Name Prior Smith | ||
Gary Alan The Express: Prior Smith Host of Canada Calling
Prior Smith (born 1944) is a Canadian broadcaster who owns and operates the network radio program Canada Calling and produces the Canadian syndicated radio show "Grapeline".
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Broadcasting career
Born in Toronto, Ontario, Smith began his career in radio broadcasting with brief stints as a news reporter/announcer at CKLY-Lindsay, Ontario, (1966) CHYR Leamington/Windsor, Ontario (1967) and CJSS Cornwall, Ontario (1968) before moving to CJAD Montreal, Quebec in 1968. After one year at CJAD he moved to the legendary CFRB in Toronto in 1969. He worked as a general assignment news reporter/newscaster for the next 18 years.
While working in news at CFRB, Smith branched into radio network syndication creating and distributing a number of national radio programs, the most prominent of which is Grapeline featuring hockey commentator Don Cherry and sports broadcaster Brian Williams. The program, the longest running nationally syndicated radio show in Canadian history has aired nationwide for 33 years, and for more than two decades on Toronto's CJCL, the flagship of The Fan 590/Sportsnet radio network.
Also during his time at CFRB, Smith created Canada Calling, a syndicated radio news program to serve traveling and vacationing Canadians across the southern United States.
Canada Calling
Canada Calling is a daily radio newscast prepared in southern Ontario throughout the winter months. It is syndicated to a network of radio stations across the U.S. Sunbelt and the Bahamas, serving the more than three million Canadian vacationers who travel south each winter.
The original program was created by CBC sports and news announcer Dave Price. It was launched January 2, 1954 on stations in Miami Beach and Tampa.
Price would retire in the mid seventies, selling the operations to Canadian broadcast executive Finlay MacDonald.
In 1977 Smith formed his own network and his coverage of the market quickly expanded to include all of Florida, The Bahamas, Arizona, southern California and south Texas. For a brief period the two networks competed for audience before Price's original service ceased operations. The 2016-2017 winter season broadcasts of "news from home" completed their 63rd year on April 1, 2017. Smith has been the daily on air host for the past 40 years during which time he has never missed a day. The broadcast dates for the 64th broadcast season are November 6, 2017 to and including March 31st, 2018.
Canada Calling's 60 years on air throughout Florida was honoured by the Florida Association of Broadcasters at its annual convention in Miami Beach June 26, 2013 with Prior Smith in attendance representing the longest running radio show in Florida history.