Canadian
Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...
radio program, which aired on
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 ...
from September 20, 1976 to May 30, 1997. It was broadcast from 9 a.m. to noon, Monday to Friday. The series replaced a series of short-lived morning radio programs that aired in this slot after ''
This Country in the Morning
''This Country in the Morning'' was a nationally broadcast Canadian radio program, which aired on CBC Radio from 1971 to June 27, 1975. Peter Gzowski was the host from 1971 to 1974.
After the show
During the summer of 1975, the show was replaced ...
'' ended in 1974.
The show was created by Krista Mäeots who served as its executive producer until her death in 1978. She had formerly been a producer with ''This Country in the Morning''. The show debuted with Harry Brown and Maxine Crook as co-hosts. In September 1977,
Don Harron
Donald Hugh Harron, (September 19, 1924 – January 17, 2015) was a Canadian comedian, actor, director, journalist, author, playwright, and composer. Harron is best remembered by American audiences as a member of the cast of the long-running co ...
became host of the show. But the program was most associated with legendary Canadian broadcaster
Peter Gzowski
Peter John Gzowski (July 13, 1934 – January 24, 2002), known colloquially as "Mr. Canada", or "Captain Canada",Mary Gazze Canadian Press via The ''Toronto Star'', August 23, 2010. Retrieved 2016-06-27. was a Canadian broadcaster, write ...
, who assumed the host's chair in 1982. The program was a mixture of news and human interest interviews.
Shelagh Rogers
Shelagh Rogers, OC, is a Canadian broadcast journalist based in British Columbia. She is the host and producer of CBC Radio One's '' The Next Chapter'', and former chancellor of the University of Victoria.
Background
Rogers grew up in Ottawa ...
and
Stuart McLean
Andrew Stuart McLean, (April 19, 1948 – February 15, 2017) was a Canadian radio broadcaster, humorist, monologist, and author, best known as the host of the CBC Radio program ''The Vinyl Cafe''.Prime Time'', ''Morningside'' added a prime time edition which replayed selected segments from that morning's broadcast."Prime cut". ''
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 16, 1993.
''Morningside'' has proven to be one of the most successful radio programs in CBC history. Among the regular contributors was producer and comedian
Stuart McLean
Andrew Stuart McLean, (April 19, 1948 – February 15, 2017) was a Canadian radio broadcaster, humorist, monologist, and author, best known as the host of the CBC Radio program ''The Vinyl Cafe''.The Vinyl Cafe
The Vinyl Cafe is an hour-long radio variety show hosted by Stuart McLean that was broadcast on CBC Radio and was syndicated to approximately 80 U.S. public radio stations through Public Radio International. It aired on Sunday at noon EST and ...
'', which eventually was spun-off to become a regular separate program on CBC Radio for decades.
When Gzowski retired, ''Morningside'' and the network's Sunday public affairs show '' Sunday Morning'' were replaced by '' This Morning'', which was hosted in its first year by Michael Enright and
Avril Benoit
Avril Benoît is the executive director of Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières in the United States (MSF-USA) (as of June 2019). Previously, Ms. Benoît served as Director of Communications and Fundraising with Médecins Sans Fronti ...
.
Gzowski hosted the last episode of ''Morningside'' from the
Temple Gardens Mineral Spa Resort
The Temple Gardens Hotel & Spa (formerly Temple Gardens Mineral Spa) is a hotel located in downtown Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlanti ...
in
Moose Jaw
Moose Jaw is the fourth largest city in Saskatchewan, Canada. Lying on the Moose Jaw River in the south-central part of the province, it is situated on the Trans-Canada Highway, west of Regina. Residents of Moose Jaw are known as Moose Javian ...
. The resort named its café the Morningside Café in honour of the last broadcast.
Theme music
During Harron's tenure, the opening theme was "Jogging Along" by
John Arpin
John Francis Oscar Arpin (3 December 1936 – 8 November 2007) was a Canadian composer, recording artist and entertainer, best known for his work as a virtuoso ragtime pianist.
Born in Port McNicoll, Ontario Arpin studied piano at The Royal ...
Irving Berlin
Irving Berlin (born Israel Beilin; yi, ישראל ביילין; May 11, 1888 – September 22, 1989) was a Russian-American composer, songwriter and lyricist. His music forms a large part of the Great American Songbook.
Born in Imperial Russ ...
was used as the closing theme. The theme for Gzowski's tenure was "Morningside theme" composed by David W. Thompson. The closing theme was "Happiness" by Sandro Carlo Camerin (Reel to Reel).