Tabloid (TV series)
Encyclopedia
Tabloid was one of the earliest information television series aired in Canada
. It ran weeknights from 1953 to 1960 after which it was renamed to Seven-O-One
.
Gunnar Rugheimer compiled a newsreel for the programme which featured stories from various international sources such as BBC, Movietone, United Press International, and the Canadian Forces. Discussions, interviews, demonstrations, reviews and weather reports from Percy Saltzman
rounded out the Tabloid episodes, resembling a "spoken-word variety show".
Producer Ross McLean's catchphrase for Tabloid was "Facts with Fun", reflecting his approach that news and information programming should incorporate elements of entertainment. He acknowledged that the early episodes of Tabloid were "a bargain basement version of NBC's Today." The interviews, features and weather forecast were supplemented with informal conversations among the hosts.
who remained until Tabloid became Seven-O-One in 1960.
Percy Saltzman
was the only Tabloid host who remained through the entire series run, and the extent of its successor, Seven-O-One. He presented the weather forecasts as he did in the earlier CBC series Let's See
. Viewers regularly saw Saltzman's signature tossing of his chalk after he was requested by producer McLean to make this a regular practice.
Elaine Grand joined the show in early 1953 to conduct freelance interviews. She became a full-time host by February 1954, leaving the show in 1956 to work with Associated-Rediffusion
in the United Kingdom. Paisley Maxwell succeeded her as an interim host until Joyce Davidson
replaced Grand on a full-time basis from 1956 to 1959.
News reports were provided by Gil Christy (1953–1954), then John O'Leary for the remainder of Tabloids existence. Dave Price presented the sportscast.
Other people seen on Tabloid include Allan Anderson, Gregory Clark, Earl Cox, Blair Fraser, Trent Frayne
, Robert Fulford, Sydney Katz, Robert McKeown, Wilfred Sanders, John Saywell, Lister Sinclair, Jean Templeton and Bruce West.
Approximately 6500 guests were featured on Tabloid as of June 1960. These included
Billy Graham
, Duncan Hines
, Margaret Mead
, Nicholas Monsarrat
, and Amy Vanderbilt
.
Ted Pope became producer in September 1958 when McLean concentrated on production of another CBC series, Close-Up.
. Montreal's Tabloid ratings share was 11%, while Radio-Canada's French-language Telejournal
and Carrefour drew a 67% share.
A later CBC Times report indicated a rated Tabloid audience of 250,000 from Toronto's CBLT.
Host Joyce Davidson expressed indifference towards a Canadian visit by Queen Elizabeth II during an interview on a June 1959 broadcast of NBC's Today. Following intense critical reaction to these remarks, Davidson resigned from Tabloid within a few days.
The programme was retitled Seven-O-One in 1960 after a drug manufacturer which held a trademark to its "Tabloid" product pressured the CBC to change the news show's name. The last episode under the Tabloid name aired 9 September 1960.
Television in Canada
Television in Canada officially began with the opening of the nation's first television stations in Montreal and Toronto in 1952. As with most media in Canada, the television industry, and the television programming available in that country, are strongly influenced by the American media, perhaps...
. It ran weeknights from 1953 to 1960 after which it was renamed to Seven-O-One
Seven-O-One
Seven-O-One was a Canadian information television series aired in Canada. It ran from 1960 to 1963 as a continuation of the series Tabloid.-Premise:...
.
Format
The series featured interviews, news and information. Its opening tagline was "a program with an interest in anything that happens anywhere, bringing you the news at seven." It was also promoted as "the nightly habit of nearly everyone".Gunnar Rugheimer compiled a newsreel for the programme which featured stories from various international sources such as BBC, Movietone, United Press International, and the Canadian Forces. Discussions, interviews, demonstrations, reviews and weather reports from Percy Saltzman
Percy Saltzman
Percy Saltzman, was a meteorologist and television personality best remembered for being the first weatherman in Canadian television history....
rounded out the Tabloid episodes, resembling a "spoken-word variety show".
Producer Ross McLean's catchphrase for Tabloid was "Facts with Fun", reflecting his approach that news and information programming should incorporate elements of entertainment. He acknowledged that the early episodes of Tabloid were "a bargain basement version of NBC's Today." The interviews, features and weather forecast were supplemented with informal conversations among the hosts.
Hosts
Dick MacDougal, a radio presenter, was a host of Tabloid from its first episodes in 1953 until his death in 1958. He was replaced by another radio host, Max FergusonMax Ferguson
Max Ferguson, OC is a Canadian radio personality and satirist, best known for his long-running programs Rawhide and The Max Ferguson Show on the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation ....
who remained until Tabloid became Seven-O-One in 1960.
Percy Saltzman
Percy Saltzman
Percy Saltzman, was a meteorologist and television personality best remembered for being the first weatherman in Canadian television history....
was the only Tabloid host who remained through the entire series run, and the extent of its successor, Seven-O-One. He presented the weather forecasts as he did in the earlier CBC series Let's See
Let's See
Let's See was a Canadian television series broadcast on CBC Television between September 6, 1952 to July 4, 1953. The segment, which had a running time of 15 minutes, was a puppet show with a character named Uncle Chichimus , which presented each evening's schedule as well as the weather forecast....
