Patrick Watson, journalist and producer who shaped Canadian broadcasting, dead at 92
Posted July 5, 2022 9:34 am.
Last Updated July 5, 2022 9:46 am.
TORONTO — Patrick Watson, a news broadcaster and producer who shaped Canada’s conception of its current events and history, has died.
His son, Chris Watson, said Monday that the legendary CBC journalist and executive died the previous night of natural causes. He was 92.
Watson shook up the staid sensibilities of Canadian broadcasting as a co-creator and co-host of “This Hour Has Seven Days,” a news magazine show that ran from 1964 to 1966.
He also hosted several other CBC programs, including the eponymous “The Watson Report,” from 1975 to 1981, and the business news show “Venture,” from 1985 to 1987.
From 1989 to 1994, Watson served as chairman of CBC, shepherding the public broadcaster through budget cuts and calls for privatization.
An actor, filmmaker and author, Watson was part of the creative team that developed the “Heritage Minutes,” a series of 60-second TV spots on Canadian history.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 5, 2022.
The Canadian Press
