Inkless Wells

Paul Wells on all the latest out of Ottawa—along with the occasional post about jazz. Follow Paul on Twitter: @InklessPW
He also offers his thoughtful perspective of Stephen Harper’s last 10 years in his recent eBook, The Harper Decade.

Categories: Capital Read, Inkless Wells

Write if you get work: Tom Clark, formerly of CTV

by Paul Wells on Tuesday, September 7, 2010 1:12pm - 0 Comments

From the Inkless emailbox:

Tom Clark and CTV to Part Ways

Toronto, ON (September 7, 2010) – Tom Clark, host of CTV News Channel’s POWER PLAY WITH TOM CLARK and former CTV News Washington Bureau Chief, has moved on to pursue other opportunities, it was announced today.

In his almost four decade long association with CTV, Tom Clark has become one of Canada’s most respected journalists. In that time, he served as CTV’s China Bureau Chief, CTV Washington Bureau Chief, host and senior correspondent of CTV’s W5, as well as reporting from seven war zones, natural disasters and political upheavals. Clark witnessed the fall of the Berlin Wall, and the student uprising in Tien An Men Square. He covered almost every federal election in Canada since 1974.

“CTV is extremely proud of its long association with Tom Clark, and wishes him well in his future endeavours,” said Robert Hurst, President CTV News.

————

Wells here again. I have no inside information about what happened here, although Tom seemed to have the wind knocked out of him after Lisa Laflamme was named as Lloyd Robertson’s replacement. Two of his producers left their jobs over the summer, so I suspect this was coming for a while.

I was an occasional guest on both the CBC and CTV dinner-hour broadcasts and generally preferred to be on Clark’s set. He has central-casting TV anchor looks, so his competence and genuine interest in the subjects he’s covering have been too often underestimated.

What’s striking about the news release is that it doesn’t say a word about who might replace Tom Clark at Power Play With Tom Clark. Probably they’d have to change the title. I wonder whether CTV will even look for a replacement. The 15-minute headline wheel must be a tempting alternative. That would be too bad.

Tags: shop talk, Tom Clark

More by Paul Wells

http://canadiansense.blogspot.com/ CanadianSense

Are his feelings hurt because he was passed over for Lisa?

I agree he was busy interrupting only one side of the guests from their talking points.

It would have been a much better show if he was able to interrupt talking points from the cheap seats in an equal manner. Did he pity them and felt it was his job to defend the oppositions relentless fake scandals?

Did he ever do a show looking for the Holy Host too?

He will be sorely missed by the opposition cheerleaders who feel the talent pool at CTV is getting very shallow.
No NDP

Affirmative action?
Patchouli

Haha, but with better lighting. Yeah, that be some good TV.
Allan

If Lisa Laflamme flames out as CTV News anchor, will President Hurst's neck be on the chopping block???

Patchouli

Why would she flame out? Canadians are complacent; we accept whoever is put into the national anchor chairs and usually it's a face we've become accustomed to, so it's not strange, more of a procession than an interruption.

I don't dislike Lisa Laflamme. She's been around a long time and done a terrific job. So has Tom Clark — I didn't realize until today that he was with CTV for 40 years!

cisco

robert,loyldand lisa a threesome.? does mrs. robertson know?

bettie

Does anyone know what happened to Graham Richardson? I think he had wanted Tom's job as host of Power Play. Since then, I haven't seen him around.

Patchouli

I saw him on quite recently; can't remember which story but in the past couple of weeks.
Mary

Graham Richardson is hosting the local Ottawa evening news show. He has replaced long standing, well-liked host Max Keeping. I thought he was very good on Power Play.

bettie

Thanks for that info.
Ann Shoebridge

Graham was the best host Power Play had, Tom though he was the most important guest on his own show.
Ann

westmalle

I stopped watching Power Play when Tom Clark interrupted MP Shelley Glover who was explaining (during the Rahim Jaffer plea-bargain affair) that in Canada you are presumed innocent until proven guilty in court, Clark saying "but that's crazy talk!". He was often rude, would frequently interrupt Conservative but never Liberal spokesmen (he would never shut down blow-hards like Dosanjh and Goodale). He went way over the top on the Afghan detainee issue, I thought. He never gave me the sense he enjoyed being on the show or was interested in who he was talking with. So I am not surprised he walked.

