Television Pioneer Ron Laidlaw dies at age 88

TORONTO, Aug. 15 /CNW/ - RTNDA, the Association of Electronic
Journalists, is saddened to learn of the death of Ron Laidlaw. He passed away
last night in London. Ron Laidlaw was 88 years old.
Ron served as RTNDA's second president in 1965-66 and was the first
News Director of CFPL Television in London, a position he held from 1953 until
his retirement in 1985. Under his leadership, CFPL became the first station in
Canada to establish an hour-long evening newscast and the first to convert to
colour.
"It's fitting that RTNDA chose to name its award for continuing coverage
after Ron," noted current RTNDA President Cal Johnstone. "His longevity as
News Director is a metaphor for the importance of sticking with a story."
"On a personal note, Ron and I had been e-mailing each other as recently
as a couple of weeks ago. I was trying to convince him to appear in a
videotaped message for our next convention. But although he preferred to
remain on the sidelines of the broadcast industry, I always knew he was
watching."
Ron is survived by his three children. At his request, no funeral service
is planned.

RTNDA Canada is the voice of electronic journalists and news managers in
Canada. The members of RTNDA Canada recognize the responsibility of broadcast
journalists to promote and to protect the freedom to report independently
about matters of public interest and to present a wide range of expressions,
opinions and ideas. The RTNDA Canada Code of Ethics adopted by the Canadian
Broadcast Standards Council, is used to measure fairness and accuracy in our
profession.