George Mark Paul Stroumboulopoulos (; Greek: Γεώργιος Μάρκος Παύλος Στρουμπουλόπουλος; born August 16, 1972) is a Canadian media personality. He is one of Canada's most popular broadcasters and best known as formerly being a VJ for the Canadian music television channel

MuchMusic Much (an abbreviation for its full name MuchMusic) is a Canadian English language specialty channel owned by BCE Inc. through its Bell Media subsidiary that airs programming aimed at teenagers and young adults. MuchMusic launched on August 31 ...

. He was also the host and co-executive producer of the

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 ...

talk show ''

George Stroumboulopoulos Tonight ''George Stroumboulopoulos Tonight'' (originally known as ''The Hour'') is a Canadian television talk show hosted by George Stroumboulopoulos that aired on CBC Television from 2005 to 2014. As ''The Hour'', the show was so named, as it was a dail ...

'' (formerly ''The Hour'') from 2005 to 2014. From 2014 to 2016, Stroumboulopoulos worked for

Rogers Media Rogers Media Inc., operating as Rogers Sports & Media, is a Canadian subsidiary of Rogers Communications that owns the company's mass media and sports properties, such as the Citytv and Omni Television terrestrial television stations, Sportsnet, ...

, anchoring '' Hockey Night in Canada'' and the '' NHL on Rogers''. , he is a radio host on

CBC Music CBC Music (formerly known as CBC FM, CBC Stereo and CBC Radio 2) is a Canadian FM radio network operated by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. It used to concentrate on classical and jazz. In 2007 and 2008, the network transitioned towards a ...

. Most recently, he joined Apple Music Radio as host of a Monday to Thursday live show.

Early life

Stroumboulopoulos was born in Malton, Ontario, a neighbourhood in

Mississauga Mississauga ( ), historically known as Toronto Township, is a city in the Canadian province of Ontario. It is situated on the shores of Lake Ontario in the Regional Municipality of Peel, adjoining the western border of Toronto. With a popul ...

, Ontario, to a Greek father from Egypt and a

Ukrainian Ukrainian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Ukraine * Something relating to Ukrainians, an East Slavic people from Eastern Europe * Something relating to demographics of Ukraine in terms of demography and population of Ukraine * So ...

mother. He was raised in Toronto, primarily by his mother and a close-knit extended family. After graduating from Ascension of Our Lord Secondary School, he briefly studied radio broadcasting at Toronto’s Humber College.

Career

Radio

In spring 1993, Stroumboulopoulos worked at rock radio in Kelowna, British Columbia for a few months before getting a job offer at the Toronto radio station Fan 590 AM, working in talk radio. He then moved to CFNY-FM to host various shows including ''Live in Toronto''.

MuchMusic

From 2000 to 2004, Stroumboulopoulos worked at

as producer and host of ''

The Punk Show ''The Punk Show'' was a half hour video block that aired on Thursdays at midnight and Fridays at 4:00 AM on MuchMusic and MuchLOUD. The program usually aired a mix of known punk bands and some underground Canadian groups. Sometimes, videos by ska, ...

'', then host of ''

The NewMusic ''The NewMusic'' was a weekly music and culture television newsmagazine that aired on the Canadian television stations owned by CHUM Limited: MuchMusic, MuchMoreMusic, Citytv, A-Channel and CP24. Created by John Martin, and intended to combine ...

'', '' MuchLOUD'' and '' MuchNews''.

''The Greatest Canadian''

In 2004, Stroumboulopoulos was featured on CBC television's '' The Greatest Canadian'' series as the advocate for Tommy Douglas. More than 1.2 million votes were cast over six weeks, as each of 10 advocates made their case for the top 10 nominees. George made a personal and passionate case for Tommy Douglas, Canada's "father of medicare", and Douglas was named the winner of the contest.

