Jay Onrait
Encyclopedia
Jay Michael Onrait is a Canadian television personality. He is the co-host, along with Dan O'Toole
, for the late night broadcast of Sportscentre
.
.
Onrait briefly attended the University of Alberta
upon graduating from high school in 1992. He describes these 2 years as "The Lost Years". He later attended and graduated from Ryerson University
in Toronto in 1998 with a Bachelor of Arts
in Radio and Television Arts.
in 1996 as an editorial assistant while attending Ryerson University
. He later went on to become sports director
at Global TV in Saskatoon
and then spent two years as the host of the The Big Breakfast
on the A-Channel
in Winnipeg
. Onrait then joined NHL Network in 2001 as host of both the network's flagship show NHL on the Fly
and Molson That's Hockey 2. He moved to TSN in 2002 and since 2003 he has co-hosted SportsCentre
alongside Dan O'Toole
. In 2006, Onrait began blogging at tsn.ca. Topics have included the Stanley Cup and the NBA, as well as an all-day blog about the NHL trade deadline
. His blogs are usually spiced with references to pop culture. In October 2010 he also became the host of the Sportscentre Morning Rush on TSN 2 until it was taken off the air in October 2011.
During the 2010 Winter Olympics;) in Vancouver
Onrait served as co-host of Olympic Morning alongside Beverly Thomson
.
In July 2011 Onrait began hosting The Week That Was on MuchMoreMusic
, a half-hour show featuring humorous clips from other Canadian Television shows. The show was intended to be a Canadian version of The Soup
. Onrait continued to host Sportscentre
and Sportscentre Morning Rush on TSN and TSN2 while hosting The Week That Was. The show was cancelled after 4 episodes.
in 2010, and again in 2011 (this time winning) for Best Sportscaster/Anchor for his work on Sportscentre.
Dan O'Toole
Dan O'Toole is a Canadian television sports anchor for TSN. Since 2003, he has co-hosted the 2:00 AM weekday broadcast of SportsCentre, alongside Jay Onrait.- Biography :...
, for the late night broadcast of Sportscentre
SportsCentre
SportsCentre is a sports news program airing on the Canadian network TSN. As TSN's flagship program, it airs several times daily, and beginning in the 2008 season it also began to be aired on sister network CTV as its post-game program for early NFL games....
.
Personal
Onrait is a native of Athabasca, AlbertaAthabasca, Alberta
Athabasca is a town in northern Alberta, Canada. It lies north of Edmonton on Highway 2, on the banks of the Athabasca River. It is the centre of Athabasca County. Until 1913 it was known as Athabasca Landing.- History :...
.
Onrait briefly attended the University of Alberta
University of Alberta
The University of Alberta is a public research university located in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Founded in 1908 by Alexander Cameron Rutherford, the first premier of Alberta and Henry Marshall Tory, its first president, it is widely recognized as one of the best universities in Canada...
upon graduating from high school in 1992. He describes these 2 years as "The Lost Years". He later attended and graduated from Ryerson University
Ryerson University
Ryerson University is a public research university located in downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Its urban campus is adjacent to Yonge-Dundas Square located at the busiest intersection in Downtown Toronto. The majority of its buildings are in the blocks northeast of the square in Toronto's Garden...
in Toronto in 1998 with a Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
in Radio and Television Arts.
Career
Onrait first joined TSNThe Sports Network
The Sports Network, commonly abbreviated as TSN, is a Canadian English language Category C specialty channel and is Canada's leading English language sports TV channel. TSN premiered in 1984, in the first group of Canadian specialty cable channels...
in 1996 as an editorial assistant while attending Ryerson University
Ryerson University
Ryerson University is a public research university located in downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Its urban campus is adjacent to Yonge-Dundas Square located at the busiest intersection in Downtown Toronto. The majority of its buildings are in the blocks northeast of the square in Toronto's Garden...
