''Imprint'' was a Canadian

television series A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, or cable, excluding breaking news, advertisements, or trailers that are typically placed be ...

that aired on

TVOntario TVO Media Education Group (often abbreviated as TVO and stylized on-air as tvo) is a publicly funded English-language educational television network and media organization serving the Canadian province of Ontario. It is operated by the Ontario ...

, CBC Newsworld,

BookTelevision BookTelevision was a Canadian English language specialty channel owned by Bell Media. The channel was originally established in 2001 by CHUM Limited, airing programming relating to books, literature, and various media. The network later shifted ...

and

Knowledge Knowledge can be defined as Descriptive knowledge, awareness of facts or as Procedural knowledge, practical skills, and may also refer to Knowledge by acquaintance, familiarity with objects or situations. Knowledge of facts, also called pro ...

."TVO: books and a new-look Elwy". ''

Ottawa Citizen The ''Ottawa Citizen'' is an English-language daily newspaper owned by Postmedia Network in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. History Established as ''The Bytown Packet'' in 1845 by William Harris, it was renamed the ''Citizen'' in 1851. The new ...

'', September 7, 1989. Inspired by

Bernard Pivot Bernard Pivot (; born 5 May 1935) is a French journalist, interviewer and host of cultural television programmes. He was chairman of the Académie Goncourt from 2014 to 2020. Biography Pivot was born in Lyon, the son of two grocers. During Worl ...

's French literary programme '' Apostrophes'', the series featured interviews with prize-winning authors and journalists, and examined the latest trends in books and contemporary issues in

literature Literature is any collection of written work, but it is also used more narrowly for writings specifically considered to be an art form, especially prose fiction, drama, and poetry. In recent centuries, the definition has expanded to include ...

History

The series premiered in September 1989, hosted by Paul Roberts and Jennifer Gibson in its first season. The show was so poorly received at first that the network placed the show on temporary hiatus after only a few episodes, revamping its production team before relaunching it in November. The change did not improve the program's critical reviews, however, with Roberts in particular being singled out for shying away from potentially controversial discussions."Imprint's Roberts resigns". ''

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 pa ...

'', March 18, 1990. Both hosts left the series in 1990, and

Daniel Richler Daniel Richler (born 1957) is a Canadian arts and pop culture broadcaster and writer."The apprenticeship of Daniel Richler". ''Montreal Gazette'', May 19, 1991. Biography Richler was born in London, England."When it's time to stop looking like a ...

took over as host in the second season."Richler to host Imprint". ''

The Globe and Mail ''The Globe and Mail'' is a Canadian newspaper printed in five cities in western and central Canada. With a weekly readership of approximately 2 million in 2015, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on weekdays and Saturdays, although it ...

'', June 26, 1990. Under Richler, the show expanded its format to include a rotating stable of contributing interviewers, including journalist

Ann Medina Ann Medina is an American Canadian television journalist and documentary producer. Biography Born and raised in New York City, Medina studied philosophy at Wellesley College, Harvard University and the University of Edinburgh before getting ...

, critic and writer Gary Michael Dault, novelists M. T. Kelly and Barbara Gowdy, poet

Clifton Joseph Clifton Joseph is a Canadian dub poet."Scat, rap, soca, soul, a dub poet sings it all". ''Toronto Star'', April 5, 1988. He is most noted for his 1989 album ''Oral/Trans/Missions'', from which the song "Chuckie Prophesy" was a shortlisted Juno Awar ...

and biographer Michael Coren, as well as regular round table discussions on literary topics."Richler makes his mark on Imprint". ''

'', November 17, 1990. The new format significantly improved the program's critical reception. Richler left the series in 1993, and was succeeded by

Guy Lawson Guy Lawson (born 26 January 1963) is a Canadian American journalist and true crime writer who has been published in Harper's, '' GQ'', the ''New York Times'', and ''Rolling Stone''. Early life and career Lawson was born in Toronto, Canada t ...

Ken Rockburn Ken Rockburn (born 1947) is a Canadian radio and television journalist and host. He is most noted for his associations with the Canadian Cable Public Affairs Channel ( CPAC), the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation and CHEZ-FM radio. Career history ...

, fresh off the cancellation of his syndicated radio series ''

Medium Rare Doneness is a gauge of how thoroughly cooked a cut of meat is based on its color, juiciness, and internal temperature. The gradations are most often used in reference to beef (especially steaks and roasts) but are also applicable to other typ ...

'', was also a finalist for the job."Rockburn right stuff for TVO job". ''

'', March 9, 1993. Lawson left the show in 1995 to return to writing full-time, and was succeeded that fall by

H. S. Bhabra Hargurchet Singh Bhabra (7 June 1955 – 1 June 2000) was a British Asian writer and Television presenter, broadcaster who settled in Canada. Bhabra was born in Mumbai, India, and moved to England with his family in 1957. The family eventually ...

and Marni Jackson. In 1996, due to budget cuts at TVOntario the show was slated to have its staff and format cut back, although at this time CBC Newsworld stepped in as a coproducer. A third cohost, Cynthia Macdonald, was added in the 1996 season. Jackson and Bhabra left the show in 1997, and were succeeded by Mary Hynes as sole host. CBC Newsworld did not continue to air the show in the 1997-98 season, instead introducing its own show on books and literature, '' Hot Type''. Hynes hosted until 2000, when she returned to

CBC Radio CBC Radio is the English-language radio operations of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. The CBC operates a number of radio networks serving different audiences and programming niches, all of which (regardless of language) are outlined below ...

, and was succeeded by Tina Srebotnjak. When BookTelevision launched in 2001, ''Imprint'' was added to its schedule. TVOntario, the program's producer, cancelled the series in early 2005. ''One on One: The Imprint Interviews'', a compilation book of author interviews from the series, was published in 1994."Warts and all, Imprint interviews come across as a valuable document". ''

'', September 25, 1994.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Imprint (Tv Series) TVO original programming 1989 Canadian television series debuts 2005 Canadian television series endings 1980s Canadian television talk shows 1990s Canadian television talk shows 2000s Canadian television talk shows CBC News Network original programming Television shows about books and literature