Sun Media axes Mark Bonokoski

Mark Bonokoski, a Sun legend since 1974 and one of the original members of the Windsor Mafia, is one of the 360 layoff casualties announced yesterday.

Say it ain't so, Bono. But, unfortunately, it is. Here is what he had to say on Facebook.

"Black Tuesday: It was difficult to choose which media report to run under this post, so I chose one from the mid-West. A halfway point perhaps.

"Anyhow, unmentioned in any news reports thus far is that I. too, was relieved of my duties this morning (via a phone call) as Sun Media's national editorial writer and columnist.

"Since my Sun Media email account has already been disabled (as per protocol), I can be reached at markbonokoski@gmail.com

"PS: Any and all job offers will be appreciated. My tank is still full and I am running on all cylinders.

"To my Sun colleagues, thanks for the time, the space and the friendships. You are unrivaled." 

In our books, there was no finer a writer than Mark when he wrote about everyday people in the Toronto Sun over the decades.  It earned him wide readership and numerous awards.

This is the Toronto Sun Family profile written in 2006 before Mark was named national editorial writer/columnist:

Mark Bonokoski
1974 -
Mark Bonokoski arrived at the Toronto Sun in 1974 as a member of the Windsor (Star) Mafia. He became news columnist in 1977. Mark was the first Toronto journalist to write about Nova Scotia's brutal Billy Stafford, who abused his commonlaw wife, Jane Hurshman, until she shot him dead. (Former Sun staffer Brian Vallee later wrote the acclaimed book Life With Billy.) Mark was transferred to London as the Sun's European bureau chief in 1988 and the award-winning staffer filed copy from the shadow of the Berlin Wall the night it fell in November of 1989. In 1991, he was appointed Editor of the Ottawa Sun and became Publisher and CEO of the Ottawa Sun in 1997. In 1999, he walked the plank and rose as Sun Media's national affairs columnist in Ottawa. He left the Sun (stupidly, as he puts it) in 2000 to pursue a career as a federal politician, crashed and burned. Mark returned to the Toronto Sun as a columnist in 2002, where he was welcomed back with three Dunlop Awards and a National Newspaper Award nomination. Columns he has penned in the past two years about the Deering sisters of Port Perry, Erica and Shannon, helped raise more than $50,000 from readers for experimental stem-cell surgeries in China. The sisters were left quadriplegics in an August 2004 car accident. That is the impact of the heart-felt words of a veteran Sun columnist. He cared in 1974 when hired by the Sun and he still cares 32 years later. 

Comments and best wishes can be posted on TSF or emailed to thecos@the-wire.com

Black Tuesday 2013 - 360 jobs, 11 papers

Sun Media has announced closure of 11 newspapers, including several that were closed in the past month or so, and 360 more job cuts across the chain.

The Canadian Press story:

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/canada/canadian-press-newsalert-sun-media-cutting-360-jobs-and-closing-11-papers-215683391.html

Five more Toronto Sun employees have been cut and gone are the three 24 Hours free newspapers in Ottawa, Calgary and Edmonton.

Veteran Sun columnist Mark Bonokoski was one of the Toronto Sun casualties. Names of the four other Toronto Sun casualties are pending.

The once proud and prosperous Sun empire shrinks again. The Globe and Mail lists the eight shuttered paid papers as: L’Action Régionale in Montérégie; Lindsay Daily Post; Midland Free Press; Meadow Lake Progress; Lac du Bonnet Leader; Beausejour Review; Le Magazine Saint-Lambert and Le Progrès de Bellechasse.

Have your say on TSF by posting or by emailing your comments to thecos@the-wire.com

James Wallace exits as Toronto Sun EIC

James Wallace has resigned as editor-in-chief of the Toronto Sun.

So goes another veteran Sun staffer from the ever-shrinking numbers at 333.

Here is Steve Ladurantaye's Globe and Mail story on his departure.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/toronto-sun-editor-steps-down/article13236202/

The Globe story says: James Wallace, a former reporter and columnist with the paper who was appointed to the job in 2008, told staff he would be stepping down Monday afternoon. Executives at Sun Media, who own the Toronto tabloid, didn’t respond to requests for comment but confirmed his departure.

