Hap was a regular visitor to the Ottawa bureau of Standard Broadcast News during my time there. Unlike a lot of other commentators, he liked to go to the scene of the action to get a feel for what was happening on the ground. Whether it was a major political event or a natural or man-made disaster, Hap always wanted to be there and that dedication helped make his commentaries so much better than many other broadcast pundits of 80s, 90s and through the aughts as well. 

Not as widely known as his broadcast work were Hap's weekly columns for the Bolton (later Caledon) Enterprise. He finally signed off his last column in 2022 and it's probably a good sign-off for reliable, dependable journalist who told the stories as he saw them.

https://www.caledonenterprise.com/opinion/longtime-caledon-columnist-says-farewell/article_d3c6b508-adb4-5e34-8031-c46184c5ef67.html

Hap Parnaby was my very first boss ever in radio, having landed a job at CKEY in Toronto straight out of college. I handled the audio room at Newsradio, a would-be competitor to Broadcast News in those days. Everyone was afraid of him, because he was intense and sometimes could get crazy. But no one doubted his talent.

I have a very strong memory of one afternoon, when there was an explosion at the Robin Hood flour factory in Montreal. We got word of it about 10 minutes before the top of the hour news and Parnaby came rushing in like a charging bull, calling our affiliate CFCF in Montreal and demanding they do a voicer in time for the newscast. He also wanted it fed to the rest of the country. All this, with just minutes to get it all done.

An aggravated Jon McComb, later of CKNW fame, did a quick report and fed it down the line. I carted it and was preparing to send it out to the network, with the seconds ticking by. 

In those pre-computer days, we used a kind of word processor to fashion a lead and send it to the teletype machines at each subscribing station. The format was the same - the dateline, then a quick one line intro. I started to type in "MONTREAL."

At that second, Parnaby rushes in, and starts demanding I "hurry up." He wanted the story for EY's top of the hour news. He starts yelling in my ear M! O! N! T! R! E! A! L! I kept typing but nervously said "Hap, I can't concentrate if you keep screaming in my ear."

We did get the story out with about four minutes to spare, at which point he grabbed the recued cart, ran like a madman out of the area and took it over to the control room to get it on air for EY's 5 PM news. 

He was not the easiest guy to work for in those days with that kind of manic energy, but there was no doubt he was a great writer and storyteller as well as a fierce competitor. He hated to be beaten to a story. And despite incidents like the one above, he really was a nice man. 

I'm sorry to hear of his passing.

Nice tribute to him on CFRB Wednesday morning, with some great stories about his time in the business. Dave Trafford and Avery Haines were among those offering up memories both hilarious and serious.

If you missed it, check out the podcast page on 1010 later in the day. Or you can click here.

If memory serves correctly, didn't Tayler also anchor Global News at some point?

Here's a newscast Tayler Parnaby did on CHUM from July 16, 1868:

https://rockradioscrapbook.ca/chum-parnaby-jul16-68.mp3

I wasn’t in this market when Parnaby was active but after hearing Dave Trafford and Avery Haines on Moore in the Morning, I realize how respected he was in the biz. I also enjoyed RadioActive’s work story! May Tayler rest in peace.

Everyone on 1010 who shared their stories yesterday morning on Moore In The Morning and then Jerry's show, of being mentored by and working with Mr. Parnaby honoured his memory beautifully and allowed listeners to appreciate and understand what he meant to those who knew him personally, those who only knew him through his time on-air and as well, the many ways he contributed to the broadcasting community.

I kept the radio on the whole morning just to hear more stories. He must have been a singular force of nature and an amazing man.

My sincere condolences to his family, friends, and colleagues in radio.