An Edmonton broadcasting pioneer has died.
Bruce Hogle, CFRN’s longtime news director and acclaimed Canadian journalist, died Friday at age 95.
Hogle was born in Ontario and spent time in the military before moving to Western Canada in the 1950s, where he worked for various media outlets as a correspondent, editor and news director.
In 1965, he took over Sunwapta Broadcasting, which is now CTV News Edmonton. His father William had been news director there until his death in 1957.
During his three decades there, Hogle’s vision drove change in Alberta and helped shape news coverage across the country.
Understanding the power that television could play in the democratic process, Hogle worked with Prime Minister Peter Lougheed to make CFRN the first television station in Canada (and the entire Commonwealth) to offer live coverage of legislative proceedings.
He was also an advocate for women in the newsroom, opening the door in 1979 for Daphne Kuehn to become the first female anchor in Western Canada.
“I had good instincts”
Tim Spelliscy, former general manager of Global TV Edmonton, worked with Hogle for more than three years in the late 1970s.
He said Hogle was a positive and supportive boss, and he will always be grateful for Hogle’s hand in his career.
“I was really struggling when he hired me and I certainly wasn’t ready for prime time, but he gave me a chance. He did the same thing with a lot of young journalists,” Spelliscy said. “He had good instincts and was very kind.”
According to the Canadian Association of Broadcasters (CAB), CFRN was the first Canadian news station to publish daily editorials.
Started by William Hogle and continued by his son, the risqué air pieces were considered provocative in their time, and are credited with introducing government rent controls, raising the age limit for foster parents, and helping to create Edmonton’s Block. Parent program.
In 1998, Hogle’s dedication to his community led to his investiture into the Order of Canada.
Among the praise cited by the Governor General of Canada is CFRN’s weekly segment “Wednesday’s Child”, aimed at finding adoptive homes for children with special needs.
The long-running segment earned Hogle the CAB Gold Medal and was recognized by the Alberta Association for Community Living (formerly the Alberta Association for the Mentally Handicapped) and Alberta Social Services.
“Wednesday’s Child” remains a featured feature on CTV Edmonton to this day.
Promotion efforts
Many who knew Hogle say he lived to help others. Throughout his life, he belonged to dozens of charities, including the Good Neighbor Fund, which he founded in 1993.
Their charity serves as a “last resort” for people who do not qualify or have access to other programs or financial support.
For his dedication as an advocate, Hogle was inducted into the Alberta Order of Excellence in 2011.
The Government of Alberta highlighted his work and award-winning documentary What About the Victim? He was a key driver of the creation of the Alberta Crime Compensation Board, which provides financial and social support to people who are victims of violent crime.
During his retirement, Hogle continued to engage with the community through his work with several charities, including the Alberta Press Council, the Canadian Shriners Association and the National Broadcast Reading Service.
“He was a success because he understood and valued his community. “It made Edmonton a better place to live and Alberta a better place to live,” Spelliscy said. “It’s a huge loss and a sad time for the Hogle family, losing her mother Gail just a few weeks ago and now Bruce. They were an incredible team.
“It’s a sad day for all of us, but also a time to be grateful. You have to smile when you think about his life and his legacy. Bruce Hogle made a difference.”
Hogle died just weeks after his wife of 70 years, Gail. The couple had three sons, Bill, Randy and Steve.
Steve Hogle worked at CFRN until 2007. Up until that point, there had been a Hogle at the station for more than four decades.