http://www.pugetsoundradio.com/cgi-bin/forum/Blah.pl? http://www.eblah.com en http://www.pugetsoundradio.com/cgi-bin/forum/Blah.pl?m-1342168340/ http://www.pugetsoundradio.com/cgi-bin/forum/Blah.pl?m-1342168340/#num1 Puget Sound Radio's Jock Shot
featuring retired radio television personality
           Fred Latremouille


                                  Fred Latremouille

By Michael Easton

                                             July 13th, 2012

It's been an absolute delight and pleasure for me to have had this opportunity to interview one of my all time favourite disc jockeys, Mr. Fred Latremouille.


                 Fred and Cathy's beautiful home on PEI

For those who didn't know, Fred and Cathy sold their west coast home in White Rock near Vancouver and moved across Canada to the Maritime provinces, bought property and built a lovely home on Prince Edward Island. As much as we would have loved to have included Cathy in this interview, she gracefully declined this time, instead gave way for us to zero in on Fred and talk about his incredible journey in the wonderful world of Radio and Television in Vancouver.

Michael: Hello Fred, Welcome to Puget Sound Radio and our Jock Shot feature. First things first, are you from the west coast, and what sparked your interest to enter radio?

Fred: I was born in Nanaimo..radio was far from my mind then..walking was important as I was a baby..

ME: Was radio always on your radar screen? From what age? Did you have any formal training? I'd heard many years ago you launched your career in Peace River, Alberta. How did that all come about?

Fred: CKYL in Peace River put an ad in the paper asking for tapes..I was 16..sent them one..they called..told them I was twenty..got the job for a sizzling 180 a month..

ME: I remember first hearing you on CJOR in Vancouver, doing afternoons from 4 to 8. Was this when the Chandlers owned the station.

Fred: I guess it was Mrs. Chandler who held the helm as the owner.

ME: Who hired you?

Fred: Yes, Mrs Chandler was the boss lady, Vic Waters, who had hired Red (Robinson) hired me after I pestered him for three months every day in the lobby, he listened to my tape, started 2 til 6 playing C and W.

ME: That was quite the mix if I recall, Hot Liner Pat Burns followed you from 8 to Midnight. If I'm not mistaken, Burns was the reason CJOR had to sell and it turned out Jimmy Pattison was to be the new owner. Maybe you can give us your take on what was going on with the station at that time. The format you were doing was playing the hits as I recall

Fred: I had talked then manager Peter Kossick to let me play my generation's music..he agreed..so played the motown artists and the brits..including the first of the Beatles in the city..CFUN was light on them..Burns was a trip..first show he says "if there is a God, is he powerful enough to make a rock that even he couldn't lift it.".he had taken over from religious paid programmes..he was launched..always liked him...

ME: This was the day radio stations were into block programming in a big way, something that's not as prominent as today.

Fred: Yeah, sadly everything is very rigid now compared to then..

ME: You obviously caught the ears of those at CFUN and joined them in 1964 as one of the CFUN Good Guys. That story in itself has to be one we'd love to hear.

Fred: Red had noticed me making inroads with the kids..I was young like they were and had a growing fan base..he offered me a hundred less a month to work at CFUN..I jumped at it..

ME: I remember meeting you when I was working at Dave Armstrongs CKDA/CFMS back in 1965, you stopped by the station to visit either Paul Preston or Tim Burge at the time. When we met, you told me you were working mornings at Victoria's CFAX. Needless to say it was a bit of a shock, if not a surprise to have heard you on CFUN the previous week, only to discover you were now doing mornings down the street at CFAX in Victoria. How did that all come about?

Fred: Right, I was remarkably unpopular in radio management circles..had supported the Georgia Straight when the underground paper was under attack from then mayor Tom Campbell..CKLG boss Don Hamilton said "us or them" left for the paper where although I helped publicize their plight, realized that this was not my gig..

ME: You also moved into television. Were you with Red Robinson then? I recall the show was called Let's Go! How long was that gig?  

Fred: Yes, Red and I wound up doing the national version from the west..Alex Trebeck did Ottawa..I had started the show solo from Vancouver prior to network but was very nervous and it showed..got a bit better with tv as I got the feel for it...

ME: It wasn't surprising to see you join the other rocker CKLG, which was going head to head with CFUN in those days... You were in the business during some exciting times, especially when rock radio emerged... tell us about LG, who hired you?... you must have some thoughts and stories about doing battle with your former employer CFUN..

Fred: Was dating a gal from Nanaimo, and could see when we went to A and W and rolled down the windows that LG was killing Fun on the island..better signal..fewer commercials..I was 17 or 18..so..stopped playing all the spots..Red fired me..was on my way to Mexico when LG called and emceed the Sonny and Cher show as my first gig for LG..mixed reaction from the kids.."traitor" from some but mostly good...

ME: 1968 you left LG and went back to CBC Television for a couple of years with a show called "New Sounds" tell us about that one.  

Fred: New sounds was stop gap work while private radio wouldn't hire me..helped me get the money for basement suite in Kits and not much else..


        Fred's holding a little finch which had hit their window

ME: Back to radio... format change with CFUN to CKVN (Voice of News) Vancouver's first Newstalk station?

Fred: Finally got a gig with the Tietolman family who had bought CFUN and incredibly changed the letters to CKVN.."voice of news"..the old man and I got along and I was untouchable when he fired all the newsguys..25 or so..out the door..I was interim PD..so hired JB shayne..who I loved and we suffered it out for a while til we went all rock and I hired..Terry David Mulligan. Tim Burge, Hal Weaver, and inherited Tom Jeffrey's..all good pros..but I had no management skills and was soon in over my head..skip ahead CHUM buys us and me and Tom Jeffries ran the place..Tom did music and I ostensibly ran the place til CRTC approval..the place rocked ..got a quarter of a million weekly circ..enter Chuck McCoy and we took it to number one with over a half million, largely on the back of "don't say hello" promotion..and some tight programming

ME: Back to TeeVee and CBC.... didn't you get into news with our public broadcaster.... Hour Glass?

Fred: Yes, my pal Bill Good suggested me when Mike Winlaw quit..did okay there..not a government type employee but a good primer in TV..

ME: you seemed to have disappeared from about 1978 to the early nineties. I understand you became ill at some point in your life, was this that period?

Fred: I had cancer back in 72..radiation and they didn't think I would make it..as for the time frame you mentioned..likely just my desire for privacy, which persists.


  Fred with boat at one of the dunes near their home on PEI

ME: Tell us, who influenced you from an early age in the industry... the people you worked with. Who you admired and enjoyed.

Fred: Red for sure, initially, Frosty was so funny, lots of the KJR jocks..Les Crane, Carson, Webster, Monty ..most people in the biz I thought had something going..tough sledding..

ME: What was it like being a top 40 Jock back in the heyday of the CFUN days?

Fred: It was tons of fun[no pun] loved to go to work..

ME: Who were your favorite bands in your 20's?

Fred: The Beatles of course, Hendrix, most of the Brit rockers, RandB, gospel, Beach Boys, Seattle garage bands..loved the Sonics

ME: What band was the most memorable for you to introduce live on stage?

Fred: The Stones in 64[first Vancouver appearance] they were mind blowingly good and the fans rioted[ not really but the police thought so] pulled the plug in "Paint It Black"..Jagger sat cross legged, wouldn't leave the stage while Richards swore at the cops..I was called to settle things down..just spoke quietly til they paid attention and essentially told them that if they kept it up there would be no concert and perhaps no more period..plug goes back in and they rocked in..phew


        Cathy enjoying life and home on Prince Edward Island

ME: What was your funniest moment on live radio?

Fred: Was in the middle of a rant about "penal reform" and saying "what we neeed is more penile" saw my op slide to the floor and Cath doubled over..we all cracked up uncontrollably..also had to read a two man newscast on New Years Day morning..the op threw up on the console and the other anchor Barry Bell and I could not regain our compusure ..laughed through every story..

ME: Why did you get into radio?

Fred: Thought it was magical..was and am a loner, liked the company and loved the music and jocks..

ME: What wisdom would you impart to today's generation of Announcer's?

Fred: Wisdom? You've got the wrong guy!  Too enjoy every moment and learn to listen..

ME: What do you think about radio now?

Fred: I still enjoy it..listen more to sirius, CBC and internet radio..some good stuff out there but you have to look for it


      Fred sailing off the shores of Prince Edward Island

ME: How do you spend your time now?  

Fred: I try to keep in shape..swim half mile a day,lift light weights read, do chores around the property,twenty five acres, and love to drive around PEI, such a pleasure to go for a ride and no traffic to speak of..