The best thing about Power Play now is Joel-Denis Bellavance from La Presse who is really insightful about the political scene in Quebec. On Power Play you rarely ever have a Bloc MP on the "panels" so we the viewers miss out on a key aspect of our national politics (I saw Clark interview Duceppe once and it was pretty soft-ball).

I watched Power Play tonight with Jane Taber and was impressed when Bellavance said "no, that's untrue" to Taber who said that the Conservatives had written off Quebec and will ignore that province. I vote for Joel-Denis Bellavance to be next host of Power Play! (more Bloc MPs and more information about Quebec politics and a lot less of the insufferable Mark Holland, s'il vous plait!!)

ex-canuck

Oh, Westmalle, you went and named him. Good adjective, too.

s_c_f

Seems like there's been a lot of activity the last couple of years.
Duncan

No doubt Tom Clark will be snapped up by Sun TV. He seemed to be mostly non-partisan although at times he was probably a little indoctrinated by the Liberals as most media are in this country. Maybe Kory can turn him into a Brit Hume or Tony Snow on the new channel.
ken barclay

Tom Clark,Yes I remember that he could never distinquish the importance of another point of veiw.
THE Media are of the op[nion that THEY are and always shall
be the only people to have the bacakground,insight,previous
firs hand knowledge and "I was there and remember when in 1968….
boring.So Mr Hurst give the listeners and viewers what they want,
before CFNN does! Taber is not worthy,never has been kaboom@shaw.ca
chet

The commentary at Fox is largely conservative, though the news is about as straight as it comes.

If Fox of the north is seeking to replicate what's going on in the south then a straight laced news guy would fit the bill.

That the leftists here continue to chide a single TV news outlet for daring to not spew the progressive pablum being force fed our viewers, underscores the threat that such an outlet poses to them.

Fox north will be every bit as successeful as Fox South, precisely for the same reasons. Canadians are generally conservative. Sure there are pockets of deep seeded "progressivism" in some large centers, but the predominance of this new leftism in the media and university setting which has, until recently, largely controlled information and messaging, has vastly overstated its reach in our society.

MTB

It's not Fox north. It's the Toronto Sun on TV. Slightly less glamourous if you ask me.

chet

Not only will conservative views get a more proper airing in public discourse, more conservatives who were told they were "wrong" and a tiny fringe minority by the largely leftist media, will come to realize how many more folks are just like them…just as conservative.

Once conservatism stops being the dirty word that the liberal media tells us it is, a major tool of leftists – deligitimization via stigmatization -goes out the window.

My leftist friends are very right to be concerned.

ace

I'll be more concerned when conservatives learn how to use the English language. Edmund Burke would be ashamed of you.

Brian Williams

Sorry to see Tom go, "Power Play]' was the only CTV show I bothered watching, I wish Tom well in his 'future endeavors'.
ex-canuck

One's impression of both the main networks' political talk shows is that they did nothing much more than give the political parties' loud mouthed airheads airtime. I'll be polite and not give names, but you know. Perhaps they should both be put out of their misery.
http://nexusofassholery.blogspot.com/ Patrick_Ross

I like Tom Clark. But if he left because he didn't get Lloyd Robinson's old job, I can't express much sympathy for him:

He already had Mike Duffy's old job.
pathrik

He was my favorite political news junkie. Hopefully the mother corp. will recruit him.
Andy in Vic

