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Jaya Chandrasekar

Jaya Chandrasekar is a true broadcasting pioneer, having contributed to the flowering of ethnocultural programming in Canada.

With her husband Shan, Jaya Chandrasekar has been a leader in broadcasting first on City TV, then as one of the original producers at CFMT. Jaya now plays a central role in the Asian Television Network (ATN), which is currently made up of fourteen channels serving Canada’s South Asian community.

As the network’s Executive Vice President and Vice President of Programming, Jaya Chandrasekar is responsible for all of the programming content on these channels. This includes a great deal of original Canadian programming, much of which is produced within ATN’s state-of-the-art broadcast and production facilities. As Canada’s South Asian community has grown, ATN has grown as well, providing the community with news, public affairs, entertainment, and specialized sports programming. This wide selection in programming is the direct result of the leadership and hard work of Jaya Chandrasekar and the members of her team.

Over the years, Jaya has served as a mentor for a large number of broadcasters and broadcasting professionals, including many from the South Asian community, who got their start and learned their craft at ATN. Jaya Chandrasekar has also played a central role in numerous fundraising campaigns for various charities, and has received awards and honours for public service.

Throughout her distinguished career, Jaya Chandrasekar has set a new standard for excellence in broadcasting, ensuring the highest quality in programming for her audiences, and fulfilling a commitment to community service.

Affectionately nicknamed Garou, Charlebois was born in Montreal on June 25, 1944. He made his first stage appearance in September 1962 – he was not yet twenty – when he opened for Félix Leclerc at La Butte-à-Mathieu. In 1965, he garnered attention with La boulée, composed when he was 16, which won him the Grand Prix du Festival du disque.

Then, in 1967, his career took off. He brought out a third record with the cover showing him wearing his famous flowered soldier’s helmet. But above all, it was the songs that would mark his repertoire: the nearly psychedelic C’est pour ça, the tender Marie-Noël and the colourful Demain l’hiver.

In 1968, he obtained his first major triumph with the creation of a brilliant show entitled L’Osstidcho that responded to the aspirations of anticonformist young people avid for change. Charlebois and his accomplices Yvon Deschamps and Louise Forestier amazed the cultural scene with their boldness and provocative humour. A short time later he won the Grand Prix du Festival de la chanson française at Spa, Belgium for his two songs Lindberg and California. In 1969, he performed for the first time at the Olympia in Paris, another outstanding show, and at the Toronto Pop Festival. He also obtained first prize for performance at Sopot, Poland with his song entitled Ordinaire.

In the 1970s, Charlebois, who collaborated notably with writer Réjean Ducharme, continued to accumulate success with titles such as Le mur du son, Conception, Fu Man Chu, Cauchemar and The Frog Song.

Throughout his career, Charlebois has received numerous prizes and distinctions testifying to the recognition of his peers and the quality of his thousands of shows and more than twenty albums: Prix de l’Académie Charles-Cros, Médaille d’or des Olympiades de la chanson, Prix de la Ville de Paris, Médaille de Vermeil from the Académie française and Canada’s Governor General’s Performing Arts Award. Finally, in 1993, the ADISQ awarded him its Félix Hommage for his work in its entirety.

In 2001, Robert Charlebois undertook something of a comeback with a new album entitled Doux sauvage, once again amazing both critics and the public with the quality of his texts and his music, poetry and energy. The appearance of Tout écartillé in 2005 with a repertoire of songs that are still current both in words and music proves that he has not run out of steam.

Since April 2008, Robert Charlebois has been on tour with the 15-member Mur du Son Orchestra, presenting his latest show Avril sur Mars throughout Quebec. The public and critics have unanimously acclaimed this stunning show - Robert Charlebois, a great performer, in better shape and voice than ever!

Like other giants of Quebec song before him such as Leclerc and Vigneault, Robert Charlebois has marked his era and profoundly influenced numerous writer/ composer/performers. Without him, there might not have been a Richard Desjardins, a Jean Leloup, the Colocs or the Cowboys Fringants.

