For the record: Final edition

“Final Edition” follows the Courier, a newspaper which has served its community for 85 years, through its last day. Donald Davis plays the Chairmen of the board of King Publications, a large chain of newspapers, who fights to save the life of the Courier form the hatchet of Loomis, played by Alan Scarfe, vice-president concerned mainly with the balance sheet, but who also believes that no city needs more than one daily newspaper. Michael Reynolds plays Walter King, the owner of the newspaper chain. The newsroom staff of the doomed daily, including city editor Sean Morrisey, played by Michael Hogan, investigative reporter Joe Declan, played by Neil Munro, and publisher and editor-in-chief Jack Ephraim, played by Robert Clother, continues its busy day, unaware that the upcoming edition of The Courier will be its last. Also featured in the cast are Rosemary Dunsmore, Lewis Gordon, Beverly Murray, Angelo Rizacos and Juliana Saxton.Written by Tony Sheer, who last year wrote “Maintain The Right” for FOR THE RECORD, “Final Edition” was directed by Peter Rowe and produced by Sam Levene. Levene, who is also the executive producer of FOR THE RECORD, produced “Snowbird” this year for the series.Leven comments on the situation dramatized in “Final Edition”: “In the past year and half at least three major Canadian daily newspapers have folded. In both Canada and U.S. there are fewer newspapers, less and less competition. This is a highly topical story that I felt should be told.”A recent enquiry into the public responsibilities of the few large private organizations who control newspaper publishing in Canada resulted in sharp controversy. The issue is larger than publishing and Canada.The objective style of the drama invites your comment.