John Robertson (journalist)
Encyclopedia
John Robertson is a retired Canadian
media personality.
A good amateur baseball
pitcher, Robertson had a tryout in 1950 with Major League Baseball's
Washington Senators
. When his playing days ended, he would stay around the game as a reporter, in later years writing newspaper columns on the Montreal Expos
and Toronto Blue Jays
. In 1998, he was inducted in the Manitoba Baseball Hall of Fame
Journalism/Broadcasting career:
Robertson worked as a sports reporter and columnist at the Regina Leader-Post in the early 1960s and grew to love the Saskatchewan Roughriders CFL football team over his hometown Winnipeg Blue Bombers. When the Roughriders were close to bankruptcy during a tragic 1979 season, Robertson flew in from Winnipeg (where he now worked for CBC Television) at his own expense to help out coach Ronnie Lancaster. The two men were flown around Saskatchewan in a small plane to drum up ticket sales for the final game of the 1979 season. Taylor Field was full to capacity for that game and the efforts of Lancaster and Robertson managed to save the football team from certain extinction. Around the same time in November 1979, in his regular back page column for Maclean's magazine, Robertson coined the term “Rider Pride" when he wrote about his experiences and his feeling that the Roughriders had the best fans in the CFL. Robertson never received a cent from the Saskatchewan Roughriders franchise for his efforts nor an acknowledgement that the term "Rider Pride," used extensively by the Saskatchewan Roughriders CFL franchise in their marketing and annual multi-million dollar merchandise sales, was coined by journalist John Robertson.
The founder of the Manitoba Marathon
, over the years Robertson also has been involved in charitable causes for the Winnipeg Harvest Food Bank, Gimli Food Bank and the Toronto Food Bank.
Robertson was a 24Hours interviewer on CBWT
in Winnipeg during the years September 1977 till September 1981. In 1981 he did a feature documentary on Terry Fox
for 24Hours. He also wrote a twice-weekly sports column for the Winnipeg Free Press
in 1978, and was considered at the time one of Canada's best sports writers.
John resigned from 24Hours to run as a Progressive Conservative
in the provincial riding of St. Vital
in the 1981 election. After not winning that seat he joined the Winnipeg Sun
where he wrote a regular sports column.
John has written three books: High Times with Stewart MacPherson (ISBN 0-9195-7618-4), Those Amazing Jays (ISBN 0-9199-5916-4), and "Rusty Staub of the Montreal Expos" (ISBN 013784462X)
(ISBN 978-0137844623)
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
media personality.
A good amateur baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
pitcher, Robertson had a tryout in 1950 with Major League Baseball's
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
Washington Senators
Minnesota Twins
The Minnesota Twins are a professional baseball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They play in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The team is named after the Twin Cities area of Minneapolis and St. Paul. They played in Metropolitan Stadium from 1961 to 1981 and the...
. When his playing days ended, he would stay around the game as a reporter, in later years writing newspaper columns on the Montreal Expos
Montreal Expos
The Montreal Expos were a Major League Baseball team located in Montreal, Quebec from 1969 through 2004, holding the first MLB franchise awarded outside the United States. After the 2004 season, MLB moved the Expos to Washington, D.C. and renamed them the Nationals.Named after the Expo 67 World's...
and Toronto Blue Jays
Toronto Blue Jays
The Toronto Blue Jays are a professional baseball team located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Blue Jays are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball 's American League ....
. In 1998, he was inducted in the Manitoba Baseball Hall of Fame
Journalism/Broadcasting career:
- 1956-1958 : Winnipeg Free Press/Regina Leader-Post, Winnipeg, Manitoba/Regina, Saskatchewan
- 1958-1963 : Winnipeg TribuneWinnipeg TribuneThe Winnipeg Tribune was a metropolitan daily newspaper serving Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada from January 28, 1890 to August 27, 1980. The paper was founded by R.L. Richardson and D.L. McIntyre who acquired the press and premises of the old Winnipeg Sun newspaper. It was often viewed as a liberal...
, Winnipeg, Manitoba - 1963-1966 : "Regina Leader-PostRegina Leader-PostThe Regina Leader-Post is the daily newspaper of Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada, and now a member of the Postmedia Network.The newspaper was first published as The Leader in 1883, by Nicholas Flood Davin...
", Regina, SaskatchewanRegina, SaskatchewanRegina is the capital city of the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. The city is the second-largest in the province and a cultural and commercial centre for southern Saskatchewan. It is governed by Regina City Council. Regina is the cathedral city of the Roman Catholic and Romanian Orthodox... - 1966-1968 : "Toronto TelegramToronto TelegramThe Toronto Evening Telegram was a conservative, broadsheet afternoon newspaper published in Toronto from 1876 to 1971. It had a reputation for supporting the Conservative Party at both the federal and provincial level. The paper competed with the liberal Toronto Star...
