OTTAWA – CanWest MediaWorks President and CEO Peter Viner has won the 2006 Gold Ribbon Award for Broadcast Excellence from the Canadian Association of Broadcasters.
Viner, celebrating almost 40 years in broadcasting, will be presented with the award at the CAB convention in Vancouver on Nov. 7. The award honours outstanding service to Canadian private broadcasting.
“By every and any standard, Peter Viner is one of Canada’s finest broadcast executives,” said CAB President and CEO Glenn O’Farrell. “Peter combines formidable business acumen with outstanding people skills and a sharp wit. His enthusiasm, generosity, and leadership have contributed immensely to the success of CanWest both here and abroad, and to the Canadian broadcasting industry as a whole.”
Viner joined CanWest in 1974 as Vice-President of Sales and Marketing for Global Television. In 1980, he was appointed President of CKVU TV in Vancouver, where he rebranding it “UTV.” In 1993, Viner became the CEO of Network TEN in Australia, where he grew the network into a multi-billion dollar enterprise, positioning CanWest Global as one of Canada’s most successful international media companies. In 1997, Viner was appointed President and CEO of CanWest Global, and in 1999 moved to the position of Vice-Chairman, where he played a key role in leading the company through the purchase of WIC’s television assets, which was at the time the largest transaction in Canadian broadcast history.
In 2005, Viner was appointed to the position of President and CEO of CanWest MediaWorks.