Comments and good wishes can be posted here or emailed to thecos@the-wire.com

Historic Toronto Sun news rim for sale

Updated July 14
Rewrite: Okay, Peter Worthington never did sit here.

Ken Wyman writes:

Truth in advertising: Peter Worthington's step-daughter, Danielle Crittenden, tweeted me just now that PW did not actually sit at this desk. She says "He always had an office. Rim was for copy/layout editors."

Let the record stand corrected. But either way, it's a great table!

I hope you can tell me more about the desk. Perhaps some of the readers of the Sun Family Blog will recognize it, even though the original base is long gone, and replaced with Ikea legs. Comments would be welcome.

More importantly: Do you know anyone who might want to give it a good home?

The original email from Ken: 

I have the original, historic, Toronto Sun City Desk, and, much as I love it, it's time for it to go to a new home. Would you like it? Or do you know people who might? Don Hunt, perhaps. 

Peter Worthington Sat Here: Originally built as the city news desk for The Toronto Sun, then used by their sports department, it was passed on to United Press International and Canadian Press. I acquired it from CP in 1985 (and I still have the sales receipt to prove provenance).

The journalists, famous, infamous, and unknown, who sat here left a patina of cigarette burns, coffee stains, and scuff-marks, and I have preserved that. Built of thick wooden boards, like a bowling alley, it is an impressive piece of history.

It can be assembled in the original 54 inch wide C shape, or in a sinuous curve up to 21 feet long, or in twos, threes, or any combination of all seven sections, or each section can stand alone. There are five wooden drawers, and two under-desk shelf units.

Yours truly,

Ken Wyman 

Cell 416 362-2926
Email Ken_Wyman@yahoo.ca

His PDF reads:

For Sale: Historic News Desk or The Rim
Excellent conference room table, executive desk, dining room table, set for TV news roundtable panel, receptionist desk, or up to seven individual tables. Also perfect for a journalism school or museum.

Peter Worthington Sat Here: Originally built as the city news desk for The Toronto Sun, then by their sports department, it was passed on to United Press International and Canadian Press. I acquired it from CP in 1985 (and I still have the sales receipt to prove provenance).

The journalists, famous, infamous, and unknown, who sat here left a patina of cigarette burns, coffee stains, and scuff-marks, and I have preserved that. The City Editor sat in the middle, with the departmental editors around the rim. Built of thick wooden boards, like a bowling alley, it is an impressive piece of history.

It can be assembled in the original 54 inch wide C shape, or in a sinuous curve up to 21 feet long, or in twos, threes, or any combination of all seven sections, or each section can stand alone. There are five wooden drawers, and two under-desk shelf units.

Brian Charles Belliss dies at 70

Updated July 7. 2013
Brian Charles Belliss, a former longtime Toronto Sun composing room employee, has died at 70.

His obit reads: Passed away unexpectedly on June 30, 2013 at NorthYork General Hospital at the age of 70. Loving husband of Sandy. Beloved father of Michael (Renee) and Vicki (Todd Gillis). Proud grandfather of Jakob, Danielle, Ryan and Lukas. Will be missed by his sister Diane (George) and his aunt Connie Imrie. Friends may call on Tuesday, July 9, 2013 at 12 noon followed by a Memorial Service at 1 p.m. at the R.S. Kane Funeral Home (6150 Yonge Street, at Goulding, south of Steeles). As an expression of sympathy, donations may be made to the charity of choice. Condolences www.rskane.ca. R.S. Kane 416-221-1159

Stories and memories of the life and times of Brian can be posted by emailing thecos@the-wire.com

Randy Miller
"It is hard to believe the time has come when we begin to lose the people we have spent a significant part of our life working with and enjoying each others company. Brian was my boss when I was brought on full- time at the Toronto Sun in 1972, with the Financial Post. He was great to work with, instructive, very calm, satirical and encouraging. As a foreman, he was a classical example of why it was so great to work for the Sun. He was not just a boss, he was a friend."