''The Strombo Show''

Stroumboulopoulos has hosted a long-running Sunday night talk radio show, '' The Strombo Show'' since 2005, on CBC Radio 2. Originally aired as a talk show on CFRB in Toronto and

CJAD CJAD (800 AM) is a commercial radio station operating in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The station has an English language news/talk radio format and identifies itself on-air as ''CJAD 800''. Owned and operated by Bell Media, it has a daytime power ...

in Montreal, the show moved to the Corus network in November 2007 and the format changed to one of mainly music. ''The Strombo Show'' broadcast from 102.1 The Edge's Toronto studio and on other radio stations in the Corus Entertainment network, including CFOX-FM in Vancouver,

Power 97 CJKR-FM is a Canadian radio station broadcasting on the assigned frequency of 97.5 MHz in Winnipeg, Manitoba. It airs an active rock format with the on-air brand name ''Power 97''. The station is owned and operated by Corus Entertainment, which a ...

in Winnipeg, FM96 in London and Y108 in

Hamilton Hamilton may refer to: People * Hamilton (name), a common British surname and occasional given name, usually of Scottish origin, including a list of persons with the surname ** The Duke of Hamilton, the premier peer of Scotland ** Lord Hamilt ...

. The show moved to

CBC Radio 2 CBC Music (formerly known as CBC FM, CBC Stereo and CBC Radio 2) is a Canadian FM radio network operated by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. It used to concentrate on classical and jazz. In 2007 and 2008, the network transitioned towards a ...

on November 8, 2009 and continues as a music-oriented freeform radio talk show.

''George Stroumboulopoulos Tonight/The Hour''

On January 17, 2005, the first episode of '' The Hour'' went to air. In the show's seventh season, in 2010, the show's name changed to ''George Stroumboulopoulos Tonight'', and it was shortened from one hour to half an hour. ''George Stroumboulopoulos Tonight'' was a hybrid of news and celebrity and covered everything from politics, pop culture, the environment, human rights, entertainment, sports and more. It won eight

Gemini Award The Gemini Awards were awards given by the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television between 1986–2011 to recognize the achievements of Canada's television industry. The Gemini Awards are analogous to the Emmy Awards given in the United States ...

s. There are a range of guests on the show from world leaders to celebrities and politicians. The show concluded at the end of the 2013-2014 season as Stroumboulopoulos moved to Rogers Communications.

''The One: Making a Music Star''

In July 2006, Stroumboulopoulos hosted the American reality television talent show, ''The One: Making a Music Star'' that aired on

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...

in the United States, and

in Canada. It was advertised as a similar show to '' American Idol'' and '' Rock Star'' but with the twist that contestants would "live together in a fully functioning music academy", with their actions documented similar to the ''

Big Brother Big Brother may refer to: * Big Brother (''Nineteen Eighty-Four''), a character from George Orwell's novel ''Nineteen Eighty-Four'' ** Authoritarian personality, any omnipresent figure representing oppressive control ** Big Brother Awards, a sat ...

'' format. The show was reportedly the most expensive summer series in the history of the ABC network.Canadian version of The One still possible: CBC executive
CBC.ca, July 28, 2006 Its first episode, on July 18, 2006, scored a low audience of 3.08 million viewers, and subsequent episodes had even fewer viewers. The series was cancelled after just two weeks (four episodes) with the final results undecided on July 27, 2006 with no plans for any further episodes.

''Stroumboulopoulos'' on CNN

Stroumboulopoulos’ hour-long talk series for CNN, ''Stroumboulopoulos'', aired during the late spring and the summer of 2013. It was taped before a live audience in Los Angeles, and featured interviews in a format similar to his CBC show. Sometimes, episodes did not air as scheduled. After airing seven episodes from June 14, 2013 to August 16, 2013, CNN did not renew the show.

