Craig Mackie
Encyclopedia
Craig Mackie is a senior Canadian
curler
and radio and television personality.
, the Northwest Territories
, the Yukon
, Alberta
, Quebec
and Prince Edward Island
. He was third on the Senior Men's team that represented Prince Edward Island
at the national championships in Lethbridge in 2003. His team, skipped by Charles Wilkinson
finished 4-7. In 2005-06, Mackie and his team of Bob Hennessey, David Murphy and Gordon MacDonald finished runners-up in the PEI provincial senior men's championship. In 2006-07 season, Mackie was invited to join the Ted MacFadyen rink as third or vice-skip. Also on that team is Sandy Foy, second stone and Mike Coady, lead. This team finished runner-up in the 2007 provincial finals. In 2008, the Team won the PEI Senior Men's Provincial Championship and represented the province at the nationals in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan.
), an on-campus student radio station at Carleton University
. The station broadcast at 670 AM using a carrier-current transmitter in the student residences.
Between 1971 and 1981, Mackie held a number of positions at the station. He started as a volunteer announcer with an all-night radio program from midnight to 9 AM. The music was eclectic. How else would fill 9 hours of programming? Mackie said, "It was a great way to learn the music library." He also served as Production Manager, News Director, Assistant Station Manager and then from 1978 to 1981 Station Manager. Mackie was instrumental in starting the annual public funding drive. He also collaborated with other campus station leaders in launching a national campus radio organization.
Northern Service and became an Announcer/Operator with CBC Inuvik. There he hosted a number of programs including an afternoon Slavey
-English current affairs show, Mackenzie Morning, Nunanoon, the Saturday Night Request Show and a country music program called The Lovin', Hurtin', Gamblin', Travellin', Drinkin', Truck-Drivin' and Mom Show.
In 1982, Mackie moved to Whitehorse
as an Announcer/Operator with CBC Yukon
. At CBC Yukon, the first few months involved learning about the territory, its people and history. He reported and did mini-docs for the morning show. He was given an opportunity to conceive and develop an afternoon radio program that would feature the music, culture and artists of the Yukon. By 1984 Mackie was hosting Yukon Morning. In the two years Mackie worked in the Yukon, he travelled to almost every community and reported on subjects as diverse as the Yukon's economy to Gwi'ichin life in Old Crow to the re-introduction of Dall sheep. As a reporter, he also covered two Arctic Winter Games, 1982 Fairbanks, Alaska and 1984 Yellowknife, NWT.
In 1984, Mackie was offered the opportunity to take on a leadership role in CBC Northern Service. He was appointed Operations Manager at CBC in Frobisher Bay (now Iqaluit, the capital city of Nunavut
). Within a year, Mackie was promoted to Area Manager for CBC in the Eastern Arctic.
While working in the Eastern Arctic, Mackie learned to speak some Inuktitut
and began the process of moving the CBC station from being an English radio station with Inuktitut translation to one which made Inuktitut the predominant language for programming and where more original journalism in Inuktitut was encouraged. During this time, Mackie was instrumental in establishing a television bureau at the station where a weekly current affairs program in Inuktitut was produced. Mackie also oversaw the establishment of an Inuktitut-speaking bureau in Kuujjuaq
, northern Quebec
(Nunavik
). The bureau was headed up by Senior A/O William Tagoona, a journalist and singer-songwriter originally from the Keewatin.
After five years working in the eastern Arctic, Mackie became Area Manager for CBC Mackenzie in Yellowknife
primarily responsible for radio programming in English, North and South Slavey, Dogrib
and Chipewyan
. Over the next couple of years, Mackie assumed responsibility for regional radio across the north and then television programming in Yellowknife. Some of the highlights of his time in Yellowknife included:
In 1996, Mackie was presented with the CBC North Award for his long service and programming contributions.
After more than a decade as a manager in CBC, Mackie took a year (1996-97) to spend time once again in his first love, programming and journalism. He moved to CBC Calgary
and worked as a reporter and producer there.
Then in 1997, Mackie was appointed the first-ever Program Manager in CBC Radio at the Sudbury station or CBC Northern Ontario
as it is known. Some of the highlights of his career in Sudbury included:
After four years in Sudbury, Mackie took on the role of radio Program Manager for CBC Prince Edward Island
. He moved to Charlottetown
in 2001. As the CBC moved into news integration between radio and television, Mackie was appointed Managing Editor for radio and TV as well as being responsible for daily operations of the station. Under his leadership, the station launched a number of large scale journalistic projects including a revealing examination of bootlegging, electoral reform, the Island's healthcare system and others. Mackie also produced a 10-part series with folklorist Georges Arsenault on Acadian Legends and Folktales.
