Stephen Brunt
Encyclopedia
Stephen Brunt is a Canadian sports journalist, well known as a leading columnist for The Globe and Mail
and as co-host to Bob McCown
on Prime Time Sports
.
. He then worked in news, covering the 1984 election
, and began to write for the sports section in 1985. His 1988 series on negligence and corruption in boxing won him the Michener Award
for public service journalism. In 1989, he became a sports columnist.
shows such as Prime Time Sports
and Melnick in the Afternoon
on the Team 990 in Montreal. He has been the lead sports columnist for The Globe and Mail
since 1989 and was a frequent sports panelist on TVOntario
's now-defunct current affairs programme Studio 2
.
, spending much of his summer vacation in Winterhouse Brook Newfoundland.
. The Team 1050 was launched on May 7, 2001 at 3pm. In an attempt to compete with the existing all-sports radio station in Toronto, the Fan 590, Jim Waters
and long-time sports executive Paul Williams (who launched the Fan 590 and The Score Television Network) worked to lure talent away from the competition. Previously unsuccessful at luring Bob McCown
(Fan 590's highest rated show) to The Score Television Network, Williams went after his co-host, Stephen Brunt. Williams and Waters were able to attract quality on-air talent including Paul Romanuk for the morning show, and Jim Van Horne and Stephen Brunt for the afternoon drive slot. Van Horne and Brunt represented roughly a $375,000 investment in annual salaries.
The Team 1050 performed poorly out of the gate, garnering just 0.7% of the male 25 to 49 market share (compared to the Fan 590's 4.6% share in the mornings and 6.4% during the afternoon drive show), which made it difficult to attach a cost to advertising or attracting advertisers. Just one year after launch, ratings showed little improvement with a 0.9% share of the male 25 to 49 demographic. Brunt stepped down as co-host in spring 2002 but was still heard regularly on air until the Team 1050 was cancelled and reverted to an oldies station on August 27, 2002 at 3pm.
It took sometime before Brunt was brought back into the Fan 590 fold as McCown's co-host and foil. Presumably, McCown was perturbed by Brunt's leaving to compete directly against Primetime Sports on the Team 1050. The two appear to have resolved any past issues and are arguably the best Canadian radio personalities on-air today.
To this day when the Team or Brunt's leaving the Fan 590 comes up on the radio, Brunt notes that he did it for the nice cheque, something McCown should understand.
His other works include: The Way it Looks from Here: Contemporary Canadian Writing on Sports; Mean Business: The Rise and Fall of Shawn O'Sullivan; Second to None: The Roberto Alomar Story (which he famously wrote in a single month) and Diamond Dreams: 20 Years of Blue Jays Baseball
, Stephen Brunt became a central journalist leading up to and during the games. A minor controversy arose when it was announced that Brunt would be carrying the Olympic torch in Newfoundland. Brunt was initially singled out by the Toronto Sun
and by the Toronto Star
as being unethical as a journalist for carrying the torch. When confronted by the question of integrity and ethics of the relay on Primetime Sports, the conversation unfolded as follows:
Brunt “This is a commercial endeavor. The torch relay, God love it, which is going to make people tear up and is a lovely thing, and a way of including people in the Olympic process, is sponsored. And it is corporate and underwritten. And spots were sold as part of the sponsorship package... This is all part of the machinery of the Olympic Games.”
The issue quickly subsided as it became clear a wide variety of people were to carry the torch, including 25 other journalists from the Olympic Consortium.
The Globe and Mail
The Globe and Mail is a nationally distributed Canadian newspaper, based in Toronto and printed in six cities across the country. With a weekly readership of approximately 1 million, it is Canada's largest-circulation national newspaper and second-largest daily newspaper after the Toronto Star...
and as co-host to Bob McCown
Bob McCown
Robert "Bob" McCown is a Canadian sports talk show personality and the host of a late afternoon/early evening radio talk show called Prime Time Sports. The program is broadcast from the Toronto-based studio of the Fan 590 and is syndicated nationally in Canada...
on Prime Time Sports
Prime Time Sports
Prime Time Sports is a sports radio talk show produced from the studios of The FAN 590 in Toronto, Canada. The show is hosted by Bob McCown.The program is broadcast weekdays from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. ET on The FAN 590...