. Viewers regularly saw Saltzman's signature tossing of his chalk after he was requested by producer McLean to make this a regular practice.
Elaine Grand joined the show in early 1953 to conduct freelance interviews. She became a full-time host by February 1954, leaving the show in 1956 to work with Associated-Rediffusion
Associated-Rediffusion
Associated-Rediffusion, later Rediffusion, London, was the British ITV contractor for London and parts of the surrounding counties, on weekdays between 1954 and 29 July 1968. Transmissions started on 22 September 1955.-Formation:...
in the United Kingdom. Paisley Maxwell succeeded her as an interim host until Joyce Davidson
Joyce Davidson
Joyce Davidson was a Canadian and American television personality.-Career:She was a member of CBC Television's Tabloid, a current affairs program with a light entertainment manner, in the 1950s....
replaced Grand on a full-time basis from 1956 to 1959.
News reports were provided by Gil Christy (1953–1954), then John O'Leary for the remainder of Tabloids existence. Dave Price presented the sportscast.
Other people seen on Tabloid include Allan Anderson, Gregory Clark, Earl Cox, Blair Fraser, Trent Frayne
Trent Frayne
Trent Gardiner Frayne is a retired Canadian sportswriter whose career stretched over 60 years."Billy" Frayne, as he was known as a youth, was born to father Homer, who was a railroader for the Canadian Pacific Railway and mother Ella...
, Robert Fulford, Sydney Katz, Robert McKeown, Wilfred Sanders, John Saywell, Lister Sinclair, Jean Templeton and Bruce West.
Approximately 6500 guests were featured on Tabloid as of June 1960. These included
Billy Graham
Billy Graham
William Franklin "Billy" Graham, Jr. is an American evangelical Christian evangelist. As of April 25, 2010, when he met with Barack Obama, Graham has spent personal time with twelve United States Presidents dating back to Harry S. Truman, and is number seven on Gallup's list of admired people for...
, Duncan Hines
Duncan Hines
Duncan Hines was an American pioneer of restaurant ratings for travelers. He is best known today for the brand of food products that bears his name.-History:...
, Margaret Mead
Margaret Mead
Margaret Mead was an American cultural anthropologist, who was frequently a featured writer and speaker in the mass media throughout the 1960s and 1970s....
, Nicholas Monsarrat
Nicholas Monsarrat
Commander Nicholas John Turney Monsarrat RNVR was a British novelist known today for his sea stories, particularly The Cruel Sea and Three Corvettes , but perhaps best known internationally for his novels, The Tribe That Lost Its Head and its sequel, Richer Than All His Tribe.- Early life :Born...
, and Amy Vanderbilt
Amy Vanderbilt
Amy Vanderbilt was an American authority on etiquette. In 1952 she published the best selling book Amy Vanderbilt's Complete Book of Etiquette. The book, later retitled Amy Vanderbilt's Etiquette, has been updated and is still in circulation today. The most recent edition was edited by Nancy...
.
Production
The series was produced in Toronto at CBLT studios by Ross McLean.Ted Pope became producer in September 1958 when McLean concentrated on production of another CBC series, Close-Up.
Scheduling
Tabloid was broadcast weekdays at 7 p.m. (Eastern) for most of its run, except from September 1954 to July 1955 when it was scheduled at 6:30 p.m..Ratings
In the 1957-1958 season, CBC Audience Research ratings indicated that Tabloid had a 15% to 18% share of viewers in Toronto, versus the 35% to 45% share of viewers for Annie Oakley on Buffalo, New York's WBENWIVB-TV
WIVB-TV, virtual channel 4, is the CBS-affiliated television station for Western New York that is licensed to Buffalo. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 39 from a transmitter on Center Street in Colden. Owned by the LIN TV Corporation, the station is sister to CW...
. Montreal's Tabloid ratings share was 11%, while Radio-Canada's French-language Telejournal
Le Téléjournal
Le Téléjournal is the umbrella title used for the television newscasts aired on the Radio-Canada broadcast network. Le Téléjournal has been used since 1970 as the title of the network's flagship newscast, originating from Montreal, Quebec, and considered the French language equivalent of the...
and Carrefour drew a 67% share.
A later CBC Times report indicated a rated Tabloid audience of 250,000 from Toronto's CBLT.
Controversies
In 1956, Montreal doctor E. E. Robbins wrote a critical letter to Tabloid. It was read on the show, accompanied by Robbins' home address and MacDougal requesting viewers to "cheer him up". Robbins sued CBC after he was deluged with disruptive letters and telephone calls and prank taxi calls. The case ended with Robbins winning a $3000 settlement against CBC from the Quebec Superior Court.Host Joyce Davidson expressed indifference towards a Canadian visit by Queen Elizabeth II during an interview on a June 1959 broadcast of NBC's Today. Following intense critical reaction to these remarks, Davidson resigned from Tabloid within a few days.
The programme was retitled Seven-O-One in 1960 after a drug manufacturer which held a trademark to its "Tabloid" product pressured the CBC to change the news show's name. The last episode under the Tabloid name aired 9 September 1960.