Ross Porter (Canadian broadcaster)
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Biography
Ross Porter CM is a Canadian broadcast executive and music writer.[1] Formerly a producer and host for CBC Radio 2, where he was associated with programs including Night Lines, Latenight and After Hours,[2] from 2004 to 2018 he was president and CEO of the Toronto non-profit jazz radio station CJRT-FM (JAZZ.FM91).[3]
Porter stepped down in May of 2018 to become president emeritus. This decision was driven by his need to spend more time with his ailing wife and war veteran son. He continues to host his popular Music to Listen to Jazz By radio show on Saturday mornings. (See SCANDAL below)
During his time with the CBC, he was also a pop culture reporter for CBC Television's The National and CBC Newsworld's On the Arts.[4] He was named vice-president of the jazz television channel CoolTV in 2003.[4]
Porter also published a consumer guide to jazz recordings, The Essential Jazz Recordings: 101 CDs, in 2006.[5]
He is a two-time winner for Broadcaster of the Year at Canada's National Jazz Awards, in 2002[6] and 2004.[7] In the spring of 2009, the Jazz Journalists Association nominated Porter for the Willis Conover-Marian McPartland Award for Broadcasting.
In 2005 Porter created, and became executive producer of Jazz Lives, the station’s annual fundraising event. He also created the international jazz safari’s which took donors to New Orleans, Havana, Chicago, New York City, London, Umbria, Monterey and Reykjavik.
In June 2014, he was made a member of the Order of Canada for his contributions to broadcasting and developing Canadian talent over a forty year career.
Under Porter’s leadership JAZZ.FM91 was recognized in 2017, winning Gold, Silver and Bronze at the prestigious 2017 New York Festivals World’s Best Radio Programs Awards. JAZZ.FM91 competed against entries from 30 countries and 200 broadcasting companies, securing awards for three programs:
Gold – For their Sunday morning live music program, The Sound of Jazz; Silver – For Saturday morning’s Music To Listen To Jazz By with Ross Porter; Bronze – For a special Live to Air Tribute Concert for Leonard Cohen. In 2016 JAZZ.FM91 won a Bronze for Best Jazz Format.
Scandal
In March 2018, Ross Porter was accused of allegedly sexually harassing three current and former employees of JAZZ.FM (CJRT-FM). In May 2018, he stepped down from his position as president and CEO to become president emeritus and to continue hosting his weekly radio show and to spend time with his ailing wife and war veteran son. This was on the heels of the investigation into complaints of sexual harassment and creating a toxic work environment.[8]
Where the third party investigation showed the accusations had merit, JAZZ.FM91 took appropriate action.
Family
Porter is married to Denise Porter, the former publicist with the Winnipeg Art Gallery. They live, along with one of their sons, on a farm outside of Toronto, with their three dogs.
References
- ^ "Variety key to new show covering all forms of popular music". Ottawa Citizen, March 29, 1992.
- ^ "CBC radio must renew itself or stagnate, top official says". Montreal Gazette, June 17, 1993.
- ^ "Porter to head CJRT-FM". National Post, June 8, 2004.
- ^ a b "Ross Porter joins CanWest: CBC jazz expert". National Post, May 27, 2003.
- ^ "The essential 101 for jazz lovers; A starting point for collections". Toronto Star, November 2, 2006.
- ^ "Hogtown grabs the spotlight". The Globe and Mail, February 26, 2002.
- ^ "Porter picked for jazz award". Saskatoon Star-Phoenix, February 26, 2004.
- ^ "Toronto's JAZZ.FM91 CEO steps down in wake of probe into sexual-harassment allegations". Globe and Mail.
External links
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