Ted Rogers: champion of multiculturalism
The late Ted S. Rogers was a man who truly gave contradiction to the pessimistic opinions of many that Canadians are dull, unimaginative people.
A true visionary, a great-hearted philanthropist, a beloved family man and an employer of thousands, Ted Rogers died recently at the age of seventy-five. To say he will be mourned and missed is a cliché — Ted Rogers occupied a beloved place in so many hearts.
The progess of multiculturalism in Canada is due to a bold move that Ted Rogers made when he rescued Canada’s first multilingual, multicultural television station by the purchase of the ailing and floundering CFMT-TV. Ted Rogers perceived a need and proceeded to fill it.
What became OMNI 1, OMNI 2 and the operations in Edmonton, Calgary and Vancouver, began with that purchase and the belief that the time for multilingual/multicultural broadcasting had begun and was being passed by. The turnaround was swift and today Canada sets a worldwide example of how the needs of our diverse peoples are being met.
For this alone, apart from his many other achievements, Ted Rogers stands tall in my own personal Hall of Fame.
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