Nancy Stewart

"Very sad to hear of the news of Brian, the gentle giant. He was always so nice and friendly to me when I first started as a student at the old Sun Eclipse building, making us feel comfortable in our jobs and taking the time to show us things that were new and interesting. His wonderful smile and his great sense of humour was one of his many ways of showing support. An all-round good guy."

Andy Balfour

"I am very sad after hearing the news of Brian Belliss, a fellow Toronto Sun co-worker, passing away. I worked with him for over 20 years. From the good old days at the Eclipse building and at 333 King St E. He was always friendly to me and I have fond memories. Rest In Peace Brian . . . you will be missed my dear friend."

A 1972 Toronto Sun composing room photo, courtesy of Nancy Stewart. From left to right: Marty Peterson, Charlie Shaver, Joan Murrell, Brian Belliss, Bob Chambers (sitting), Marjorie Spitelnic, Dave Couch (sitting).

Memories of Peter "Sully" O'Sullivan

Updated July 7, 2013
Welcome to the TSF tribute page for Peter O'Sullivan, a tabloid genius whose influence at 333 was felt off and on from the late 1970s into 1999. The following comments have been gathered from Facebook, the Toronto Sun and other sources. If you have more tributes or stories to tell about Sully, email them to thecos@the-wire.com 

Peter O'Sullivan

Randy Miller 
"I was shocked to hear of the passing of Peter O'Sullivan. He was my age. I remember working with him and Ed Monteith many times on the front page. Working on the front page to Peter was not a job but a privilege. He pushed the envelope both in composing and the colour lab at the time. He was fun to work with, but he knew exactly what he wanted and expected even if it took few redoes and you had to pull it away from him to get to press. The front page to Peter was the entrance to the day's work of the whole company and you can't argue with that. I not only enjoyed working with Peter, he also made me feel an integral part of the process. He even invited me to drinks at the Press Club, how inclusive can that be? Another great paper-man gone."

Nancy Stewart
"Peter was one of those very special people who made working at The Toronto Sun a very memorable experience. He was the King of Page One layouts, and we in the Composing Room loved his passion for doing it the best. He was sincere, smart, playful and serious. Peter was one of the reasons the Golden Years at The Sun were Golden and he will be remembered very fondly."

Liz Langley 

"Peter hired me as a columnist first at the Orlando Weekly - my first writing job - then as the Toronto Sun’s “Florida Columnist,” like it was the most natural thing in the world for a Canadian paper to have a Florida columnist. He had a genius for seeing people’s strengths and giving them confidence to use the bejeezus out of them and made me feel like I could do anything. He was crazily generous, always funny, the best story teller ever and one of the most profound and positive influences I could have hoped for in my life."

Heather Mallick

"He was a smart funny man who could have taken grave exception to my promotion just before he arrived but didn't, which was generous. What I remember most about him was his kindness to people who were ill or in trouble. When I explained to him that a Sun temp was going to have to go on welfare while she was on sick leave, he arranged it so that wouldn't happen. What an extraordinary thing to do." 

Wayne Janes

"I was shocked when I heard the news. He was a very sharp tab guy, smart with a keen eye. I remember his voice, how it went up in pitch whenever he became passionate or excited about something, which was a lot. He gave me a desk to run and then left me alone. I'll never forget that. Thoughts to his family." 

Hugh Wesley
"Peter O'Sullivan was a young sharp-minded rim jockey at the Sun, who Doug Creighton recruited to direct start- up Sun papers in the States, first in Orlando and then editorially at the Houston Post, where he helped turn that paper around. He returned to become the editorial director at the Toronto Sun and while some didn't appreciate some of his decisions, he was fearless, dedicated, well respected and revered by most of those directly under his command. Memorable quote in a news meetings: "Mel Lastman may be an a..hole . . . but he's our a..hole." 

Sheila Reagan 
"Peter "Sully" O'Sullivan was a remarkable newsman and I really enjoyed it when he was at our helm. Sorry to hear of his passing. We sure had a lot of fun." 

Claire Bickley 
"When my family was dealing with the sudden, senseless death of my sister Shirley Anne, who was well loved in the Sun newsroom, Sully told me to take off as much paid time as needed, be it a week or months, and not to even think about work. Hard news man but one with a soft heart in the right place." 