ME: What are you reading currently?

Fred: "The Power of Habit", just re read Ouspensky's "In Search Of The Miraculous"  finishing up on Stephen Tyler's book and the bio on Steve Jobs.

ME: What is your view of Canadian politics?

Fred: Complex question..varies from province to province and the feds..think it could get messier in Quebec again soon..like Harper and crew despite rather cold demeanor, think as an economist he will serve us well in murky economic waters ahead.think the libs and NDP should man up and merge..

ME: Will Justin Trudeau be Prime MInister one day?

Fred: God I hope not..but voters tend to fall for charisma over character, so who knows?

ME: What is your view of US Politics?

Fred: Messy, very messy, again charisma [Obama is charming] and Romney is so apparently uncomfortable in his skin, they worry me..wasn't really much of a slate for the running was it?

ME: The future of the Western World?

Fred: Democracy? Democracy requires voters and committment[sp] I hope the current disenchantment will lead to more active participation in the process..for all intents and purposes I think democracy is under siege..rules and regulators are in our faces at every turn..like a more libertarian view..ie..less government..

ME: How will you be spending the summer?  The winter?

Fred: Summer and much of the year in the Maritimes, head for some sun and surfin in the colder months

ME: How is your health?

Fred: Reasonably good, given the tough miles.


                          Adios Fred Latremouille

ME: Thanks very much for taking this time to chat with us Fred. Anything you'd like close with?

Fred: I feel very grateful for the support from listeners and viewers over the years and always want to take the opportunity to say "thanks"..




.]]> Fri, 13 Jul 2012 01:32:20 Voice Over http://www.pugetsoundradio.com/cgi-bin/forum/Blah.pl?m-1338852186/ http://www.pugetsoundradio.com/cgi-bin/forum/Blah.pl?m-1338852186/#num1 PSR Jock Shots
featuring Capital FM's Morning Disc Jockey's
     Rob and Audie

        'Live' from Edmonton's Capital FM Studios
     with Rob Christie and Audie Lynds

By Michael Easton

                                    June the 4th 2012

This has to be the longest ongoing interview I've ever conducted... I first connected with Rob Christie back in 2008 when he was working at Rawlco's Magic FM. We met through Facebook after sending him an invite. I requested we get together for an interview for our Puget Sound Radio Jock Shots feature. Although he responded in the positive, the timing didn't seem to be right. I later came to understand he was about to cut the cord with Magic and join Newcap. I then reconnected with him a year ago, hoping we'd be able to line up an interview as he and Audie approached their third anniversary at Capital FM. Rob indicated he and Audie were going on summer vacation, but would be back in late July, then we'd be able to get things underway. Little did any of us realize at the time, but numerous events were about to take place and there was no way we'd hit the deadline for a September story. First, with the departure of then Operations Manager Patrick Cardinal crossing the street to Astral, then with the Newcap search for a new PD underway, added responsibilities fell on Rob and Audie. Once John Roberts was hired as the new PD in November of last year, 2011. The boys took off on another vacation. Then there was the Christmas vacation, which brought us into the new year with yet, another vacation in Mexico. I'm definately in the wrong job! Infact, this was begining to remind me of the days of the late Johnny Carson doing his Tonight show with all the vacation periods having been included in his lucrative contract with NBC. :)

Talk about a Work in Progress!

To be honest, I had reservations if my latest project would ever see the light of day. Nontheless, I persevered with numerous emails and on March 25th of this year Rob sent me part one of his response to the interview. I then knew it was a go, for sure. Part's 2,3 & 4 came in over the months leading up to now, along with Audies replies, then today Audie emailed me the studio pics to complement the article.

As Rob told me, once he got into answering my questions, the memories began to flood back, to the point he was concerned the interview would be too long. I assurred him, we have no restrictions as far as word count is concerned here at PSR and not to worry. However, it now appears I'm going to have to split it us, in part one and part two which will follow below.  

Having followed Rob's career from Vancouver, I knew he was one of the successful on air personalities who's worked markets across the country, including Montreal and Toronto, as well as Vancouver, Calgary and Edmonton, and I for one, wanted to hear it all. I was also very interested to know more about his radio mate Audie Lynds and how he and Rob got together, not once, not twice, but three times. Talk about great chemistry!

I tell you, the long wait was well worth it, infact I was very pleased the way things finally came together, and I thank both Rob and Audie for taking the time in allowing me to interview them both.

I hope our PSR readers enjoy the read, as much as I enjoyed asking the questions.

.........

Puget Sound Radio welcomes Rob and Audie,
our latest PSR Jock Shots

                    
                                       Rob Christie

ME: Firstly, Congratulations are in order to you both... Anniversary number 3? coming up? Just to bring everyone up to speed, it was March of 2008 when Capital FM was launched, then you two came onboard six months later, the day after Labour Day, Tuesday September 2nd, 2008

Rob: That's right we celebrated our third anniversary on Capital-FM Sept 6th 2011. I believe that's the linoleum anniversary.  

ME: Correct me if I'm wrong, but is this the third time around for you guys? Perhaps 3 times lucky, making the perfect radio marriage?

Rob: Three times lucky - hopefully not 3 strikes and you're out.

ME: What year are we going back to for 630 CHED, then Power 92?

Rob: We first teamed up at 630 CHED in '86 then moved to Power 92 in '92 , (the year we won the Gold at the International Radio Festival of New York for Best Humor/Comedy Morning show).

ME: How did you guys originally connect?

Rob: Actually, it was an arranged marriage. Pat Bohn was the P.D.  and Vern Traill was the G. M at the time. My afternoon drive show was very successful and I remember Pat describing 630 CHED  as having two morning shows. Bruce Bowie left CHED for CKNG-FM (Later POWER 92  - how's that for irony?) and mornings were suddenly open. I'll never forget it. Pat & Vern took me out to the Convention Inn South, wining and dining me late into the night and pressing me for an answer that night.They really put the full court press on me, but I'm a Scorpio and I can be pretty stubborn when I want to be. I told them I'd be giving up all my lucrative nightclub gigs and with the change in lifestyle that comes with mornings, I'd have to discuss it with my wife Diane first.

When i got home Diane was dying to know what happened so we stayed up til 7 a.m., talking about it. For some reason I thought it just didn't feel right, and I was about to call Pat & Vern and decline the offer.Then I  told her about the money they were offering and she said , "You touch that phone and I'll break your arm!"

Now this is where it gets a little fuzzy . I remember Eileen Bell was on the show but I'm not sure if Audie had been part of Bruce Bowie's Morning crew or if Pat Bohn  added him to the show at that point. (Hopefully Audie's memory on this point is clearer than mine) .To the best of my recollection, Audie was already on the show, so he and Eileen inherited me.

ME: Obviously the chemistry was there, and remains to this day


                           Audie Lynds

Audie: Yeah, chemistry is very important and trust and respect play a large role in that. You may not agree with everything your partner does or says, or what direction he wants to go with a bit, but you have to have an open mind and respect their opinions and come to a mutual agreement that's best for the show. You also have to understand that somedays your performance may not be top notch, but your partner will stand by you, and you have his back at times. That's what makes a good partnership...chemistry, trust, respect and covering each others asses.

Rob: To be perfectly candid, I wasn't thrilled about working with any co-host because I had always been a one man show with my cast of character voices and established bits like my phone scam segment, "Christie's Kidding". BTW, Pat Bohn  wanted me to rename it "The Morning Crew's Kidding". I learned way back then to  NEVER  give up a feature that's branded with your name. But Audie & I stuck it out, the show evolved, we both grew and somewhere along the way.... magic happened. Some teams never find it but we did. The guy from Moose Jaw and the guy from Montreal connected, clicked and now...well I won't say we finish each other's sentences, but our ability to feel other's timing, and to feed each other is rare in this business. It's about mutual respect, trust, and putting the success of show above any personal agenda.And we have fun on the air , lots of fun.    
  
ME: My memory is a tad bit foggy, previous to this gig Rob, you were brought in from, was it Toronto, or Vancouver to do mornings on Magic?....

Rob: I left for MIX 99.9 Toronto in November 1994. Audie was supposed to be part of the package but I'll let him explain that chapter of our relationship.I did what I like to call the "Toronto sandwhich" .First taking over mornings on Mix 99.9 (Standard) for a very succesful run from Nov. 1994 - Dec. 2000. Program Director J.J. Johnston blew that up just before Christmas 2000.

