Jay Levine, a television producer with no background in fashion, created Fashion Television (FT) in 1985, which became a cultural phenomenon through its innovative storytelling and focus on designers rather than trends. The show ran for 27 years, was syndicated globally, and won critical acclaim despite never winning a Gemini Award. FT’s approach to showcasing fashion from around the world set it apart from competitors like CNN's Style With Elsa Klensch, making it influential in the industry.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-10-06,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Television producer Jay Levine knew little about clothing or designers when he changed both broadcasting and the fashion world with the launch of the first Fashion Television (FT) broadcasts in 1985.
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he → know → 1985
He was creator and founding producer of the show, which ran for 27 years, went into global syndication and spawned a magazine and a 24-hour specialty channel.
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which → found → magazine
“We were strangers in a strange land,” said Jeanne Beker, the former host of FT, of the early days of the show.
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Beker → say → show
“I didn’t know much about fashion and neither did Jay.
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Jay → know → fashion
He wasn’t Mr. Fashionista, but he did understand what would be compelling to watch.
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what → understand → ?
When it launched, the only other mainstream fashion-related television program on air was CNN’s staid Style With Elsa Klensch.
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program → launch → Klensch
FT differentiated itself by focusing on lively storytelling; the approach had many imitators.
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approach → differentiate → imitators
“One of the keys to success of the show is it never discussed hemlines or colours or trends or anything insipid like that.
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it → discuss → that
FT felt elevated compared to its competition,” said Tyler Levine, Mr. Levine’s half-brother, who worked on FT with him for many years.
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who → feel → years
Jay Levine, 69, died on Sept. 1 of complications related to lung cancer.
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Levine → die → cancer
Ms. Beker and others say he set high standards for the show.
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he → say → show
But he was always encouraging us to dig deeper,” recalled Howard Brull, who worked on FT for its entire run, starting as an editor and later senior producer.
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who → encourage → editor
He said the team pushed themselves every day to do better, often to impress Mr. Levine.
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team → say → Levine
“He brought a certain level of excellence and professionalism.”
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He → bring → excellence
Ms. Beker said his innovative ideas for segments meant that she, Mr. Levine and crew members would visit the world’s fashion capitals but also went to Japan in 1986 to cover the fashion scene, visited Russia after the Berlin Wall came down and did a one-hour special on Israeli design.
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Wall → say → design
“I’m always coming across pictures of Jay and I in the trenches in Milan or other places,” she said.
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she → come → Milan
The show’s early years coincided with the ascendance of runway fashion and supermodels in pop culture, and FT capitalized on the trend, garnering interest from around the world – it was syndicated in as many as 140 countries.
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it → coincide → countries
FT was nominated repeatedly for Gemini Awards (which merged with the Genie Awards and are now called the Canadian Screen Awards) but the show never won; Tyler said Jay did not care.
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Jay → nominate → Awards
Mr. Levine’s documentary Naked in the House: A Photographic Competition, which he produced under the FT brand, won a Gemini in 2002 for best editing.
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he → produce → editing
(The Globe and Mail called it an “amazing, different hour of television.”)
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Globe → call → television
FT used pop music to back its runway footage and featured enticing – and often skin-revealing – visuals; its tagline was “sexy, stylish and spectacular.”
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tagline → use → visuals
It proved sexy enough to trigger viewer complaints, but the Canadian Broadcast Standards Council ruled that the show did not breach the broadcast code.
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show → prove → code
Those who worked for CITY-TV at its Queen Street West location in Toronto recall the early FT era as an exciting time when creative and even rebellious ideas were welcome – and Jay fit right in.
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Jay → work → time
“He was naturally a very cool guy,” Tyler said.
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Tyler → say → ?
Mr. Levine had also studied economics and understood the business side, often going to bat for the show when budget cuts threatened it.
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cuts → study → it
He would talk to the corporate people and he got our shows at least an additional five years,” Mr. Brull said.
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Brull → talk → shows
FT was cancelled in 2012.
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FT → cancel → 2012
Mr. Levine was always reading at his desk, but seldom about fashion, Mr. Brull said.
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Brull → read → fashion
“[In] most of our conversations in the over 25 years we worked together, I don’t think we discussed fashion.
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we → work → fashion
We were discussing life.”
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We → discuss → life
He taught Tyler to be well-versed in what was going on in the world in order to make smart television.
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what → teach → television
“His part of being a producer of Fashion Television required reading every newspaper and listening to every interview he could.
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he → require → interview
So I kept up that kind of scouring, just always hunting for a good story.”
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I → keep → story
Ms. Beker said Mr. Levine served as a mentor to many young people.
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Levine → say → people
“I’m now hearing so many stories from people about how when they were newbies, he was very much there to support them,” she said.
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she → hear → them
Jay Lawrence Levine was born on May 9, 1957, in Toronto.
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Levine → bear → Toronto
He had an elder brother, David, and a younger one named Harvey.
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He → have → brother
His parents later divorced; Norm Levine remarried and the union produced a son, Tyler, who is 18 years younger than Jay.
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who → divorce → Jay
Jay studied economics and film at York University, graduating in 1979.
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Jay → study → 1979
His father was close friends with director and producer Perry Rosemond, who died in August, and he helped Jay get his start in television.
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Jay → die → television
…and 28 more, not listed.
The Aporia
