February 1, 2025 - Unbeknownst to many, a job on TV is not always as glamorous as one would think especially when it means getting up in the wee hours of the morning to deliver news first thing in the morning.
When morning news anchor Jason Pires gets up at 2:30 in the morning, it’s a culmination of over two decades of professional journalism and a constant reminder of the high work ethic instilled in him by his parents, Ben and Laila who are both alumni of the University of the Philippines.
Jason tells Canadian Filipino Net (CFNet) that he would usually arrive at the Global News BC station in Burnaby before 4am. “From there it’s a non-stop routine - pouring over scripts prepared by our overnight writers and producers, writing promos for the show, applying the makeup to be “TV friendly”, changing from my sweats to a suit, grabbing a lemon tea – all before going on-air starting at 5 am right until 9 am.” Pires anchors the daily Global News Morning from Monday to Friday.
The Canadian Filipino started his broadcast career on Vancouver Island’s CHEK TV in the 90s before moving to the former CTV Vancouver Island News to be its sports director and anchor/reporter. Moving to the Lower Mainland, Jason worked as Vancouver’s CTV Morning live for seven years before joining Global BC.
Of the many awards from Radio Television Digital News Association (RTDNA), Jason cites a particularly memorable story of a young man with cerebral palsy who, because of his condition, was subjected to bullying. “He overcame adversity by fulfilling his dream of becoming a sports reporter and covering the Vancouver Canucks,” says Jason of the young Dickson whose powerful story is one of resilience despite the odds.
Despite decades in the news business, Jason still gets personally affected by the stories he covers. At the height of the pandemic, a friend of his lost her young husband and father to her kids to Covid. “The anguish and sudden loss made for one of the most difficult interviews I’ve conducted,” Jason recalls. “That story has had a lasting impact on me, how precious life is and how short life can be.”
On being born and raised on Canadian soil as a child of immigrant parents, Jason credits his parents as a major influence in the growth of his career. He tells CFNet, “They not only instilled core values like high work ethic and determination but also stressed the importance of humility, empathy and to always be considerate and community-minded and to champion diversity.”
Jason and Anita Pires with their labradoodle Rosie. Photo from Anita’s Facebook page.
While Jason and his siblings did not feel crippling pressure from their parents to constantly excel, the importance of post-secondary education was nevertheless instilled in them. His brother is a lawyer while his younger sister is a doctor. Whatever paths the siblings chose to take, Ben and Laila encouraged them to be guided by their interests and passion.
Looking back, Jason recalls some “subconscious parental push” to work and study harder. For example, growing up during the summer, he and his siblings were discouraged from just watching TV or hanging out with friends all day. There would be swimming lessons and the occasional sport camp. During the school year, there would be sports (soccer) and other extracurricular activities like music lessons (banduria and ukelele) and folk dancing (tinikling and maglalatik) which his mom Laila taught.
Jason moved to Vancouver in 2008, a move that continues to be a career highlight for him. He describes it as “extremely exciting - as I was joining the CTV Vancouver team to help cover the 2010 Winter Olympics.” He had always liked big cities like New York City where he interned in 1999. “So to finally work full time in Vancouver was a long-time coming.”
Jason and wife Anita live in Vancouver’s Olympic Village with their labradoodle Rosie. Both Jason and Anita grew up on Vancouver Island and met in the 90s while they were working at a restaurant in Victoria. Jason muses, “She was a server and I was her busboy! I had a big crush on her but, at that time, she already had a boyfriend.” Thanks to social media, they reconnected in 2015 and married in 2019.
On days off and any free time, Jason keeps an active lifestyle - hitting the gym, running the seawall and coaching youth soccer (his nephew’s team). Downtime includes family time, watching Canucks games (he’s a self-confessed “long suffering fan”) and of course, catching up on sleep.
These days, Jason’s heart is full but he’s not resting on his laurels - not just yet. Jason shares with CFNet, “After 25 years in broadcasting, I still very much love what I get to do for work. I’ve never considered it a job.” In an evolving industry that is constantly challenged by misinformation, he is grateful to be part of Global BC in “sharing compelling stories that matter to British Columbians and reflecting what’s happening in our province.”
About the Author
Rachel Ramos-Reid started writing for magazines and newspapers when she was still a junior at the University of the Philippines’ Communication degree program majoring in Journalism. She continued to write in a public relations/corporate communications capacity in various private and government offices until moving out of the country in 1997 to work as Programme Officer for the arts and culture branch of the Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization (SEAMEO-SPAFA) in Bangkok, Thailand. At the end of her term, Rachel found herself immigrating to Canada in the year 2000 and again searching for new beginnings.
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