Guest Artists and Speakers: Bill Richardson
Bill
Richardson is well-known and much-loved by CBC Radio audiences for his
work as a host on both Radio One and Radio Two. In addition to his popularity
as a broadcaster, Bill is a well-known columnist, writer and humorist.
Bill has written a dozen books, including The Bachelor Brothers Bed and
Breakfast, which won the Stephen Leacock Medal for Humour in 1994.
Bill was born in Winnipeg and received his BA from the University of Winnipeg in 1976. After spending a year in Montpellier, he moved to Vancouver where he completed a Master of Library Sciences. He then worked as a children's librarian, before turning to writing and broadcasting. In 1998, Bill received an Honorary Doctor of Laws, from the University of Winnipeg.
In 1992, Bill hosted a summer replacement show for Gabereau on Radio One, called Crosswords; that program continued for four summers. In 1995, Bill came to Radio Two as the guest host of the classical music request show, RSVP, and was chosen as the show's new permanent host when it moved to Vancouver in 1996. The show was re-named As You Like It, to reflect Bill's interest in the music and letters of his audience.
In 1997, Bill was given Radio One's weekday afternoon timeslot, formerly occupied by Vicki Gabereau, and he became the host of a new program, Richardson's Roundup. More recently, Bill¹s love of all things literary made him a shoo-in to host CBC Radio One¹s special book series, Canada Reads.
The Roundup's heart is the voices of its listeners - their letters, music requests and phone calls. Bill wrangles this huge pool of material with the skill, verve and humour one would expect from this multi-talented man.
Most recently, Bill¹s love of all things literary made him a shoo-in to host CBC Radio One¹s special book series, Canada Reads.
Bill makes frequent public appearances as a Master of Ceremonies, narrating musical works, giving keynote speeches and signing books. In his spare time he reads, is taken for granted by his two dogs and tries to remember to drink a litre of water a day.