Videoage International March 2018

4 March 2018 World year 2000, he was appointed president of CHUM Television, a group that had acquired CITY- TV in 1978, and owned several TV channels. When CHUM founder Allan Waters stepped down in 2002, Jay assumed control of the entire CHUM broadcast group, a position he only relinquished in 2007 when CTV acquired the group. Three years later, he founded four specialty channels that became known as Hollywood Suite. Last December, Jay was invested into the Order of Canada, one of the country’s highest civilian honors. We’ll miss his trademark salutation at every L.A. Screenings party, “Let me introduce you to a Canadian buyer...” THR3’s First TV Project Wears a Mask R icardo Costianovksy, Tomas Darcyl and Bruce Boren welcomed the protagonist of the first production of THR3 Media Group— Santo, el Enmascarado de Plata — at the Telefilms’ suite during NATPE Miami last January (pictured below). THR3 Media Group is a new film and TV production company set up to serve the Spanish-speaking market and created by Telefilms’ Darcyl and Costianovksy, and THR3 Media’s Boren. Rodolfo Guzmán Huerta, also known as “Santo, el Enmascarado de Plata” (Santo, the Silver-Masked Man ) , is a Mexican lucha libre (wrestling) icon of the 1950’s. He was never unmasked or defeated. El Hijo del Santo , the biological son of the original Santo (featured in the photo), will portray the masked man in the TV production. J ay Switzer’s last and biggest project for VideoAge appeared in the October Issue of the publication, and was titled: “The Complex World of Canada’s TV Upfronts.” Few executives knew the Canadian TV industry better than Jay, who died on January 29, 2018, after battling an aggressive tumor. VideoAge and the worldwide television industry lost a universally loved friend, and our thoughts are now with his beloved wife, Ellen Dubin, a talented actor who never left Jay’s side. Born in Calgary, Jay was the son of Canadian cable pioneer Israel (Sruki) Switzer and CITY-TV co-founder Phyllis Switzer. Jay first entered the TV business at age 13 when he was tasked with reporting to his mother on CRTC regulatory hearings. At age 16, he was “promoted” to CITY-TV switchboard operator in Toronto, making C$1.50 an hour. While continuing towork in television, Jay obtained anMBA degree at the University of Western Ontario. In 1978, he became a program manager for CITY-TV, and in the Jacob (Jay) H. Switzer 1956-2018 (Continued on Page 6) 4