.
Journalist
Stephen Brunt started at The Globe as an arts intern in 1982, after attending journalism school at the University of Western OntarioUniversity of Western Ontario
The University of Western Ontario is a public research university located in London, Ontario, Canada. The university's main campus covers of land, with the Thames River cutting through the eastern portion of the main campus. Western administers its programs through 12 different faculties and...
. He then worked in news, covering the 1984 election
Canadian federal election, 1984
The Canadian federal election of 1984 was held on September 4 of that year to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 33rd Parliament of Canada...
, and began to write for the sports section in 1985. His 1988 series on negligence and corruption in boxing won him the Michener Award
Michener Award
The Michener Award is one of the highest distinctions in Canadian journalism. The award was founded in 1970 by Roland Michener, who was Governor General of Canada at the time, and his wife Norah...
for public service journalism. In 1989, he became a sports columnist.
Awards and Nominations
Nominated for several National Newspaper Awards, Brunt is also the author of seven books. His work Facing Ali, published in 2004, was named one of the ten best sports books of the year by Sports Illustrated. Brunt makes frequent appearances on sports talk radioTalk radio
Talk radio is a radio format containing discussion about topical issues. Most shows are regularly hosted by a single individual, and often feature interviews with a number of different guests. Talk radio typically includes an element of listener participation, usually by broadcasting live...
shows such as Prime Time Sports
Prime Time Sports
Prime Time Sports is a sports radio talk show produced from the studios of The FAN 590 in Toronto, Canada. The show is hosted by Bob McCown.The program is broadcast weekdays from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. ET on The FAN 590...
and Melnick in the Afternoon
Mitch Melnick
Mitch Melnick is a radio sports broadcaster in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.A 30-year veteran of radio in Montreal, Melnick is a star of Montreal’s English all sports radio station, Team 990 and can be heard providing insight and analysis every weekday from 3pm-7pm as host of Melnick in the Afternoon;...
on the Team 990 in Montreal. He has been the lead sports columnist for The Globe and Mail
The Globe and Mail
The Globe and Mail is a nationally distributed Canadian newspaper, based in Toronto and printed in six cities across the country. With a weekly readership of approximately 1 million, it is Canada's largest-circulation national newspaper and second-largest daily newspaper after the Toronto Star...
since 1989 and was a frequent sports panelist on TVOntario
TVOntario
TVOntario, often referred to only as TVO , is a publicly funded, educational English-language television station and media organization in the Canadian province of Ontario. It is operated by the Ontario Educational Communications Authority, a Crown corporation owned by the Government of Ontario...
's now-defunct current affairs programme Studio 2
Studio 2
Studio 2 was a daily current affairs newsmagazine on TVOntario in Ontario, Canada. The show won several Gemini Awards, and was hosted by Steve Paikin and Paula Todd , and first aired in 1994. TVOntario announced the program's termination on June 29, 2006...
.
Home Life
He currently resides with his wife and children in Hamilton, OntarioHamilton, Ontario
Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian province of Ontario. Conceived by George Hamilton when he purchased the Durand farm shortly after the War of 1812, Hamilton has become the centre of a densely populated and industrialized region at the west end of Lake Ontario known as the Golden Horseshoe...
, spending much of his summer vacation in Winterhouse Brook Newfoundland.
The Team 1050 Toronto
In 2001, CHUM Radio Network launched an all-sports radio network in major markets across Canada. The flagship station was to be created in Toronto from the previously formatted oldies station CP24 Radio 1050CHUM (AM)
CHUM, branded as TSN Radio 1050, broadcasting at 1050 kHz in the AM band, is a Canadian radio station licensed to Toronto, Ontario. The station is owned and operated by Bell Media....
