Ron MacLean’s broadcasting career began in 1978 when he took a part-time position at CKRD Radio in Red Deer, Alberta. In high school, he assumed the midnight newscaster job on Friday and Saturday nights, and was promoted to disc jockey at the station. Ron MacLean soon became program manager.
In 1984, a producer saw Ron MacLean doing an ad-lib weather forecast and hired him to host the Calgary Flames telecasts on CFAC, an independent TV station in Calgary. Ron MacLean then became the sports anchor on the local evening news.
After joining the network in 1986, his role expanded over the years to include hosting CBC’s coverage of the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, the 1992 Winter Olympics in Albertville, the 1996 Summer Olympic Games in Atlanta and the Commonwealth Games in Victoria in 1994. Ron MacLean has also covered the Calgary Stampede, World track and field competitions around the globe, Export “A” Skins Golf, and World Cup Hockey.
Ron MacLean hosted the XVI Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur in September of 1998 and woke up millions of Canadians every morning as the host of CBC’s coverage of the 1998 Olympic Winter Games in Nagano.
Ron MacLean has won four Gemini Awards as Best Sports Broadcaster: two for his work on Hockey Night in Canada (HNIC), one for The Legends of Hockey, and one for the Summer Olympics in Atlanta.
At the Pan Am Games in Winnipeg in July and August of 1999, Ron MacLean covered the track and field competition before heading to Seville, Spain to host CBC Sports’ coverage of the World Track and Field Championships. Most recently, he hosted the Late Night and Early Morning shows for CBC Sports’ coverage of the Sydney 2000 Olympic Summer Games.
Ron MacLean hosted the second annual Hockey Day in Canada extravaganza, from Red Deer, Alberta, that took viewers across the country for a glimpse at hockey’s impact and its prominent place in Canadian communities.
Ron MacLean is a Level 5 referee for the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association, and he also plays hockey twice a week.
Awards and Designations
- Four Gemini Awards as Best Sports Broadcaster
- Two Gemini Awards for his work on Hockey Night in Canada (HNIC)
- One Gemini Award for The Legends of Hockey
- One Gemini Award for the Summer Olympics in Atlanta.
