Victoria’s Read

Born: Sept 8, 1937. Death: Mar 26, 1992.

Barbara was a multi-media journalist. She wrote for numerous magazines, was an original host for the CBC Radio program As it Happens and also a host of CBC TV’s nightly current affairs program The Journal. She was one of Canada’s most respected and best-known interviewers.

She was raised across the border in Niagara Falls, New York and decided on the University of Toronto for her post secondary studies.

It was in Toronto that she met and married Dr. Murray Frum, a dentist, in1957. Together the couple raised a family of three children, David, Linda and Matthew.

She graduated from the University of Toronto with a B. A. in history, in 1959. Right after university she began her life long avocation and career as a journalist.

She was a radio commentator and writer of reviews and magazine articles and in 1961 she worked briefly in Television. On CBC Radio she became a well known and respected current affairs journalist. It was the fall of 1971 that she took on the co-hosting work of the program As It Happens, which followed the 6:00 p.m. CBC News. It was an innovative show for its time and the show still is well received with its new hosts to this day.

Barbara’s journalistic skills sparkled in the telephone interview format of the show. Honing her skills she earned the respect of colleagues and listeners across the country.

She was the co-host of The Journal, a TV news magazine that took CBC late news into the new and successful  10:00 pm  time slot , launched January 11, 1982. She interviewed newsmakers of the day, big and small, including Margaret Thatcher, Prime Minister of Britain and world peace maker Nelson Mandela.

She won the National Press Club Award for Outstanding Contribution to Canadian Journalism and was the recipient of four ACTRA Awards. She received the Order of Canada in 1979.

Another proof of success is in the flattery of impersonation. She was parodied on the comedy news show, CODCO and was the inspiration for the Canadian Sesame Street Muppet “Barbara Plum”. She also appeared as a reporter in the cartoon series The Raccoons!

In 1992, Barbara died from complications resulting from chronic leukemia.

By: Dawn Monroe
www.famouscanadianwomen.com