I started the new millenium with an offer from Sandy Sanderson at Rogers to take over mornings in Vancouver from the legendary "Fred & Cathy"  at KISS-FM. Thanks to the astute programming decisions of KISS P.D. Susan Davis, Rogers eventually blew up KISS-FM and Canada's first Jack-FM rose from the ashes. My KISS co-host Val Cole was replaced by Kerry Marshall and we were off to the races.
Jack Vancouver became a phenomenal success  - #1 in the market and #1 morning show, even beating the venerable Frosty Forst at CKNW. We made North American ratings history.

Enter Rogers VP Gary Miles, and in a wonderful example of pretzel logic, he does an end run on JACK-FM P.D. Pat Cardinal and hires Larry & Willy because "....they're a Vancouver brand dont'cha know". This will be a great chapter in my book, which I plan to title " How to be #1 and still get gassed". As part of this "Lido Shuffle", Cardinal is offered the PD/GM position at the newly rebranded 92.5 Jack-FM Toronto and he in turn signs me for morning show in 2003. So how's that for deja vu!  I go to a Vancouver station named KISS and it morphs into Jack.Then I move to Toronto where a KISS also turns into a Jack. I love this business.

Based on the success on the West Coast ,senior management at Rogers Toronto thought the JACK format was so strong that it -and the morning show - didn't need to be promoted. Funny how that affects ratings in a little market like Toronto. After 2 years and the customary sacrificing of the talent, I found myself  a free agent when I received a call from Susan Reid, who was known as "Janet from Another Planet" on our early morning show days at CHED. Susan was now an experienced sales manager at EZ-Rock Edmonton, when  Rawlco tapped her for the GM/GSM position at the new Smooth Jazz  Magic 99.

I wasn't thrilled about returning to Edmonton but Susan was very pursuasive, the Rawlinsons really impressed me as radio people, and the generous package included a consulting role in programming.So after 11 years it was back to River City where I signed on  MAGIC 99  in December 2005.It was a brand new learning curve.

[
                                 Audie Lynds

Audie: Actually, after Rob left for Toronto, I stayed here in Edmonton and continued on in mornings at 92.5 through the various owners and format changes. Power 92, The New Power 92 (Hot AC hybrid format) and then the switch to Joe and the variations on that format. 4 different program directors over 15 years and yet I was lucky enough to never hear management say the words "We're taking the station in a different direction."
My on air partner for 11 years on 92.5 was Gary James who's back doing mornings on Joe FM.  It was a good partnership, but after Gary moved to afternoons, I hooked up with an old friend, Rhubarb Jones, whom I first met at CHAB in Moose Jaw in the early 80's. We had drank together and worked at the same station, but never shared a show. Rhubarb and I only worked together for a year and a half before Newcap came calling, but we had a lot of fun and laughs during that time.

ME: Was hooking up with Rob at CHED your first gig... tell us about what brought you to Edmonton...

Audie: I came to Edmonton in October of 1981 to do middays and handle Assistant Program Director duties at CHED.  The plan was to get off the air and into programming and I went in that direction for a while, building format clocks, doing airchecks, overseeing music and taking care of promotional imaging production. In 1985, Bruce Bowie and "The Coach" Jamie Herbison were doing mornings on the station and I joined them to help make it more of a "Morning Crew/Zoo" sound which was the trend at the time. It was a small role, but that's when I started slapping the alarm clock at 3:15.  

ME: While where at it, I'm not going to ask if you were named after Audie Murphy, surprise! actually I read it in your bio on the Capital FM website. Where and when did everything start radiowise for you? Was radio something that grabbed you at an early age being raised in Saskatchwan?

Audie: I wasn't one of those guys who played radio in his bedroom, but sound, music and electronics fascinated me. I used to drive my parents crazy running microphones through a guitar fuzz box, phasing my Dad's reel to reel tape machine and putting thumb tacks in the felt hammers of Mom's piano to get a honky tonk sound.
I didn't get into radio until I was 16. At that time, I looked it as a way to make money to buy guitar strings, sound equipment and cigarettes and get free records. My buddy got me a part-time job at CHAB running the religion tapes which aired from 6am Sunday to 3am Monday. I think we were supposed to read the weather once an hour, but I rarely did because I was too busy listening to The Bitch is Back on cue. Then a year later, a couple of weekend all-night shifts opened and, based on my finely tuned weather skills (and the fact that I worked for next to nothing) the program director decided to give the long haired skinny kid a shot. I'll never forget the advice I got from the guy who trained me on that first night. After a couple of on air breaks I asked him if he had any advice. His answer? "Yeah, quit now. You don't have a chance."  

ME: You mentioned your wife... was she radio connected in those early days...how did this match come together?

Audie: No, Lois has little interest in radio. I don't even think she listens to the show to this day. She relies on her friends to tell her what I say about her on the air. We met in Grade 9 at Peacock High School in Moose Jaw. We were in the same home room together, but she thought I was a girl for the first few weeks because I was shy and never said anything. The fact that I have a name that's a derivative of Audrey, had hair past my shoulders, wore puffy sleeved shirts and weighed 100 pounds may also have influenced her perception. She didn't realize I was a guy until one day I had to call out the attendance and after hearing me speak, she didn't have to wonder why she was attracted to another female.

ME: Rob, if we can get back to Magic 99, for a minute. I recall a 'non-compete' was in place with Rawlco, then it seemed to be resolved, Can you elaborate on that?

Rob: Before I address that, let me just say I really enjoyed my 3 yrs at Magic and my move to Newcap was purely a business decision (geez I sound like a P.D.!)

Rawlco’s a progressive company with talented people and a personality driven approach to radio. That philosophy comes from the top. Both Doug and Gord Rawlinson are radio people through and through. Their father Ed was a partner in 630 CHED back in the day. Each brother has his own expertise. Gord focuses on sales while Doug oversees programming.

I remember my first meeting with Doug at his cottage in the Thousand Islands near Kingston in the Fall of 2005 .We spent a few hours on his yacht which was equipped with satellite radio tuned  to an Oldies station. You know you’re a radio person when you can have one ear on the conversation and another on the station. We’d be in the middle of talking about family or whatever and he would suddenly blurt out “...love that jingle!” or  “ man, did he nail that post!”  Let’s just say he made a great first impression.

Doug is one of the few remaining guys in this business who trusts his instincts. I’m not saying Rawlco doesn’t use consultants, but they play advisory role – they don’t program the stations. Doug Rawlinson and Rawlco Director of Programming Doug Pringle,or as we called them,“ Doug & Doug”, have backed up more miles than most consultants have driven.

I also have to give props to Rawlco for maximizing the use of my talents. In addition to hosting mornings on Magic 99, I had consulting roles in programming, marketing , and sales. I also gave presentations  at the company’s annual programming conferences in Saskatoon & Regina. Rawlco was the first company to recognize and fully utilize my three  decades of experience in this industry.

As for all the rumours about drinking the famous Rawlco “Kool Aid, I’d rather drink the Kool Aid than the Hemlock some other companies like to dispense.

Now, about the much publicized non-compete episode when I left Rawlco. Yes, my contract did contain a non-compete clause. Rawlco Radio President Pam Leyland made it very clear to me that they were prepared to enforce it, and I was served with a statement of claim. Newcap was undeterred. Cue the lawyers. Let this be a lesson to all aspiring media performers: If a company wants you badly enough, because their managers believe that you will positively impact their bottom line, they’ll do what they have to do to make it happen. Fortunately,that was the situation I was in when Newcap presented me with the opportunity at Capital-FM. Negotiations took place, a settlement was reached and Audie & I were on the air September 2nd, 2008.

ME: funny how the tables turn, what with Magic flipping to Up!

Rob: Well, you know the old adage, the only constant in radio is change. I admire the Rawlinsons for introducing a smooth jazz format to Edmonton but it just wasn’t economically viable. Maybe it was just part of a long term strategy. When in doubt, play the hits!  “Up” may be a contender, but the race isn’t over and in radio like in horseracing, thoroughbreds don’t fade in the stretch.

ME: Rob, I don't think I included the question, it was Patrick Cardinal who brought you back to Capital, correct?

Rob: This is one of those great radio stories you always remember.When I was initially approached by Randy Lemay, Newcap V.P. Alberta  Operations, we agreed that in the interest of discretion, it would be best to meet in a non public setting, so he set up a meeting at his home in Sherwood Park. As far as I knew, the meeting was to be composed of Audie, creative genius Randy Broadhead, myself, Newcap VP Programming Steve Jones and Randy Lemay.

