Ab Douglas
Encyclopedia
Ab Douglas Driediger is a former Canadian television
news anchor. He co-anchored the CTV National News
with Peter Jennings
for two years. He was raised on the Canadian prairies
and returned there after taking early retirement
.
Ab Douglas (Driediger) was born into a German Mennonite Family in Molln, Germany in 1930 and grew up in the Brandon, Manitoba
area.
He spent 11 years working in radio/TV newsrooms on the Prairies, the last 7 at CFRN-TV
in Edmonton
.
Douglas joined the fledgling CTV National News
in Ottawa
in 1962 where he was Parliamentary Bureau Chief and news co-anchor first with Peter Jennings
and later with Harvey Kirck
.
In 1967 he moved to CBC Television
where he worked as national correspondent in Edmonton and Vancouver
; foreign correspondent in Moscow
and London
as well as on numerous special foreign assignments.
From 1976-80 he was anchor/reporter on CBOT
in Ottawa.
1980 took Douglas to the University of Regina
where he was associate professor at the University's School of Journalism for 4 years.
He subsequently operated his own cattle ranch in the Medicine Hat area but continued lecturing and conducting workshops at various schools of journalism in Canada and the U.S. for a number of years.
He is the author of 2 published books, "On Foreign Assignment" (Temeron Books) and "No Dancing God" (Fitzhenry & Whiteside).
Douglas is a graduate of Queen's University and a retired officer (Major '67) of the Canadian Armed Forces (Reserve.)
He retired to Kelowna BC in 1998.
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
news anchor. He co-anchored the CTV National News
CTV National News
CTV National News is CTV's flagship newscast, which airs at 11:00 p.m. local time on the CTV stations across Canada, and live at 10:00pm ET, with repeats hourly up until 2 a.m. ET on CTV News Channel, CTV's 24-hour cable news television channel, and the previous day's can be seen on the Internet. ...
with Peter Jennings
Peter Jennings
Peter Charles Archibald Ewart Jennings, CM was a Canadian American journalist and news anchor. He was the sole anchor of ABC's World News Tonight from 1983 until his death in 2005 of complications from lung cancer...
for two years. He was raised on the Canadian prairies
Canadian Prairies
The Canadian Prairies is a region of Canada, specifically in western Canada, which may correspond to several different definitions, natural or political. Notably, the Prairie provinces or simply the Prairies comprise the provinces of Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba, as they are largely covered...
and returned there after taking early retirement
Retirement
Retirement is the point where a person stops employment completely. A person may also semi-retire by reducing work hours.Many people choose to retire when they are eligible for private or public pension benefits, although some are forced to retire when physical conditions don't allow the person to...
.
Ab Douglas (Driediger) was born into a German Mennonite Family in Molln, Germany in 1930 and grew up in the Brandon, Manitoba
Brandon, Manitoba
Brandon is the second largest city in Manitoba, Canada, and is located in the southwestern area of the province. Brandon is the largest city in the Westman region of Manitoba. The city is located along the Assiniboine River. Spruce Woods Provincial Park and CFB Shilo are a relatively short distance...
area.
He spent 11 years working in radio/TV newsrooms on the Prairies, the last 7 at CFRN-TV
CFRN-TV
CFRN-DT is a Canadian television station, broadcasting in Edmonton, Alberta. It is an owned and operated station of the CTV Television Network....
in Edmonton
Edmonton
Edmonton is the capital of the Canadian province of Alberta and is the province's second-largest city. Edmonton is located on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Capital Region, which is surrounded by the central region of the province.The city and its census...
.
Douglas joined the fledgling CTV National News
CTV National News
CTV National News is CTV's flagship newscast, which airs at 11:00 p.m. local time on the CTV stations across Canada, and live at 10:00pm ET, with repeats hourly up until 2 a.m. ET on CTV News Channel, CTV's 24-hour cable news television channel, and the previous day's can be seen on the Internet. ...
in Ottawa
Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
in 1962 where he was Parliamentary Bureau Chief and news co-anchor first with Peter Jennings
Peter Jennings
Peter Charles Archibald Ewart Jennings, CM was a Canadian American journalist and news anchor. He was the sole anchor of ABC's World News Tonight from 1983 until his death in 2005 of complications from lung cancer...
and later with Harvey Kirck
Harvey Kirck
Harvey Kirck was a Canadian news anchor. Born in Northern Ontario, Kirck moved with his family to Toronto in 1943.-Radio Days:His career began in radio at Sault Ste...
.
In 1967 he moved to 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...
where he worked as national correspondent in Edmonton and Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
; foreign correspondent in Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
and London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
as well as on numerous special foreign assignments.
From 1976-80 he was anchor/reporter on CBOT
CBOT (TV)
CBOT-DT is a Canadian Broadcasting Corporation television station in Ottawa, Ontario. The station's studios are located in the CBC Ottawa Broadcast Centre.-History:...
in Ottawa.
1980 took Douglas to the University of Regina
University of Regina
The University of Regina is a public research university located in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada. Founded in 1911 as a private denominational high school of the Methodist Church of Canada, it began an association with the University of Saskatchewan as a junior college in 1925, and was disaffiliated...
where he was associate professor at the University's School of Journalism for 4 years.
He subsequently operated his own cattle ranch in the Medicine Hat area but continued lecturing and conducting workshops at various schools of journalism in Canada and the U.S. for a number of years.
He is the author of 2 published books, "On Foreign Assignment" (Temeron Books) and "No Dancing God" (Fitzhenry & Whiteside).
Douglas is a graduate of Queen's University and a retired officer (Major '67) of the Canadian Armed Forces (Reserve.)
He retired to Kelowna BC in 1998.