Mary Lou Finlay (born 1947) is a Canadian radio and television journalist, best known for hosting various programs on

CBC Radio CBC Radio is the English-language radio operations of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. The CBC operates a number of radio networks serving different audiences and programming niches, all of which (regardless of language) are outlined below ...

and

CBC Television CBC Television (also known as CBC TV, or simply CBC) is a Television in Canada, Canadian English-language terrestrial television, broadcast television network owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the national public broadcasting, p ...

."There's Something About Mary Lou"
. ''

Ryerson Review of Journalism The ''Review of Journalism'' (formerly the ''Ryerson Review of Journalism'') is a Canadian magazine, published annually by final-year journalism students at Toronto Metropolitan University. The magazine profiles personalities, issues and controv ...

'', Summer 2005.

Education

Finlay graduated from the

University of Ottawa The University of Ottawa (), often referred to as uOttawa or U of O, is a Official bilingualism in Canada, bilingual public research university in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. The main campus is located on directly to the northeast of Downtown Ot ...

in 1967 with a BA in English and French literature. For three years she did writing and researching for the

Canadian War Museum The Canadian War Museum (CWM) () is a National museums of Canada, national museum on the military history of Canada, country's military history in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. The museum serves as both an educational facility on Canadian military hist ...

before her leap to journalism when she began hosting a CBC Ottawa television magazine.

Career in broadcasting

In 1975, Finlay moved to

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

to co-host CBC Television's ''

Take 30 ''Take 30'' (also expressed as ''Take Thirty'') was a Canadian television newsmagazine series, which aired on CBC Television from 1962 to 1984 for 2,500 episodes. An afternoon series originally designed as a "women's show", the series gradually ev ...

''. She hosted her own program, '' Finlay and Company'', in 1976 and 1977 and developed a loyal following. In 1978 she moved to CTV to co-host and produce the award-winning '' Live It Up!''. In 1981 she became co-host with

Barbara Frum Barbara Frum (née Rosberg; September 8, 1937 – March 26, 1992), OC was an American-born Canadian radio and television journalist, acclaimed for her interviews for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Personal life Barbara Frum was born ...

of CBC Television's nightly current affairs program, '' The Journal''. After the program's first year, Frum remained as sole host and Finlay became a documentary reporter, remaining with the program until 1988. In that year she became host of

's current affairs program '' Sunday Morning'', where she remained until the spring of 1994. From 1994 to 1997, she hosted '' Now The Details'', CBC Radio's weekly media watchdog program. Finlay became co-host with

Barbara Budd Barbara Budd (born May 23, 1951) is a Canadian actress, narrator and radio announcer. Between 1993 and April 30, 2010, she was the co-host of CBC Radio One's '' As It Happens''. Early life Budd was born in St. Catharines, Ontario. She studied th ...

of ''

As It Happens ''As It Happens'' is a Canadian interview show that airs on CBC Radio One in Canada and various public radio stations in the United States through Public Radio Exchange. Its 50th anniversary was celebrated on-air on November 16, 2018. It has be ...

'' on September 1, 1997, having to cover the death of

Diana, Princess of Wales Diana, Princess of Wales (born Diana Frances Spencer; 1 July 1961 – 31 August 1997), was a member of the British royal family. She was the first wife of Charles III (then Prince of Wales) and mother of Princes William, ...

on her first day. She retired following her last appearance on November 30, 2005, which was a tribute show for Finlay celebrating her years with the CBC. In 2008, she released ''The As It Happens Files: Radio That May Contain Nuts'' (Knopf Canada), a book of reminiscences of her time on the show. She was a pilot, and flew small planes, as she revealed in an on-air interview with test pilot Chuck Yeager on ''

''. Finlay is now a fellow with the

Centre for the Study of Democracy Center or centre may refer to: Mathematics *Center (geometry), the middle of an object * Center (algebra), used in various contexts ** Center (group theory) ** Center (ring theory) * Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentricity ...

at Queen's University in

Kingston, Ontario Kingston is a city in Ontario, Canada, on the northeastern end of Lake Ontario. It is at the beginning of the St. Lawrence River and at the mouth of the Cataraqui River, the south end of the Rideau Canal. Kingston is near the Thousand Islands, ...

Awards

* Martin Goodman Nieman Fellowship at

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

. *LL.D (hon), Dalhousie University. *Meritas Tabaret award, University of Ottawa.

References

External links

Audio interview re: The As It Happens Files (December 2008)

''The'' As It Happens ''Files,'' Penguin Canada, 2009
{{DEFAULTSORT:Finlay, Mary Lou 1947 births Living people Nieman Fellows Canadian television news anchors Canadian radio news anchors Canadian television reporters and correspondents University of Ottawa alumni Canadian talk radio hosts CBC Radio hosts Canadian women radio journalists Canadian women television journalists Canadian women radio hosts