Howard Christensen, a longtime broadcaster and the founder of Broadcast Dialogue, has passed away at the age of 80, after a long illness.
Christensen passed away Thursday afternoon, according to a Facebook post from his partner of 43 years, Ingrid, who worked alongside him on Broadcast Dialogue for almost three decades – growing its reputation as “the broadcast industry publication of record.”
Christensen’s career as an anchor, editor and reporter started at CHAM Hamilton in 1972, with stops at CKJD Sarnia, CHYM Kitchener, CHUM Toronto, CJAD Montreal, and CKVR-TV Barrie to follow. He joined the Broadcast News (BN) wire service in Toronto as a reporter/editor in 1977. When network newscasts were launched, Christensen was one of the six original newscasters who helped take BN into a new era of Canadian news audio delivery. In 1981, he was promoted to General Executive – Eastern Canada with responsibility for all Canadian radio and TV stations east of the Ontario/Manitoba border.
In 1989, the entrepreneurial bug bit. He started by writing, producing, and voicing corporate videos and writing and designing company newsletters, including one for BN.
Recognizing a lack of timeliness in the dissemination of broadcast industry news, Christensen launched Broadcast Dialogue in May 1992. Sent out weekly by fax, before long the Canadian broadcast community couldn’t live without their Thursday morning “fix.”
In 1998, Broadcast Dialogue was expanded to a monthly magazine. Together with editor Barry Hamelin, a colleague from his time at BN, they reimagined the publication.
In 2013, anticipating the tectonic changes about to take place within the broadcast industry, Christensen combined the weekly Broadcast Dialogue with the monthly magazine. Following the announcement of his retirement in 2016, the publication was acquired by publisher Shawn Smith, President of Vancouver-based Momentum Media Marketing.
“Howard Christensen was the north star for all of us who work in the Canadian broadcast industry,” said Smith. “Through Broadcast Dialogue, he kept us informed and current, fostering a community of professionals from coast-to-coast, starting at a time before the internet, FaceTime, and social media. Meticulous, passionate, and endlessly funny, Howard will be greatly missed. His legacy will last long into the future. Our love and condolences go out to Ingrid and family.”
Over the years, Christensen was honoured with “Friend of the Industry” awards from the Atlantic Association of Broadcasters, the Central Canada Broadcasters Association (now the OAB), the Western Association of Broadcasters (WAB) and the British Columbia Association of Broadcasters (BCAB), Radio-Television News Directors Association (now RTDNA), Central Canada Broadcast Engineers (CCBE) and the Western Association of Broadcast Engineers (WABE). In 2020, Broadcast Dialogue dubbed its new Canadian Radio Awards program “The Howards” to honour the publication’s founder. Broadcast Dialogue celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2022.
Following their retirement, the Christensens spent the majority of the last decade near the shore of Lake Simcoe at Lagoon City, ON.
Howard Christensen was a guest on Broadcast Dialogue – The Podcast back in 2016. Listen to that episode here:
