Roy Bonisteel
Encyclopedia
Roy Bonisteel, CM
(born May 29, 1930) is a Canadian
journalist and the former host (from 1967 to 1989) of the CBC Television
program Man Alive.
A winner of two awards of excellence in broadcast journalism, Bonisteel has also received six honorary doctorates including an honorary Doctorate of Letters from Laurentian University
in Sudbury, and an honorary Doctorate of Divinity from Queen's University in Kingston
. In 1994, he was made a Member of the Order of Canada
.
He was born in Ameliasburg, Ontario
. In 1951 Bonisteel began his broadcasting career in radio in the city of Belleville, Ontario
. From this start he moved to CKTB
radio in St. Catharines, Ontario
in 1953. After 12 years at CKTB he left in 1964 to try for a job at a different station. He failed to obtain this job, so Bonisteel moved into religious broadcasting. (Canadian broadcasting regulation at the time required radio stations to broadcast religious shows.)
He entered into an agreement with the United Church of Canada
to produce a 15-minute program titled Checkpoint. His efforts led this show to be syndicated across Canada. This then led to a position as director of broadcast for the United Church in Vancouver in 1965. He started a religious open-line radio program titled God Talk on CKWX
, with a panel consisting of Rev. Walter Donald, Fr. John Shields and Rev. Jack Shaver
with the occasional guest.
In 1967 Bonisteel met Leo Rampen, an executive producer at CBC Television
. Rampen was looking for a host for Man Alive, a new series that would explore man's religious dimensions, and chose Bonisteel for the job. In the next 22 years, Bonisteel would go on to interview Malcolm Muggeridge
, Elie Wiesel
, Mother Teresa
, Hans Küng
and many others. Memorable shows include broadcasts from Belfast (1974), Africa (1975), and May's Miracle (the story of May, Joe and Leslie Lemke
).
He summed up his philosophy in a speech (reported in the Toronto Star
on June 23, 1979) at the 80th anniversary celebration of Grace United Church in Weyburn, Saskatchewan
: "We are moulded into a materialist world where we do a lot of eating, drinking and making merry until we ask the basic questions 'Who am I? Where am I going? What is our purpose in life?'"
Video:
Order of Canada
The Order of Canada is a Canadian national order, admission into which is, within the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, the second highest honour for merit...
(born May 29, 1930) is a Canadian
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...
journalist and the former host (from 1967 to 1989) of the CBC Television
CBC Television
CBC Television is a Canadian television network owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the national public broadcaster.Although the CBC is supported by public funding, the television network supplements this funding with commercial advertising revenue, in contrast to CBC Radio which are...
program Man Alive.
A winner of two awards of excellence in broadcast journalism, Bonisteel has also received six honorary doctorates including an honorary Doctorate of Letters from Laurentian University
Laurentian University
Laurentian University , was incorporated on March 28, 1960, is a mid-sized bilingual university in Greater Sudbury, Ontario, Canada....
in Sudbury, and an honorary Doctorate of Divinity from Queen's University in Kingston
Kingston, Ontario
Kingston, Ontario is a Canadian city located in Eastern Ontario where the St. Lawrence River flows out of Lake Ontario. Originally a First Nations settlement called "Katarowki," , growing European exploration in the 17th Century made it an important trading post...
. In 1994, he was made a Member of the Order of Canada
Order of Canada
The Order of Canada is a Canadian national order, admission into which is, within the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, the second highest honour for merit...
.
He was born in Ameliasburg, Ontario
Prince Edward County, Ontario
Prince Edward County is a single-tier municipality and a census division of the Canadian province of Ontario.-Geography:Prince Edward County is located in Southern Ontario on a large irregular headland or littoral at the eastern end of Lake Ontario, just west of the head of the St. Lawrence River...
. In 1951 Bonisteel began his broadcasting career in radio in the city of Belleville, Ontario
Belleville, Ontario
Belleville is a city located at the mouth of the Moira River on the Bay of Quinte in Southern Ontario, Canada, in the Quebec City-Windsor Corridor. It is the seat of Hastings County, but is politically independent of it. and the centre of the Bay of Quinte Region...
. From this start he moved to CKTB
CKTB (AM)
CKTB is a radio station in St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada. Broadcasting at 610 AM, the station airs a news/talk format. CKTB is housed in the former mansion of William Hamilton Merritt, the main promoter of the first Welland Canal....
radio in St. Catharines, Ontario
St. Catharines, Ontario
St. Catharines is the largest city in Canada's Niagara Region and the sixth largest urban area in Ontario, Canada, with 97.11 square kilometres of land...
in 1953. After 12 years at CKTB he left in 1964 to try for a job at a different station. He failed to obtain this job, so Bonisteel moved into religious broadcasting. (Canadian broadcasting regulation at the time required radio stations to broadcast religious shows.)
He entered into an agreement with the United Church of Canada
United Church of Canada
The United Church of Canada is a Protestant Christian denomination in Canada. It is the largest Protestant church and, after the Roman Catholic Church, the second-largest Christian church in Canada...
to produce a 15-minute program titled Checkpoint. His efforts led this show to be syndicated across Canada. This then led to a position as director of broadcast for the United Church in Vancouver in 1965. He started a religious open-line radio program titled God Talk on CKWX
CKWX (AM)
CKWX is a 24-hour all-news radio station broadcasting to residents of Vancouver and the Lower Mainland, British Columbia...
, with a panel consisting of Rev. Walter Donald, Fr. John Shields and Rev. Jack Shaver
Jack Shaver
Michael John Victor Shaver , known as Jack Shaver, was a theologian and clergyman of the United Church of Canada.Shaver was born in Fort William, Ontario in 1918 – the second son of the Rev. and Mrs. James M. Shaver. When he was two years old, his father succeeded J.S...
with the occasional guest.
In 1967 Bonisteel met Leo Rampen, an executive producer at CBC Television
CBC Television
CBC Television is a Canadian television network owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the national public broadcaster.Although the CBC is supported by public funding, the television network supplements this funding with commercial advertising revenue, in contrast to CBC Radio which are...
. Rampen was looking for a host for Man Alive, a new series that would explore man's religious dimensions, and chose Bonisteel for the job. In the next 22 years, Bonisteel would go on to interview Malcolm Muggeridge
Malcolm Muggeridge
Thomas Malcolm Muggeridge was an English journalist, author, media personality, and satirist. During World War II, he was a soldier and a spy...
, Elie Wiesel
Elie Wiesel
Sir Eliezer "Elie" Wiesel KBE; born September 30, 1928) is a Hungarian-born Jewish-American writer, professor, political activist, Nobel Laureate, and Holocaust survivor. He is the author of 57 books, including Night, a work based on his experiences as a prisoner in the Auschwitz, Buna, and...
, Mother Teresa
Mother Teresa
Mother Teresa , born Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu , was a Roman Catholic nun of Albanian ethnicity and Indian citizenship, who founded the Missionaries of Charity in Calcutta, India, in 1950...
, Hans Küng
Hans Küng
Hans Küng is a Swiss Catholic priest, theologian, and prolific author. Since 1995 he has been President of the Foundation for a Global Ethic . Küng is "a Catholic priest in good standing", but the Vatican has rescinded his authority to teach Catholic theology...
and many others. Memorable shows include broadcasts from Belfast (1974), Africa (1975), and May's Miracle (the story of May, Joe and Leslie Lemke
Leslie Lemke
Leslie Lemke is a blind American autistic savant who is most notable for his work as a musician.Leslie Lemke was born prematurely in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in 1952. At birth, he was diagnosed with glaucoma, cerebral palsy, and brain damage. Doctors were forced to remove his eyes...
).
He summed up his philosophy in a speech (reported in the Toronto Star
Toronto Star
The 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...
on June 23, 1979) at the 80th anniversary celebration of Grace United Church in Weyburn, Saskatchewan
Weyburn, Saskatchewan
Weyburn is a city in southeastern Saskatchewan, Canada. It is located on the Souris River southeast of the provincial capital of Regina and is north of the border with the United States. The name is reputedly a corruption of the Scottish "wee burn," referring to a small creek. The city is...
: "We are moulded into a materialist world where we do a lot of eating, drinking and making merry until we ask the basic questions 'Who am I? Where am I going? What is our purpose in life?'"
Published works
Books:- Man Alive the Human Journey, 1983, Collins Publishers ISBN 0-00-217102-3
- In Search of Man Alive, 1980, Collins Publishers ISBN 0-00-216815-4
- All Things Considered, 1997, Doubleday Canada, ISBN 0-385-25599-3
Video:
- Circle of Witches
- All their Own
- May's Miracle