Samantha Taylor
Encyclopedia
Samantha Taylor was the host of the CBC Television
music video
program Video Hits from 1984 to 1989.
She was born in Toronto, Ontario
, as Myroslava Lastivka Lydia Luciw. Her family moved to Pennsylvania
when she was three. She started her broadcast career while a student at Pennsylvania State University
, using the name Myra Luciw at the university radio station and the name Michele Michaels at a commercial station.
After graduation, Taylor worked briefly in Washington DC before returning to Toronto in 1980, where she was hired as station librarian and part-time disc jockey for Q-107
. At that time she also began hosting CFMT's Metro Music show, giving her the video experience that would lead to the job with CBC's Video Hits in 1984.
As a concert promoter, Taylor was involved in the early careers of The Police
and Dire Straits
.
CBC Television
CBC Television is a Canadian television network owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the national public broadcaster.Although the CBC is supported by public funding, the television network supplements this funding with commercial advertising revenue, in contrast to CBC Radio which are...
music video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
program Video Hits from 1984 to 1989.
She was born in Toronto, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, as Myroslava Lastivka Lydia Luciw. Her family moved to Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
when she was three. She started her broadcast career while a student at Pennsylvania State University
Pennsylvania State University
The Pennsylvania State University, commonly referred to as Penn State or PSU, is a public research university with campuses and facilities throughout the state of Pennsylvania, United States. Founded in 1855, the university has a threefold mission of teaching, research, and public service...
, using the name Myra Luciw at the university radio station and the name Michele Michaels at a commercial station.
After graduation, Taylor worked briefly in Washington DC before returning to Toronto in 1980, where she was hired as station librarian and part-time disc jockey for Q-107
CILQ-FM
CILQ-FM is a radio station, broadcasting at 107.1 FM in Toronto, Ontario. The station broadcasts a classic rock format branded as Q107 and is also available through streaming audio....
. At that time she also began hosting CFMT's Metro Music show, giving her the video experience that would lead to the job with CBC's Video Hits in 1984.
As a concert promoter, Taylor was involved in the early careers of The Police
The Police
The Police were an English rock band formed in London in 1977. For the vast majority of their history, the band consisted of Sting , Andy Summers and Stewart Copeland...
and Dire Straits
Dire Straits
Dire Straits were a British rock band active from 1977 to 1995, composed of Mark Knopfler , his younger brother David Knopfler , John Illsley , and Pick Withers .Dire Straits' sound drew from a variety of musical influences, including jazz, folk, blues, and came closest...
.
External links
- 1985 clip of Samantha Taylor on Video Hits
- http://www.ukrweekly.com/archive/pdf2/1985/The_Ukrainian_Weekly_1985-43.pdf Bociurkiw, Mykhailo "Samantha Taylor: An Interview with Canada's No. 1 V. J." (pp. 9, 14) Interview with Taylor about her life and career, her ethnic roots, and about the music industry at a time when music videos were a new art form.