It's a sad day for a lot of people in Norfolk County. Barry Grainger, who was the driving force behind a lot of AMTelecom Cable 5's community programming, died Monday after a brief battle with cancer. (Here's his obit.)
Contributing to Cable 5's broadcasts of Simcoe Storm hockey games was one of the highlights of my stint there as an editor at the Reformer. Much of that was due to how hard Barry (who grew up in the Ottawa area, I believe) worked to co-ordinate the whole show. I might not remember what he said word-for-word, but I'll remember how he sounded when he gave instructions. He had this voice, the kind you don't hear on the radio or TV so much anymore, that tended to tell the butterflies swirling in your stomach in the moments before a broadcast that it was time for them to take a hike. He would tell you what he needed you to do, and if despite that you still messed up (which happens on live TV), he could gently correct you without ruffling your feathers -- no mean feat when you're dealing with journalists, who tend to have big egos.
Deepest condolences to Barry, his wife Pat, his friends, his family and the mainstays from my time with Cable 5, including Bill Meems, Fred Guidolin, Don Stewart and Jeff Dertinger.
That's all for now. Send your thoughts to neatesager@yahoo.ca.
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