''Hockey Night in Canada'' and move to Rogers

On March 10, 2014,

, which had acquired exclusive national media rights to the National Hockey League, officially announced that Stroumboulopoulos would serve as the main host of '' Hockey Night in Canada'', beginning in October 2014, replacing Ron MacLean. Concurrently, CBC announced the cancellation of ''George Stroumboulopoulos Tonight'' after a 10-year run. Strombo's role on ''Hockey Night'', which was part of an effort to appeal to younger viewers, received mixed reception. Viewers surveyed upon his introduction felt that he was not a "credible" successor to Ron MacLean, In a move which the ''

Toronto Star The ''Toronto Star'' is a Canadian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper. The newspaper is the country's largest daily newspaper by circulation. It is owned by Toronto Star Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary of Torstar Corporation and part ...

'' speculated was meant to help re-gain viewership lost over the first two seasons of the contract (which was also credited to the poor performance of Canadian teams in the 2015-16 season), Sportsnet announced on June 27, 2016 that Stroumboulopoulos had been let go from Rogers, and that Ron MacLean would be reinstated.

Apple Music

Starting on August 18, 2020, George Stroumboulopoulos became the host for his new show called STROMBO on the newly created Apple Music Hits radio station on Apple Music's live radio. The shows airs Monday to Friday every week at 6:00pm (PST). He recently partnered with Apple Books to launch the book club "Strombo's Lit".

Other Works

Stroumboulopoulos has also hosted a highly regarded documentary series of CBC, "Love, Hate & Propaganda" which was based on examining how propaganda affected and lead to shape crucial events that occur in the 20th century. The documentary included War on Terror, Second World War, and the Cold War. Over the course of his career, George has interviewed multiple sports stars, entertainment icons, and world leaders.

Charity and public awareness

Stroumboulopoulos and ''The Hour'' sponsored the 'One Million Acts of Green' Internet Website challenge, calling on Canadians to register environmental acts they've done. The campaign registered over 1.6 million acts on the website. George and his family have been devoted to this cause also supported by Dr.

David Suzuki David Takayoshi Suzuki (born March 24, 1936) is a Canadian academic, science broadcaster, and environmental activist. Suzuki earned a PhD in zoology from the University of Chicago in 1961, and was a professor in the genetics department at th ...

. Stroumboulopoulos is a strong advocate of social issues and has been actively part-taking in many global initiatives and involved with numerous charitable initiatives, such as hosting the 'HipHop4Africa' Mandela Children's Fund Canada and CapAids February 2006 Toronto benefit. He has traveled to the Arctic for a special on literacy, youth culture and the loss of Inuit identity. He has been to Sudan with War Child Canada, and Zambia for a World AIDS Day special documentary. He also supports Make Poverty History. He joined other prominent Canadians in sharing views on global issues in the March 2010 issue of ''Upstream Journal'' magazine. He was executive producer and co-host of ''Canada for Haiti'' television with

Cheryl Hickey Cheryl Hickey (born January 8, 1976) is host of ''ET Canada'', an entertainment news magazine for Global Television Network which launched on September 12, 2005. Early life Born in Owen Sound, Ontario, to John Patrick Hickey (1942 - January 13, 2 ...

and Ben Mulroney to help the humanitarian crisis in Haiti after a devastating earthquake. He managed to raise over $27 million for the victims of Haitian earthquake. He also presented at Vancouver's EPIC Expo in May 2011 where he showed support for

Fair Trade Fair trade is an arrangement designed to help producers in developing countries achieve sustainable and equitable trade relationships. The fair trade movement combines the payment of higher prices to exporters with improved social and enviro ...

and the work of Fair Trade Vancouver. Stroumboulopoulos was selected by the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) as an official ambassador in March, 2011, thus being named the first Canadian National Ambassador Against Hunger.

Personal life

George Stroumboulopoulos follows a vegan and

straight edge Straight edge (sometimes abbreviated sXe or signified by XXX or X) is a subculture of hardcore punk whose adherents refrain from using alcohol, tobacco, and other recreational drugs, in reaction to the excesses of punk subculture. For some, thi ...

lifestyle. He is a fan of the Montreal Canadiens hockey team.

