Text of introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver at TheCommentary.ca.

Chris Gailus joins me now. The Global BC personality anchors the landmark News Hour broadcast weekdays at 6.00pm here. He joins me today to talk about news, being the anchor, BC’s anchor if you see him across town on billboards and the sort. He began his career in Calgary and went to work in Dallas, anchoring there, before co-anchoring the morning program Good Day New York, in well, New York City. He returned to Canada in 2006 as a weekend anchor, and transitioned in as the lead anchor around 2009-2010 when Tony Parsons left Global BC. He’s a new dad too, his wife Jane Carrigan, also at Global, have recently adopted. The website is at www.globaltvbc.com. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Global BC News Hour anchor Chris Gailus; Good morning, Mr. Gailus.

Oliver’s Twist: The Life and Times of An Unapologetic Newshound by Craig Oliver. (Viking, 2011) Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: Oliver’s Twist

Text of introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver at TheCommentary.ca.

This has been a heavy season for political books, what with the major biographies on Macdonald, King, John Turner, Thomas D’Arcy McGee, among four major releases this fall. There are also popular political books, like Peter Newman’s on the Liberal Party, as well as memoirs; the one from Allan Fotheringham was a notable read. The one that I found a great read, not just because it had analysis of politics and media over the last couple of decades, but also because it has gossip is Craig Oliver’s book. In Oliver’s Twist: The Life and Times of An Unapologetic Newshound you get funny, candid, and fascinating stories, but you also get the deeply personal story of the famed television journalist. You read the heartrending story of Mr. Oliver’s childhood in Prince Rupert, BC, about his bootlegger father and his alcoholic mother. You read about being abandoned as a child, his beginnings in broadcasting, right up to today where he’s one of the most recognised, respected, and beloved journalists in Canada. He lived this remarkable life having to deal with failing eyesight. In those passages about finding out about losing his eyesight, you glean courage, but also lessons in not feeling self pity. It’s a great book, and published by Viking. Craig Oliver is the chief parliamentary correspondent for CTV News, and the co-host of Question Period. He’s won a multitude of awards. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program in Ottawa this day, Craig Oliver; Good morning, Mr. Oliver.

Boy From Nowhere: A Life in Ninety-One Countries by Allan Fotheringham. (Dundurn, 2011) Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: Boy From Nowhere

Text of introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver at TheCommentary.ca.

It was Dalton Camp who said that because of my guest now, people read their issues of Maclean’s magazine from back to front. For 27 years from 1976 to 2003, Allan Fotheringham was the back page columnist, skewering as he did and shining a light on the politics and culture of this country in his winning and witty way. Before that he was a long time columnist in the Vancouver Sun and in a number of Southam newspapers, and he’s also appeared regularly in the Toronto Sun, the Globe and Mail, and the National Post. He’s the author of eight previous books, and he’s just come out with his memoirs: Boy From Nowhere: A Life in Ninety-One Countries. He was born in Hearne, Saskatchewan nearly 80 years ago, a town so small, he writes, that they didn’t have a village idiot, everyone took turns. He’s lived in Toronto now for 30 years or more, where he joins me from this morning, but he’s identified as from these parts, being from Vancouver, from British Columbia. I grew up reading Fotheringham in high school in the mid-to-late 1990s, idolising his style on the page and off. I don’t dress as well, and I don’t write anymore, because he does both seemingly so well and so effortlessly, it’s mind-boggling. This new book is a wonderful reminder of what a terrific writer Allan Fotheringham has been for well over fifty years, and how much he’s missed from the regular pages of our press. We’ll discuss this charming book, and this charmed life and career, the recent medical disaster in his life, and how he views the country today. I’ll also get him to remember some giants in this country, namely Jack Webster and Marjorie Nichols. The book is published by Dundurn. I’m very pleased to welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Allan Fotheringham; Good morning, Mr. Fotheringham.

Text of introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver at TheCommentary.ca.

