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March 19, 2004
Citytv home for Foxman
Reporter found news too gloomy, opted for sports.
KYLE BERGERSPECIAL TO THE JEWISH BULLETIN
On March 8, Vancouver Canuck forward Todd Bertuzzi shocked the
world when he knocked Colorado Avalanche forward Steve Moore unconscious
with a sucker punch. However, Moore, who spent the next week at
Vancouver General Hospital, and Bertuzzi weren't the only people
whose lives were suddenly turned upside-down as a result of the
hit.
Shane Foxman, the energetic sports director at Citytv, suddenly
found himself beginning a work week that he has gladly put behind
him. With the barrage of news coverage the incident received and
the press conferences and suspension announcements that followed,
Foxman found himself working 15-hour days, just to keep up.
"My phone began ringing at six o'clock Tuesday morning because
[the station] had to get me in there and from that moment on it
was nonstop all week," he said. "I was doing live [interviews]
for stations in Denver and then they would do them for us and I
was also doing live [interviews] for Toronto [stations]. I was just
so happy when the team went on the road."
Throughout that week, Foxman found himself using certain tricks
of the trade that he has learned and honed over the years: the ability
to go with the flow, improvise and get it right the first time.
He is often asked to fill or kill time while on the air or even
stop whatever he is doing to introduce a breaking story or event.
"Someone might say, 'Shane, the story we were supposed to run
before you go on isn't ready. We have to come to you early,' and
I have to fill in that time. Preparation is definitely the key."
Born and raised in Toronto, Foxman's rise to the top of the sports
broadcasting mountain began in Belleville, Ont., where he graduated
from a two-year broadcasting program. He moved to Yorkton, Sask.,
for his first job – where he learned how to do just about every
type of reporting in the business.
Foxman spent the next five years or so roaming around the country
working for a variety of different stations. He came to British
Columbia in the late 1990s when he was offered a job as the legislature
reporter for CKVU in Victoria. The station eventually moved him
to Vancouver to cover general news. But news reporting began to
wear on Foxman, as he tired of the doom and gloom that so often
came with it.
"After 13 years of news, I became very cynical," he said.
"I've knocked on more than my share of people's doors, in the
worst case scenario, to ask for a picture of someone who just died.
"If you don't do it the competition's going to do it,"
he continued. "But I don't want to do it anymore. It's just
a matter of quality of life."
A big sports fan himself, Foxman doesn't generally go after the
mainstream angle of the local sports scene.
"I don't need to hear [Canuck captain] Markus Naslund or anyone
else say, 'We've got to refocus and work harder,'" he said.
"But if I can give the viewers something about the players
outside of the game, then I'm interested. I like to find stories
about kids who are overcoming anything to achieve their goals."
In that same spirit, Foxman even had a Citytv camera man recording
footage from a Jewish Community Centre Jewish Hockey League playoff
game in which he was playing last Sunday.
A few of the shots were aired on the station's morning show the
next day.
Foxman has also taken an interest in Jewish community involvement,
particularly with the Jewish Community Centre of Greater Vancouver's
annual Sports Dinner. He has served as the emcee for the event's
sponsors breakfast, as well as the athlete liaison at the dinner.
Citytv can be found on Channel 10 or Cable 13.
Kyle Berger is a freelance journalist and graphic designer
living in Richmond.
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