" Toronto, Ontario - 1968-1974 : Montreal StarMontreal StarThe Montreal Star was an English-language Canadian newspaper published in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It folded in 1979 following an eight-month pressmen's strike....
, Montreal, Quebec - 1974-1977 : CFCFCINW (AM)CINW was an English language Canadian radio station located in Montreal, Quebec.Owned and operated by Corus Quebec, it broadcasted on 940 kHz with a power of 50,000 watts as a clear channel station, using a slightly directional antenna solely for the purpose of improving reception in downtown...
and CJAD radio stations, Montreal, Quebec - 1977-1982 : CBCCanadian Broadcasting CorporationThe Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly known as CBC and officially as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian crown corporation that serves as the national public radio and television broadcaster...
, Winnipeg, Manitoba - 1982-1986 : Toronto SunToronto SunThe Toronto Sun is an English-language daily tabloid newspaper published in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is known for its daily Sunshine Girl feature and for what it sees as a populist conservative editorial stance.-History:...
, Toronto, Ontario - 1986-1989 : Toronto StarToronto StarThe Toronto Star is Canada's highest-circulation newspaper, based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Its print edition is distributed almost entirely within the province of Ontario...
,Toronto, Ontario
Robertson worked as a sports reporter and columnist at the Regina Leader-Post in the early 1960s and grew to love the Saskatchewan Roughriders CFL football team over his hometown Winnipeg Blue Bombers. When the Roughriders were close to bankruptcy during a tragic 1979 season, Robertson flew in from Winnipeg (where he now worked for CBC Television) at his own expense to help out coach Ronnie Lancaster. The two men were flown around Saskatchewan in a small plane to drum up ticket sales for the final game of the 1979 season. Taylor Field was full to capacity for that game and the efforts of Lancaster and Robertson managed to save the football team from certain extinction. Around the same time in November 1979, in his regular back page column for Maclean's magazine, Robertson coined the term “Rider Pride" when he wrote about his experiences and his feeling that the Roughriders had the best fans in the CFL. Robertson never received a cent from the Saskatchewan Roughriders franchise for his efforts nor an acknowledgement that the term "Rider Pride," used extensively by the Saskatchewan Roughriders CFL franchise in their marketing and annual multi-million dollar merchandise sales, was coined by journalist John Robertson.
The founder of the Manitoba Marathon
Manitoba Marathon
The Manitoba Marathon was first run in the City of Winnipeg in 1979 and since then be held annually on Fathers Day. The current marathon attracted 13,192 participants from around the world.The marathon consists of the following events:...
, over the years Robertson also has been involved in charitable causes for the Winnipeg Harvest Food Bank, Gimli Food Bank and the Toronto Food Bank.
Robertson was a 24Hours interviewer on CBWT
CBWT
CBWT is the CBC's television station in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. It is the only CBC station in Manitoba, since Brandon's CKX-TV closed on October 2, 2009....
in Winnipeg during the years September 1977 till September 1981. In 1981 he did a feature documentary on Terry Fox
Terry Fox
Terrance Stanley "Terry" Fox , was a Canadian humanitarian, athlete, and cancer research activist. In 1980, with one leg having been amputated, he embarked on a cross-Canada run to raise money and awareness for cancer research...
for 24Hours. He also wrote a twice-weekly sports column for the Winnipeg Free Press
Winnipeg Free Press
The Winnipeg Free Press is a daily broadsheet newspaper in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Founded in 1872, as the Manitoba Free Press, it is the oldest newspaper in western Canada. It is the newspaper with the largest readership in the province....
in 1978, and was considered at the time one of Canada's best sports writers.
John resigned from 24Hours to run as a Progressive Conservative
Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba
The Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba is the only right wing political party in Manitoba, Canada. It is also the official opposition party in the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba.-Origins and early years:...
in the provincial riding of St. Vital
St. Vital
St. Vital is a provincial electoral division in the Canadian province of Manitoba.-Historical riding:The original St. Vital riding was established at the time of the province's creation in 1870, as one of twelve "francophone" constituencies...
in the 1981 election. After not winning that seat he joined the Winnipeg Sun
Winnipeg Sun
The Winnipeg Sun is a daily tabloid-sized newspaper in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.It is owned by Sun Media, a subsidiary of Quebecor Media, and shares many characteristics typical of Sun Media tabloids, including an emphasis on local news stories, extensive sports coverage, a Canadian conservatism...
where he wrote a regular sports column.
John has written three books: High Times with Stewart MacPherson (ISBN 0-9195-7618-4), Those Amazing Jays (ISBN 0-9199-5916-4), and "Rusty Staub of the Montreal Expos" (ISBN 013784462X)
(ISBN 978-0137844623)