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- ...

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 dai ...

'' (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, Sports ...

, anchoring ''

Hockey Night in Canada CBC Television has aired National Hockey League (NHL) broadcasts under the ''Hockey Night in Canada'' (often abbreviated ''Hockey Night'' or ''HNiC'') brand that is primarily associated with its Saturday night NHL broadcasts throughout its hi ...

'' 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 popu ...

, 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 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 anch ...

, 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 The Humber College Institute of Technology & Advanced Learning, commonly known as Humber College, is a public College of Applied Arts and Technology in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Founded in 1967, Humber has two main campuses: the Humber North c ...

Career

Radio

In spring 1993, Stroumboulopoulos worked at rock radio in

Kelowna, British Columbia Kelowna ( ) is a city on Okanagan Lake in the Okanagan Valley in the southern interior of British Columbia, Canada. It serves as the head office of the Regional District of Central Okanagan. The name Kelowna derives from the Okanagan word '' ...

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'', then host of '' The NewMusic'', '' 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 Thomas Clement Douglas (20 October 1904 – 24 February 1986) was a Scottish-born Canadian politician who served as seventh premier of Saskatchewan from 1944 to 1961 and Leader of the New Democratic Party from 1961 to 1971. A Baptist min ...

. 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 Talk radio is a radio format containing discussion about topical issues and consisting entirely or almost entirely of original spoken word content rather than outside music. Most shows are regularly hosted by a single individual, and often featu ...

show, '' The Strombo Show'' since 2005, on CBC Radio 2. Originally aired as a talk show on CFRB in

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 po ...

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple- ...

, 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 Corus Entertainment Inc. is a Canadian mass media company. Formed in 1999 as a spin-off from Shaw Communications, it has prominent holdings in the radio, publishing, and television industries. It is headquartered at Corus Quay in Toronto, Ont ...

network, including CFOX-FM in

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the city, up from 631,486 in 2016. ...

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 ...

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 ...

, FM96 in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

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 Hamilto ...

. 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 A talk show (or chat show in British English) is a television programming or radio programming genre structured around the act of spontaneous conversation.Bernard M. Timberg, Robert J. Erler'' (2010Television Talk: A History of the TV Talk Sh ...

''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 Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring unfamiliar people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as a distinct genre in the early 1 ...

talent show, ''The One: Making a Music Star'' that aired on ABC in the United States, and

in Canada. It was advertised as a similar show to ''

American Idol ''American Idol'' is an American singing competition television series created by Simon Fuller, produced by Fremantle North America and 19 Entertainment, and distributed by Fremantle North America. It aired on Fox from June 11, 2002, to ...

'' 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'' 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 Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world ...

, 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 ''

'', 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 par ...

'' 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 Apple Music is a music, audio and video streaming service developed by Apple Inc. Users select music to stream to their device on-demand, or they can listen to existing playlists. The service also includes the Internet radio stations Appl ...

'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. 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 envir ...

and the work of Fair Trade Vancouver. Stroumboulopoulos was selected by the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmoni ...

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 Veganism is the practice of abstaining from the use of animal product—particularly in diet—and an associated philosophy that rejects the commodity status of animals. An individual who follows the diet or philosophy is known as a vegan. ...

and straight edge lifestyle. He is a fan of the

Montreal Canadiens The Montreal CanadiensEven in English, the French spelling is always used instead of ''Canadians''. The French spelling of ''Montréal'' is also sometimes used in the English media. (french: link=no, Les Canadiens de Montréal), officially ...

hockey team.

Awards

*''The Hour'' won six Gemini Awards. **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

Doctor of Laws A Doctor of Law is a degree in law. The application of the term varies from country to country and includes degrees such as the Doctor of Juridical Science (J.S.D. or S.J.D), Juris Doctor (J.D.), Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), and Legum Doctor ...

, from the

University of Calgary The University of Calgary (U of C or UCalgary) is a public research university located in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The University of Calgary started in 1944 as the Calgary branch of the University of Alberta, founded in 1908, prior to being ins ...

on November 13, 2007. *He was also awarded an honorary degree in Communications from

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 The Canadian Screen Awards (french: link=no, Les prix Écrans canadiens) are awards given for artistic and technical merit in the film industry recognizing excellence in Canadian film, English-language television, and digital media ( web series ...

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 Holly ...

for his role in the comedy web series '' The Communist's Daughter''.Brent Furdyk
"2022 Canadian Screen Award Nominees Announced, ‘Sort Of’ & ‘Scarborough’ Lead The Pack"
''

ET Canada ''ET Canada'' (previously referred to as ''Entertainment Tonight Canada'') is a Canadian entertainment news television series, using the same format as the American entertainment newsmagazine '' Entertainment Tonight''. ''ET Canada'' is a broadc ...

'', 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: ''

'' *2015: ''

The Plateaus ''The Plateaus'' is a Canadian comedy web series, which was aired by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation in 2015. The series centres on the Plateaus, an indie rock band struggling to continue after their lead singer is killed in a freak accident ...

'' *2015: '' Being Canadian'' (documentary) *2018: '' Design Canada'' (documentary) *2021: '' The Communist's Daughter'' (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)