Audie, Randy Broadhead  and I walk into Lemay’s kitchen and who should we lay eyes on but.... Pat Cardinal!  You could’ve knocked us over with a feather. Pat had been consulting for Standard Broadcasting in Toronto when Newcap came calling and offered him the Ops Manager and Capital-FM Program Director positions in Edmonton.

Now, I had lots of experience with Pat dating back to Power 92 as well as Jack-FM Vancouver and Jack-FM ,Toronto. So did Audie and Randy, but not all of it good. Hey this guy fired me twice! In fairness to him, the circumstances were complicated, it wasn’t his idea, and he hated doing it. I have tremendous respect for Pat and we’re friends to this day.

Audie and Randy Broadhead were a little more skeptical.They still had some baggage from their experiences with Pat after I left Power 92 for Toronto. However, I believed that Pat’s experiences in Toronto and Vancouver had really made him grow as a P.D. and mature as a manager, and that it was better to have someone we knew in that position than a complete stranger. Besides, this was an opportunity too good to pass up!    

As for your original question, Randy Lemay was the first person from Newcap to contact me about coming over to Capital-FM. To the best of my knowledge, our deal was coming together before or around the same time as Newcap was courting Pat. I’d say Randy engineered the morning show deal  in concert with Pat and Steve Jones.

ME: So where was Audie during those times?

Rob: Audie  stayed with Power 92 all through the years that I was on the Toronto - Vancouver -Toronto odyssey. Power eventually morphed into Joe-FM and only he can fill you in on the juicy details from those days.

ME Audie, everyone has our so called heroes in the industry, such as mentors and Saskatchwan certainly launched many a radio tv career over the years... Tell us about those who influenced you in your early years....

Audie: The great thing about working in radio in Moose Jaw was that it was a small town training station for Moffatt Communications and you got experience in almost every department. You did your own production, wrote commercials at times, worked in the news room, ran promotions, set up your own remotes, filed records, wound carts...whatever needed to be done.  The talent rarely stayed there for more than a year or two and somehow that made us all pretty close. Most of the jocks were always happy to share their knowledge and experience as long as it didn't jeopordize their chances at a bigger market, so I had many influences and learned something valuable from almost everyone. I only hope that I was able to teach something to those that were greener than me.


                             Rob Christie

ME: Rob, born in Montreal? What's your story as far as being enticed into the wacky world of radio?

Rob: I was born and raised in Montreal and as far back as I can remember I was always fascinated with the voices on the radio. My parents were faithful listeners of a Middle of the Road station, (remember the M.O.R format?)  CJAD. I remember how my mom would crack up at the breakfast table at something the morning personality said. I was amazed at how a disembodied voice could have that effect on someone going about her morning routine. Later, as a teen when Beatlemania hit, Montreal was a hotbed of radio with personalities like Dave Boxer at (CFCF) , Dean Hagopian (CFOX ), Buddy Gee (CKGM) , Chuck Chandler, Roger Scott (Both CFOX)  and so many others. I listened to all of them. Each had his own style. Dave Boxer used a lot of sound effects and once even had Paul McCartney playing “Love Me Do” on his slide whistle. Dean Hagopian had a warped sense of humour and did this amazing range of voices and characters. Buddy Gee  (George Morrison)  just had the greatest energy and sense of production, a real “American” sound. You just hung on their every word.These guys were stars in their own right.

Buddy Gee at CKGM actually gave me my first on air break when I entered  a contest to do a commercial for Yamaha Motorcycles. I remember walking into that studio in downtown Montreal with my heart in my throat but I was determined! I made the short  list but didn’t win the contest.

I have to credit my mom  for giving me the push to actually apply for a job in radio. You have to appreciate that even though I had built a mini radio station in my basement bedroom ,complete with tape recorder, turntable and mike ,that I was an incredibly shy kid.I mean I didn’t even have a date for my high school grad!

I was obsessed  with radio. One weekend, a buddy and I  actually stayed up for 48hrs straight doing a ‘radiothon’ .We didn’t actually broadcast over the airwaves we just played records, intro’d  songs doing various voices, made up commercials and recorded the whole thing into my tape recorder. Mom would  check in on us every few hours bringing us  sandwiches and drinks . Later she said to me  “ Why don’t you just go and apply at CFOX ?”

I was in my first  year of  University at McGill  when I walked into Gord Sinclair’s CFOX in  suburban  Pointe Claire. I used my involvement with Radio McGill as my “experience” on the job application form.Talk about embellishing!  I worked on some engineering stuff  because I was too shy to do anything in front of the mike.  

These were the days before the term ‘ intern’. I was a gopher , as in “ go fer coffee, go fer delieveries”,etc”. My duties included  filing records, setting  up remotes, delivering hit charts to record stores and opping the allnight show voicetracks.But hey, I was working with my heroes! And occasionally, I would run into Gino Vanelli, Andy Kim and April Wine in the hallways.  
  
Afterhours, I would come back to the radio station and practice doing “shows” for hours in one of the production studios.It was the coolest, I mean they had TWO turntables and cart machines! The Program  Director, Doug Ackhurst, eventually heard one of my tapes  and offered me the all night show on weekends. I was scared stiff, and I was still very shy but it was showtime! The first song I played was The Beatles “All You Need is Love”. Did I mention my first air name was Jeff Douglas? A gift from Charles P. Rodney Chandler.

To be continued below with Part Two ...


]]> Mon, 4 Jun 2012 16:23:06 Voice Over http://www.pugetsoundradio.com/cgi-bin/forum/Blah.pl?m-1331524910/ http://www.pugetsoundradio.com/cgi-bin/forum/Blah.pl?m-1331524910/#num1 Go West Young Lady, Go West!


                                 Her Name is
                                  Rickie Tyler
                   and she's our latest PSR Jock Shot!

  


Although she's had no formal training, radio is something that Rickie Tyler was "born to do". By the age of 8 she was already producing radio programs on an old tape recorder.

Years later, Rickie would meet some very smart radio veterans who would guide her skills along. She took to it like a duck to water, learning about writing, production, music scheduling, and improving her on air skills.

Rickie began her career in 2005 in her hometown of Montreal on 105.1 Mike FM as writer, producer, music director, and traffic announcer.

Nominated for a 2006 CAB Gold Ribbon Award for production.

Went to work for MBS radio in late 2006 as morning show cohost on Saint John NB's classic rock station- 98.9 Big John FM, music director for K100, and midday host for K945 in Moncton.


                       Rickie Tyler mid-day host at The River in Campbell River

Left the East for the West in late 2008, and is currently working for Vista Radio in Campbell River, BC, on beautiful Vancouver Island. Rickie is midday host for 99.7 The River, and music director for 99.7 The River, 1240 The Port in Port Hardy, 95.7 Sun FM in Powell River and 89.7 Sun FM in Duncan. She's even worked sales. Rickie also continues to do some writing and production, and is very active in community events and charitable causes.

In 2010 Rickie was awarded the Vista Radio Community Service Award and the Vista Radio President's Award of Excellence.

You can tune into Campbell River's The River's website and listen to Rickie through the live stream http://www.997theriver.ca


                                      


.]]> Sun, 11 Mar 2012 21:01:50 Voice Over http://www.pugetsoundradio.com/cgi-bin/forum/Blah.pl?m-1297657978/ http://www.pugetsoundradio.com/cgi-bin/forum/Blah.pl?m-1297657978/#num1
                              Joe Leary - PM Drive CHRX 600 AM Vancouver
                                                  Launch Day, September 1988

This ones been a long time coming...

I first connected by email with Joe Leary back in 2003 when he was doing weekend weather on CKVU. I'm pleased to say we've stayed intouch since. One of the neat things about talking or interviewing a fellow jock/broadcaster, is there's Never a problem of running out of material, especially when talking shop.

Joe started climbing the ranks in the biz leaving the big smoke of Vancouver and headed over to the Island starting in a small town and moving up ever since.

Joe Leary is a Veteran broadcaster here in British Columbia and it was a pleasure and a delight to have spent this time sharing with him about his radio career. Thanks Joe!

This interview is a little on the lengthy side, I thought about doing a two-parter, but then decided to lay it all out before you in one shot about the radio Life of Joe Leary



Joe Leary is a PSR Jock Shot!

By Michael Easton, aka Sam
           Puget Sound Radio
               February 14th, 2010

Welcome to Jock Shot Joe,

Sam: Let's start from the beginning... what and when was it that triggered in your mind that Radio was where you were going to go with your life? Did you do a radio school or course?

Joe: I can honestly tell you that radio was in my blood, and my only goal from childhood.