Heather Bird
“He was a mentor to me tremendously, especially as a columnist when I first started (in 1979). It’s such a tremendous loss on a personal level, because he died far too young. I remember I was making $200 a week (in 1980). He dropped me off at my apartment at Queen and Sherbourne and he saw where I was living and he talked to the then-managing editor and said, ‘She’s not making enough money,’ and I got a raise to $275 and it meant I could get a better apartment.”” 

Jim Slotek 
"Sully hired me twice - first time as a proofreader when I was still in school. He could give you sh-- like nobody's business, but he knew his business." 

Les Pyette 
"I am sorry to hear the news. He was a natural newsman, an excellent tabloid editor. He could lay out a page better than most. Another old Sun soldier gone." 

Alan Cairns
"I am saddened to learn that Peter passed away at such a young age. I personally found Sully to be a decent and caring man. RIP Sully." 

Steve Payne 
"Peter and Bob Vezina were the two people who gave me a job at the Toronto Sun and Peter helped with the immigration department which could have insisted I go back to England and wait for permission to take the position."

Frank Morrison
"Sad day! Peter was a good man. We had many laughs in the composing room." 

Linda A. Fox
"When Sully was managing editor he was always fair with me. I really liked the guy. He gave me a shot at being the arts writer for Showcase, not a role the Sun upstairs brass cared greatly about that is for sure. He was also a lot of fun and had a wicked sense of humour. I am stunned by this news, this and Bryan Cantley in one week. Very sad for the news world."

Sandra Macklin
"OMG. I'm so shocked, shaken."

Ian Harvey "Wow. There were two people whose names were verbs in the newsroom. Has this story been Shanoffed? I just got Sullied. All joking side, I was there for both his eras. Intense guy. I'll always remember his detachment at the Management Buyout. "We bought the paper back!" people said. "Don't for one second make that mistake," Sully said. "We didn't buy anything. They did." Turns out he was right. They did. And then they sold it to Quebecor. And that's where the story starts to die."  John Schenk "So young." John Cosway "Always felt Peter wanted to take the Toronto Sun where management didn't want to go - to the gates of the British tabloids. It was always a joy watching him work the newsroom. He was focused, dedicated and proud of his eye-catching front pages. He was at the helm the night John Lennon was murdered in 1980 and the British import gave Sun readers a front page to frame. When you talk of the glory years of the Sun, Sully was a key player."  Glenn Garnett “He was energetic and demanding, fairly exploding with ideas. He was cheeky and profane, but I also found him shy and self-effacing. He was one of the great editors and personalities of this place and he was generous with his guidance.”  Bill Sandford "I . . . recall the night they blew up Litton Systems in Etobicoke. Home grown activists were demonstrating their dislike of the Canadian company building cruise missle guidance systems, and took out the front of the building in October 1982. I was able to get into the scene, got a good photo of the destruction before the police closed it down for investigation. Sully was particularly pleased with the photo that he front paged that night, and back before deadline to boot." James Wallace "He’s fondly remembered as a great tab editor by many members of the Sun family.”  Rachel Sa  "Very sad to read this news."

Peter O'Sullivan dead at 64

Updated July 3, 2013
Peter "Sully" O'Sullivan has died at 64, found dead in his San Diego-area home last week.

The former editor-in-chief was many things to many people, but for most who worked with him, he was a tabloid genius whose Toronto Sun influence was felt off and on from the late 1970s to 1999.

Unfortunately, all that he gave to the Little Paper That Grew meant little to Quebecor. He was one of the first Sun executives to be axed when the long-lasting purge began in 1999.

Peter, says retired Sun Media executive Les Pyette, was hired by the late, great managing editor Ed Monteith.

"I am sorry to hear the news," says Pyette. "He was a natural newsman, an excellent tabloid editor. He could lay out a page better than most. Another old Sun soldier gone."

The Toronto Sun's 1980 John Lennon murder front page was all O'Sullivan. It was just one of many memorable fronts with his imprint on it as an unsung hero of the newsroom. He enjoyed pushing the envelop, perhaps wanting the Sun tabloid to be as tabloid as the Sun in his native England.

While Peter's Sun career began in the late 1970s and ended in 1999, those Sun years were not consecutive.

