Life in the News

To say that Tony Parsons is a household name and that his is one of the most recognizable faces in BC are almost understatements. Having served over 35 years as anchor of the News Hour, the province's most popular television news program, Parsons is a virtual member of millions of BC families. Many British Columbians really don't believe a thing until they have heard Tony say it.

In his first book Tony Parsons tells his own story, beginning in England during the London blitz and moving to small-town Ontario where his alcoholic father left his mother to raise six children on her own. He was set on his 50-year broadcasting career by a high school teacher who liked the way he read in class, and endured long years of low-power country radio stations before breaking into big-time television with CFTO in Toronto, where he became news anchor in Canada's biggest market. By the early 1970s he'd had enough of Toronto and gave up his prestigious position to move to Vancouver as a reporter for CTV, developing a taste for off-beat stories. In 1973 BCTV (now Global BC) offered him the job of hosting its new evening news hour, a position Tony will have held for 37 years when he retires in 2010.

Some interesting Tony facts: his surname was originally Parsonage. He is half Italian. He has been married three times. He has no children. He is devoted to his Maltese cross Jack, who sleeps at his feet during newscasts. He is an obsessive golfer. He admits to having battled the bottle just like his father. With Tony as anchor the News Hour enjoyed some of the highest ratings in North America. Tony is 70 years old.

Modest, informative and amusing, just like Tony himself, A Life in the News offers revealing insights into the life of one of BC's most visible media personalities as well as fascinating views of behind-the-scenes life at BC's most watched news show.