As a kid, I was mesmerized by the hype that emanated from radio stations like CKLG, CFUN and KJR Seattle and from my earliest memory it was all I ever wanted to do.

When I was about ten, I arranged a tour of CKLG and I remember staring in absolute awe as I hung out in the control room watching the legendary Daryl 'B' on the air.

I vowed that one day that would be me.

Coincidentally, about ten years later, that dream came true as I got hired at CKLG, and worked in the very studio that Daryl and all the legendary Boss Jocks had worked out of.

It was my only thought going through school. I was a half-assed student and knew inevitably radio is what I would pursue. I even said that in my future plans write-up for the Killarney High School yearbook in my grad year.

I took the Columbia School of Broadcasting course after graduating and worked as an operator at the then foreign language CJVB as my very first gig.

I couldn't understand a frickin’ word - they were broadcasting in Japanese, Greek, Hindi, Mandarin, Italian and every other language under the sun that I didn’t know. But I didn't care - I was in radio!


             Scott Jenson, aka Joe Leary at the McCurdy board- CKDA 1200AM Master Control 1977

My first real on air gig came at CKDA in Victoria. Here was this 50,000 Watt monster booming out of these decrepit old studios in the bottom of the Douglas Hotel; your basic s**t hole bar, yet because our Program Director Bob Morris had such a great ear and had every conceivable limiter, aural exciter, compressor and piece of processing equipment that money could buy, we had this incredibly fat sound on the dial and a huge signal that absolutely boomed into Vancouver. We were even starting to get a lot of listeners from Vancouver, so Bob didn’t want to ruin the magic by letting the audience know that we were from the Island, so we only ever referred to ourselves as the ‘Capital City’.  

I had been working at CFCP in Courtenay when I went to see Bob for an interview. I was green as grass but he saw how eager and passionate I was and even though he caught me lying when I fudged my work experience, he called me two weeks later and hired me to start immediately. When I told the folks at CFCP that I got a new job and would be moving to Victoria, they didn’t take it well for some reason and because I couldn’t give two weeks notice, I remember the idiot PD at the time telling me that I was making the biggest mistake of my life and he would tell future employers not to hire me if anyone called him for a reference and he would blacklist me.

What an asshole!

Since the relationship was already ruined, I told him to go f**k himself; got in my car and ran over his precious flowerbed in the driveway and headed right to Victoria.

I was kinda thinking that maybe by the time I drove down Island, he would have made a call and word would have spread not to hire me, but that was my first lesson in realizing that if you’re like a 50 year old program director/gopher, working in some little Podunk market, who has been there his entire life, never worked anywhere else and clearly not going anywhere, chances are his opinions mean squat and he has no credibility anyway. These people don’t have the power or name recognition to even get their calls returned!

When I hooked up with Bob Morris in Victoria and told him about my colourful departure from Courtenay, he just laughed and said the same thing, “There are some real idiots in small markets – the good one’s go on to the big markets.”

Bob was such a great guy to learn from and also a hell of a drinking buddy. Bob taught me formatics, timing, music programming and generally how to run a tight Top 40 radio ship.

When it came time to go on the air, Bob was old school and felt that the name Joe Leary was just too plain, so we looked at options and came up with Scott Jensen. Bob picked Scott from the paper towel dispenser in the station washroom and I picked Jensen because I went to high school with a guy named Marty Jensen and thought he had the coolest name ever.

My next gig was CKLG where I remained Scott Jensen on air.  

                                                 a young Scott Jensen at CKLG (LG73) 1980

When Gary Russell took over as PD, he called me into his office one day and said he was looking at my personnel records and wanted to know why the hell I would go with a made up name like Scott Jensen when he thought Joe Leary was a great real name. It was too late at that point to change it but when I moved to Toronto in 1985, I decided to kill off Scott and Joe began his on air life.  


                                                   a young Joe Leary @ Toronto's Q107 1983

Sam: Growing up at that time, who were you listening to... who were your favourite jocks.... who do you feel or believe you've fashioned your style after...

Joe: My favourite jocks were the ones that I grew up listening to; they ultimately became the inspiration for me.

Among them: Daryl ‘B’, Roy Hennessey, Terry David Mulligan, Stirling Faux, Dan Williamson and the man I regard as the best of the bunch: Fred Latremouille.

I’ve been blessed, having had the good fortune to work with all of them at some point in my career.

I idolized Fred, and still regard him as the most naturally entertaining communicator that ever slapped on a pair of headphones in this market.

Fred is lightning fast and with a razor-sharp wit and knowledge. I did weather hits with him on KISS-FM for awhile before I took over as his Friday and holiday fill-in (all four months or whatever he had off) and learned that Fred is so quick, he can absolutely kill you and leave you for dead if you’re not on your game. He’s such a natural talent!

My proudest radio moment came when I first worked with Fred at CFUN in 1980.

Alphabetically, ‘Leary’ was listed right below ‘Latremouille’ on the staff list.

When I got that first one, I was just like a little kid under the Christmas tree; I was blown away to think that there was my name alongside my boyhood hero. It’s one of those moments that only a broadcaster could possibly understand!

As for other radio heroes, I’ve always been a fan of the big time American TOP 40 legends like Charlie Tuna, Larry Lujack, Bobby Ocean, Charlie Van Dyke, Robert W. Morgan and the ‘Real’ Don Steele. Closer to home, I went to high school listening to Tom Lucas and Doc Harris and thought they were amazing at what they did. Again, both of whom I would eventually work with.

Sam: I first recall your name with CHRX, but realize you also worked at CFUN doing pm drive... how did that all come about.. who hired you....  

Joe: I actually did three tours of duty at CFUN.

I got hired by Neil Gallagher and first worked there in 1980 before I moved to Toronto.

I returned to CFUN in 1985 when they were Lite Rock Less Talk, or No-Fun, and my longtime friend Stu Ferguson was instrumental in getting me back in.

Tom Lucas and I were both working at CFUN in 1988 when we were secretly hired by Bob Morris to work at “the new” CHRX before it launched.

Tom and I couldn’t tell anybody why we were quitting or where we were going but both had to resign for basically no reason and had to time it so that we didn’t arouse suspicion.

Tom quit first and I followed about a day later. Talk about suspicion!

At this time, rumours were rife that CJOR was going to flip formats and become a rock station and some people did the math and figured out that Tom and I were involved.

Soon after, CFUN put out a memo saying that we were no longer allowed to be in the building unescorted – very classy!  

In 2006, when CITY-TV blew us all out of the newsroom, Stu Ferguson hired me back to CFUN to fill-in hosting a talk show alongside Jennifer Thomson.

At first, it was just supposed to be for three days then they added another two weeks. Next thing we knew, they hired us on full-time and the Jenn and Joe Show was born.

It remains, without question, the best time of my broadcast life.

Jenn and I had known each other as friends through media functions and were co-workers briefly at CISL.

She is one of only two people that I’ve ever been paired with or worked alongside that just clicked immediately with me.

Natural radio chemistry is hard to find and often, it’s just not there.

It’s not about two people working together; it’s about clicking and being naturally in harmony with each other.

Jenn and I had that kind of connection from the get go and it clearly resonated with the audience.

I was demoralized when Jenn got let go from CFUN and even before that, I was enraged that they wouldn’t let us stick with the inane banter that the audience liked us for in the first place.  

It was well received and we regularly heard from listeners that they enjoyed an alternative to the usual talk shows in Vancouver. They wanted something upbeat and fun, not more of the politics and horseshit advice programs (Dr Laura) that were already over-represented on the Vancouver airwaves.

We were a good team and when they tried to make us more full-bodied and become news and current affairs-oriented; it died a very miserable death. You could see the shot clock running down on that incarnation real fast!

After they let Jenn go, I realized how you really don’t know what you’ve got until it’s gone.

Jenn is an amazing person with a huge heart and a really dirty sense of humour.

When she and I were “on” we couldn’t stop laughing – it was insane and used to piss Stu off to no extent.

Whenever he’d want us to be serious and present insightful content to balance out the horseshit we’d engage in, we’d go on the air and poke fun at him and talk about the latest decree from ‘Pope Stu’.

The audience was totally on our side and wanted us to do more fun stuff, and so we did.

We laughed our asses off day after day and though there were times when we would scrap and it could get pretty tense in the studio between us, somehow, Jenn knew the right buttons to push to take the piss out of me and I’d return the favour and we’d make vague references to things in each of our lives that would just start the howls of laughter all over again.

Among our best work were our two “drunk” shows where we took a shot of booze every fifteen minutes to demonstrate to listeners just how easily alcohol can affect your judgment.