Born in Surrey, England as David Henry Thomsett, he grew up in Willowdale, a suburb of Toronto. David’s early life was tough, and he left home at fourteen. Surviving on the streets included several brushes with the law, and at times he found himself in various detention facilities.

It was in one such place that he discovered his gift for music. Picking up an old guitar left by a departing inmate, David taught himself to play, and was soon performing for the other inmates. When he was released in 1962, he had found his calling.

Getting his start in the bars of Yonge Street and an early break from the legendary Ronnie Hawkins, the young singer changed his name to David Clayton-Thomas. He and his first band, the Fabulous Shays travelled to New York City to appear on NBC’s “Hullabaloo”, hosted by Paul Anka. David Clayton-Thomas fell in love with the music scene of New York, taking in concerts by the likes of Jimi Hendrix, Richie Havens, Carole King and James Taylor.

Back in Toronto, David played in the coffeehouses, and absorbed the music of blues and jazz legends such as John Lee Hooker, Sonny Terry, Brownie McGhee, Oscar Peterson, and Moe Koffman, to name just a few. Before long he was back in New York City, playing with John Lee Hooker in Greenwich Village.

It was in New York that he was invited to join a band that was being torn apart by infighting. David Clayton-Thomas helped rebuild Blood, Sweat & Tears. The self-titled album released in 1969 sold 10 million copies worldwide and won multiple Grammy Awards, including Album of the Year and Best Performance by a Male Vocalist.

This marked the beginning of a great adventure. With David Clayton-Thomas, BS&T toured the world and released a string of hits. And while he left the band in 1972, the fans drew him back after just a few years. Powered by David’s unmatched vocals, the band would continue to tour successfully until 2004.

In a career that has spanned more than four decades, David Clayton-Thomas has gone from the smoky bars of the Yonge Street strip to such landmark venues as Madison Square Garden, Royal Albert Hall and the Hollywood Bowl. From the coffeehouses of Yorkville Village in the 1960s, he has taken his music to the top of the charts, earning numerous awards and honours.

David Clayton-Thomas is truly an icon, who has left an indelible mark on the music, both in Canada and around the world.

John F. Eddy
A broadcasting visionary, John Eddy always promoted the highest standards and ideals in Canadian private broadcasting.

John spent 18 years in the field of broadcasting before his untimely passing in January 2008. In the course of his career, he demonstrated far-sighted leadership on a number of occasions. For example, John was the guiding light in the creation and development of the “East Coast Music Show”. This program, which is dedicated to fostering and showcasing East Coast talent, has been running for 12 years.

John Eddy saw very early in his career where the industry was heading, and he was instrumental in creating one of eastern Canada’s first networks of stations. It is also worth noting that John demonstrated his leadership as an early adopter of innovative technology. For example, he was the first broadcaster in North America to use the “Genesys” operating system, which provides the most advanced tools and technology for networking, automation and other applications.

John also made an invaluable contribution through his active involvement with the Atlantic Association of Broadcasters. The Association benefited from his wise counsel and his experience as the industry successfully made its way through a rapidly changing broadcasting environment.

Through his dedicated efforts, John Eddy helped ensure that private radio in Atlantic Canada has the critical mass and the advanced tools needed to provide audiences with the programming they deserve. John Eddy’s leadership and vision were instrumental in raising private radio to a new level in the region.

Robin Fillingham
Over a remarkable 37-year career, Robin Fillingham has made a significant contribution to Canadian broadcasting. He has played a pivotal role in the growth and evolution of CTVglobemedia, from its humble beginnings as Baton Broadcasting, to the leading multimedia company it is today. Robin has also been an unrivalled industry champion, leading and/or contributing to industry teams that have worked to strengthen both the industry and the Canadian broadcasting system.

Over the years he has held various senior Finance positions, including Corporate Secretary; Senior Vice President, Administration; and Chief Financial Officer.

Robin’s peers in the broadcasting industry have praised him as an outstanding leader and manager. People have spoken of his “calming influence” and his demonstration of “grace under pressure” while tackling the most challenging files.