Gary Bannerman died on Monday, 11 July 2011. The broadcaster, journalist and author is being remembered as an iconic radio host. That he was. From 1972 to 1988, he was the premiere talk show host on radio station CKNW, going head to head with the legendary Jack Webster. He bested Webster in the ratings, and raised the bar for talk shows in this town and this province. He held politicians to account, reported on big stories in British Columbia and around the world, and not to mention was an advocate for the consumer. He negotiated a hostage taking, and covered the 1973 Middle East War. He left CKNW in 1988 amidst some acrimonious contract negotiations and some personal health issues. He sat on the BC Ferries board for a time, and with his wife Patricia, established Bannerline Corporate Communications, a consulting firm that kept him busy. His Wikipedia entry states that his consulting and writing work kept him so busy, his media appearances were restricted to rare guest appearances. He appeared on this program twice. He was a welcome guest, and a gracious, generous friend to the program. We exchanged emails from time to time, and up to this past April, we were planning another interview. Alas, we never got to it. I regret very much never following up and having him on again, and I feel bad that I never got to tell him, how much I appreciated his support early in the life of this program, for the kind words he had for my work, and for the lessons he imparted both conspicuously and simply in the way he comported himself. I never met Gary Bannerman, and I never really heard Gary’s shows, because I was only four when he left CKNW in 1988. But if one availed themselves of history, picked up a book say, it wasn’t difficult to see how much of giant he was in broadcasting, and how prodigiously talented he was. And later, in the conversations on the telephone, the emails, and the sort, I got to know him best as a person who was generous and kind.

On the program now, I’ve called on some of Gary Bannerman’s friends and colleagues, who join me to remember him, acknowledge what we’ve lost, and what his impact was on his business and our province. First is Gary’s long time producer and friend, the legendary radio producer Shirley Stocker. I’ll also talk to an old friend of Bannerman’s former premier Bill Vander Zalm; a former colleague and competitor, Rafe Mair; and the political commentator Alex Tsakumis, who has on his website a very fine tribute to Gary. And throughout this program today, I’ll play a couple of cuts from Gary Bannerman’s appearances on this show.

When I sketched out a list of the people I wanted to talk to about Gary Bannerman, one name was at the top of the list. I’m delighted she’s on the line now. Shirley Stocker was Gary Bannerman’s producer at CKNW. She was the executive producer for many of the great talk shows on the station. She is currently the Executive Director of the CKNW Orphan’s Fund, and will retire from that position shortly. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Shirley Stocker; Good morning, Ms. Stocker.

Text of introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver at TheCommentary.ca.

Ezra Levant joins me again. He is the bestselling author of Shakedown, his book on Canadian human rights commissions, and Ethical Oil, his last book, which was on Canada’s oil sands. He’s a conservative firebrand and activist, known for his strident political views. They’ll have a new home next week on the Sun News Network. He’ll host a nightly primetime program on the network. We’ll ask him about that, as well as the current federal election campaign; what’s he watching, and what does he think we can expect. www.ezralevant.com is his website. The website for Sun News is at www.sunnewsnetwork.ca. Please welcome back to the Planta: On the Line program, Ezra Levant; Good day, Mr. Levant.

Text of introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver at THECOMMENTARY.CA.

One of my favourite reads online is the Savvy Insider. It’s a terrific newsletter you can read on their website at www.savvyinsider.ca, or you can read it in your e-mail which I do. You can subscribe to it on their website. I like the restaurant reviews—there’s a regular feature called Cheap Appetite, where we read about affordable eating in Vancouver. There are product reviews, the watching of trends and more. If you’re interested in sales, there are alerts as well. The Savvy Insider’s editor, George Froehlich joins me now. He is a veteran journalist and television executive. We’ll check in today about some of the recent stories on the Savvy Insider, as well as catch up with George, his recent travels and other things on his radar. Please welcome back to the Planta: On the Line program, George Froehlich; Good morning, Mr. Froehlich.

The Imperfectionists by Tom Rachman. (Anchor, 2010) Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: The Imperfectionists

Text of introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver at THECOMMENTARY.CA.

