August 11/2001

David Banks-dbanks@nsnews.com

DAVID Ingram, one of the stalwarts of North Shore community television, has been axed by Shaw Cablesystems.

The well-known tax expert and media personality has been told his contract for the daily phone-in show will not be renewed, two months shy of his fourth anniversary on Cable 4.

Shaw says the show will continue with a new host. Regional manager Jay Mehr said a relaunch is expected in early October.

"The show is going forward," said Mehr. "We're totally dedicated to having a daily, live, phone-in type show that will be done at the North Shore studios and we're in the process now of recruiting a new host. There's a lot of great people out there.

"We like David and he's made a tremendous contribution over the four years. We're very appreciative of that."

Ingram received many accolades for the quiet, non-confrontational approach he adopted when the first of about 840 shows hit the air.

This confrontation, such as it was, came out of the blue. He had already booked 21 guests for the show, when it was to resume in September.

"When the axe fell, it took me completely by surprise," he said. "Quite frankly, I expected them to cancel (earlier) but they kept it on. Then in June, Jay Mehr sort of left me with the impression that we would stay in the North Shore studios for two more years and then possibly move downtown.

"But I know how it works. In the media, you live by the sword and die by the sword. If they don't like you anymore, they fire you."

Ingram said he's taking a month-long vacation on Vancouver Island before returning to tax work and, in all likelihood, a new media project.

He's already received offers from two weekly newspapers and an American television program.

But he takes tremendous pride in the role he played as a "volunteer host" on community cable television. The pay may have been negligible, but not the topics.

"It represented about one-half of one per cent of the gross income of the (Cen-Ta Group) business, about 40 per cent of my time and about 70-80 per cent of my psyche," he says. "It represented that much of what I would think about every day.

"There was no attack, no hatred. I was always inundated with requests from people to come on the show.

"My wife was clicking her heels (on hearing the news). Two of my three kids are really glad I'm not doing the show. But the other one said: 'I was really proud of your show, dad.'"