John Cassaday is president and ceo of the CTV Network and has worked with Arthur Weinthal since joining the network in 1990.

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Proud, intelligent, well-spoken, distinguished, visionary, experienced, knowledgeable, tough. These are the words that those who know Arthur Weinthal would use to describe him. They are also the words you would use to define the criteria for the recruitment of an outstanding executive.

ctv has been fortunate to have Arthur in a leadership position through all of its stages of growth. I can’t imagine his contribution ever having been as great as it is today, 35 years after he joined the network.

There are many new faces at ctv. Many without extensive broadcast experience. Arthur is an anchor. As we change ctv for the better, Arthur reminds us of the essence of ctv.

We know what we are and we know what we are not. He helps define us. Not by looking through the rear-view mirror but from the bridge.

In Arthur’s job, which is to select the programs that will appear in our schedule, he must say 99 ‘no’s’ for every ‘yes.’ The yes list is impressive and includes Due South, e.n.g., Night Heat, The Campbell’s, a superb slate of animation such as The Little Lulu Show, For Better or For Worse, A Bunch of Munsch, specials such as Young Catherine, Celine Dion, Rita MacNeil, Prairie Oyster, the most popular and entertaining Canadian awards show, The Canadian Country Music Awards, and the success of The Shirley Show in the u.s. Many Canadians will also remember the Terry Fox telethon.

When you put together a management team, it is important to ensure you have complementary skills. No one person is the perfect manager or vice-president. It’s like fitting pieces of a puzzle together so the team becomes the perfect manager. The pieces that Arthur contributes to my team are his understanding of how deals are structured, his production and deal-making competency, his knowledge of the industry, his sense of class, his exquisite taste and his innate sense, after more than 30 years, of what is right for ctv.

More than 30 years is an incredible track record in any business, but to have spent that many successful years in our industry and with one broadcaster is more than a marvel. We salute Arthur and are proud to have him as an important and valuable member of the ctv team.