BowmanvilleBob wrote:

 Following on the heels of his interview with retiring CBC reporter/producer Simon Dingley, Toronto Mike interviews retired CBC newscaster Bernie McNamee. Among the highlights - the legendary advice he received from Tayler "Hap" Parnaby of CKEY and his confrontation with Dini Petty, his time at CKO, including his most embarrassing interview with Margaret Atwood, and his stint as a hell-for-leather TV reporter at CTV Toronto in the pre-cellphone-and-satellite days. 

I was lucky enough to work with Bernie at CKEY in my very earliest career days in the late 70s. I can honestly say he was (and likely still is) one of the nicest men in the universe.

He had a great sense of humour - which you need in a high pressure newsroom - and was always pleasant and very decent to everyone, especially a then-newcomer like me. I was long gone by the time he wound up on CBC Radio, but I'll never forget how kind he was to a newbie, just getting his working life started. 

He was one of the best people I ever worked with and I hope he's very happy in his retirement. Thanks, Bernie. Your goodness is not forgotten!

The Canadian Press reports Joyce Napier was actually raised in Rome before coming to Canada, so at least it won't be totally strange for her to be around that area. 

Former journalist Joyce Napier named Canada's ambassador to the Vatican