Peter spent time away from the tabloid, moving to a Sun Media paper in Orlando, Florida, then the Houston Post as editor in December 1983 after it was purchased by Sun media. He was 39 and editor in chief of the Post when he resigned in September of 1988 to pursue other opportunities.

"The Post under Peter made dramatic improvements,'' an Associated Press story quoted William Dean Singleton, whose Houston-based Media News Group Inc. bought the Post in 1987, as saying.

At the same time,.Don Hunt (co-founder of the Toronto Sun) resigned as the Post's publisher to head a new international division of Media News.

 In 1989, Peter was hired as managing editor of the St. Louis Sun, a new Missouri newspaper launched on Sept. 25, 1989, with an initial press run of 200,000. No doubt Peter sensed what Toronto Sun Day Oners experienced when the tabloid was launched on Nov. 1, 1971.

The new Sun tabloid, owned by Ingersoll Publications Co. in New Jersey, was competing for readership with the 110-year-old St. Louis Post Dispatch.

But the 1989 rising of a new Sun was short-lived. It folded seven months later, making its exit on April 25, 1990. But before it bid farewell, it was the talk of the town with the following headline: "He Bit Hers, She Sued His."

Knowing Peter O'Sullivan's work at the Toronto Sun, we are sure that headline was all Sully.

Peter made his way back to 333 King Street East in 1995 as editor in chief. After being axed in 1999, he made his way back to the United States, settling in Coronado, near San Diego.

Peter's last known newspaper job was a brief stay at the Union-Tribune in San Diego in 2004 as assistant news editor.

He leaves an ex-wife, step-children and step-grandchildren, says a Toronto Sun story.

If you want to share memories of Peter in the Toronto Sun Family blog, post them and we will launch a separate "Memories of" posting.

This blogger's memories include admiration for pushing the envelop in attempt to make the Toronto Sun a true tabloid. He was a key player during the glory years of the Sun.

If others can fill in the blanks of Peter's life and times, re his early years and the latter years, please do.

1986 Andy Donato interview

Vintage interviews by CKEY's Pete McGarvey were posted recently on YouTube. This one, from 1986 at Cable 10, is with Toronto Sun Day Oner Andy Donato.

Terri Saunders, ex-Ottawa Sun reporter, dies

Updated July 6, 2013
An email to TSF from Rachele Labrecque, photojournalist: 

"My best friend Terri Saunders, a reporter at the Ottawa Sun, died last Sunday. She worked at the paper from 2007-2010. This was the highlight of her career.

"She left her job that she loved to move home to Newfoundland following her younger sister's death in 2010.

"She was an NNA nominee and won a couple ONAs while on staff at the Standard-Freeholder newspaper. She was there from 2000-2007.

"She worked at the weekly the Gander Beacon from 2011-present. The paper is based in Gander, Newfoundland.

"Could something about her be published on the blog?"

Thank you for your email, Rachele.

The Gander Beacon obit can be read here

Thank you, Peter Worthington (+ Memories)

We knew Peter Worthington was in hospital in Mexico when he turned 86 recently because the legendary Toronto Sun co-founder returned home and wrote about the experience in a Feb. 23 column.

That has been Peter's way over the decades - experience life's dangers as a war correspondent, a witness to  Jack Ruby's shooting of Lee Harvey Oswald in Dallas, a mountain climber and heart operation recipient and write about it for faithful Tely and Sun readers.

This week, we learned Peter's condition has worsened and we wondered where do you begin in thanking a Canadian newspaper icon who has been a presence at the Toronto Sun since Day One in 1971?

The vision of Peter, Doug and Don, co-founders of the Sun, changed the print media landscape in Canada and created thousands of job opportunities along the way. They did it with flare and with fairness to all who joined in for the exhilarating ride.

It was the job of a lifetime for many of the men and women in the Toronto Sun Family, so perhaps the best way to thank Peter for his tireless contributions to journalism and to Sun Media is invite comments on TSF.

We remain in awe of Peter's eventful life. A truly remarkable life, generously shared with newspaper readers around the world. Our thoughts are with Peter and his family.

Thank you, Peter Worthington.