Dan McLean is a Canadian retired news anchor, most recently working for
Mix 106.5 FM in
Owen Sound
Owen Sound ( 2021 Census population 21,612) is a city in Southwestern Ontario, Canada. The county seat of Grey County, it is located at the mouths of the Pottawatomi and Sydenham Rivers on an inlet of Georgian Bay.
The primary tourist attract ...
,
Ontario
Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...
and former senior news anchor for
CHCH-TV
CHCH-DT (channel 11) is an independent television station in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. Owned by Channel Zero, the station maintains studios on Innovation Drive in the west end of Hamilton; prior to 2021, it was located near the corner of Jack ...
in
Hamilton, Ontario
Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian province of Ontario. Hamilton has a population of 569,353, and its census metropolitan area, which includes Burlington and Grimsby, has a population of 785,184. The city is approximately southwest of T ...
.
McLean grew up in
Orillia
Orillia is a city in Ontario, Canada. It is in Simcoe County between Lake Couchiching and Lake Simcoe. Although it is geographically located within Simcoe County, the city is a single-tier municipality. It is part of the Huronia region of Cent ...
,
Ontario
Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...
and started his journalism career working part-time at a
Welland
Welland is a city in the Regional Municipality of Niagara in Southern Ontario, Canada. As of 2021, it had a population of 55,750.
The city is in the centre of Niagara and located within a half-hour driving distance to Niagara Falls, Niagara-o ...
radio station when he was just 15 years old. He then went on to numerous radio jobs in many southern Ontario cities including
Kitchener-Waterloo
The Regional Municipality of Waterloo (Waterloo Region or Region of Waterloo) is a metropolitan area of Southern Ontario, Canada. It contains the cities of Cambridge, Kitchener and Waterloo (KWC or Tri-Cities), and the townships of North Dumf ...
area. After a couple of radio news anchor jobs in
Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan ( ; ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Western Canada, western Canada, bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and on t ...
(
Regina and
Saskatoon
Saskatoon () is the largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Saskatchewan. It straddles a bend in the South Saskatchewan River in the central region of the province. It is located along the Trans-Canada Hig ...
), McLean moved back to Ontario, and in 1971, began his long career at CHCH-TV in Hamilton. He started out as a commercial announcer, and got his first television stint as host of the CHCH-TV documentary program, "Mid-Day", which was taped at Hamilton Place.
In 1980, after former CHCH-TV anchors Tom Cherington and Norm Marshall left their positions, McLean become anchor of the 6:00 pm and 11:00 pm newscasts, positions that he would hold throughout most of his career at CHCH. He also occasionally co-hosted the noon hour newscast in the 1990s.
During his tenure at CHCH, McLean became well known for his charity work and achievements. He raised millions of dollars for the Hamilton and Burlington United Way, the McMaster Children's Hospital, and the Hamilton Regional Cancer Centre. He has also hosted many fundraising galas and dinners featuring well-known celebrities and politicians.
His achievements include OAB Broadcaster of the Year, the Queen's Jubilee Medal, Canwest Spirit of the Community Award, International Red Cross Humanitarian Award, OAB Howard Caine Community Achievement Award, the RTNDA Association of Electronic Journalists lifetime achievement award and was Hamilton's Distinguished Citizen of the Year in 2001.
McLean left CHCH on December 12, 2008 (the day of his last newscast), after being laid off, ending his almost 40-year career at the station, by CHCH's parent Canwest amidst the financial troubles.
McLean briefly considered getting into politics in 2009, when he became a potential candidate to be a
Liberal Party
The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left.
__TOC__ Active liberal parties
This is a li ...
candidate for
Ancaster—Dundas—Flamborough—Westdale
Ancaster—Dundas—Flamborough—Westdale was a federal electoral district in Ontario, Canada, that has been represented in the House of Commons of Canada from 2004 until the electoral boundaries were redrawn for the 2015 election.
The distri ...
, but he withdrew his candidacy for personal reasons.
On August 23, 2010, McLean returned to his radio roots, when he moved to Owen Sound and became the co-host of Mix 106.5's morning show, as well as anchoring the morning and noon hour newscasts.
He officially retired from newscasting in July 2013, without any on-air formal announcement. However, he will occasionally fill-in when needed.
McLean is married to his wife, Allison, and has three grown children. In his spare time, McLean enjoys the countryside, scuba diving, motorcycles, and horseback riding.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mclean, Dan
1947 births
Living people
People from Orillia
People from Owen Sound