Darrel has brought the news into southern Alberta homes for the last 40 years and, now retired, is a sought after MC and host for numerous events and fundraisers.
His fascinating life and remarkable career goes back to Darrel’s roots in Saskatchewan having been born at Main Centre, SK and graduated High School from Herbert, SK.
Darrel continues to produce his weekly Inspired series for the station where he interviews people who have inspired others.
Speaking of those 50 years in broadcasting, he said he’s most proud of his work in 1995 when he traveled to Serbia and Croatia, near the end of the region’s war and doing a documentary on Operation Christmas Child.
“Seeing the joy that it brought to those kids who had been through four and a half years of hell in the war and many were in refugee towns and schools and so that was the most memorable of all the things I’ve been personally involved with,” he said, adding another major highlight was covering Calgary’s successful bid for the Olympics.
When he wasn’t in the anchor chair, Darrel also taught for almost 27 years, first at SAIT and over 15 years at Mount Royal University, pushing his students to be themselves, be natural and to talk and write as you talk.
In 2013 Darrel Janz received the Western Association of Broadcasters (WAB) Hall of Fame Award. Recognized among the most prestigious award a Canadian newscaster can receive, the recipient must demonstrate a commitment to the highest standards of broadcast excellence, show leadership throughout their career, and demonstrate community service in their role. Janz was awarded the highly distinguished honour at the annual WAB conference held in Banff on Thursday, June 6.
Darrel sits on the set at CTV Calgary where he has spent 40 years in the anchor chair.