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COMEBACKThe lure of the TV camerashas drawn former CTV broadcaster HelenCanadian PressHutchinson, now 60, back to the studio to host a current affairs show on the new WTN.By Judy CreightonThe Canadian PressEvery time Helen Hutchinson tries to realize her dream to become a librarian, a TV camera zooms in on her.No sooner had the former CTV personality earned her master’s degree in library science in November then she found herself hosting a current affairs show on the Women’s Television Network, which was launched on cable Jan. 1.“It took me 3Yz years to get the degree,” said Hutchinson, who celebrated her 60th birthday two weeks ago.She went back to school at the University of Toronto in 1990 after several devastating blows, including the death of her daughter Megan in 1989 and the loss of her job in 1987 as host of CTV’s W5 current affairs show.Years ago, as an honors English graduate from the University of British Columbia, she went on to pursue the library science degree at the University of Manitoba.“I did the full master’s course but never got the degree . . . until now,” she said, chuckling. “My thesis is still in a box in the basement.”Now her library career plans are on hold again and Hutchinson is back in her element as a host and journalist on POV: Women (Point of View: Women).The news and analysis current affairs program began yesterday on the Winnipeg-based network and runs regularly Monday to Thursday 7:30-8:30 p.m.“When I was first asked to do this, I said, ‘No, thank you, Idon’t do TV any more’,” said • the bespectacled Hutchinson, biting into a huge bran muffin during an interview in her office at WTN’s production house in Toronto.Not one to give up, the show’s executive producer, Susan Stranks, invited Hutchinson to audition. Stranks got lucky. Her first choice for the job soon discovered that being back in a studio “felt like home.”“I felt ‘why not, it’s the old last hurrah, the last kick at the can’,” she said. “And what a wonderful way of doing it.”The show, she said, will present world events as seen through women’s eyes.“It will provide a different view of the world around us and will delve into gender-based issues which need ongoing dialogue,” according to a news release from the network.Asked about the relevance of a women’s-only TV network, Hutchinson appeared to bristle as she said, “There is a need for such programming because we aren’t getting it elsewhere.“Needless to say, we don’t have to manufacture our point of view as women, because we have it,” she added. “It is something that has never been aired before and it’s refreshing to let women do it their way without control of a male point of view.”POV will delve into a wide range of issues for women of all ages.Hutchinson will be joined as host by Sylvia Sweeney, who will bring a mid-life perspective, and Jeanette Loakman, the Generation-X view.“I’m the one representing the radio generation,” she said,“and then there’s the television age and the computer generation.”Stranks said she wanted Hutchinson for the job because of “her vast knowledge and lifeexperience.”And unlike other networks, where on-air women commentators or hosts are retired when they are considered over-the-hill, WTN has no rules about the“bankability factor,” she said.“It’s a matter of do we like this person, is she bright, wonderful and is she qualified,” Stranke said. “Age has nothing to do with it, looks have nothing to do with it, but the camera has to like you.”She added: “The thing about Helen is that she is such a pro. She has done it, she’s been there and she’s got a great reputation.”For Hutchinson, it’s very clear. Her options are open.“The beauty of being 60 is that, if it isn’t fun, I’m not going to do it,” she said. “I don’t need to do it, but right now it’s a neat place to be.”Judy Creighton welcomes letters at The Canadian Press, 36 King St. E., Toronto, Ont., M5C 2L9, but cannotpromise to answer all correspondence personally.
Newspaper Details
Brandon Sun
Brandon, Manitoba, CA
Tue, Jan 03, 1995
Page 16
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