Peter Gzowski

Peter Gzowski, broadcaster, writer, editor (b at Toronto 13 Jul 1934; d there 24 Jan 2002). Great-great-grandson of the engineer Sir Casimir GZOWSKI, he grew up in the small town of Galt, Ont, and was shaped by the disciplined traditions of Ridley College. At the University of Toronto he edited The Varsity and acquired the passion for journalism which took him to jobs in Timmins, Moose Jaw and Chatham. In 1958 his mentor Ralph Allen invited him to join Maclean's, where he became managing editor in 1962.

A restless, versatile man, Gzowski also worked as entertainment editor of the Toronto Star, as editor of the Star Weekly and (briefly in 1970) as editor of Maclean's. He became a household name as the host of CBC Radio's lively, eclectic This Country in the Morning (1971-74), but his subsequent talk show on CBC-TV, 90 Minutes Live (1976-78), was widely considered a failure. He wrote several nonfiction books, notably The Sacrament (1980) and The Game of Our Lives (1981), before returning to CBC radio as host of Morningside in 1982. Until the show closed in 1997 his curiosity, sensitivity and wit, combined with his patriotism and ability to project personal warmth, made him one of the best (and best-loved) broadcasters in Canada. It is estimated that over his career, Gzowski conducted some 30 000 interviews.

Excerpts from Morningside have been collected in numerous editions of The Morningside Papers and in The Morningside Years (1998). His columns for Canadian Living magazine have also been collected in two successful books, Canadian Living (1993) and Friends, Moments, Countryside (1998). Of the many honours Gzowski received late in his career, he was proudest of an honorary doctorate from the U of T, a Governor General's Award for the Performing Arts (1995), and being appointed Chancellor of Trent University in 1999. He also founded the Peter Gzowski Invitational Golf tournament, now known as the PGI, which raised some $7 million for literacy projects across Canada.

Author MARK ABLEY

Suggested Reading
Peter Gzowski, A Peter Gzowski Reader (2001).

Links to Other Sites
Peter Gzowski
This extensive CBC profile of popular Canadian broadcaster Peter Gzowski features numerous audio and video clips.

CBC Television Series, 1952-1982
Browse or search this complete listing of television programs produced in Canada and broadcast by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation between 1952 and 1982. From Queen's Department of Film and Media.

A 'sleeping' cricket
Listen to Peter Gzowski and Stuart McLean carry on a rollicking conversation about a cricket and other items in this vintage audio clip from the CBC Radio program "Morningside."

Broadcaster Peter Gzowski had secret child, dark side: Biographer
An article about details of Peter Gzowski's life revealed by R. B. Fleming's biography of the famous Canadian broadcaster. From thestar.com.