Charles Edwards

Charles Brailsford Edwards (August 10, 1906June 23, 1983) was a Canadian journalist and news agency executive. He began in journalism as a sportswriter for the Regina Evening Post, The Leader, and the Winnipeg Free Press, before reporting for The Canadian Press (CP). He served as manager of CP's subsidiary Press News from 1944 to 1954, where he established the first French-language wire service for radio news broadcasters in North America, and established CP Picture Service to wire photographs to newspapers and television stations. He became the first manager of CP's subsidiary Broadcast News (BN) in 1954, then established the first national voice news wire service for broadcasters in Canada, which he transitioned into BN Voice. By the time he retired as manager in 1971, BN had grown to serve 298 radio and television stations in Canada. The Province described Edwards as "one of the most influential figures in broadcast journalism in Canada". He negotiated peace and co-operation between radio broadcasters and newspapers in Canada, when they distrusted each other in competition for advertising. He was the driving force behind formation of the Radio and Television News Directors Association of Canada (RTNDA) in 1962, to give equal access to all types of news sources. In 1967, the RTNDA renamed its annual award for spot news reporting to the Charlie Edwards Award in his honour. He was made an honorary life member of multiple broadcasting associations, was inducted into the Canadian News Hall of Fame in 1972, and posthumously inducted into the Canadian Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame in 1985. Early life and journalism career Charles Brailsford Edwards was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, on August 10, 1906. He grew up and was educated in the Saskatchewan cities, Moose Jaw and Regina. As a youth, he played rugby football, ice hockey, baseball, basketball, tennis and golf. He began in journalism during the late-1920s as a sports reporter for the Regina Evening Post and The Leader. When his family moved back to Winnipeg in 1928, he covered sports for the Winnipeg Free Press until the Great Depression. He subsequently worked as a writer in the publicity department of Canadian National Railway, driving a taxi, selling vacuums, and selling parimutuel betting tickets at a horse racing track in Winnipeg. In Winnipeg at the horse racing track, Edwards met an editor from The Canadian Press (CP) which led to a six-week assignment in Toronto to report on curling.