In addition to the demands of his professional career, Robin Fillingham has taken the time to share his expertise and experience for the benefit of the industry. He has served as the Chair of the CAB Task Force Review of the CAB Membership Fee Structure; as a Member of the Canadian Broadcasters Rights Agency; as Vice-Chair of the CAB Television Board; and as Board Member of the Banff Television Foundation, among many others. 

Robin Fillingham is the personification of the highest standards and ideals in broadcasting. As a leader in the Canadian private broadcasting industry, he has used innovative thinking and approaches to successfully address key corporate and industry challenges. Robin is highly respected and admired by peers, colleagues and staff.

Harold Greenberg
In 1961, Harold Greenberg and his brothers founded Angreen Photo, a photo development business that would one day grow into the leading broadcasting firm Astral Media. In doing so, Harold embarked upon a very successful career that also contributed a great deal to the strength and development of private broadcasting in Canada.

From photo development, Harold Greenberg first led the company to expand into film production, before going into distribution and videocassette duplication. Then, in 1982, Astral entered the world of broadcasting, when the firm bought First Choice and Premier Choix. In the following years, Astral would continue to strengthen its position in television, launching such specialty services as Family Channel, Canal Famille (now VRAK.TV), and Canal D. 

Harold Greenberg also made important contributions to the growth and development of the Canadian production industry in Canada. For example, in 1986, under his guidance, Astral launched the FUND (Foundation to Underwrite New Drama for pay-television). To date the Fund, renamed the Harold Greenberg Fund in his honour, has collectively invested more than $58 million to support the production of Canadian programming.

His work was recognized with numerous awards and honours. Harold Greenberg was an Officer of the Order of Canada. He also received France’s Légion d’honneur, the Ordre National du Québec, the Eleanor Roosevelt Humanities Award, an International Achievement Award from the Montreal World Film Festival, and many others.

Harold Greenberg once said of himself: “I’m a businessman, an entrepreneur. I sell things. I invest.” While that statement is certainly true, it does not begin to capture the enormous contribution that he made to Canadian broadcasting and to our shared culture. When he passed away in 1996, it is understandable that Canadian political and business leaders, as well as national and local media, would pay tribute to Harold as both an industry pioneer and a champion.

Ian Greenberg
Ian Greenberg is respected by his peers as an innovative visionary who has helped transform the Canadian broadcasting system to make it what it is today: a vibrant industry and a truly unique engine for the expression and promotion of Canadian culture.

Born in Montréal in 1942, he is a graduate of the Harvard Business School’s Advanced Management Program. Ian Greenberg is one of four brothers who founded Astral Media almost 45 years ago. Since being appointed as President and Chief Executive Officer of the Company in 1996, it has evolved under his direction into a pure-play media company; growing through a combination of financial discipline, thoughtful planning and rigorous operational practices.

Today, Astral Media is Canada’s largest operator of English and French specialty and pay television services, with 22 television services in its portfolio; the country’s largest radio broadcaster with 83 stations in eight provinces, as well as a leading and innovative outdoor advertising company with more than 7,500 faces in Québec and Ontario. The company also owns and operates over 100 websites, which attract nearly 4.9 million unique visitors each month. Astral Media employs over 2,800 people at its facilities in Montréal, Toronto, and a number of cities throughout Canada.

Over the years, Ian Greenberg has committed himself to supporting many causes through fundraising initiatives or by offering unique visibility to non-profit and charitable organizations across the country. Institutions and initiatives that have benefited from his support include the MS Society of Canada, the Canadian Cancer Society, United Way, Centraide and the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts.

Thanks to his drive and leadership, Ian Greenberg has helped make Astral Media into one of the country’s most innovative media companies, with a vision to deliver all Canadians, choice of targeted content, on the platform of their choice, when they want it.

John Majhor
John Majhor certainly earned a place in Canadian broadcasting history as our country’s first “live” Video Jockey, but he also did so much more. 

John, who passed away last year at the age of 53, got his start with 1050 CHUM in 1975. In 1978, he joined CHUM’s “9 O’clock Rock”, where he took over as the primary host the next year. John stayed with that show until 1984, while continuing his daily DJ shifts.

