Gloria Macarenko

Gloria Macarenko

Gloria Macarenko in 2009
Born 1962
Nationality Canadian
Occupation radio and television journalist
Years active 1980s-present
Known for Canada Now, The Story from Here, CBC News: Vancouver, B.C. Almanac

Gloria Macarenko (born 1962) is a Canadian television and radio journalist. A longtime anchor or co-anchor of CBUT's local supper-hour newscast since the late 1990s; later she co-hosted CBC News: Vancouver, weekdays from 5:00-6:30 p.m. with Tony Parsons. Presently, she is the host of CBU-FM's B.C. Almanac and the national CBC Radio One documentary series The Story from Here. Macarenko has been a guest anchor on The National and CBC News Now on CBC News Network.

Early life and career

Macarenko was raised in Prince Rupert, British Columbia and graduated from Prince Rupert Secondary School. Her first broadcasting job was reading the news after school on weekdays and weekend mornings for CHTK Radio, Prince Rupert.[1] She studied journalism at the British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT). On graduating from BCIT, Macarenko worked for two years as a beat reporter for CKWX Radio in Vancouver. In her first two years in radio she interviewed then-Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau and covered the trial of serial killer Clifford Olson. Following the Olsen trial, she spent four years in Spain and France, studying languages and art history and teaching English. She returned to Canada in 1989 and was hired by CBC TV in Vancouver.[1][2]

Human rights case

When Macarenko won the CBC TV news anchor job in 1989, her hiring was challenged by fellow journalist, Leila Paul. Paul, who had been a news anchor in New Orleans, filed a complaint with the BC Human Rights Branch alleging age-based discrimination. While Macarenko had a decade of experience in radio, she had much less experience in TV and none as a news anchor. "I hate it coming down to defending my credentials," said Macarenko. "I think it comes down to my being knowledgeable, comfortable and professional, and I think I'm all of those things." The case went to the Canadian Human Rights Commission which ruled that there was no discrimination. This was challenged in Federal Court. However, in 2002, the Commission upheld its ruling that there had been no discrimination.[1]

Awards and honours

As a journalist with twenty years of experience, she has been nominated for, and won, many awards including a Jack Webster Award for Best News Reporting in 2002, a Leo Award for Best Anchor in a News Program in 2004 (shared with Ian Hanomansing). She has been nominated twice for the Gemini Awards for "Best News Anchor" in Canada. On September 2, 1998, while acting as anchor on The National, Macarenko first reported news of the crash of SwissAir Flight 111 near Peggys Cove, Nova Scotia. Her five-hour marathon broadcast of this event earned her the Radio and Television Directors' Association (RTNDA) and Gemini awards for "Best Live News Coverage." She also hosted the RTNDA award-winning "News Day in BC" student journalism special.[3]

Personal life

Macarenko serves the Vancouver community as a volunteer and host for organizations such as Arts Umbrella, Dr. Peter Centre, Royal Columbian Hospital Foundation and Westcoast LEAF. In 2005 she was named one of TVWeek's 10 Most Beautiful People in B.C.[3] She was "Miss PNE" in 1978.[4]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Museum of Radio in British Columbia. "Gloria Macarenko." bcradiohistory.com/biographies. Retrieved on: 2013-03-18.
  2. ↑ Schumacher, K. (March 11, 2008). Students learn power of determination. The Daily News, Prince Rupert. Reprinted online in "A Town Called Podunk," March 12, 2008. Retrieved on: 2013-03-18.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. "Gloria Macerenko." CBC Program Guide. Retrieved on: 2013-03-18.
  4. ↑ Pegrim, S. (2011). Uncovering the Past: Novice Researcher Seeks Miss PNE Winners. BC Library Association. BCLA Browser: Linking the Library Landscape, Vol. 3 No. 2. Retrieved on: 2013-03-18.

External links