. The Team 1050 was launched on May 7, 2001 at 3pm. In an attempt to compete with the existing all-sports radio station in Toronto, the Fan 590, Jim Waters
James Waters
James A. Waters is Chairman of the Toronto-based media group CHUM Limited. He replaced his father, co-founder Allan Waters in late 2005. He was named Director in 1994 and Executive Vice President in 2000. His brother Ron Waters is also a member of the CHUM board of directors.-External links:*...
and long-time sports executive Paul Williams (who launched the Fan 590 and The Score Television Network) worked to lure talent away from the competition. Previously unsuccessful at luring Bob McCown
Bob McCown
Robert "Bob" McCown is a Canadian sports talk show personality and the host of a late afternoon/early evening radio talk show called Prime Time Sports. The program is broadcast from the Toronto-based studio of the Fan 590 and is syndicated nationally in Canada...
(Fan 590's highest rated show) to The Score Television Network, Williams went after his co-host, Stephen Brunt. Williams and Waters were able to attract quality on-air talent including Paul Romanuk for the morning show, and Jim Van Horne and Stephen Brunt for the afternoon drive slot. Van Horne and Brunt represented roughly a $375,000 investment in annual salaries.
The Team 1050 performed poorly out of the gate, garnering just 0.7% of the male 25 to 49 market share (compared to the Fan 590's 4.6% share in the mornings and 6.4% during the afternoon drive show), which made it difficult to attach a cost to advertising or attracting advertisers. Just one year after launch, ratings showed little improvement with a 0.9% share of the male 25 to 49 demographic. Brunt stepped down as co-host in spring 2002 but was still heard regularly on air until the Team 1050 was cancelled and reverted to an oldies station on August 27, 2002 at 3pm.
It took sometime before Brunt was brought back into the Fan 590 fold as McCown's co-host and foil. Presumably, McCown was perturbed by Brunt's leaving to compete directly against Primetime Sports on the Team 1050. The two appear to have resolved any past issues and are arguably the best Canadian radio personalities on-air today.
To this day when the Team or Brunt's leaving the Fan 590 comes up on the radio, Brunt notes that he did it for the nice cheque, something McCown should understand.
Author
Stephen Brunt has authored several successful books including Facing Ali, Gretzky's Tears and the #1 Canadian best seller Searching for Bobby Orr.His other works include: The Way it Looks from Here: Contemporary Canadian Writing on Sports; Mean Business: The Rise and Fall of Shawn O'Sullivan; Second to None: The Roberto Alomar Story (which he famously wrote in a single month) and Diamond Dreams: 20 Years of Blue Jays Baseball
Torch Relay Controversy
As the CTV-Rogers Olympic consortium won the broadcast rights to the 2010 Winter Olympics2010 Winter Olympics
The 2010 Winter Olympics, officially the XXI Olympic Winter Games or the 21st Winter Olympics, were a major international multi-sport event held from February 12–28, 2010, in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, with some events held in the suburbs of Richmond, West Vancouver and the University...
, Stephen Brunt became a central journalist leading up to and during the games. A minor controversy arose when it was announced that Brunt would be carrying the Olympic torch in Newfoundland. Brunt was initially singled out by the Toronto Sun
Toronto Sun
The 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:...
and by 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...
as being unethical as a journalist for carrying the torch. When confronted by the question of integrity and ethics of the relay on Primetime Sports, the conversation unfolded as follows:
Brunt “This is a commercial endeavor. The torch relay, God love it, which is going to make people tear up and is a lovely thing, and a way of including people in the Olympic process, is sponsored. And it is corporate and underwritten. And spots were sold as part of the sponsorship package... This is all part of the machinery of the Olympic Games.”
- “You don’t see an ethics problem?” asked Bob McCown.
- “No,” Brunt said, “because nobody is telling me what to say or what to do.”
The issue quickly subsided as it became clear a wide variety of people were to carry the torch, including 25 other journalists from the Olympic Consortium.