City TV was a lot of things when it first signed on in 1972 – the first commercial UHF in Canada, an extremely local station done on the equally extremely cheap – and a place where a number of future stars would get their first jobs.
 
But not always in the way you’d think.
 
Many people know future SNL and movie star Dan Aykroyd got one of his first professional jobs at 99 Queen St. E. He was the off-camera announcer for a terrible game show called “Greed,” hosted by Rummy Bishop, a distant relative of Rat Pack comic Joey Bishop.
 
But did you know comedian Debra Digiovanni also worked for a short time at City? She was, of all things, a receptionist at CityPulse, answering the phones and putting viewers through to various newsroom departments. Given the nature of her act, it must have taken a tremendous amount of self-control to keep from making snide comments to some of those on the other end of the phone. While she was amusing back then, there was no hint of the stand-up future she would carve out for herself.
 
Perhaps even more famous was a young kid who worked as a cable puller, also in the newsroom. He was responsible for making sure the camera guy or gal had nothing holding them back as they tried to move their heavy studio cam into place for the next shot. He later went on to be a major headliner and now does stand-up in specials and on stages around the world. And if asked, he openly admits to his previous job. His name? Russell Peters.
 
Also a fixture at City for many years in management – Marcia Martin. She would not become a household name, but her sister, Andrea, was destined to become famous as a member of SCTV. They looked and sounded so much alike, they could have been twins.