I love that "new opportunities" HR phrase. We'll just have to wait until we see where he pops up. I dare say he would have liked to get the nod for Lloyd's chair, after all there are only 3 national anchor seats. Global (which I admit I don't watch much at all) went with someone I've never heard of, CBC seems to be trying to slip Mansbridge out without really announcing either a departure or a replacement (with Ian Hanomansingh more notable by his absence than his presence), and lastly the lovable (laughable?) Lisa at CTV. Personally I think that if CTV wanted to go affirmative action they should have put Sandi Rinaldo in the chair – she's a solid, experienced, reliable, personable and a straight-line talking head.
Mulletaur

Delacourt says that Clark's departure was "not his idea". How very interesting.
anne

I am sorry to see many excellent faces go all of a sudden – right out to here and Global on the West coast too with Newman. The replacements I can tell you are a surprise (even to this former – radio tv/ working gal)
I figure in my female intuitive self it's all a move to go American Delivery and not Journalism……….more cable orientated
for the mindless who enjoy commercials and sensationalism but not news.
Definitely internal-political……..another sweep much like mgm etc. 20 years ago
the crash of the multi-giant……..that the crtc allowed and never should of formed all those holdings in radio and television and the whole industry now will never be the same be it ctv or global.
we are on our way to american style……..no more canadian!!
Don MacLachlan

What we REALLY need is Paul Wells doing a show. Helluva digger, imntelligent, balanced, thinks on his feet. And he'd show up our so many of our revered leaders for what they are: shallow, short-sighted, but-will-it-get-me-votes-in-the-next-election hacks.
Meme

I have enjoyed and admired both Tom Clark and Lisa LaFlamme. They are both seasoned veterans who have been underestimated for their expertise and talent.

Tom Clark was no Mike (P)Duffy. The puff was so transparently unprofessional and partisan that CTV had to post a special public service announcement to apologize for its transparent partisanship during the infamous Dion Interview!

Thank Tolerant God that Mike Duffy is out of CTV. But we sure will miss Tom Clark's wit, knowledge and ability to pin the lying-with-both-mouths politicos on air!

PLEASE DON'T BRING ANY MIKE PUFFY CLONE!
Mary

Tom Clark,

Canadians who don't like to see their democratic system of government eroded daily want you to come back and prod these self-serving politicos on the hot seat across from you.

We will miss you. And yes, you sure were no Mike Duffy! Wonder what the Reformist CTV brass is thinking of replacing him with?
Baird? Shudder!
Elizabeth

Frankly I'm not surprised that Lisa LaFlamme succeeded Lloyd Robertson — she was always the fill-in when Lloyd Robertson was away. But I'm sad to hear that Tom Clark is leaving. Best wishes for the future!
CK KC

Clark was really plugged in to the subject and understood what he was engaging in when he had people on.
AND HE LISTENED!!!
I want my interviewer to be me in that seat. Ask an intelligent, insightful question then shut the hell up and let the person answer.
Unlike Solomon who is so in love with his own voice and ego he rarely lets anyone answer a flipping question without being interrupted.
Hopefully Tom will resurface soon, I'll follow.
Larry Shoebridge

First of all I find Jane Tabers voice annoying (like dragging your fingernails down a chalkboard…which of course she can't help. Secondly when she doesn't get the answer she wanted she finished the conversation with a snide comment which isn't necessary as the viewing public realize that the person being interviewed doesn't want to answer. This type of behavour just makes her look bad.

Craig Oliver would be my logical choice. He asked the questions and if the answer he wants to hear isn't forthcoming he just lets silence be the messanger. The viewers get the message. No need to say what everybody is thingking
Heather Denny

I am devastated that CFTO overlooked Tom Clark for the anchor. position. He was without a doubt the very best man for the job Hopefully a station with more foresight will hire him and that is the station I shall watch. Without Tom Power Play is a shell of its former self, he was so insightful and got to the bottom of things. I can't tell you how personally sad his leaving has made me.