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CBC Television Network

Sunday

Network: CBC Television Network

Broadcast Run: 1966 to 1967

Broadcast Medium: Television

Aired Sunday nights at 10 PM from November 6, 1966 to April 16, 1967.

Immediately following the cancellation of This Hour Has Seven Days, this one hour news/public affairs program took its place. Daryl Duke was executive producer. He returned from the United States, having recently worked on the Steve Allen show in New York. His task was challenging: to offer a program of equal or better value to viewers.

Larry Zolf and Robert Hoyt, who worked for Seven Days, were the principal hosts. Music was provided by Ian Tyson, who also hosted, and Leonard Cohen. Peter Reilly, who had been working at CTV, returned after complaining of management interference in the CTV newsroom.

The format of Sunday was similar in many respects to Seven Days: a studio audience, musical satire, interviews and commentary. It strived to be informative and irreverent yet failed to attract high ratings compared to its predecessor. The show was cancelled after one season and replaced by The Way It Is, which enjoyed considerable success for the CBC.

Nevertheless, the show did have some interesting moments. In 1966, the show broadcast Exit 19, a controversial film about the new sexual revolution, and an interview with James Pike an episcapal bishop from San Francisco. The last show, on April 16, 1967, included an interview with Dr. Martin Luther King.

Some of the contemporary musical acts on the show included The Staple Singers, Ian and Sylvia, Otis Redding, Joan Baez, Phil Ochs and even the Metropolitan Toronto Police Choir. [See This Hour Has Seven Days and The Way It Is]

Written by John Corcelli – May, 2005