Barbara Frum: Pioneering Broadcaster

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Topic spans: 1969 - 1996

Barbara Frum: Pioneering Broadcaster

The sudden death of Barbara Frum on March 26, 1992 shocked Canadians. The loss of one of the country's most respected broadcasters at the age of 54 reverberated across living rooms of the nation. The courage and tenacity she showed in her very private 18 year battle with leukemia was reflected in her tough, pioneering interview style on CBC Radio's As it Happens and later on CBC Television's The Journal. Whether she was talking to Nelson Mandela, Harold Ballard or the grower of the world's biggest cabbage, Frum's unrelenting curiosity, her fearless search for the truth, and her empathy and humour made her one of Canada's most important broadcasters.

18 television clips

13 radio clips

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Canada's favourite BROAD-caster

Broadcast Date: March 5, 1979

It's one of Barbara Frum's most famous interviews. It's March 1979 and she is on the phone with Harold Ballard, the controversial and outrageous owner of the Toronto Maple Leafs, and with Globe and Mail columnist Dick Beddoes.
A fiery Ballard enrages Canadians when says women on the radio are a joke and implies that the best position for them is on their backs.

Ballard eventually hangs up on Frum but not before he tells her to keep quiet and berates her for interrupting him. Frum remains pleasant and good-natured throughout the abusive interview.
The next night, Frum reads a letter to Ballard forgiving him for his sexist outbursts. She signs the "Dear Harold" letter from "Your favourite BROAD-caster."

Canada's favourite BROAD-caster

• As a response to Barbara Frum's on-air letter, Harold Ballard told the media that "ugly women" give him headaches.

• In August 1972, Harold Ballard was found guilty of 48 of 50 charges of theft and fraud. Ballard was sentenced to three consecutive three-year terms in Millhaven Institution in Bath, Ont. He was released after serving one year.

• Frum never thought of herself as a pioneering female broadcaster but her fearlessness and intelligence was a source of inspiration for other women entering the field. Frum proved that women could be uncompromising and tough and still succeed.

• Barbara Frum was delighted when she learned that Sesame Street created a Muppet character called Barbara Plum in her honour.

Canada's favourite BROAD-caster

Medium: Radio

Program: As It Happens

Broadcast Date: March 5, 1979

Guest(s): Harold Ballard, Dick Beddoes

Interviewer: Barbara Frum

Duration: 3:31

Last updated:
March 19, 2008

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