It wasn’t pretty but it was hilarious radio and so unbelievably unprofessional at the same time.    

I truly hope that there’s another chapter in the Jenn and Joe saga down the road.

Jenn is the reason that I gained any degree of popularity during the entire 1410 experience. The combination of her and I brought out an element of my personality that would have otherwise lay dormant. I’m extremely introverted and can be a complete dick.

I didn’t realize until I worked with Jenn that I can be more than a one dimensional host and am forever grateful for the time that we spent together.  

People really liked us as a team, but typical radio; don’t give the listeners what they want or anything - try and take two fairly lighthearted souls and force them into becoming more of the same old  bullshit talk radio hosts!

It’s no surprise that that particular incarnation of CFUN failed to connect.

We had a real good thing going.

Shane Foxman was doing our morning show and he and I were having a good natured on air rivalry between the timeslots. Shane got so pissed off at the new direction, he actually e-mailed in his resignation. It’s too bad.

Had they stayed the course that we were on and maybe spent a buck or two promoting it, that station would have worked and would still be around.

We clearly saw that from the howls of outrage when they blew it up. It had a ton of fans and still, not a day goes by that I don’t hear from someone somewhere about how much they miss the old TALK 1410 and Jenn and I together.

I do too.      

Sam: Vancouver radio did a big shift, or should I say Jimmy Pattison did by turning talk radio into a new format and new call letters... can you share this story with us... who were the partakers?

Joe: To quote the old adage, it was the best of times; it was the worst of times. For starters, I was involved in the creation of CHRX from the ground up.

I was working at CFUN when my old CKDA boss Bob Morris called me to meet for drinks at the Avalon Hotel in North Van.

There, he unveiled the plans that were being made to turn CJOR into a Classic Rock station. He offered me the job as Music Director, Assistant Program Director and afternoon drive host. When he asked what I was making, I told him the amount I made yearly but he somehow thought that was my monthly figure and topped it!

I got a great big raise and got to help build a radio station and put the format together from an office on Granville Street.

I owe a tremendous debt of gratitude to Bob.

He first took me on as a kid at CKDA in Victoria and then later gave me the chance of a lifetime at CHRX.  

There we were working out of a secret location as the whole format change was kept under wraps for weeks. I was sworn to secrecy and couldn’t tell a soul. It was surreal in the sense that everyday I would head to our temporary office on Granville where I would sit across the desk from Bob and build clocks and a music library but never saw anything tangible that suggested we were soon to be a radio station. For all I knew, it could have been an elaborate ruse; there was nothing we could say, and because the CJOR staff didn’t – at this point – know what was coming – we couldn’t dare walk into their studios without arousing suspicion.

A day or two before the flip, we were summoned to a Pattison Group “think tank” meeting and saw this entire collection of people, all tasked with mounting the massive promotional launch campaign. It was unbelievable.

I’ll never forget driving in from Surrey the morning of the format change! Just about every billboard, bus side, bus shelter and bus bench from Vancouver through to the Valley became a CHRX ad overnight.

The original lineup was Tom Lucas in the morning, Bob Morris in midday, I did drive, Gary Alexander did evenings and Samantha Vega was on all-nights.

That lineup didn’t last long and once Tom Lucas left, we hired Daryl A Bear from the Fox and paired him up with the legendary JB Shayne as the morning team of ‘JB and the Bear’. What a frickin’ joke that was!

Two totally disparate people that couldn’t stand each other; both having completely contrary views of what radio was and what a morning show should be. It was as painful to listen to as it was pathetic in its origin and such an unbelievable waste of the talents of Shayne!

Fortunately, there is a mercy rule sometimes in life and it was used here as Daryl’s personal life imploded; the concept was quickly scrapped and no listeners were seriously hurt in the process.

I was then thrust into mornings and moved along with my traffic girl Rochelle Dentry.


                                       promo picture taken for the Joe and Rocket Show

We were starting to click in afternoons and management felt it might be the lesser of evils to move us there as the radio station was only about a year old at this point and we were already on our third morning show.        

‘The Rocket’ as we called her really connected with the audience. She had a real swagger on air; totally irreverent and edgy enough that male listeners adored her.

We used to call our 6:00am hour ‘The Blue Hour” because we did some very questionable material and content that totally pushed the envelope; we figured management wasn’t listening until at least 7:00am so what the hell.

We called it the ‘Joe and the Rocket Show’ and it was running along nicely until one morning, Rochelle left the studio during a commercial break and didn’t make it back in time to go on the air when the break was over.

As soon as I went back into music, I went looking for her and heard her in distress in the women’s washroom.

I called for our receptionist to go in and assist her and she was eventually taken out on a stretcher. She had hemorrhaged and was rushed to hospital.

We soon found out that she had cervical cancer and while at first it seemed manageable to work around, there were huge gaps of time where she wouldn’t be on the air at all.

Listeners thought that she had been fired or that we had been fighting or something, so I had to take to the airwaves and announce that she was waging a battle with cancer. It was one of the toughest things I’ve ever had to do live.

The outpouring of concern for her was massive and when she gained enough strength after surgery to resume some kind of workload, the station installed broadcast lines in her spare room and I would drive to her house each morning and do the show from there. She would literally have enough strength to throw on a robe and walk a few feet, and that was it.

It was a courageous effort on her part and she did it for as long as her health allowed.

Sadly, it was not to be.

Rocket went back into hospital and died on Dec 26, 1991; diagnosed and dead within a year, and only 29 years of age.

It was such a tragic situation for everyone.

I was especially affected because we were good friends and her and I were really starting to resonate with the audience and I’ll always wonder what would have happened if we had remained an on air team.  

She and Jennifer Thomson are the only people I’ve ever had any kind of rapport with in this business; both tremendous in their ability to bring out the best in me.

It was decided that the best way to handle a death on air was not to recast Rocket’s role, but rather, put a new morning show in place. That gave birth to Russ Hamilton and Glen Lamont.

I moved back to afternoons and we staggered onward boldly.    

  

Overall, CHRX was an amazing experience in a radio station and I can lay claim to going from being the first person hired to the last person fired.

Interesting how they went Christian and blew me out – that’s really doing the Lord’s work.

I got a nice severance package and got hired immediately at LG73 before accepting a position from Brad Phillips to do afternoon drive at CISL.

There’s no better way to ease the pain of being fired than taking someone’s “go away” money while getting a second paycheck elsewhere at the same time.

Nothing says “Screw You” quite like that!

I’ll always look back with mixed emotions on CHRX but I can tell you that I’ve never experienced adoration for a radio station quite like that before or since.

In fact, I was doing a remote for the TEAM 1040 just a few months ago and had two or three guys come down to the broadcast just to talk to me about that station.

Listeners loved it and you couldn’t go anywhere in this town without hearing it or hearing about it.

In our first book, we took a huge chunk of males from the Fox and were Number Two in Men 18-34!

When ROCK 101 decided to jump on the Classic Rock bandwagon, our demise was imminent, but we went out fighting.

We couldn’t beat them sonically, but I think we absolutely kicked the s**t out them musically!

Sam: Television, I recall you from some old CKVU days

Joe: During Rocket’s battle with cancer, the then UTV picked up the story of how this courageous woman was doing a radio show in her bathrobe in her home while battling her illness. The reporter was Kate Corcoran; she called me up for details and brought a cameraman along and filmed us one morning for a news story. When Rochelle passed away, Kate called to offer her condolences. I was pretty low at that point and she suggested I might consider television. I remember my response was “What could I do on TV? I don’t do news, weather or sports and that’s all there is”. Kate said that she would keep her ears open regardless and sure enough, after I got let go from CHRX, she called to say that UTV was auditioning for a weekend weather anchor.


                  one of my favourite shots of me and Rochelle Dentry ‘The Joe and Rocket Show’ 1989

She convinced me to at least try out for it and I did. My first audition was with Tamara Stanners and she couldn’t have been sweeter. I walked away feeling confident that I did a pretty good job and her and I struck up a good chemistry. I got called back for a second audition, this time with Suzette Myers, the anchor I would be working with on the weekends. That audition was brutal and I drove away convinced that it was over. My friend Greg Douglas knew the UTV make-up lady (they know all the gossip at TV stations). He called her to see who was in the running and she told him that they had short-listed the position down to three people; Stu Jeffries, Scott Barratt and me. Knowing that Stu had tons of prior TV experience and that Scott was a guy teeming with charm, I felt I didn’t have a chance. To my surprise, I was hired; told to get the hoops out of my ears; cut my hair and I began a new career as a weatherman.


