Canadian TV Programmer Jay Switzer Dies

Carlos Osorio / Getty Images – Jay Switzer

Veteran Canadian TV programmer, former CHUM CEO and MuchMusic founder Jay Switzer died Jan. 29 in Toronto after battling brain cancer. He was 61.

The announcement was made by Hollywood Suite, a classic movie streaming platform that Switzer founded and where he served as chairman.

At age 16, Switzer began his career by manning the switchboard at CITY-TV, a Toronto television station that was founded by his mother.

After graduating with a MBA from the University of Western Ontario in 1983, Switzer returned to CITY-TV – which was acquired by CHUM Limited in 1978 – as a full-time programmer.  A year later Switzer launched MuchMusic, a 24-hour music channel that acted as Canada’s equivalent to MTV.

He went on to help launch various channels, including Fashion Television, Movie Television and MuchMoreMusic.

Switzer was named president of CHUM Television in 2000 and was promoted to CEO of CHUM Limited in 2002. Under his leadership, CHUM Limited was a powerful force in Canada’s media landscape.

Switzer left the company after it was acquired by CTVglobalmedia in 2007.

In December, Switzer was awarded the insignia of the Member of the Order Of Canada, the country’s second-highest honor awarded to a citizen.