View source for Morningside (radio program)

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'''''Morningside''''' was a nationally broadcast [[Canada|Canadian]] radio program, which aired on [[CBC Radio One|CBC Radio]] from September 20, 1976 to May 30, 1997. It was broadcast from 9 a.m. to noon, Monday to Friday. The series replaced a series of short-lived morning radio programs that aired in this slot after ''[[This Country in the Morning]]'' ended in 1974.

The show was created by Krista Mäeots who served as its executive producer until her death in 1978. She had formerly been a producer with ''This Country in the Morning''.<ref>{{cite news|title=Executive's death puts CBC show off air for a day|newspaper=Globe and Mail|date=October 6, 1978}}</ref> The show debuted with [[Harry Brown (journalist)|Harry Brown]] and Maxine Crook as co-hosts. In September 1977, [[Don Harron]] became host of the show. But the program was most associated with legendary Canadian broadcaster [[Peter Gzowski]], who assumed the host's chair in 1982. The program was a mixture of news and human interest interviews. [[Shelagh Rogers]] and [[Stuart McLean]] were frequent guest hosts in later years.

In 1993, following the cancellation of CBC's ''[[Prime Time (radio program)|Prime Time]]'', ''Morningside'' added a prime time edition which replayed selected segments from that morning's broadcast.<ref name=cut>"Prime cut". ''[[The Globe and Mail]]'', June 16, 1993.</ref> 

''Morningside'' has proven to be one of the most successful radio programs in CBC history. Among the regular contributors was producer and comedian [[Stuart McLean]], who also had a summer time segment on the show called ''[[The Vinyl Cafe]]'', which eventually was spun-off to become a regular separate program on CBC Radio for decades.

When Gzowski retired in 1997,<ref>[[Peter Gzowski]] |accessdate = 2025 April 12</ref> ''Morningside'' and the network's Sunday public affairs show ''[[Sunday Morning (radio program)|Sunday Morning]]'' were replaced by ''[[This Morning (radio program)|This Morning]]'', which was hosted in its first year by [[Michael Enright (broadcaster)|Michael Enright]] and [[Avril Benoit]].

Gzowski hosted the last episode of ''Morningside'' from the [[Temple Gardens Mineral Spa Resort]] in [[Moose Jaw]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Fleming |first1=R.B. |title=Peter Gzowski : A Biography |date=2010 |publisher=Dundurn Press |isbn=9781554887200 |page=335 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_XpGnepoKuoC&q=morningside+peter+Temple+Gardens+Mineral+Spa&pg=PA335 |accessdate=28 October 2018}}</ref> The resort named its café the Morningside Café in honour of the last broadcast.<ref>[https://calgaryherald.com/travel/Soak+Canadian+history+Saskatchewan/3257452/story.html Calgary Herald Soak up Canadian history in Saskatchewan ]{{dead link|date=January 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

==Theme music==
During Harron's tenure, the opening theme was "Jogging Along" by [[John Arpin]].<ref>{{cite book|title=John Arpin: Keyboard Virtuoso|last=Popple|first=Robert|year=2009|publisher=Dundurn Press|isbn=978-1-55002-866-9|page=322}}</ref> "[[Blue Skies (1926 song)|Blue Skies]]" composed by [[Irving Berlin]] was used as the closing theme. The theme for Gzowski's tenure was "Morningside theme" composed by David W. Thompson. The closing theme was "Happiness" by Sandro Carlo Camerin (Reel to Reel).

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*CBC Morningside Documents Collection at Concordia Centre for Broadcasting and Journalism Studies - [http://ccbs.concordia.ca/archives/cbcmorningside/ CCBS]
*[http://www.broadcasting-history.ca/programming/radio/don-harrons-morningside Don Harron's Morningside - Canadian Communication Foundation]

[[Category:1976 radio programme debuts]]
[[Category:CBC Radio One programs]]
[[Category:Peabody Award–winning radio programs]]
[[Category:1997 radio programme endings]]
[[Category:1970s Canadian radio programs]]
[[Category:1980s Canadian radio programs]]
[[Category:1990s Canadian radio programs]]

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