                  Joe Leary, Paul Carson, Marke Driesschen, Norma Wick and Russ Froese
                              at UTV’s Children’s Miracle Network Telethon 1995 or 96?

In all, it lasted thirteen years through the various incarnations; UTV, Global, CKVU and City-TV. For the last couple of years, I also added TV sports anchor to my weekend weather duties. Sara Orlesky quit and took a job at TSN. They threw the weekend sports to our anchor Christina Stevens. She hated sports and didn’t want to do it. I said rather than have someone who hates sports do a half-assed job of reading it, why not let me do it? They agreed and a new phase of my life started to take shape.  

I've been trying to put the words on what you are and it's "a man of different hats" and that seems to be part of your long time success in the Vancouver media.... what with your writing capabilities and knowledge of the biz, your tie it all together, that's impressive!

The expression “jack of all trades, master of none” comes to mind. I learned a long time ago from a former PD and mentor Gary Russell that a day would come in radio when you couldn’t be a one trick pony; you needed to be diverse and offer a few talents in order to survive. He said that to me back in 1980 when every timeslot was staffed live and there seemed to be nothing but money available at every turn.

I took that to heart and have always been very realistic about what I perceive my capabilities to be, but more importantly, my deficiencies. I believe I do a few things well but nothing so well that I could derive a sizable income from it.

As a result, I’ve been branching out, or as some refer to it, “whoring myself out” for years. I think I can write pretty well and started to explore that aspect about 15 years ago or so. That expanded over the years to a number of publications both daily and monthly; local and national. I filed a weekly radio column for The Province that ran for seven years to the day, wrote for the Vancouver Canucks game day program for eight years, and have filed feature and cover stories for TV WEEK Magazine, Inside Hockey, TV Guide, the Vancouver Canadians, Business in Vancouver, BMW Magazine and Celtic Heritage. I currently write a monthly column and file cover features for Vancouver View Magazine, write a weekly blog called ‘Joe Biz’ for TV WEEK online and write a music piece each Friday for 24 HRS Newspaper.

In fact, I’ve filed stories on everything from food, sports and cars to soap opera gossip, retro Vancouver and the alarming incidence of AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa. The written word is the best because it’s the only media form that you can parse as often as necessary before you submit it. TV people have a “best before” date; on radio, your shelf life is considerably longer but in print, hell, you can be old and wrinkled and no one gives a s**t. Just run an old picture.

Sam: You're definitely a survivor, you've got the magic touch, would you like to expand on that? I mean, many in this business get frustrated and even down right bitter as to how the industry in these latter times have either ended their career in the biz as it was and seem perhaps complacent and decide to move on.... where as you, from a variety of chat and entertainment and news of the features you carried, you were able to survive the change over, putting your baseball cap on and assuming the role of a sport announcer doing a morning gig....

Joe: Being adaptable and diverse is key; and never be afraid to reinvent yourself. Larry Hennessey said to me that if radio is a game of ‘Survivor’, I’ve somehow always got the immunity idol. That meant a lot coming from someone like Larry, but he’s right and I take great pride in the fact that I obviously have some employable qualities. Hell, I’ve been fired five times and while that’s never something you want to have happen or willingly accept, what doesn’t kill you only makes you stronger and in my case, each time I’ve been whacked, I’ve resolved to come back better and make sure that I have even more weapons in my arsenal. Radio can be a cruel business and can leave you for dead or cast you adrift all too easily. Don’t ever put all your eggs in one basket. Always have something to fall back on.    

Sam: Even though the show was a non survivor, I never felt it was your fault, but just the way the cards were falling on a decision as to what to do with the station.  Any comments in this regard?

Joe: You’re referring to ‘The Sports Wheel’ on the all-new TEAM 1410 – that was horrible and coincidentally, does not appear anywhere on my resume’. As much as I did not enjoy that experience at all, I was grateful for being retained by the company when so many of my colleagues had been terminated. As a longtime sports fan, I am so glad that I now have the chance to be involved in a successful sports franchise like TEAM 1040 and appreciate the fact that Rob Gray saw enough value in me. That said, going from TALK 1410 to TEAM 1410 was a tough transition and I was never into that initial concept with the “Wheel”. When the day came and Rob told me they were blowing it up, I was fist-pumping with delight on the inside.    

Sam: Then you pop up again, doing evenings on another CHUM property QM.... tell us about your current gig....

Joe: I think once a jock always a jock and I’ve always enjoyed being a DJ. I’ve done a lot of formats from Top 40 to Talk to Rock and even though I’ve never felt that I’m great on air, I think I can do a pretty good job and if I’ve got access to a format like QM down the hall, I’m certainly gonna kick those tires if given the chance. I was asked by QM’s PD Mel Kemmis if I was interested in doing some shifts. I said “Hell, yeah”. I love doing it and really enjoy the sound of that station these days. Mel’s one of the real nice guys in this business to boot.

Sam: TV Week, sorry, I didn't realize your column had resurrected in the weekly. How longs this gig been happening?  It's sad to see the dailies of the Sun and or Province are no longer doing a local media weekly roundup of what's happening... one would think it would be a winner, well, you and I know it would be....

Joe: I’ve been filing a weekly ‘Joe Biz Blog’ for TV WEEK for about three years; my first foray into the online world. The Province column was fun to do but - if you’ve read the radio boards over the years – one, not without its detractors. It was tough in the sense that some people interpreted me writing a radio column as me passing myself off as some broadcast expert – nothing could have been further from the truth. In fact, I never pitched the idea, it was proposed to me!

Years ago, I sent a spec script on a local showbiz column idea to Peter Clough, the then entertainment editor of the Province. I dropped off a package and he called me later that day to say he thought it looked pretty good but had no interest in that for the paper. Instead, he suggested we meet for lunch and see what else might be in my wheelhouse. During our discussion, he remarked at how much radio I had done and asked if I had ever thought of writing about it. He told me that the then Managing Editor Malcolm Kirk was a huge radio fan and had often brought up in meetings that someone should write about the radio business. At Peter’s suggestion, I did a mock-up column which he liked and tabled it for the next available opportunity in the section. He then left entertainment to go to editorial and when I called up his replacement to check on its progress and she totally blew me off.  

Knowing that HER boss Malcolm was a fan on the idea, I called him and he wanted to do it. She then called me sheepishly to say that it was a go.

From the get-go, the intent of the column was to enlighten readers on the radio business, give them the behind the scenes of the goings on and let people see the faces and read the words of the on air types. Not surprisingly, the critics had the knives out for me as initially I was working at KISS-FM which certainly gave the perception of me being biased. I tried to be as objective and balanced as I could but you know how it is with radio boards. There are some very bitter disgruntled pricks out there who love to hide behind anonymity and spew their venom. There were days when my column became the topic of morning radio shows both good and bad. On the days when I was being ripped a new one, there was never a moment that I was angered by it at all. Here I am getting a morning long free commercial for my column and all that the negative publicity is doing is bringing even more readers to the page. I loved it. I remember Frosty Forst telling me “they’re talking about you and writing about you and they’re spelling your name right – you can’t ask for better”. Damn right!  



Sam: Now you're into Beer, being partnered with a bear baron of sorts - tell us about this... that it's not on the local Chum station but Astral AM 650 CISL. Is this a syndicated show? how's it looking?

Joe: Ah yes, the beer radio show. What better concept than to generate revenue from a passion? Being Irish and seeing as how my people have a fondness for the drink, I saw an opportunity to offer a unique programming concept on the radio. The show started off as four paid programs that Colin Jack and I bought. We’ve since expanded it for the year and could possibly see it going bi-monthly down the road. It’s on Astral because they had the airtime for sale and we had the cheque book in hand – it’s that simple.  

Sam: What's the plans for Joe down the road, just keep and continue the course....anything in particular you'd like to tackle?

Joe: My plan is to stay employed, continue to expand my writing potfolio and yes, there is another paid radio show in the works. As for what I’d like to tackle, there’s a whole list of things. I’d certainly love to get back to talk radio, perhaps with somewhat of a sports focus, but not sports talk; maybe sports people – kind of like the CMI (Chris Meyers Interview).

Sam: Tell us, what do you think about the industry today? Where's it going?  How about the Internet?

Joe: Experts have been saying for some time that we’ve only begun to scratch the surface of the internet and I totally believe that. That’s where the future is. As for terrestrial radio, it’s always going to have a secure place because radio can be localized, immediate and often times live. Satellite radio is great and it’s cool to think that you can listen to all comedy or Stern or whatever, but when it comes right down to it and there are situations like a bunch of those Critical Mass assholes tying up downtown traffic or more bike lanes being proposed, you want to be tipped off to that and hear the ensuing outrage on local airwaves. Local will always have a place.  

