MyBindi interviews Ian Hanomansing February 2002

From East to West, a Canadian journalist Through and Through

"There have been so many," replies Ian Hanomansing, anchor of CBC television's national dinnertime newscast "Canada Now," when I ask him about the most memorable moments of his career. After a few moments' consideration, he is able to single out three: the 1998 Nagano Olympics, the 1997 Hong Kong handover, and the L.A. riots of 1992. "We drove from the airport right into the heart of South Central LA at about 11 PM and right into the heart of a full-fledged riot. The next few hours are still firmly etched into my mind as we saw buildings on fire, open looting, and police trying to restore even a semblance of order."

It's surprising that Ian can even pick out of the numerous events of his long and successful career. As a reporter for the CBC, he was also on location covering the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill, Vancouver's post-Stanley Cup riot of 1994, the Heaven's Gate Suicides in 1997, and Philippine's Centennial in 1998.

But Ian's own story began a lot earlier than these events, in the town of Sackville, New Brunswick. Although born in Trinidad, it was in this place out east that he spent his formative years becoming fascinated with radio. "When it got dark, I often tuned in to WCBS and WINS in New York and WHDH in Boston. Although the world of broadcasting seemed far away from the small town I was living in, I did dream about one day working in radio."

His dream came true as he was graduating high school, when by chance he had mentioned his aspirations to a local newspaper reporter. The reporter then introduced him to the manager of a radio station in Nova Scotia, which led to a summer job filled with reading newscasts, working as a DJ, and reporting. From that initial experience, he continued to work in the media industry while completing a Bachelor of Arts degree at Mount Allison University and a Law degree from Dalhousie University. "I sometimes wonder where I'd be today if I had not received that break. It is quite likely I'd be a frustrated lawyer somewhere dreaming about a career in broadcasting."

In 1986 he joined CBC television in Halifax, and two years later moved to Vancouver to become a television news reporter for the CBC BC bureau. He has resided there ever since, making a name for himself as an award-winning reporter and hosting CBC Newsworld's Pacific Rim Report from 1995-1999. In October 2001 he became the anchor of Canada Now, spending every weekday since helping to shape the newscast and broadcasting several different live editions of the program to coincide with each dinnertime in every Canadian time zone. "Five editions with fourteen different co-anchors in cities across the country....Each show at least a little different than the other."

With such national exposure, Ian is one Indo-Caribbean who is a very prominent ambassador of CBC to the Canadian public. But he doesn't define himself by his race, nor does he feel that the nation defines him by it. "I find that people see me, for the most part, as a CBC journalist who happens to have grown up in New Brunswick and happens to be of South Asian descent and happens have a variety of other traits. I will often be asked what my ethnic background is, but in a polite curious way which, I imagine, is not much different than the kinds of questions my colleagues Joe Schlesinger or Sasa Petricic might get."

And what does he think of the increased South Asian/Indo-Caribbean presence in Canada's news industry? "I think the best thing about [it] is that it is happening without it being an issue. I have always felt strongly that if organizations make an effort to hire the best people, it will lead to a diverse staff. For example, there was a time when law schools were concerned about the low numbers of women students and wondered how they could change that. When I graduated from law school, I think more than half of my class was comprised of women and certainly almost all of the top ten students were women. When I see new reporters such as Hanson Hossein on Canada Now, I see a smart young reporter who happens to be of what [some people would term] Indo-Caribbean descent."

From his fifteen plus years at CBC, Ian has many positive things to say about its news department. "I work for a network that has a long standing dedication to top notch news coverage because news is important, not because news might mean more revenue. As someone who has a major [role] every day in shaping our newscast, I can tell you that we are driven by journalistic standards, not pandering to the biggest possible audience. Our programs get stronger ratings than the commercial media might have you believe. Each night the National attracts a million or more viewers. Canada Now gets hundreds of thousands of viewers each evening, with some audiences reach into the six and seven hundred thousands. While those numbers are gratifying, we remain first and foremost a newscast of journalism, not entertainment. For many Canadians, we are a trusted source of news. For many more, our work becomes a benchmark for the coverage of our competitors."

His pride in "Canada's Own" extends to Canada itself. After listing off the many notable Canadian television journalists who have left for prominent positions in the American news industry, I ask him whether he's ever felt the lure of the south. "It is nice to be 'wined and dined'," he answers, "but I have always made it clear that I had no intention of leaving Vancouver specifically and Canada generally. I have been fortunate to have a very good life both on and off the air and have seen no reason to change that."

Ian's decision to stay here could also relate to what he thinks of the American news industry in general. "At the local level, U.S. television news in many major cities is filled with helicopter shots of police chases, live reports on crimes and natural disasters, very good looking anchors, sportscasters, affable meteorologists and not a lot else. You can watch a lot of six o'clock news in the US and not learn who the governor is, or what is happening in the world beyond the latest update on US troops or Mariah Carey. On the network level though, the United States has many thoughtful and intelligent journalists."

Lastly, since Ian has obviously succeeded in his profession on such a large scale, I inquire as to what he thinks any good journalist needs to rise to the top. "It is important to have curiosity about the world around you - from your neighborhood to across the ocean - and to be able to think creatively. You'll need to be able to handle intense pressure to compete, to perform, and to meet an immovable deadline...There are no extensions in the news business. You also have to have highly developed inter-personal skills to deal both with people inside your own newsroom as well as people out in the field. Finally, you have to be self-reliant. You will constantly find yourself in changing circumstances for which there is no textbook. Having said all of that, I can tell you that almost 23 years after I first signed on at that radio station in Nova Scotia, I love my job. I can't imagine doing anything else."

Links for Ian Hanomansing

CBC's Canada Now: http://www.cbc.ca/canadanow/

CBC's Foreign Assignment Webpage: http://www.cbc.ca/programs/sites/foreign.html