To say that Tony Parsons is a household name and that his is
one of the most recognizable faces in BC are almost
understatements. Having served over 35 years as anchor of the "News
Hour," the province''s most popular television news program,
Parsons is a virtual member of millions of BC families. Many
British Columbians really don''t believe a thing until they have
heard Tony say it.
In his first book Tony Parsons tells his own story, beginning in
England during the London blitz and moving to small-town Ontario
where his alcoholic father left his mother to raise six children on
her own. He was set on his 50-year broadcasting career by a high
school teacher who liked the way he read in class, and endured long
years of low-power country radio stations before breaking into
big-time television with CFTO in Toronto, where he became news
anchor in Canada''s biggest market. By the early 1970s he''d had
enough of Toronto and gave up his prestigious position to move to
Vancouver as a reporter for CTV, developing a taste for off-beat
stories. In 1973 BCTV (now Global BC) offered him the job of
hosting its new evening news hour, a position Tony will have held
for 37 years when he retires in 2010.
Some interesting Tony facts: his surname was originally Parsonage.
He is half Italian. He has been married three times. He has no
children. He is devoted to his Maltese cross Jack, who sleeps at
his feet during newscasts. He is an obsessive golfer. He admits to
having battled the bottle just like his father. With Tony as anchor
the "News Hour" enjoyed some of the highest ratings in North
America. Tony is 70 years old.
Modest, informative and amusing, just like Tony himself, "A Life in
the News" offers revealing insights into the life of one of BC''s
most visible media personalities as well as fascinating views of
behind-the-scenes life at BC''s most watched news show.