The journalist and educator George Orr discusses his new film Talk!, screening Saturday, 03 June 2017, a documentary on news and talk radio in Vancouver, featuring the remarkable journalists and broadcasters like Jack Webster, Pat Burns, Rafe Mair, George Garrett, Warren Barker and others, with Joseph Planta.

Text of introduction by Joseph Planta:

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

George Orr has a new film out, one that is having its world premiere Saturday afternoon, 03 June 2017. If you’re like me, a consumer of news, a citizen, a bit of an amateur historian, a political junkie, and an admirer of broadcasting this is the film to see. It’s called Talk! And it’s a look at the fifty years or so where Vancouver had some top notch journalism and first-rate talk radio. In the film he chronicles how Vancouverites got their news from the 1950s on through the radio, and how radio stations here in particular CKNW so dominated the market. The talk show phenomenon took off when Peter Kosick came up with the format and put Jack Webster on the air. He soon followed with Pat Burns, and both typified the sort of open line radio, where for the first time the average citizen could call up and vent, or ask questions of the newsmakers of the day. This film features footage from the archives, as well as clips, interviews and insight into what made this place such a competitive news market not only in Canada but throughout the continent. Some of the people interviewed in the film include Jim Pattison, who owned ‘NW’s rival station CJOR, Bill Hughes, the enterprising and cunning general manager of CKNW, Warren Barker, ‘NW’s legendary news director, George Garrett, the intrepid reporter who remains highly respected in this town today, as well as genius morning host Frosty, Brian Forst. Also featured in the film Gary Bannerman, Rafe Mair, Bill Good, as well as premiers of British Columbia: Bill Vander Zalm, Ujjal Dosanjh, Gordon Campbell, and Christy Clark, talk show host at one point, who shares her thoughts on the decline of talk radio in this market. The film screens at 12.30pm on Saturday, 03 June 2017. It’ll be at the Pacific Cinematheque, 1131 Howe Street. You can get tickets on the Eventbrite website. I’ll get George who joins me now to talk about this labour of love, this history he’s salvaged, and what one might expect the afternoon of the 3rd. George Orr is a filmmaker, journalist, educator, and for a spell last year an attempting politician. He was last on in September when his candidacy for the BC Green Party was rejected. Perhaps we’ll talk about the result of the past month’s election as well. Please welcome back to the Planta: On the Line program, George Orr; Mr. Orr, good morning.

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