Gail Smith (journalist)

For persons of a similar name, see Gail Smith (disambiguation).

Gail Smith (born September 4, 1955)[1][2] is a former Canadian television journalist and news anchor. From Trenton, Ontario,[3] Smith received her bachelor's degree in mathematics[2][3] from the University of Western Ontario[2] and a master's degree in journalism from Carleton University.[4]

Her broadcasting career started in 1978,[5] as a television news reporter,[2] producer[2] and news anchor[2][3][4][5][6][7] for BCTV in Vancouver, British Columbia.[2][3][4][5][6][7][8] Smith moved to Toronto, Ontario, and joined CFTO in February 1982[2] as a television news reporter.[2][4] Her career advancement at CFTO occurred at a time when the television news networks in Toronto competed to hire women as news anchors and attract larger audiences.[9][10]

On September 4, 1982,[11] Smith became the first female weekend news anchor at CFTO.[3][4] After the television ratings for the weekend news program climbed 55 per cent,[3] she became the station's first female late night news anchor on Night Beat News the following year.[4] On August 20, 1984,[12] she was the co-anchor of the early evening news program, World Beat News,[4][12][13][14] the station's top-ranked newscast at the time.[4][12][14]

Smith was a member the National Association of Broadcast Employees and Technicians,[5][15] the union that represented newsroom and television studio workers at CFTO.[15][16][17] During the 12-week lockout at the television station in the summer of 1988,[13][17][18] Smith was criticized by the union for crossing the picket line and anchoring the news throughout the dispute.[15][16][17] She resigned from CFTO in October 1988,[5][6][7][19] ending a decade-long career in television news[5][7][19] that included six years in Toronto.[5][19] Her final broadcast on World Beat News aired on October 21, 1988.[5][7][13] Following an absence of nearly five years,[20] Smith returned to television briefly as an afternoon news anchor for CKVR in Barrie, Ontario,[20][21] on March 3, 1993.[20]

References

  1. ^ "Friends, Beagles, Countrymen ...". Globe and Mail. March 27, 1986. p. E11.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i Zyvatkauskas, Betty (November 27, 1982). "More than just a TV face that reads". Broadcast Week Magazine. p. 101.
  3. ^ a b c d e f Smith, Diane (May 28, 1983). "Grace under pressure". Starweek Magazine. p. 63.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h Hume, Christopher (November 19, 1988). "Clearing the air". Starweek Magazine. p. 6.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h Quill, Greg (October 26, 1988). "TV anchor Gail Smith says it was time to move on". Toronto Star. p. E1.
  6. ^ a b c "Gail Smith quits Night Beat News". Toronto Star. October 25, 1988. p. B1.
  7. ^ a b c d e "Ex-BCTV anchor quits Toronto job". Vancouver Sun. October 27, 1988. p. D8.
  8. ^ Wilson, Peter (September 11, 1981). "TV News". Vancouver Sun. p. L4. Retrieved March 9, 2024.
  9. ^ McLean, Ross (September 3, 1983). "Anchorwomen have looks and smarts but will they stand the test of time?". Globe and Mail. p. D10.
  10. ^ Taylor, Bill (March 2, 1985). "News Wars". Starweek Magazine. pp. 4, 6.
  11. ^ Adilman, Sid (August 26, 1982). "TV blurbs". Toronto Star. p. E6.
  12. ^ a b c Bawden, Jim (August 3, 1984). "More news on local news overhauls". Toronto Star. p. C1.
  13. ^ a b c "CFTO-DT". History of Canadian Broadcasting. Archived from the original on June 7, 2023. Retrieved February 28, 2015.
  14. ^ a b Bonner, Susan (Spring 1985). "The Right Staff". Ryerson Review of Journalism. Archived from the original on March 8, 2016. Retrieved August 21, 2025.
  15. ^ a b c Edwards, Peter (July 17, 1988). "The lockout at CFTO: Death of a union local?". Toronto Star. pp. B1, B4.
  16. ^ a b Wong, Tony (June 8, 1988). "Locked-out CFTO workers threaten to push for viewer boycott of station". Toronto Star. p. A23.
  17. ^ a b c Chadha, Ena (Spring 1989). "Sins of Omission". Ryerson Review of Journalism. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved August 21, 2025.
  18. ^ Platiel, Rudy; MacLeod, Robert (September 1, 1988). "Deal struck in lockout dispute at CFTO". Globe and Mail. p. A17.
  19. ^ a b c "Smith leaves CFTO anchor desk". Globe and Mail. October 25, 1988. p. A27.
  20. ^ a b c Quill, Greg (February 28, 1993). "Teens talking to Street Cents". Toronto Star. p. C6.
  21. ^ Christensen, Howard (April 1993). "People/Stations..." (PDF). Broadcast Technology. 18 (7): 13. Retrieved March 7, 2024.
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