. He later went on to become sports director
Television director
A television director directs the activities involved in making a television program and is part of a television crew.-Duties:The duties of a television director vary depending on whether the production is live or recorded to video tape or video server .In both types of productions, the...
at Global TV in Saskatoon
Saskatoon
Saskatoon is a city in central Saskatchewan, Canada, on the South Saskatchewan River. Residents of the city of Saskatoon are called Saskatonians. The city is surrounded by the Rural Municipality of Corman Park No. 344....
and then spent two years as the host of the The Big Breakfast
The Big Breakfast (TV series)
The Big Breakfast was a Canadian morning news and entertainment program, that aired on the A-Channel stations and CKX from 1997 to 2005. It has no relation to the UK show of the same name....
on the A-Channel
A-Channel (Craig Media)
A-Channel was a Canadian television system owned by Craig Media from 1997 to 2004 and CHUM Limited from 2004 to 2005. It consisted of Craig's television stations in Winnipeg, Calgary and Edmonton, and was the company's unsuccessful attempt to build a national network.CHUM Limited, which acquired...
in Winnipeg
Winnipeg
Winnipeg is the capital and largest city of Manitoba, Canada, and is the primary municipality of the Winnipeg Capital Region, with more than half of Manitoba's population. It is located near the longitudinal centre of North America, at the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers .The name...
. Onrait then joined NHL Network in 2001 as host of both the network's flagship show NHL on the Fly
NHL on the Fly
NHL on the Fly is the flagship show on the NHL Network in Canada and the United States. It carries instant updates and extended highlights of every game in the NHL that night. The show also includes live "look-ins" to games for a few minutes at a time. After all the scheduled games for an evening...
and Molson That's Hockey 2. He moved to TSN in 2002 and since 2003 he has co-hosted SportsCentre
SportsCentre
SportsCentre is a sports news program airing on the Canadian network TSN. As TSN's flagship program, it airs several times daily, and beginning in the 2008 season it also began to be aired on sister network CTV as its post-game program for early NFL games....
alongside Dan O'Toole
Dan O'Toole
Dan O'Toole is a Canadian television sports anchor for TSN. Since 2003, he has co-hosted the 2:00 AM weekday broadcast of SportsCentre, alongside Jay Onrait.- Biography :...
. In 2006, Onrait began blogging at tsn.ca. Topics have included the Stanley Cup and the NBA, as well as an all-day blog about the NHL trade deadline
NHL trade deadline
The National Hockey League's trade deadline is a date set by the NHL league office after which no trades are allowed for the remainder of the season. The deadline for the 2011–12 NHL season is set for February 27, 2012 at 3 pm EST. Prior to the current CBA, the trade deadline date had been in...
. His blogs are usually spiced with references to pop culture. In October 2010 he also became the host of the Sportscentre Morning Rush on TSN 2 until it was taken off the air in October 2011.
During the 2010 Winter Olympics;) in Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
Onrait served as co-host of Olympic Morning alongside Beverly Thomson
Beverly Thomson
Beverly Thomson is a Canadian journalist and co-host of Canada AM, CTV's national morning show. In 2006, she received the Gemini Humanitarian Award....
.
In July 2011 Onrait began hosting The Week That Was on MuchMoreMusic
MuchMoreMusic
MuchMore is a Canadian English language Category A specialty channel owned by Bell Media, based at 299 Queen Street West in Toronto, Ontario....
, a half-hour show featuring humorous clips from other Canadian Television shows. The show was intended to be a Canadian version of The Soup
The Soup
The Soup is an E! Entertainment Television weekly series; it is a revamped version of Talk Soup that focuses on recaps of various pop culture and television show moments of the week...
. Onrait continued to host Sportscentre
SportsCentre
SportsCentre is a sports news program airing on the Canadian network TSN. As TSN's flagship program, it airs several times daily, and beginning in the 2008 season it also began to be aired on sister network CTV as its post-game program for early NFL games....
and Sportscentre Morning Rush on TSN and TSN2 while hosting The Week That Was. The show was cancelled after 4 episodes.
Awards
Onrait was nominated for a Gemini AwardGemini Award
The Gemini Awards are annual television broadcasting industry awards in Canada.First awarded in 1986, the Geminis celebrate the achievements of TV members of the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television. Essentially, it presents awards for the best television productions in Canada. Awards are...
in 2010, and again in 2011 (this time winning) for Best Sportscaster/Anchor for his work on Sportscentre.