I get many emails asking how Mark Dailey is doing. Mark Dailey has been the voice of Citytv forever, so when people hear a different voice doing the bumpers over there, they ask me for the inside scoop.
I don't know Mark, but I feel like I do. As I once wrote about his role on The Ripping Friends, when I watched Porky's on Citytv in the late 80s, it was Mark Dailey who narrated the bumpers and reminded me I was watching late great movies on Citytv. His awesome voice has always been there, and he's as big a part of this city's cultural fabric as anyone. Last I heard, he had taken time off work to fight cancer, but I didn't know how he was doing. Until now.
The SOWNY board has a sad update from Gene Valaitis, who many of you will remember from the old Jesse and Gene show. Gene had this to say about Mark Dailey's health.
I was reluctant to post this out of respect for his privacy, but I was advised that it would be OK by my friend and mentor, Brian Thomas who we all know from CHUM-FM. Brian and Warren Cosford are sad to tell us that our very good friend and colleague Mark Daily is fighting against double lung cancer and is now in a coma. Mark is a great guy. I worked with him at CHUM-AM as a cub reporter in 1974. Mark is and I say” IS” one of the great voices of CKLW, The Big “8”, CHUM-AM, the first News Director of Q-107 and CITY-TV and so much more. We walked our dogs together every morning in The Beach in Toronto and spent our mornings for years talking about everything from radio to the colour of dog poo. It’s what you do on dog walks. Mark is “The Voice”. During our walks I can tell you he never had a bad word about any of us. In fact, he followed each of our gigs and was excited whenever any of us landed something new. Like you, I am very sad to hear about one of our great friends and a true giant in our business. This is not the end. Please join me in saying a prayer for my friend, his family and your friend and to everyone he touched….. "Everywhere".
Mark worked as a police officer, and became a crime reporter for stations in Ohio and at CKLW a.k.a. The Big 8 in Windsor before moving to Toronto in 1974. Dailey has worked at Citytv for 30 years.
Here's hoping The Voice pulls through.
