CBC Radio executive John O’Mara passes away
Former CBC broadcaster and executive John O’Mara, 63, passed away Sunday in hospital in St. John’s after a brief illness.
O’Mara began his career with the CBC as an announcer in Corner Brook in 1964 and later moved to St. John’s. After 20 years in the business, O’Mara worked his way to the top job at CBC Radio in Newfoundland and Labrador, serving as director of radio for nine years.
During his time with CBC, he hosted many programs and specials for both radio and television, including On the Go, Newfoundland and Labrador’s weekday afternoon radio current events program, which he hosted from 1973 to 1975. He also hosted Weekend Arts Magazine from 1976 to 1978, and the popular program, The Fisheries Broadcast, from 1978 to 1979.
Historian and former broadcaster Paul O’Neill was a friend and former co-worker of O’Mara’s. On Monday, he spoke with CBC Morning Show host Jeff Gilhooly about O’Mara, and the legacy he has left as a well-known broadcaster and local community volunteer.
O’Neill told CBC that O’Mara’s volunteer projects were too numerous to mention.
“Most active volunteer person I think I ever knew in Newfoundland,” O’Neill said. “You could hardly mention something that John wasn’t involved in in some way.”
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It may be surprising to get a comment from here (Japan) on this sad news. I just heard of John’s death (RIP) from my sister in Ireland. John was our last contact with “the Newfoundland people.” “Our” = the Dunphy family of Luffany,
Mooncoin, Co. Kilkenny, Ireland. As a child I had learned from my father that
some members of a past generation had emigrated to Newfoundland, and that
part of the family plot in the local graveyard was reserved for them! But beyond that it was legend until John found us some years back, and paid a number of visits to his “roots”. I never had the chance to meet him, but those of the family who did were delighted with his visits. The news of his death was passed on to me with regreat. My condolences to his wife Dianne.
Walter Dunphy, SVD,
Nanzan University,
Nagoya, Japan.