In This Report:

As the new head of CanWest Global, Peter Viner looks to expand the network’s media holdings. p. 23

Cover montage index p. 24

Mintz on Asper p. 27

Brinton on Asper p. 28

CanWest history: an overview p. 30

Asper in Alberta: a fitting adieu p. 31

CanWest Global and Izzy Asper are indivisible. CanWest is Izzy; Izzy is CanWest.

Both the corporate and personal stories have been well documented over the years by a generally responsive press.

but, there was always a missing element in the descriptions of iha. `Media mogul,’ `Multimillionaire tycoon,’ they’d say. `Quick-witted genius and quick-draw litigator,’ `Broadcasting visionary,’ `Not perfect but the closest thing to a renaissance man the West has ever produced,’ they’d say. Definitions often used and all quite pertinent. But try and find an apt description of that missing element that makes Izzy a genuine original. Not easy.

Let me try to put my finger on the mystery component that makes Izzy Asper truly different and memorable. I think the secret is simply that he has an extra large allotment of heart, a singular combination of enthusiasm, energy, humanity and zest.

When I suggest Izzy is unique because of ‘heart’ I am not referring to the one that required medical intervention some 15 years ago (As a sidelight, I recall visiting him in St. Boniface Hospital on that occasion, when he gave his family and all of us quite a scare. Of course, Izzy, not worried, had in a few days become an expert on all aspects of open-heart surgery; swore he came out of it with a stronger constitution than ever, and later gave dozens of prospective heart patients comfort and guidance by carefully explaining the processÉcomplete with scars!)

No, today I’m referring to that internal dynamo he possesses – that loudly ticking generator of emotion. On his way to building a world-class media empire, his every decision was predicated, in some way, on his emotional response to the situation at hand. If all his decisions were not 100% bang-on, they were, at the very least interesting, and never ‘by the book.’ While this unique component gave him a valuable magic touch, it also made him more human, and somewhat vulnerable, a quality that engendered tremendous loyalty from his associates.

The effect on all who spent time with him was of being energized and ‘in on something special.’ That magic generator invariably sent out contagious vibrations.

Even though Izzy has now sworn to stay retired, I think all who know him are pleased to know his heart is still strong and that emotional dynamo is healthier than ever.

Donald Brinton led CanWest’s first start-up television station, cknd-tv Winnipeg, in 1975. He followed up with stv in Regina and Saskatoon in 1986, then moved in on ckvu-tv Vancouver in 1988. Brinton is semi-retired, returning to the CanWest fold several times for special projects over the course of the last nine years. He is currently working on a book on CanWest and Izzy Asper.