Biography.guide
Home › People › Writer › Jim Van Horne
Portrait of Jim Van Horne

Jim Van Horne

b. 1950

Canadian sportscaster

Don't just read it — keep itBiographies to ownE-book · Audio · Video From $7 →

About Jim Van Horne

Born 1950. Jim Van Horne is a Canadian writer.

David Melnyk (born December 15, 1950), known professionally as Jim Van Horne, is a Canadian former sports anchor.

Broadcasting career Radio Melnyk began his broadcasting career on CKMP in Midland, Ontario, in 1971. From 1972 to 1980, Van Horne was one of the top disc jockeys in Canada at 1050 CHUM in Toronto. It was when he was hired at CHUM he changed his name to Jim Van Horne when Dave Melnyk was deemed to be not rock’n’roll enough. He was named Billboard Magazine's Disc Jockey of the year in 1972, the only Canadian to ever claim the honour.

Switch to television From 1980 to 1984, he was the late night sports anchor for CFAC-TV in Calgary, while hosting the Calgary Flames' NHL broadcasts. He was known for his walrus-size moustache and easy-going on-air personality.

He moved on to a long tenure with TSN where he was the primetime sports-anchor from the beginning of that sports network's history in 1984 until 2001. During his time on TSN, he covered numerous events including NHL hockey, alpine skiing, boxing, tennis, swimming, bowling, golf, and equestrian.

Van Horne has broadcast from five Olympic games, including 1988 in Calgary, covering alpine skiing, 2000 in Sydney covering tennis, 2008 in Beijing, assigned to baseball and softball, and 2010 Vancouver, mentoring the commentators from APTN, the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network, and worked in 2018 Pyeongchang on the worldwide live stream.

Biography shop

Don’t just read it —
keep it.

Full-length biographies made to live with: read them, listen on the way to work, watch them tonight.

  • E-book
  • Audio
  • Video
Browse the shop — from $7

Instant download · yours to keep · every purchase keeps this site free

Important facts

Birth century
Occupation
Nationality

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped Jim Van Horne's

Frequently asked questions

Who is Jim Van Horne?

Canadian sportscaster

When was Jim Van Horne born?

Jim Van Horne was born on 15 December 1950 in Toronto.

What is Jim Van Horne's occupation?

Jim Van Horne is a writer.

What nationality is Jim Van Horne?

Jim Van Horne is Canadian.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: Jim Van Horne

· Wikidata: Q6198670

· DBpedia: Jim Van Horne

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Jim Van Horne. https://biography.guide/jim-van-horne/

MLA: "Jim Van Horne." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/jim-van-horne/.

Chicago: "Jim Van Horne." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/jim-van-horne/.

Data last updated: 2026-09-22 · Spot an error? Report a correction.

Page generated 2026-09-27 05:03 UTC