Here’s Mike: And Junkyard Granny, Whistling Bernie Smith, the Robertson Screwdriver, Pancakes & Eternal Truth by Mike McCardell. (Harbour Publishing, 2011) Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: Here’s Mike

Text of introduction by Joseph Planta:

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

For the fifth year now, around this time of year, just before Christmas, I get to talk to the great Mike McCardell. It might be an overstatement to call him ‘great,’ but it’s not. He happens to have a book out around this time, but he’s always welcome on this program. He’s the marvellous storyteller seen at the end of Global’s News Hour. He’s out now with his seventh book, again a wonderful collection of stories we’ve seen on television, as well as anecdotes he’s collected over his many years of reporting, meeting the colourful, interesting, fascinating people throughout the city and its environs. The book is called Here’s Mike: And Junkyard Granny, Whistling Bernie Smith, the Robertson Screwdriver, Pancakes & Eternal Truth. It’s from Harbour Publishing, and if you buy the book before 29 February 2012, partial proceeds will go to Variety—The Children’s Charity. These books of Mike, all bestsellers, have raised over $75,000 for Variety. www.globaltvbc.com is the website for Mike’s pieces. Please welcome back to the Planta: On the Line program, Mike McCardell; Good morning, Mr. McCardell.

Manny Pacquiao by David Drebin. (C.J. Oyster Publishing, 2011) Click to buy this book: Manny Pacquiao

Text of introduction by Joseph Planta:

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

Manny Pacquiao is without a doubt the most famous Filipino in the world today. A new book captures the boxing champion through the lens of the noted photographer David Drebin, who joins me now. Mr. Drebin photographed Pacquiao, capturing him training, and in and out of the ring, giving the viewer a glimpse into the world of the fighter who carries at least ten world titles, not to mention other monikers such as ‘fighter of the decade,’ ‘the people’s champ,’ and the best ‘pound for pound fighter’ in boxing today. The book is called, appropriately enough, Manny Pacquiao. It is the first and only authorised book of photographs of Pacquiao, and it features a foreword from the boxing promoter Bob Arum. David Drebin who joins me from Miami Beach this day, is a graduate of the Parsons School of Design, and is an internationally renowned photographer. His work has sold at record prices, and he counts celebrities as fans and collectors of his pieces. Mr. Drebin’s work is known for its dramatic, epic, and cinematic qualities. They’re described as voyeuristic, psychological and opulent, among some choice adjectives. The book is published by C.J. Oyster Publishing and is available at www.mannyboxingbook.com, where you can get a deluxe hardcover, or a more affordable paperback. The website for more is at www.daviddrebin.com. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, David Drebin; Good morning, Mr. Drebin.

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.

Text of introduction by Joseph Planta:

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

It’s the Monday after the election here in Vancouver, and joining me now to look at what happened is the Georgia Straight’s editor Charlie Smith. With the re-election of Gregor Robertson as mayor and a majority of his Vision Vancouver candidates on council, as well as majorities on parks and school boards, where do we go from here over the next three years? What happened to COPE, their allies in this election, who got shut out? Where’s the NPA? There’s been some thoughtful analysis on the vote on the Straight’s website over the weekend, www.straight.com. Please welcome back to the Planta: On the Line program, Charlie Smith; Good morning, Mr. Smith.

Text of introduction by Joseph Planta:

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

We continue looking at the municipal election here in Vancouver with my guest now Sean Antrim. He’s someone whose work has hit my radar because I’ve been following him on Twitter. His handle is @seanantrim. He’s an artist, economist, and thoughtful political observer. He co-founded The Mainlander, a website that’s covering this municipal election, providing analysis and interviews with candidates. That’s at www.themainlander.com. It’s billed itself as ‘Vancouver’s Place for Progressive Politics.’ Sean’s got another website, VIEWdalism, it’s also quite good www.viewdalism.wordpress.com. We’ll discuss the campaign from his vantage point a week before the November 19th vote. Who’s up, who’s down, who’s ahead and who’s not. Also, we’ll look at the themes throughout this campaign. Occupy Vancouver seems to be revolving around and in this election. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Sean Antrim; Good morning, Mr. Antrim.

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.

Tomorrow and Friday at the Vancouver International Film Festival screens a fascinating, important documentary, Give Up Tomorrow. It’s about a young man in the Philippines, Paco Larrañaga, half-Spanish, half-Filipino who’s sent to death row for a crime he didn’t commit. Two sisters in Cebu, an island nearly 600 kilometres from Manila, Marijoy Choing and Jacqueline Choing disappear in 1997. At the time of their alleged disappearance, rape and murder, Larrañaga was elsewhere, which some 35 witnesses have testified to.

Over the years, I’ve indulged my interest in the Philippines by talking about its politics, history and its culture with various guests. With my guest now, the film’s producer, Marty Syjuco, we’ll talk about this case, what happened, how the country dealt with capital punishment, how corruption and the media twist things beyond recognition. I’ll ask Mr. Syjuco about the politics involved, the lives lost and the incarceration which continues to this day, albeit in Spain. It’s an interesting journey. Mr. Syjuco’s brother is married to Mr. Larrañaga’s sister, but beyond that, this film is a fair, sobering account of Larrañaga’s fight for justice. The movie screens tomorrow night, Friday afternoon, and there’s an additional screening next Thursday morning. Check out www.viff.org for more information. The website for the movie is at www.pacodocu.com. It’s already won awards at the Tribeca Film Festival. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Marty Syjuco; Good morning, Mr. Syjuco.

Text of introduction by Joseph Planta:

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

One of my favourite blogs is that of Alex Waterhouse-Hayward at aptly enough www.alexwaterhousehayward.com. The famed photographer is described in a recent issue of Vancouver magazine as ‘the undisputed dean’ of the city’s photographers. His work has appeared in sundry publications including the aforementioned Vancouver, the New York Times, Vanity Fair, the Globe and Mail, and the Georgia Straight. He’s photographed nearly every politician and business leader in this town, as well as a number of noted individuals who’ve come through, people like Bob Hope, Candice Bergen, William F. Buckley, Jane Jacobs, and many more. The blog is highly entertaining at times, and a wonderful view onto the city and its past, as we see some of the photos from his archive, as well as wonderful anecdotes about the times or the people depicted therein. I’m very pleased to welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Alex Waterhouse-Hayward; Good morning, Mr. Waterhouse-Hayward.

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.

The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Creating a Social Network by Angela Crocker. (Alpha Books, 2011) Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Creating a Social Network

Text of introduction by Joseph Planta:

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

Just because we saw The Social Network doesn’t mean we really get or understand how we can use social media for our own benefit personally or professionally. I use Facebook and Twitter, but I don’t really know what they’re capable of, or could explain them to someone who doesn’t use social media or have their own network. Angela Crocker joins me now, and she’s the ideal person to explain it all to us. She’s just written The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Creating a Social Network. It’s a part of that Complete Idiot’s Guide series, and it’s incredibly detailed, useful and interesting. As a Facebook and Twitter user, it’s easy to think you know it, but there’s more to it, and this book explains that, as well as suggests how you can create your own network using white label services—whatever those are. Angela Crocker is a social media coach, who does marketing and planning for business and non-profits through her company Beachcomber Communications. We came to know her as one third of the Book Broads. www.beachcombercommunications.com, and www.thebookbroads.com are the websites for more. The book is published by Alpha Books, which is an imprint of Penguin. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program Angela Crocker; Good morning, Ms. Crocker.