After more than 26 years with CBC, Mackie retired from the broadcasting corporation in the summer of 2007.
In January, 2010, Mackie was hired as the Executive Director of the PEI Association for Newcomers to Canada. The PEIANC is a non-governmental organization (NGO) that provides short-term settlement support and long-term integration assistance for immigrants and refugees who arrive on PEI.
In 2005, Mackie joined the worldwide blogging community with a picture blog located at http://alancraigmackie.blogspot.com. There are occasional curling pictures, however, many of the pictures are of the scenery, flora and fauna of Prince Edward Island.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
curler
Curling
Curling is a sport in which players slide stones across a sheet of ice towards a target area. It is related to bowls, boule and shuffleboard. Two teams, each of four players, take turns sliding heavy, polished granite stones, also called "rocks", across the ice curling sheet towards the house, a...
and radio and television personality.
Curling career
Craig Mackie has been curling competitively since 1964. He has curled in OntarioOntario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, the Northwest Territories
Northwest Territories
The Northwest Territories is a federal territory of Canada.Located in northern Canada, the territory borders Canada's two other territories, Yukon to the west and Nunavut to the east, and three provinces: British Columbia to the southwest, and Alberta and Saskatchewan to the south...
, the Yukon
Yukon
Yukon is the westernmost and smallest of Canada's three federal territories. It was named after the Yukon River. The word Yukon means "Great River" in Gwich’in....
, Alberta
Alberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
, Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
and Prince Edward Island
Prince Edward Island
Prince Edward Island is a Canadian province consisting of an island of the same name, as well as other islands. The maritime province is the smallest in the nation in both land area and population...
. He was third on the Senior Men's team that represented Prince Edward Island
Prince Edward Island
Prince Edward Island is a Canadian province consisting of an island of the same name, as well as other islands. The maritime province is the smallest in the nation in both land area and population...
at the national championships in Lethbridge in 2003. His team, skipped by Charles Wilkinson
Charles Wilkinson
Charles Anderson Wilkinson CBE was a New Zealand Reform Party, then Independent Member of Parliament for Egmont, in the North Island.-Member of Parliament:...
finished 4-7. In 2005-06, Mackie and his team of Bob Hennessey, David Murphy and Gordon MacDonald finished runners-up in the PEI provincial senior men's championship. In 2006-07 season, Mackie was invited to join the Ted MacFadyen rink as third or vice-skip. Also on that team is Sandy Foy, second stone and Mike Coady, lead. This team finished runner-up in the 2007 provincial finals. In 2008, the Team won the PEI Senior Men's Provincial Championship and represented the province at the nationals in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan.
Carleton University
Craig Mackie has been involved with radio and television broadcasting in a variety of roles since 1971. In that year, he began as a volunteer with Radio Carleton (CKCUCKCU-FM
CKCU-FM is a Canadian community-based campus radio station, broadcasting at 93.1 FM in Ottawa, and offering a live Real Audio stream and MP3 stream from its website. The station broadcasts 24 hours per day, 365 days per year....
), an on-campus student radio station at Carleton University
Carleton University
Carleton University is a comprehensive university located in the capital of Canada, Ottawa, Ontario. The enabling legislation is The Carleton University Act, 1952, S.O. 1952. Founded as a small college in 1942, Carleton now offers over 65 programs in a diverse range of disciplines. Carleton has...
. The station broadcast at 670 AM using a carrier-current transmitter in the student residences.
Between 1971 and 1981, Mackie held a number of positions at the station. He started as a volunteer announcer with an all-night radio program from midnight to 9 AM. The music was eclectic. How else would fill 9 hours of programming? Mackie said, "It was a great way to learn the music library." He also served as Production Manager, News Director, Assistant Station Manager and then from 1978 to 1981 Station Manager. Mackie was instrumental in starting the annual public funding drive. He also collaborated with other campus station leaders in launching a national campus radio organization.
Career at CBC
In 1981, Mackie took a one year contract with CBCCanadian Broadcasting Corporation
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly known as CBC and officially as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian crown corporation that serves as the national public radio and television broadcaster...
