Don Jamieson

Notable work and positions

Newfoundland Broadcasting Company - Co-founder and Vice President
CJON-TV / News Cavalcade - Host
Canadian Association of Broadcasters - President

Biography

Donald Campbell Jamieson (1921-1986) was a Newfoundland broadcaster, politician, and diplomat. Born in St. John's, he worked as a bookkeeper and Coca-Cola sales manager before entering broadcasting, and in 1945 became the first Newfoundlander to sit in the press gallery of the Parliament of Canada, reporting on the negotiations that led to Newfoundland's confederation with Canada. In 1951, in partnership with Geoff Stirling, Jamieson obtained a licence for a new radio station in St. John's, eventually building a private radio network across Newfoundland and, in 1955, the island's first television station, CJON-TV. He became known to Newfoundlanders as host of the nightly news program News Cavalcade. Jamieson served as president of the Canadian Association of Broadcasters from 1961 to 1965, and helped guide the transition from the Board of Broadcast Governors to the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission. He entered federal politics in 1966, serving in Pierre Trudeau's Cabinet in several portfolios including secretary of state for external affairs (1976-1979), before leading the Newfoundland Liberal Party and later serving as Canadian High Commissioner to the United Kingdom. He returned to run his broadcasting interests before his death in 1986, the same year he was inducted into the Canadian Association of Broadcasters' Broadcast Hall of Fame.

Career highlights

• Co-founded Newfoundland Broadcasting Company With Geoff Stirling, 1951 · Built a private Newfoundland radio network and, in 1955, the province's first television station, CJON-TV.
• President, Canadian Association of Broadcasters 1961-1965.
• CAB Broadcast Hall of Fame Inducted 1986.