Awards

*''The Hour'' won six

Gemini Awards The Gemini Awards were awards given by the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television between 1986–2011 to recognize the achievements of Canada's television industry. The Gemini Awards are analogous to the Emmy Awards given in the United States a ...

. **In 2006 – Viewers Choice Award – Best Host **In 2007 – Best Talk Series – Best Host – Best Production/Design **In 2008 – Best Host *Stroumboulopoulos was awarded an

honorary An honorary position is one given as an honor, with no duties attached, and without payment. Other uses include: * Honorary Academy Award, by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, United States * Honorary Aryan, a status in Nazi Germany ...

Doctor of Laws, from the University of Calgary on November 13, 2007. *He was also awarded an honorary degree in Communications from Humber College in June, 2009. *In September 2011, he received the inaugural 'Swarovski Humanitarian Award' at the 5th annual Playback Canadian Film and Television Hall of Fame Gala in Toronto. *On March 6, 2012, the World Economic Forum announced that he had been selected as a Young Global Leader (YGL) for 2012, and was one of three Canadians to receive the indoctrination. *In 2013, George won the Canadian Screen Award for best host in a variety, lifestyle, reality, and performing arts for ''George Stroumboulopoulos Tonight''. *Nobel peace prize nominee for Top 5 under 50 for the humanitarian award sponsored by CBC 2021 He received a Canadian Screen Award nomination for Best Supporting Performance in a Web Program or Series at the

10th Canadian Screen Awards The 10th Canadian Screen Awards were held on April 10, 2022, to honour achievements in Canadian film, television and digital media production in 2021.Etan Vlessing"Maitreyi Ramakrishnan to Receive Canadian Screen Awards Special Honor" ''The Hollyw ...

for his role in the comedy web series ''

The Communist's Daughter ''The Communist's Daughter'' is a Canadian comedy digital series, which premiered on CBC Gem in 2021 and is loosely based on creator, head writer and director Leah Cameron's own life.“WIDC Featured Voices: Leah Cameron, The Communist’s Daughter ...

''.Brent Furdyk
"2022 Canadian Screen Award Nominees Announced, ‘Sort Of’ & ‘Scarborough’ Lead The Pack"
'' ET Canada'', February 15, 2022.

Filmography

*2000–2004:

host (various shows) *2010: '' The Strombo Show'' (radio show) *2010: ''Canada for Haiti'' (TV Movie documentary) *2005–2010: '' The Hour'' (TV series) *2006: '' The One: Making a Music Star'' (talent show) *2010–2015: ''

'' as host (TV series) *2013: ''Stroumboulopoulos'' (CNN TV series) *2014: '' Hockey Night in Canada'' *2015: '' The Plateaus'' *2015: ''

Being Canadian ''Being Canadian'' is a 2015 Canadian-US documentary comedy film that was written and directed by Robert Cohen and produced by The Sibs (Colin Keith Gray and Megan Raney Aarons), in association with Movie Central and The Movie Network. The fil ...

'' (documentary) *2018: ''

Design Canada ''Design Canada'' is a 2018 Canadian documentary film by Vancouver-based designer Greg Durrell and produced by Greg Durrell of Hulse&Durrell, Vancouver; and Jessica Edwards and Gary Hustwit of Film First in Brooklyn, New York. The film recounts th ...

'' (documentary) *2021: ''

'' (web series)

References

External links

George Stroumboulopoulos Tonight
official website * {{DEFAULTSORT:Stroumboulopoulos, George 1972 births Ambassadors of supra-national bodies Canadian game show hosts Canadian people of Greek descent Canadian people of Ukrainian descent Canadian people of Egyptian descent Canadian radio sportscasters Canadian talk radio hosts Canadian television sportscasters Canadian television talk show hosts CBC Radio hosts CBC Television people CNN people Humber College alumni Living people Much (TV channel) personalities Participants in American reality television series Participants in Canadian reality television series People from Mississauga World Food Programme people Canadian VJs (media personalities)