Sam: Let's talk about this social network tons of us broadcasters have been privileged to meet on Facebook... not too brag, but I've got just over 2,000 facebook pals, mostly Industry folk from here, the U.S. across Canada and around the world and one of the reasons I love the the newsfeed feature is to link some of the highlights of psr on a day to day basis, ie: Today in Broadcast History and other hot items.... point being, it's networking... our monthly referrals to psr site run around 4,000 per month.... just gives you some ideas on what networking, especially with facebook can unite our industry even better...

Joe: Facebook is quite the business model. I remember when I first started working with Jenn in 2006 she was always on Facebook and would tell me how great it was for connecting with people. I was the skeptic thinking that if I wanted to connect with people from my past I would never have stopped staying in touch with them in the first place. Despite my protestations to the contrary and unbeknownst to me at the time, our producer Art Factora created a Facebook page for me. I said that I was not going to go after one person and wanted to see how, if at all, it would grow. Within about five minutes I had three friend requests and it kept going from there. I vowed that I would not request a single person until it got to 600 and I did not. I’ve since starting adding to it because there really are some great marketing opportunities that come with it.



    

.

.]]> Sun, 13 Feb 2011 20:32:58 Sam http://www.pugetsoundradio.com/cgi-bin/forum/Blah.pl?m-1284530432/ http://www.pugetsoundradio.com/cgi-bin/forum/Blah.pl?m-1284530432/#num1 Her Name is
Heidi May
and she's our latest
PSR Jock Shot!


Heidi May
95.7 KJR-FM Seattle
Mid-Days 10a-3p
Assistant Program Director
Music Director

Michael Easton aka SAM:  Welcome to PSR Heidi!
I believe the first time I heard you was on the second attempt of KJR FM under PD Bob Case, then realized your resume includes other Seattle radio stations.  Are you a Pacific Northwest gal?
Where did it all begin for Heidi May, including the 'bug' for the biz?

Heidi:
I was raised in The Green Lake area of Seattle and knew from an early age that I wanted to be on the radio.  I grew up listening to KING and KJR in the 70's.  I was a regular caller to The Barber Boogie Line (Andy Barber) on KING in the 70's.  On career day in high school, I went to KZOK and asked the jocks if there were any female disc-jockeys.  They laughed and acted as if it was a silly question, but there weren't any female jocks on the air in Seattle yet.  

After high school I enrolled in Bailie School of Broadcast.  It was a 9 or 10 month program. I think it cost $5000 which was a lot of $ at the time.  I  got some student loans and away I went.  I was the only girl in my class.  A sign of things to come in a predominantly male industry.  



Greg Cook was my main instructor at Bailie.  Dick Curtis was there as well.  He told me to hop in my car with my tapes and resumes and drive from Bellingham to Aberdeen.  He says he told everyone that and I was the only one crazy enough to do it.  I did and ended up in Puyallup.  I got my first radio gig doing 10p -5a at KJUN in Puyallup.  7 hours a night on the air!  I was in heaven.  The PD there didn't think Heidi May sounded country enough so they called me Chrissy Thomas.  After KJUN, I went by my real name, Heidi May.  I went from Puyallup to a job in Shelton at KMAS and worked part time on the air at KTAC in Tacoma while working in Shelton.  I then moved to KBAE in Everett.  (KRKO).


        Heidi talks with Dick Curtis with Paul Thompson in background

Then in 1986 I got a job at KVI Radio.  Dick Curtis hired me.  He was worried that doing oldies would be a little beyond me.  I was in my early twenties at the time.  He quizzed me on oldies artist names and hired me anyway.  I worked weekends at KVI for awhile.  Dick Curtis was doing mornings at the time.  Sky Walker came on board and did afternoons and later became Program Director.  Curtis stepped down, but continued doing mornings.  

                       KVI Summer Cruise with Sky Walker and Heidi May
6/21/89

I'll always be grateful to Sky Walker for giving me my first full time Seattle radio gig.  I got the 7p-12m gig.  

While at KVI I also worked for Mike Webb.  He was the PD there for awhile as well.  I liked Mike.  We used to pull practical jokes on Paul Thompson (another KVI alum).  Paul worked with Ed Hume on his Saturday morning gardening show on KVI.  



Mike and I called in to the show a few times with crazy gardening problems.  Mike would always play the elderly husband and I'd be his crazy wife -all the while trying not to pee my pants from laughing so hard.   I was very sad to hear about Mike's passing a few years back.


Joe Cooper, Heidi, Dick Curtis, Paul Thompson and Eric Dawes in front at Big Jim Martin's memorial service.  Big Jim was one of my favorites.  He was such a good guy.  I loved working with him.

I left KVI in 1990 and got hired on at KBSG Radio.  Another oldies station.  I was the Assistant Program Director, Music Director, Production Director at one point, and the go to fill in person.  I worked with Ryan & Ryan, Mark Christopher, Fastlane Phillips & Danny Holiday.  

I spent 8 years at KBSG and made some great friendships.  The longest lasting one with my Program Director Jay Kelly.  We made a great team there and would later work together again at KJR-FM.    At one point at KBSG, I got the chance to hire a disc jockey that I listened to a lot in the 70's - Joe Cooper.  We had a lot of success at KBSG.  Our ratings were huge and so were our parties!  We had our own penthouse suite a top The Metropolitan East Tower in Seattle.  We even had our own elevator up to our floor.  That was the last time I'd work for a radio station that had it's own facility and wasn't housed with a bunch of other stations.  Hello Deregulation!

I left KBSG in '98 and went to work for KJR-FM in '99.  It was a thrill to get to say those call letters.  KJR was an institution.  Gary Bryan hired me to do mid-days in Feb. of 99.  During my time at KJR-FM - the station has been through some change.  It was KJR-FM when I was hired, but then we became The New Mix 95.7.  That was short lived.   Bob Case then became my PD and we morphed into The Beat.  That was short lived as well.  We then became known as Superhits of the 70's, Rock & Roll's Greatest Hits and finally Classic Hits.  Whew!  Jay Kelly, my PD from KBSG came on board in '05.  I was so glad to see him walk through the door.  I knew the station needed consistency, and if anyone could do it, it would be Jay.  And he has.  



We're no longer in an identity crisis.  Gary Bryan, Pat Cashman, & Ric Hansen are just a few of the jocks who I worked with at 95.7.    I can't believe I've been employed anywhere that long.  It's been a great gig for me.

Sam: I understand there was low point in your life earlier this year?

Heidi: Switching gears now - I was diagnosed with breast cancer in January of this year.  The Dr's found a non cancerous tumor that they wanted to remove.  They told me there was less than 1% chance they'd find cancer, but would do a biopsy during the procedure.  I went to the follow up appointment alone thinking the surgeon would look at the incision, tell me I was healing nicely, and send me on my way.  Didn't work out that way.  He sat me down and told me they found breast cancer.  We decided a lumpectomy would be the way to go.  We did a lumpectomy on February 4th.  It didn't go well.  They had to remove more tissue than they thought.  I actually fainted in post op after the lumpectomy and they discovered I had internal bleeding.  They had to go back in and remove a pint of blood from my breast.  I went to the post op appointment with support this time and was shocked when they told me they had found cancer in 3 more places in my breast.  At this point they recommended a mastectomy.  Meantime, my PD Jay Kelly asked me if I minded if he told the staff and the listeners about my breast cancer.  I didn't hesitate.  I had a mastectomy and reconstructive surgery on March 11th.  It was very involved and invasive and it took me awhile to bounce back from that surgery.  I'm cancer free though!  I had another surgery in July to finish up the reconstruction process.  I'm very open about my breast cancer experience for a couple reasons, not the least of which is because I'm in a position where I can create awareness.  If I can take anything positive out of this experience, then I'm all for it.  I'm doing The Susan G Komen 3 Day for The Cure September 24th - 26th.  I've raised $7000 so far and have been training like crazy.  I'll walk 60 miles in 3 days during the event.  Also, Energizer has chosen me as their Keep Going Blogger for the Seattle 3 Day.  I'm excited to be a part of it.  I don't mind being the face and voice of breast cancer.

Sam: Thanks for taking this time to share your part of Seattle radio memories Heidi, and continued good health upon you.



Here's a link to Heidi's personal page for The Susan G Komen 3 Day for The Cure.


http://www.957kjrfm.com
]]> Tue, 14 Sep 2010 23:00:32 Sam