Junior Magazine

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Fred Rainsberry was largely responsible for running the Children's Television Department for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, out of their Toronto, Jarvis Street studios during the 1950s and '60s. Teenagers were catered to with the popular Junior Magazine series, which ran for 7 years on the Canadian coast to coast network, seen Sundays from 2-3 p.m. The genial host was a recent arrival from England, John Clark, leaving behind his Just William image.

The series began in 1956, with Clark introducing short documentary films, and the format was expanded when co-hosts were brought in, Hank Hedges presenting nature subjects, and Doug Maxwell covering sports. Producer Bruce Attridge introduced a little culture to the program with music and dance sequences, and young Roberta Maxwell joined the team in 1957 for 2 years, before exiting to pursue an acting career. Disney selected the show to be their Canadian outlet for their children's films, and the program's objectives were expanded in 1958, when Clark would take off on weekly jaunts with a camera crew to explore the surrounding countryside and uncover points of historic interest. However, Clark never lost the acting bug, and took off for different pastures in New York in 1960. The program continued for two more years, under several new hosts, among them Toby Tarnow, Patrick Watson, Garrick Hagon, and Norman Welch. In 1963, Rainsberry persuaded Fred Rogers to take to the airwaves^[1].

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