Northern Service and became an Announcer/Operator with CBC Inuvik. There he hosted a number of programs including an afternoon Slavey
Slavey
The Slavey are a First Nations aboriginal people of the Dene group, indigenous to the Great Slave Lake region, in Canada's Northwest Territories, and extending into northeastern British Columbia and northwestern Alberta....
-English current affairs show, Mackenzie Morning, Nunanoon, the Saturday Night Request Show and a country music program called The Lovin', Hurtin', Gamblin', Travellin', Drinkin', Truck-Drivin' and Mom Show.
In 1982, Mackie moved to Whitehorse
Whitehorse, Yukon
Whitehorse is Yukon's capital and largest city . It was incorporated in 1950 and is located at kilometre 1476 on the Alaska Highway in southern Yukon. Whitehorse's downtown and Riverdale areas occupy both shores of the Yukon River, which originates in British Columbia and meets the Bering Sea in...
as an Announcer/Operator with CBC Yukon
Yukon
Yukon is the westernmost and smallest of Canada's three federal territories. It was named after the Yukon River. The word Yukon means "Great River" in Gwich’in....
. At CBC Yukon, the first few months involved learning about the territory, its people and history. He reported and did mini-docs for the morning show. He was given an opportunity to conceive and develop an afternoon radio program that would feature the music, culture and artists of the Yukon. By 1984 Mackie was hosting Yukon Morning. In the two years Mackie worked in the Yukon, he travelled to almost every community and reported on subjects as diverse as the Yukon's economy to Gwi'ichin life in Old Crow to the re-introduction of Dall sheep. As a reporter, he also covered two Arctic Winter Games, 1982 Fairbanks, Alaska and 1984 Yellowknife, NWT.
In 1984, Mackie was offered the opportunity to take on a leadership role in CBC Northern Service. He was appointed Operations Manager at CBC in Frobisher Bay (now Iqaluit, the capital city of Nunavut
Nunavut
Nunavut is the largest and newest federal territory of Canada; it was separated officially from the Northwest Territories on April 1, 1999, via the Nunavut Act and the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement Act, though the actual boundaries had been established in 1993...
). Within a year, Mackie was promoted to Area Manager for CBC in the Eastern Arctic.
While working in the Eastern Arctic, Mackie learned to speak some Inuktitut
Inuktitut
Inuktitut or Eastern Canadian Inuktitut, Eastern Canadian Inuit language is the name of some of the Inuit languages spoken in Canada...
and began the process of moving the CBC station from being an English radio station with Inuktitut translation to one which made Inuktitut the predominant language for programming and where more original journalism in Inuktitut was encouraged. During this time, Mackie was instrumental in establishing a television bureau at the station where a weekly current affairs program in Inuktitut was produced. Mackie also oversaw the establishment of an Inuktitut-speaking bureau in Kuujjuaq
Kuujjuaq, Quebec
Kuujjuaq is the largest Inuit village in Nunavik, Quebec, Canada with a population of 2,132 as of the 2006 census. This is up roughly 10% from 1,932 as of the 2001 Census. It is the administrative capital of Nunavik and lies on the western shore of the Koksoak River.Kuujjuaq previously was known...
, northern Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
(Nunavik
Nunavik
Nunavik comprises the northern third of the province of Quebec, Canada. Covering a land area of 443,684.71 km² north of the 55th parallel, it is the homeland of the Inuit of Quebec...
). The bureau was headed up by Senior A/O William Tagoona, a journalist and singer-songwriter originally from the Keewatin.
After five years working in the eastern Arctic, Mackie became Area Manager for CBC Mackenzie in Yellowknife
Yellowknife, Northwest Territories
Yellowknife is the capital and largest city of the Northwest Territories , Canada. It is located on the northern shore of Great Slave Lake, approximately south of the Arctic Circle, on the west side of Yellowknife Bay near the outlet of the Yellowknife River...
primarily responsible for radio programming in English, North and South Slavey, Dogrib
Tli Cho
The Tłįchǫ or Tåîchô First Nation, formerly known as the Dogrib, are a Dene Aboriginal Canadian people living in the Northwest Territories , Canada....
and Chipewyan
Chipewyan
The Chipewyan are a Dene Aboriginal people in Canada, whose ancestors were the Taltheilei...
. Over the next couple of years, Mackie assumed responsibility for regional radio across the north and then television programming in Yellowknife. Some of the highlights of his time in Yellowknife included:
- In cooperation with community groups, established Radio Two in Yellowknife.