Tom Rachman joins me now. The former journalist is the author of the critical and bestselling hit novel, The Imperfectionists. It was a New York Times bestseller and on the long list for the Giller Prize. It’s an astonishing novel about the men and women at an international English-language newspaper based in Rome. Each chapter is the story of a particular character, like the first is on the Paris correspondent Lloyd Burko, while others include the editor-in-chief Kathleen, the corrections editor Herman Cohen, a reader of the paper Ornella De Monterecchi, the publisher of the paper Oliver Ott, among many others. Throughout these stories we get a sense of what’s happening at the paper, and an interesting look at the times. We also have between the chapters, these stories about the background of the paper, its founders, its founding, and more. I couldn’t put this book down, and I didn’t want it to end. It’s a remarkable book, whose rights have already been purchased by Hollywood. Brad Pitt’s production company has optioned the film rights for the book. Tom Rachman was born in London, where he lives, but he grew up here in Vancouver, and studied film in Toronto, and journalism at Columbia. He was a foreign correspondent for the Associated Press, and was an editor based in Paris for the International Herald Tribune. www.tomrachman.com is his website. The soft cover is from Anchor Books. In Vancouver today, please welcome to the Planta: On the Line Program, Tom Rachman; Good morning, Mr. Rachman.

Text of introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver at THECOMMENTARY.CA.

CTV British Columbia’s Mike Killeen and Tamara Taggart join me now. They’ve been anchoring CTV’s News at Six on channel 9 for a couple of weeks now, succeeding Bill Good and Pamela Martin. Debuting on the 3rd of January, they’ve long been well-known and long-time figures in the media market in this part of the world. Mike Killeen is an award-winning reporter, who’s reported around the world, most recently as CTV’s Vancouver 2010 Reporter. He’s also the former weekend anchor of the CTV News at Six. Tamara Taggart is perhaps the most recognisable personality in television in BC. The long-time weathercaster, has been an audience favourite, topping the polls and the sort. She’s co-hosted with Regis Philbin, and is the mother of three children. Mike’s got two sons as well. www.ctvbc.ca is the website, where you can watch the broadcast. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Mike Killeen and Tamara Taggart; Good morning, Ms. Taggart, and good morning, Mr. Killeen.

Text of introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver at THECOMMENTARY.CA.

This past summer, you couldn’t go around major Canadian cities without running into billboards or bus shelters featuring her picture. We were welcoming Dawna Friesen back to Canada, as it were. The Global National Anchor and Executive Editor joins me now. She’s been at the helm of Global’s supper hour newscast since September. We’ll check in now about the show and more. Previously to joining Global, for 11 years Dawna Friesen was a foreign correspondent and anchor for NBC News. Before that, the Winnipeg-native was a national correspondent for CTV, as well she was a reporter and anchor at the CBC here in Vancouver. Global National airs weeknights at 5.30 pm, 6.30 in the Maritimes on Global. There’s also a weekend newscast, Saturdays and Sundays. The website for more, is at www.globalnational.com. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Dawna Friesen; Good morning, Ms. Friesen.

Future Babble: Why Expert Predictions Fail—And Why We Believe Them Anyway by Dan Gardner. (McClelland & Stewart, 2010) Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: Future Babble

Text of introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line. In Vancouver, this is THECOMMENTARY.CA.

Dan Gardner joins me again. He is the author of a new book, Future Babble: Why Expert Predictions Fail—And Why We Believe Them Anyway. I’m reading the book now, and it’s awfully thought-provoking and often surreal. We seem to want experts, in nearly every field to predict what’s going to happen in the future, whether it’s this weekend’s weather forecast, the economy in a year, the state of the world for our children. And with research on psychology, political science, and behavioural economics, more often than not the average expert as seen on television, as heard on the radio, as read in the newspaper or on the internet, is no more accurate than a flipped coin. Mr. Gardner was last on for his book Risk, which was a bestseller. Like that book, this one is a challenging, fascinating read. Dan Gardner is a senior writer and columnist at the Ottawa Citizen, as well he’s a popular public speaker, who holds degrees in law and history. The website for more is www.dangardner.ca. Future Babble is published by McClelland & Stewart. Please welcome back to the Planta: On the Line program, Dan Gardner; Good morning, Mr. Gardner.