George Angus McLean (May 16, 1923 – March 16, 2016) was a Canadian television journalist, best known for his work as a TV anchor for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC).

Personal

Born in

Brandon, Manitoba Brandon () is the second-largest city in the province of Manitoba, Canada. It is located in the southwestern corner of the province on the banks of the Assiniboine River, approximately west of the provincial capital, Winnipeg, and east of the ...

, his family moved to Manchester, England in 1929.Houston, William "Voice of Authority" The Ramara Chronicle, February 2010 p. 28
/ref> McLean was educated in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

and joined the

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. He transferred to the

Royal Canadian Air Force The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF; french: Aviation royale canadienne, ARC) is the air and space force of Canada. Its role is to "provide the Canadian Forces with relevant, responsive and effective airpower". The RCAF is one of three environm ...

in 1944 and returned to Canada following the end of the war. McLean married his first wife, Majorie, in 1947; she died in 1982. His second marriage to Barbara Quick in 1987 lasted until his death.http://www.ramarachronicle.com/images/chronicle%20feb%20web.pdf

Broadcasting career

Radio

In 1946 he joined CJRL radio in

Kenora Kenora (), previously named Rat Portage (french: Portage-aux-Rats), is a city situated on the Lake of the Woods in Ontario, Canada, close to the Manitoba boundary, and about east of Winnipeg by road. It is the seat of Kenora District. The his ...

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 in 1952 became news editor at CKRC in

Winnipeg Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the province of Manitoba in Canada. It is centred on the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers, near the longitudinal centre of North America. , Winnipeg had a city population of 749,6 ...

Manitoba Manitoba ( ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada at the Centre of Canada, longitudinal centre of the country. It is Canada's Population of Canada by province and territory, fifth-most populous province, with a population o ...

. In 1953 he became chief announcer at CKOK in

Penticton Penticton ( ) is a city in the Okanagan Valley of the Southern Interior of British Columbia, Canada, situated between Okanagan and Skaha lakes. In the 2016 Canadian Census, its population was 33,761, while its census agglomeration The ce ...

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

Television

In 1956 he joined the CBC in

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

as a staff announcer for

CBC Television CBC Television (also known as CBC TV) is a Canadian English-language broadcast television network owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the national public broadcaster. The network began operations on September 6, 1952. Its French-l ...

. In 1965 McLean was transferred to

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

and became a regular backup for hosting national newscasts including '' The National'', a role which he performed until 1986 when he retired from the CBC. McLean was also the regular host of ''

Saturday Report ''Saturday Report'' (officially titled ''CBC News: Saturday Report'' from 2001 to 2009) was the primary Saturday newscast aired on CBC Television and CBC Newsworld from 1982 to 2009. Jacquie Perrin was the program's most recent regular anchor, alth ...

'', the Saturday evening national newscast.

Post retirement and death

He continued to do occasional voice-over work after his retirement and golf in his spare time, moved to Lagoon City in

Ramara Ramara is a lower-tier township (Canada), township municipality in Simcoe County, Ontario, Simcoe County, Ontario, Canada. Ramara was formed in 1994 through the amalgamation of the townships of Rama Township, Ontario, Rama and Mara. The municipal ...

, Ontario and died in a Toronto hospital in March 2016.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:McLean, George 1923 births 2016 deaths Canadian television news anchors Journalists from Manitoba People from Brandon, Manitoba 20th-century Canadian journalists Canadian expatriates in the United Kingdom