Imprint (TV series) facts for kids

Imprint was a cool Canadian TV show that talked all about books and writing. It was shown on channels like TVOntario, CBC Newsworld, BookTelevision, and Knowledge. The idea for Imprint came from a famous French book show called Apostrophes. On Imprint, they interviewed amazing authors and journalists who had won awards. They also explored the newest trends in books and important topics in literature.

The Story of Imprint

The Imprint TV show first started in September 1989. The first hosts were Paul Roberts and Jennifer Gibson. At the very beginning, the show wasn't very popular. The TV network even paused it after just a few episodes! They changed the team working on the show and brought it back in November. But even with these changes, people still didn't love it. Some critics said Paul Roberts avoided talking about tricky or debated topics.

New Hosts and New Ideas

In 1990, both original hosts left the show. Daniel Richler then became the new host for the second season. Under Daniel, the show changed its style. It started to include many different interviewers. These included journalist Ann Medina, writer Gary Michael Dault, novelists M. T. Kelly and Barbara Gowdy, poet Clifton Joseph, and biographer Michael Coren. The show also began having regular group discussions about books and writing. This new style made the show much more popular with viewers and critics.

Daniel Richler left Imprint in 1993. Guy Lawson took over as the next host.

Changes and New Channels

Guy Lawson left the show in 1995 to go back to writing full-time. That fall, H. S. Bhabra and Marni Jackson became the new hosts.

In 1996, TVOntario had to cut its budget. This meant Imprint was going to have fewer staff and changes to its format. But then, CBC Newsworld stepped in to help. They became a partner in making the show. A third host, Cynthia Macdonald, joined the team in 1996.

Jackson and Bhabra left the show in 1997. Mary Hynes then became the only host. CBC Newsworld decided not to show Imprint anymore in the 1997-98 season. Instead, they started their own show about books called Hot Type. Mary Hynes hosted Imprint until 2000. She then went back to CBC Radio. Tina Srebotnjak became the final host of the show. When BookTelevision started in 2001, Imprint was added to its schedule.

TVOntario, the main producer of the show, decided to cancel Imprint in early 2005.

A book called One on One: The Imprint Interviews was published in 1994. It was a collection of interviews with authors from the TV series.