- 1995 Exec-in-charge of production for first ever northern native Christmas CD.
- 1995 Exec-in-charge of production for Radio & TV coverage of NWT election.
- 1994 Exec-in-charge of production for 1st ever Dene music CD.
- 1993 Exec-in-charge for Radio and TV Network production of True North Concert.
- 1992 Election Decision Desk for Yukon Election.
- 1991 Exec-in-charge of production for 1991 NWT election on radio.
- 1990 Exec-in-charge of production for Arctic Winter Games based in Yellowknife.
In 1996, Mackie was presented with the CBC North Award for his long service and programming contributions.
After more than a decade as a manager in CBC, Mackie took a year (1996-97) to spend time once again in his first love, programming and journalism. He moved to CBC Calgary
Calgary
Calgary is a city in the Province of Alberta, Canada. It is located in the south of the province, in an area of foothills and prairie, approximately east of the front ranges of the Canadian Rockies...
and worked as a reporter and producer there.
Then in 1997, Mackie was appointed the first-ever Program Manager in CBC Radio at the Sudbury station or CBC Northern Ontario
CBCS-FM
CBCS-FM is a Canadian radio station. It is the CBC Radio One station in Sudbury, Ontario, broadcasting at 99.9 FM, and serves all of Northeastern Ontario through its network of relay transmitters.-History:The station was launched in 1978 on FM 99.9 MHz...
as it is known. Some of the highlights of his career in Sudbury included:
- Produced “A Christmas Carol” 3 years running
- Coordinated the launching of websites for small stations in Ontario (Sudbury, Thunder Bay and Windsor)
- Chaired the CBC Radio Backfill Development Initiative
- Chaired the Small Stations National Program Conference
- Developed a partnership with Science North
- Member and then Chair of the Radio Broadcasting Advisory Committee at Canadore College in North Bay
- Together with the editor of Northern Ontario Business Magazine initiated a program to recognize Influential Women of Northern Ontario
- Conceived, produced and mixed a 10-part series of Northern Ontario historical stories with Charlie AngusCharlie AngusCharles Joseph Angus MP is a Canadian writer, broadcaster, musician, and politician. Angus entered electoral politics in 2004 as the successful New Democratic Party candidate in the Ontario riding of Timmins—James Bay. He was the NDP parliamentary critic for Canadian Heritage from 2004 to 2007,...
- Coordinated the development of digital file transfer of stories from news stringers in North Bay and Sault Ste. Marie
- Supported the inauguration of Radio Two in Sudbury.
After four years in Sudbury, Mackie took on the role of radio Program Manager for CBC Prince Edward Island
Prince Edward Island
Prince Edward Island is a Canadian province consisting of an island of the same name, as well as other islands. The maritime province is the smallest in the nation in both land area and population...
. He moved to Charlottetown
Charlottetown
Charlottetown is a Canadian city. It is both the largest city on and the provincial capital of Prince Edward Island, and the county seat of Queens County. Named after Queen Charlotte, the wife of George III, Charlottetown was first incorporated as a town in 1855 and designated as a city in 1885...
in 2001. As the CBC moved into news integration between radio and television, Mackie was appointed Managing Editor for radio and TV as well as being responsible for daily operations of the station. Under his leadership, the station launched a number of large scale journalistic projects including a revealing examination of bootlegging, electoral reform, the Island's healthcare system and others. Mackie also produced a 10-part series with folklorist Georges Arsenault on Acadian Legends and Folktales.
After more than 26 years with CBC, Mackie retired from the broadcasting corporation in the summer of 2007.
Moving On
From 2007-2010, Mackie operated his own company specializing in communications consulting and marketing providing support to non-profit, government and other agencies and businesses. In 2009, Mackie helped to form the first Chapter of the national organization CARP on Prince Edward Island. He was subsequently elected Chapter Chair.In January, 2010, Mackie was hired as the Executive Director of the PEI Association for Newcomers to Canada. The PEIANC is a non-governmental organization (NGO) that provides short-term settlement support and long-term integration assistance for immigrants and refugees who arrive on PEI.
Personal life
On June 24, 1978, Craig Mackie married Margaret Flood. They have three sons: James Scott born 1982; Alexander Simon born 1986; and Robert Alan born 1992.In 2005, Mackie joined the worldwide blogging community with a picture blog located at http://alancraigmackie.blogspot.com. There are occasional curling pictures, however, many of the pictures are of the scenery, flora and fauna of Prince Edward Island.