That year he made a smooth transition from radio to television when he became Canada’s first “live” veejay on the groundbreaking show “Toronto Rocks”. John’s knowledge of the latest hits, combined with his wit, charm and engaging personality, made the show an instant hit, and turned John into an even bigger star. In following years, John Majhor would climb new summits, becoming the host of CHUM’s coveted morning show, hosting CITY-TV’s “Lunch Television”, and working extensively in the US. 

In addition to his talent as a radio and television broadcaster, John Majhor was an engineering visionary. He was the co-inventor of a US patent for internet-based independent programming of radio stations customized to the needs of their community. John was also one of the early proponents of internet radio.

John Majhor was a unique and natural talent who graced Toronto throughout the 70s, 80s and 90s. His passion for entertaining and engaging his radio and television audiences was palpable. Not only was he respected and appreciated by listeners, viewers and fellow broadcasters, John also had the respect of all those he met and interviewed, becoming lifelong friends with many of those whose paths he crossed.

John’s career provides us with an inspiring model. He was a consummate professional, an innovative programmer, and a person who was passionately committed to his community and his fellow citizens.

Gary Russell
In a career spanning more than four decades, Gary Russell established himself as a trailblazing radio programmer and an innovative and exceptional manager and leader.

Starting in the 1960s, Gary worked at a succession of stations, taking on increasingly more important roles. He was often sent in to turn underperforming stations around, a task which he accomplished with impressive regularity. In just two years, he took Winnipeg’s legendary CKY from last place to second and in the 80s took Vancouver’s LG73 to the top. While managing Z95.3 and CISL in Vancouver, Gary Russell helped build a mass audience for Z that made it Vancouver’s most profitable station for a number of years.

Gary introduced a number of ground-breaking concepts that have become standard practice in the industry. On the promotional side, he pioneered the use of the “Window Sticker Promotion” in mid-70s. He also co-created the first ever “Remarkable Mouth” TV commercial for CKY which was syndicated throughout North America, and is still being used today.

Of greater importance was Gary Russell’s focus on research. He introduced comprehensive research programs in major markets during the 80s as National Program Director for Moffat Communications. These included ongoing tracking and perceptual studies, music call out and auditorium testing. While research is now standard, at the time this represented a major change in the thinking of Canadian Program Managers.

Gary also played a leading role in taking Music BC from near collapse to today’s vibrant umbrella organization for British Columbia’s emerging musicians.

Gary Russell has been recognized by his peers as an innovative programmer and Manager who transformed stations and made them winners, time and time again. He has made an important contribution to the vitality of Canadian private radio, and given considerable support and exposure to Canadian music artists.

Peter Viner
Peter Viner has had a distinguished broadcasting career on two continents, demonstrating exceptional management and leadership skills in both Canada and Australia, over a period of close to four decades.

He played a central role in the early success of Global Television Network, and was instrumental in Global’s decision to make a significant commitment to Global News, both locally and nationally. Today, Global is a formidable competitor in news and has won many local, national and international awards. Viewers across the country have benefited greatly from this commitment.

As the President and CEO of Network Ten in Australia, Peter led a turnaround that took a failing operation and put it back on track, raising it to new heights. Today, Ten continues to make a substantial contribution to Canwest’s overall profit.

Over the years, Peter has also served private broadcasting through his involvement in various industry bodies. He has been a Director with both the Television Bureau of Canada and the Radio Bureau of Canada; a Radio Executive Member and a Television Executive Member of the Bureau of Broadcast Measurement; Television Director, CAB; Deputy Chairman/Director, Federation of Australian Commercial TV Stations; and more.

Throughout his career, Peter Viner has received several awards and honours. These include Marketing Man of the Year, presented by the American Marketing Association; Australian Media Executive of the Year; and the CAB Gold Ribbon Award for Broadcast Excellence, presented in 2006. 

For all these reasons, it is fitting that Peter Viner is being inducted into the CAB Broadcast Hall of Fame. His service to our industry, both here and abroad, has greatly strengthened broadcasting and benefited the audiences of these far-flung networks.