s CJOB, before returning to CKY as Promotions Manager until 1970. He moved east to Saint John, NB to take up the role of Operations Manager at one of Irving’s stations, before returning to Winnipeg once again and CJOB where he signed on to produce Peter Warren’s show. Kirton went on to work with the station until his retirement in 1996. In addition to his work with CJOB, he served as the Winnipeg Blue Bombers field announcer for 25 years and the Winnipeg Jets rink announcer for five years. He also lent his voice to numerous commercials, including Oreck Vacuum Cleaners and Granny’s Poultry.
Georges La Fleche, 85, on July 9. Born into a musical family in Winnipeg, La Fleche started his broadcast career in the 1950s, making his CBC Radio debut in Winnipeg and later TV in Montreal. Fully bilingual, he went on to host shows in both mediums in Calgary, Edmonton, Vancouver and Montreal, including the “BA Musical Showcase” which featured guests like Petula Clark and Frankie Laine; “Music Album” and “In the Round.” He also appeared with sister Gisele MacKenzie and his son Michel on Tommy Common’s “It’s a Musical World.” La Fleche later pursued a career with CBC Vancouver as a sports writer and anchor. He retired as Director of Television for Western Canada.
