This was Mark Dailey .... Everywhere

ON SCREEN:
MARK DAILEY; 1953 - 2010

ONLINE:
citytv.com

BOTTOM LINE:
CITYTV JUST WON'T BE THE SAME
WITHOUT 'THE VOICE.'

This was Mark Dailey .... Everywhere

Citytv's famous fixture will surely be missed by many.

By Eric Kohanik

I can't believe it. Over the 100 years that I've covered TV (actually, it just seems that long), I never did a story on Mark Dailey.

I never did it during the 13 years that I was the Senior Writer and TV Critic and, eventually, the Editor of TV Times.

I never did it during the nine years before that, either, when I was the daily TV columnist for The Hamilton Spectator.

That's particularly bothersome because, much like it is in the world of regular blogging now, a TV columnist for a daily newspaper back then would always be grasping for something -- anything -- to write about in order to fill each day's pages.

And yet, Mark Dailey never made it to my story list. Somehow, it was always just taken for granted that Dailey would be there.

Everywhere.

The much-loved and respected fixture at Toronto's Citytv lost his battle with cancer on Monday, Dec. 6, 2010. As well as bringing his wit and wisdom to the station's newscasts, Dailey was known as "The Voice" whose dulcet tones regularly reminded viewers that: "This is Citytv ..... Everywhere."

Dailey was an inspiration to many, on various levels. One of his most touching personal calls to action came during a Toronto Sun golf tournament I played in at Glen Abbey Golf Club a few years ago. At the reception/dinner afterward, Dailey took to the microphone and talked about his impending battle with prostate cancer and his desire to raise awareness of the disease.

The speech would prompt many in attendance (including The Watcher) to begin having regular medical exams and PSA blood screenings.

Although Dailey did conquer prostate cancer, his on-air revelation a relatively short while ago that kidney cancer would be his next great personal battle did sound hopeful. Yet, his words had an overwhelmingly ominous undertone that suggested this might be quite a tough fight.

Somehow, though, it didn't seem possible that Mark Dailey would lose the battle. And that he just wouldn't be "Everywhere" for much longer.

There have been many tributes to Mark Dailey on the air, in print and online over the past couple of days. For a look at his life and work, check out the tribute's at Citytv's website:
http://www.citytv.com/toronto/citynews/news/local/article/102653--a-legend-lost-toronto-mourns-the-death-of-mark-dailey